Bar Mitzvah World

I went to a bar mitzvah this weekend. The kid did great. Really. I was wildly impressed. What freaked me out, though, was the band at the nighttime shin dig, or, more appropriately, the music-dance collective. There was a DJ, an apple computer, a singer, two dancers, and a guy with a mike who can only be called a facilitator. Surely you've seen this guy? He's, like the best camp counselor ever who was really into hip hop and somehow made whatever you were doing acceptable? An endless spout of enthusiasm and hiccups, this facilitator could sing along and explain dancing games and really, you know, facilitate. But he was also a grown-up, which is to say, he was wearing a wedding ring. It freaked me out. I kept wondering what his life was like, how he'd come to be in this band, who go the idea for the name and how they figured out how much he could sing along? I know he got me thinking way more than I needed to and the band is probably a way to make some extra money to supplement his teaching salary, and no doubt he's a great teacher. But, still, if American Idol ever started a summer camp for Jews, this is the guy who'd run it. And he'd be damn good at it. Damn good.