What is a bark mitzvah?

Floyd drooling over his bark mitzvah cake!

When Floyd turned 13 years of age, his family thought it would be fun to give him a bark mitzvah. No, that is not a typo—Floyd is a canine. A bark mitzvah is a pet mitzvah held in honor of a dog. There are also meow and equine mitzvahs…and probably a few more that you and I have not heard of yet.

In the Jewish tradition the bar or bat mitzvah is a coming of age ceremony for a boy or a girl. So, the “faux mitvzahs” (pet mitzvahs in general) are making the fur fly in some circles.

In fact, Jewish News Weekly recited an account from the 1970s when Rabbi Ferenc Raj, now of Berkeley's Reform Congregation Beth El, conducted a Brooklyn bar mitzvah and was stunned to see a monkey guest wearing a tallit (prayer shawl).

Pet mitzvah events began to take hold in the early 1980s when they were held as fundraisers during Purim, a religious holiday celebrated with merriment, costumes, gift giving, socializing, and fund raising for specific charities.

Years later the pet mitzvah trend began to hit mainstream when celebrities, such as Joan Rivers, honored pets with mitzvah celebrations. Not too long ago (2005) Countdown with Keith Olberman covered the story of how Edie and Ed Ruby threw a bark mitzvah for their precious pooch (click to watch the video).

The fact is that no matter how you feel about it, these celebrations are here to stay and there is a whole industry popping up around all kinds of beastly celebrations. Party animals can find specialty cakes and snacks, party packs, and even get Star of David collars and leashes, or the canine and feline versions of the tallit and yarmulke.

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Today most people who hold such events are looking to celebrate the life of their pet and the joy an animal has brought to them.

To celebrate his special occasion, Floyd was outfitted in a doggie tallit and yarmulke (skull cap) as he greeted his guests—and literally drooled all over his special mitzvah cake...

Do you have a pet mitzvah story to share? Leave a comment below.

Below: Any ideas about who should officiate over pet mitzvahs?