Krakow bat mitzva first for synagogue

(JTA) — A bat mitzva celebration in Krakow’s Tempel Synagogue is believed to be the first of a locally born Jewish girl.

Estera Derkowska celebrated becoming a bat mitzva with a Havdala ceremony on Saturday before nearly 200 worshipers at the Reform synagogue.

Krakow’s local Orthodox rabbi, Boaz Pash, and Reform rabbi, Tanya Segal, both participated in the ceremony.

“There have been other bat mitzvas in Krakow, but this is the first one ever for a local Krakovian girl,” said Jonathan Ornstein, executive director of the Krakow Jewish Community Center.

Ornstein said Estera had studied with Pash for a year and attended Sunday school classes at the JCC since the facility opened in 2008.

The bat mitzva, he said, marked a milestone in the development of the Jewish community, which numbers several hundred.