Anything and everything goes these days for bar and bat mitzvah parties, planners say. The common thread is creating an event that’s personalized, unique and memorable. Micah Topche’s family of Center ...

The novelty song "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" was featured in just a few seconds of one episode of "30 Rock" more than a decade ago, yet that was just long enough for it to become a Halloween favorite.

Thirty years ago, I created my own rabbinical cottage industry — observing and critiquing bar/bat mitzvah, American style, and working on ways to improve it. Here was my basic point: American Jews ...