Jesse's Bar Mitzvah

I was contacted by Jesse’s parents to photograph his Bar Mitzvah. This was a real honor because I know and love this family.
The service was scheduled for a Saturday morning in June at the beautiful and grand B’nai Jeshurun Congregation in Pepper Pike, Ohio. Because this is a conservative congregation, I was not allowed to photograph the actual service, so I ventured out to Pepper Pike on a gorgeous Thursday afternoon to photograph the family as they rehearsed.
The first thing I noticed, as Jesse was practicing his opening remarks, was how ridiculously good he was. Now this should not have come as any surprise to me because the entire family is driven to work hard and do great things in this world. But still… Jesse is thirteen, and he was speaking with such assuredness and conviction. It was truly inspiring.
When the actual day came, he did extremely well and then the family headed back to Oberlin to celebrate with their friends and family Jesse’s accomplishment. The party was held in the Root Room on the campus of Oberlin College. Music and entertainment was provided by the amazing Yiddishe Cup Klezmer Band of Cleveland.
Here are a few of my favorite images from the day.