The Bar Mitzvah of Jesus Goldfarb

by Andrew Heinze

Winner: "Audience Favorite, Best Play" & "Judges' Choice, Best Play" 17th Annual New York City Fifteen-Minute Play Festival (2011); Finalist, 2018 National Award for Short Playwriting; Finalist, 2019 Samuel French OOB Short Play Festival

Jason Goldfarb wants a new name for his Bar Mitzvah. This is a big problem for Rabbi Deborah Silverman.

Winner: "Audience Favorite, Best Play" & "Judges' Choice, Best Play" 17th Annual New York City Fifteen-Minute Play Festival (2011); Finalist, 2018 National Award for Short Playwriting; Finalist, 2019 Samuel French OOB Short Play Festival

Jason Goldfarb wants a new name for his Bar Mitzvah. This is a big problem for Rabbi Deborah Silverman.

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The Bar Mitzvah of Jesus Goldfarb

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear: The Bar Mitzvah of Jesus Goldfarb

    Delightful and absolutely endearing comedy, this will certainly be a hit with all. Loved!

    Delightful and absolutely endearing comedy, this will certainly be a hit with all. Loved!

  • Richard Sebastian-Coleman: The Bar Mitzvah of Jesus Goldfarb

    Laughed all the way through this play, and yet, it's touching. It's a believable conversation between young adult and mid-adult life, both in their way going through a rite of passage, it honors the wisdom both ages have while poking great fun at each age's blind spots.

    Laughed all the way through this play, and yet, it's touching. It's a believable conversation between young adult and mid-adult life, both in their way going through a rite of passage, it honors the wisdom both ages have while poking great fun at each age's blind spots.

  • Larry Rinkel: The Bar Mitzvah of Jesus Goldfarb

    A wonderfully funny and clever little play which rings all the changes on the meanings of choice, courage, and progress within the context of Reform Judaism. Consider how less adroitly ironic the play would have been if Rabbi Silverman had been male, or from a different branch of Judaism like Conservative or Orthodox (where a female Rabbi would not be allowed). And directors should not miss the opportunities for using props like those twirling pens or the ring tone from Beethoven's Fifth or the thunder or the light at the end.

    A wonderfully funny and clever little play which rings all the changes on the meanings of choice, courage, and progress within the context of Reform Judaism. Consider how less adroitly ironic the play would have been if Rabbi Silverman had been male, or from a different branch of Judaism like Conservative or Orthodox (where a female Rabbi would not be allowed). And directors should not miss the opportunities for using props like those twirling pens or the ring tone from Beethoven's Fifth or the thunder or the light at the end.

View all 8 recommendations

Development History

  • Type Workshop, Organization HB Studio (NYC), Year 2009

Production History

  • Type Professional, Organization Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, Year 2019
  • Type Professional, Organization American Globe Theater (NYC), Year 2011
  • Type University, Organization University of Texas, Austin, Year 2011
  • Type Professional, Organization Stone Soup Theatre (Seattle), Year 2010

Awards

  • Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival
    Finalist
    2019
  • National Award for Short Playwriting
    City Theatre
    Finalist
    2018
  • 17th Annual New York City 15-Minute Play Festival
    American Globe Theater and Turnip Theater Company
    Audience Choice
    2011
  • 17th Annual New York City 15-Minute Play Festival
    American Globe Theater and Turnip Theatre Company
    Judges' Choice
    2011