The Weinhaus family celebrated son Jason’s Bar Mitzvah service at Temple Beth David in Commack, New York. A sports party was held the following day at The Sports Arena in St. James, New York. Some of you Long Island moms might recognize mom Shari Einhorn, a news reporter for News 12 Long Island. She and her husband Neal created many of the sports themed décor elements and centerpieces for their son Jason’s celebration. Jason is the ultimate sports enthusiast!
Pictured L-R: Brother Alex, Dad Neal, Bar Mitzvah boy Jason and Mom Shari.
The photography was by Howie Schnapp and the rest of the vendor information is listed below.
Jason smiled on the Bimah during his formal Temple pictures
Mom’s purple beaded dress from Nordstrom was shipped from (of all places) a store in Anchorage, Alaska, because all of the other stores were sold out!
A nod to Jason’s favorite sport, baseball kippot
A custom stadium ticket from Custom Sports Cards contained all the party information
The men/boys of the Weinhaus family consider collared golf shirts “fancy clothes.” So the decision was made to go with a fun and casual celebration and guests were asked to wear “Jerseys and Jeans.” Their special “family” jerseys were designed by Dad Neal. Each family member chose their own color scheme and all wore #57, Jason’s baseball number
The back of each jersey read, “The Dad, The Brother, Jason, and The Mom”
“Jason’s Bubbie” got one too!
The Sports Arena, an indoor soccer, football, lacrosse and hockey facility was the perfect venue for a kid who loves sports. Jason was ready to party!
The seating lineup was on clip boards hung from the drapes
Mom Shari created four huge collage posters featuring sports photos throughout Jason’s life
Jason and his Dad Neal posed in front of pipe and drape decorated with Jason’s photos and jerseys
Dad Neal printed 15 inspirational sports quotes that were placed in picture frames on all of the tables
Shari’s sisters, sister-in-law and mother helped make all of the sports centerpieces
For this New York Giants centerpiece, a glass vase was filled with mini footballs and helmets
Linens and balloons created a party feel on the hockey floor
There were many special moments during Jason’s celebration. In place of a candle lighting, Jason gave out glow necklaces and offered a small sentiment about each family group and friend that came up to receive them. Jason gave a little speech after his Zadie cut the Challah
Mother and son shared a nice hug
After seeing a locker sign-in idea on Mitzvah Market, they chose to do the same thing. They bought a lime green, (Jason’s favorite color), metal sports locker and Jason’s brother Alex put it together. The locker fit in with the rest of the decor and guests had lots of room to write special messages
The locker is now in Jason’s bedroom
The family wanted upscale “stadium” food to fit the theme. The caterer, Carlyle off the Green, hit a grand slam! There was a burger bar, fajita bar, Chinese food in takeout containers and a New York City Times Square station with Reuben sandwiches, hot dogs, pretzels and knishes.Guests couldn’t wait to eat the upscale game day food
No sports party is complete without delicious hot dogs
The burger bar was very crowded
SuperSound Entertainment provided the music for this party and got everyone dancing in between sports activities. Jason made a grand entrance into the party
Jason was up in the chair surrounded by friends and family
Horah time!
Jason and his friends had a great time on the dance floor
All of the kids participated!
A friendly tug of war There were lots of great activities planned like tug of war and tag football.
Glow necklaces provided lots of fun, here younger brother Alex put a few together to make a hula hoop
The glow necklaces really gave a cool look with the lights off
Wire Sculptures by Steve Seifer were given to guests as favors. Tennis and basketball were some of the choices
What a unique customized party favor!
Everyone took home a bag with this custom label
Jason’s Bar Mitzvah Project
For his Mitzvah Project, Jason worked with an organization called Stack the Caps to collect new baseball hats for children with cancer. He included a paragraph in the invitation asking friends and family for donations. He also wrote letters to local sports teams and stores asking if they wanted to help out. Teams like the New York Giants and the New York Yankees sent hats. The Long Island Cosmos sent hats and a voucher for 4 free tickets to a game. The New York Jets sent a football signed by the 2013 team. The most amazingly donation came from a local sporting goods store, Port Jeff Sports. He said he was so moved by Jason’s letter, that he donated 401 hats!
The hats went to Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York and and Miami Children’s Hospital, Miami Florida. Jason also participated in his Temple’s Mitzvot Program, doing 13 Mitzvot. Jason collected coats which were donated to the Lighthouse Mission. He collected 6 boxes of children’s books that were donated to the Interfaith Nutrition Network’s soup kitchens. He worked at a school blood drive, researched a family tree, learned how to bake challah, and fasted during the whole Yom Kippur holiday.
Some Advice from Mom Shari
“Definitely involve your Mitzvah teen and the rest of the family in the planning process. It’s more fun that way! If you can, decide together on a “vision” early on and stick to it. That way you can do a little at a time and make changes along the way without feeling too much stress and pressure. I spent 18 months planning and I can honestly say the party turned out EXACTLY the way we were hoping it would. I wanted it to be a celebration of our son and his life … and it was.”
Vendor Directory
The following vendors helped to make Jason’s Bar Mitzvah special. If you call any of them, please let them know you read about them on MitzvahMarket.com
Temple: Temple Beth David, 631-499-0915
Venue: The Sports Arena, 631-361-9288
Caterer: Carlyle off the Green, 516-222-1900
Decor: Mom Shari and Dad Neal
Photographer: Howie Schnapp, 516-286-6972
Videographer: Peter Cinnante, 631-767-4892
Party Planner: Jessica Ciardullo, Event Kings, 631-392-1234
Music Entertainment/MC: Alex Dollin, SuperSound Entertainment, 516-606-4402
Favors: Wire Sculptures by Steve Seifer, 718-846-4024
Invitation: Sherry Schweitzer, A Touch of Class Parties, 516-364-1110
Kippot: A1 Scullcap, 800-454-7727
Sign-In Locker: School Lockers.com, 877-936-2483
Family Jerseys: Dad Neal designs, produced by Logo Sportswear, 877-535-5646
Mom Shari’s service dress: Nordstrom
Suits for Bar Mitzvah boy Jason, brother Alex and Dad Neal: Karakos Suits, 516-577-0055
Purple shirts and ties: Kohls
Hair/Makeup: Bocu Salon, 631-499-1300
