An excerpt from Mazel Tov: Celebrities’ Bar and Bat Mitzvah Memories by Jill Rappaport, Photographs by Linda Solomon. Copyright © 2007 by Jill Rappaport and Linda Solomon. Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc. N.Y.
During your bar mitzvah, did you like addressing a group of people, thinking, “Hey, I could get used to this”?
You have to understand that from the time I was 8 years old, my parents were putting me up on the stage. I was working with them. And I was in classes and doing improv, and so I was always acting with them, and that was our temple, in a way. But I never got ahead of myself and thought, Well, this is what I’m going to be doing for the rest of my life.
You came from a very interesting background. Were you always the center of attention?
I guess I was kind of popular back then. My mother, or my sister, probably would’ve said I was. I do like to laugh and I like to make other people laugh. Definitely, my parents said I was jumping up and landing on my side to get people to laugh very early on.
Do I dare ask – what did you look like back then?
I had a big chubby bar mitzvah boy face and what was bordering on a mullet. I liked the suit. The suit looked great. It was a pinstriped, three-piece suit with the big, wide white collar. I was very into Saturday Night Fever. I remember seeing a picture with John Travolta behind me, from Saturday Night Fever. I was holding an album of Parliament and the P-Funk All-Stars, with Bootsy Collins and George Clinton and everyone. It was a beautiful, wonderful time. I’ll never forget it.
And looking back, I can’t help but think how lucky I was to have this really loving, cool, artistic family. We just didn’t have a lot of money, but if you don’t miss it, who cares? And I mean that.
Your film, Keeping Up With the Steins, sheds quite a light on the bar mitzvah experience, but it was the complete opposite of your own blessed event.
Oh yeah, well completely. That’s why I thought it was really interesting, because I learned that this world exists: people getting these rap stars to come to their bar mitzvahs and more. It’s just so right for comedy, a world that I didn’t experience, but thought it would be so funny to explore. And so I had a blast, but it was quite different than my experience. The movie is about forgiveness and connection and love in this family, but to get there you have to go through a bunch of dysfunctional people.
You are single, no kids yet, but if you had a son, would you want him to be bar mitzvahed?
It would be great. It would be a completely amazing gift.
