Lillith’s Bat Mitzvah

by Ethan Samet-Marram

Lillith’s Bat Mitzvah in Westchester was doomed. After months of preparation in Hebrew, studying the Torah and gathering friends and family, now she suffers the indignity of Zoom guest limits and video lags, and old Jews croaking from their living rooms, “Arthur! How do we raise the volume?” Still, she performed gracefully, entering a new phase amidst global crisis, certainly not how she planned. Stan, Lillith’s grandfather, was doomed. After months of preparation in hospice, coping with Parkinson’s and goodbyes from friends and family, now he suffers the indignity of Zoom guests limits and video lags, as immediate family members attempted eulogies behind face masks six feet apart in a vast Jewish cemetery or miles away in hushed living rooms. He passed gracefully, or perhaps frightened, or prepared, or oblivious, entering a new phase amidst global crisis, certainly not how he planned.