I think I have finally heard EVERYTHING!!!

[greatauntoftriplets]

QUALITIES OF LIFE

Mitzvah envy
$40,000 delivers fun and even a few friends--without the bother of any Hebrew

By Barbara Mahany
Tribune staff reporter
Published August 29, 2004

Courtney Kuhnen isn't Jewish but she was turning 13.

Not to worry. Here's what her mother, Candice Kuhnen, did:

- Planned a little soiree for her only child, invited 83 of Courtney's friends, 163 of their parents, rented out a synagogue (even though she's Roman Catholic), and turned the sacred hall into a Parisian nightscape, with an Eiffel Tower made of balloons and a hand-painted backdrop covering the wall where the holy Torah is kept behind doors.

- Hauled Courtney off to a Winnetka couturier, who designed and sewed a gossamer frock just for the occasion.

- Brought in a disc jockey, dancers and a videographer who turned 100 snapshots (culled from the 23 scrapbooks Courtney's mother had kept since her birth) into a grab-the-hankie video montage, starring you-guessed-it, who leapt larger than life from a supersized screen.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/q/chi-0408290487aug29,1,3183685.story

[eyesroll]

1. Blech.

I grew up in that area (turned 13 in 1988) and I thought the bar mitzvahs were nuts then -- now they've got copycats. (I grew up Jewish but didn't have a bat mitzvah -- my parents weren't very religious -- and I got asked all the time why I didn't want the party and the presents).

[BlueJazz]

2. When I saw the price was $40,000.00 my first thought was...

...Bush's tax cuts for the rich....I helped pay for that party..
I need a cigarette (and I don't smoke)..AAHHHHGG!

[Philostopher]

3. It's not just Chicago.

There was a sidebar item about this in my local paper a couple of months ago -- apparently, it's a Midwestern fad. Most of the Jewish people I've known over the years came from reformed or secular families and had small, informal 'rite of passage' gatherings or just a regular birthday party. This is kinda' creepy, I gotta say it.

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

4. This affluence makes me feel like I'm 90 years old

My husband and I were discussing this with friends a couple of weeks ago. We were all middle-class teenagers in the 70s. All we had in our rooms were clock radios and hand-me-down furniture, but somehow it seems like it was a better thing than the way kids have it now. We appreciate everything we have and you wonder if kids today will have that appreciation.

[Bunny]

5. I didn't register, so I haven 't read the article.

But is it saying that non-Jewish people are renting out synagogues and staging fake bar or bat mitzvahs, just for shits and giggles? There are so many things wrong with this, on so many levels, it boggles the mind. Unbelievable. :mad:

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. In a nutshell, that's it, bunnyj.

I find it hard to believe that the synagogues are willing to go along with commercialization of their facilities.

Can you picture holding a bar mitzvah at the altar of a Catholic church?

[Bunny]

7. Yes - the synagogue's cooperation is astonishing.

If these parents simply wanted to throw an ostentatious bash for their 13 yr. old, why don't they just rent a hall somewhere? Why in God's name are they getting a synagogue? It's beyond outrageous.

[kimchi]

8. I have no problem with assimilating a right of passage...

in fact, I think we should create them (not copy them).
But I do have a problem with the conspicuous waste. They could've bought her a car like most rich people.

And the synagogue going along with it? Pure greed, and imo, sacrilege.

[BiggJawn]

9. Does Courtney "compete" in pageants?

23 scrapbooks full of photos, custom gown...

Why didn't you buy her implants, mom? Then she could win the 13-16 classes....

[Obamarama]

10. This is such a vulgar, vile display of vanity.

Message to kid: you can buy your friends. A few quotes from the article:

"It made me feel great, actually. My life really did change. I used to have one best friend. Since I invited so many people, I have so many new friends now. And I have two new best friends. And my ex-boyfriend asked me to be his girlfriend at my party, so that was big."

Yeah, little girl...we know: "It's all about me..."

And this from the mom:

she "Swore that it's the best thing she has ever done for her budding teenager, pointing, quickly, to the fact that Courtney has all sorts of new best friends."

Faux Mitzvahs...just whan you think you've heard EVERYTHING.