Powered by WebAds

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

More Bat Mitzvah Madness

And I thought last week's bat mitzvah was bad. This week's version makes last week's look like child's play:

For his daughter's coming-of-age celebration last weekend, multimillionaire Long Island defense contractor David H. Brooks booked two floors of the Rainbow Room, hauled in concert-ready equipment, built a stage, installed special carpeting, outfitted the space with Jumbotrons and arranged command performances by everyone from 50 Cent to Tom Petty to Aerosmith.

...The party cost an estimated $10 million, including the price of corporate jets to ferry the performers to and from.

...the 150 kids in attendance seemed more impressed by their $1,000 gift bags, complete with digital cameras and the latest video iPod.

'Nuff said.

14 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

A step above $1000 strollers

12:06 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why don't you worry about how to spend your own money?

1:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a nerve to make a bat mitzvah like that!!! Brooks obviously lives in Lawrence. what a nerve he has to complain about the public schools wasting money. Just for this we should put extra teachers on the payroll, pay them in the 10th quartile of the nation and have them teach kids that don't even live in the district. Wait, we already do that. ok, I need to get back to you on how the school board is going to counter the profligate spending of the Orthodox community.

1:34 AM  
Blogger Jameel @ The Muqata said...

Orthomom: Thanks for this great posting - it gives me all sorts of ideas for my son's upcoming bar mitzva.

I just wonder what to put in the $1000 loot bag.

1:51 AM  
Blogger Cosmic X said...

I can just imagine the following conversation between Tom Petty and Paul McCartney:

PM: Hi Tom, how are things going?

TP: Great! I did a Bat Mitzvah the other day.

3:17 AM  
Blogger orthomom said...

Jameel @ The Muqata said...

Orthomom: Thanks for this great posting - it gives me all sorts of ideas for my son's upcoming bar mitzva.

I just wonder what to put in the $1000 loot bag.

Anytime, Jameel. Just glad I could help. ;)

8:25 AM  
Blogger orthomom said...

What a nerve to make a bat mitzvah like that!!! Brooks obviously lives in Lawrence. what a nerve he has to complain about the public schools wasting money. Just for this we should put extra teachers on the payroll, pay them in the 10th quartile of the nation and have them teach kids that don't even live in the district. Wait, we already do that. ok, I need to get back to you on how the school board is going to counter the profligate spending of the Orthodox community.

LOLOLOL.

8:25 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

excellent. I better start saving. I have five years for my daughter's bat mitzvah, if I sock away an extra 2 mill a year, I should be able to swing it.

Of course, Tom Petty is a has-been, albeit an excellent one. Best line ever was in The Postman (worst film by Kevin Costner) upon meeting Tom Petty, Costner's character says "Didn't you used to be somebody?" And Petty responded "Yeah, i used to be somebody."

I'm actually quite disgusted. Wouldn't it have actually shown what it meant to be part of the brit by, gee, I don't know, throwing a modestly lavish party and giving a big donation to a tzedakah of the girl's choice?

Unfortunately, this is becoming extremely prevalent, even in the Ortho community (albeit, not on the exact same scale.) I know of one that had a weekend away that hired Matisyahu (I think) to perform.

2:51 PM  
Blogger DovBear said...

You left out the part about how he screwed the workers out of their pay

5:13 PM  
Blogger Tall Latte said...

They only had 150 kids attend? For $10 million you'd think they might have included a few more.

Compared to a blow out for a wedding where the chosson and kallah divorce only months later, I'd say honestly. it's money well spent. Don't you think?

Oy.

5:53 PM  
Blogger Renegade Rebbetzin said...

All I can say is: That poor, poor kid.

Seriously.

12:09 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Was this party for the girl or the father? It sounds like it was just a vehicle for the dad to live out his boyhood/teenage rock star fantasies or something. There's no mention of the Bat herself (or the Mitzvah, for that matter) in the article. And what the hell are they going to do for this girl's wedding?!

11:01 AM  
Blogger Conservative Apikoris said...

And what the hell are they going to do for this girl's wedding?!

After my experience putting on a bat mitzva, I am going to tell my daughter the following:

"Go elope with your fiance. When you get back form the honeymoon, I'll take you two out ot dinner at the restaurant of your choice."

3:52 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

On the other side, has anyone seen this? (I can't find it on their website) The Chai Lifeline newsletter came in today's mail. On page 24:

A bas mitzvah girl, 3 years after her father developed cancer and the family moved to NY to be near him at a top hospital, substituted a fund raiser for a "traditional Bat Mitzvah party".

On September 1, more than 800 people crowded into a HS auditorium to hear . . Eli Gerstner, Blue Fringe, Mendy Wald, Heedoosh, Yaniv and Shloime Kaufman perform on behalf of Chai Lifeline.

Raisa raised more than $30,000 . . .


(Sorry, I am really out of it regarding current music, even Jewish stuff - who are these people?)

Then, of course, what made me think of this post:

"How many kids can get 800 people and top entertainers to come to their Bat Mitzvah?" her father joked. "Ad we didn't even have to pay for it!"

He thought it was a cute thing to say . . .

12:19 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home