Kvell is the bar and bat mitzvah planner for the parent holding the whole year together: the plan, the honors and Hebrew names, the candle lighting, the speeches, the guests, and the party. Made for iPhone and iPad. One payment, every child. See the Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and Support.
The bar mitzvah checklist, built from your date
A real bar mitzvah checklist starts 12 to 18 months out, not six weeks before. Venues and photographers book more than a year ahead, tutors start about a year out, and save-the-dates go 6 to 9 months early because family travels.
Kvell builds the whole timeline backwards from your date: invitations around four months out, RSVPs closed a month before, honors and Hebrew names to the rabbi three to four weeks ahead, the synagogue rehearsal two weeks out, and the montage assembled six to eight weeks early. Change the date and every deadline moves with it.
Every task is editable, and the Candle Board shows thirteen candles, one for each part of the plan, lighting as you complete them. When all thirteen burn, you are ready.
The bat mitzvah timeline is the same spine, your way
A bat mitzvah timeline follows the same arc, with the choices your family and community make: the service format, the age, the celebration style. Kvell asks three light questions about terminology, community, and heritage, then follows your lead.
Families who keep Shabbat get Shabbat-aware scheduling: photography, music, and transport tasks never land inside Shabbat, formal photos default to before Shabbat or Sunday, and the party sits after nightfall Saturday.
Candle lighting ceremony order, explained
The classic candle lighting has 13 candles, sometimes 14 as one to grow on. Convention puts grandparents and family early, friends in the middle, and parents and the child last. A memorial candle for loved ones who have passed usually comes early in the order and is introduced quietly.
Each honoree gets a short introduction, warm, funny, or rhyming, and a song for the walk up. Kvell writes the intros with you, keeps the order right, and prints the MC sheet your DJ reads on the night. The ceremony is an American party custom and entirely optional; plenty of beautiful celebrations skip it.
Bar mitzvah honors, explained
Honors are the parts of the service given to family and friends: aliyot (being called to the Torah for the blessings), opening the ark, hagbah and gelilah (lifting and dressing the scroll), and readings. Grandparents and the closest relatives usually receive the aliyot.
Every congregation has its own rules about who may take which honor, and they matter enormously for interfaith families. Ask your synagogue early, and keep their answer where you can find it. Kvell records the honors, the rules, and the confirmations, and exports one clean sheet for the rabbi. Your rabbi and synagogue are the authority.
How to find Hebrew names for aliyot
Anyone called to the Torah is called by their Hebrew name, traditionally their given name, then ben (son of) or bat (daughter of), then their parents’ names. Many relatives do not know theirs offhand, and some may not have one, which is normal; the synagogue will advise.
The trick is asking early and kindly. Kvell composes a polite ready-to-send message for each honoree, collects the answers in one place, and delivers them to the rabbi weeks before the service instead of the week of.
Everything else, in one place
The guest matrix tracks who is invited to Friday dinner, the service, kiddush, the party, and Sunday brunch, with RSVPs per event and real counts for the caterer. The budget knows what a simcha actually costs, from the tutor to the kippot to the mashgiach. The gift ledger counts in multiples of chai, and the thank-you tracker keeps you honest.
Kvell is coming to the App Store as Bar Mitzvah Planner: Kvell. Questions or ideas: hi@moonshot.ie.