What does it mean to be Jewish and what does Judaism mean to us?
Many Jews first encounter these questions as they prepare for their confirmation. Considered one of the “younger” lifecycle events, confirmations first started as a practice over 200 years ago. Originally intended as a graduation ceremony of sorts, confirmations were initially held in homes or schools and occurred on the Shabbat of their Bar Mitzvah. A handful of years after the first confirmation ceremony, a separate program was instituted for girls, and only a few years after that, in 1822, the first mixed-gender confirmations took place, a practice that quickly became near-universal. It wasn’t until 1832 that Rabbi Samuel Egers of Brunswick, Germany held the first Shavuot confirmation. This was the first time that confirmations, as we know them, took place.
At its inception, confirmation reflected a graduation motif. After a specified period of study, students were subject to a public examination. The following day, in the rabbi’s presence, students uttered personal confessions of faith. The rabbi addressed the class, recited a prayer, and then blessed them. It was a simple service with no fixed ritual. As confirmation moved into the synagogue and as its ties to Shavuot strengthened, the ceremony became more elaborate. And while the ceremony had changed over the generations, one constant remains; confirmands look inward to gain a deeper understanding of Jewish teachings and values and the roles that they play in confirmands’ lives.
Below are select speeches from Brooklyn Heights Synagogue’s confirmation ceremony from our Shavuot services: