Mitzvah Day International Day around the world. Though based within the UK's Jewish Community, Mitzvah Day traditionally marks the first day of UK National Inter Faith Week, and as a result has expanded to include participants from other faith communities as well. 'Mitzvah' is the Hebrew biblical term for 'deed' or 'commandment', which has come to mean 'good deed' or 'charitable act' in contemporary English. The 2017 date is November 19. Mitzvah Day International was founded by Laura Marks in 2005, who, upon returning to her native UK from a period spent in Los Angeles, decided to bring the 'Mitzvah Day' concept she
Adult bar and bat mitzvah Axelrad of Brandeis University officiated the first adult Bar and Bat Mitzvahs in the early 1970s. He encouraged the practice in all denominations of Judaism. Between 1995 and 2001, Hadassah held group adult Bat Mitzvah ceremonies for 180 women. In 2001, the Union for Reform Judaism created a guide on adult Bar and Bat Mitzvah programs which was adopted by 900 congregations. In 2002, the Conservative Movement adopted this guide as well. The process of becoming an adult Bar or Bat Mitzvah involves studying for a year or longer. It consists of Hebrew language, Jewish rituals, Torah readings, and Haftorah