Recently, I attended a Bar Mitzvah ceremony in Brooklyn, New York; I was invited to the Jewish ritual with my girlfriend who is a relative of the Bar Mitzvah boy. As a matter of fact, this was my first time attending a Bar Mitzvah, or any Jewish ceremony. I am primarily Italian and have practiced Roman Catholicism for my entire life, so I am very unfamiliar with the Jewish community and their religious ceremonies. I felt that it would be a great opportunity to familiarize myself with a religious institution that I do not belong to. Also, it gave me the right set of circumstances in order to elaborate on such an interesting cultural event and use it as the topic for this intercultural activity. I did do some research so I was not totally ignorant of what was about to come and also to be expected of me. I always knew the Jewish faith is rich in culture and history so I was very eager to experience the ceremony. The event took place at Union Temple of Brooklyn which was apparently established in the late 1800's. It is considered to be one of the first Jewish parishes in the New York City area. Besides my girlfriend, her immediate family and I, it seemed much of the audience was of Jewish descent although there were people from other religious and cultural backgrounds. The cultural space of the event influenced my reactions in a neutral way. It's difficult to say because I did not have the opportunity to interact with everyone there and I'm only able to determine much of my perspective solely based on interactions with a select few of people and my observations. One thing I can definitely say is that I felt comfortable because everyone who attended the ceremony provided a level of support and consolation. My girlfriend and her family are also Roman Catholic so I was able to relate to them throughout the entire day. As the ceremony moved forward, it became easier to communicate with others especially at the end of the night which turned into a huge celebration. Since this happens when a child is 13 its thought of as a rite of passage or a coming of age, but it is more than that because of the religious study and significance. They are both connected to Judaism's practice of recognizing when a person takes responsibility for their religious practice (Syme 63). In that regard, I was able to connect with the Bar Mitzvah to a baptism or confirmation in Christianity, which I have attended many times throughout my life. I learned that the words Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah are Hebrew for "son or daughter of the co