Dear friends and family – We hope you can join us to celebrate Charlotte’s Bat Mitzvah this April! This is an exciting milestone for Charlotte (Naomi Gavriela in Hebrew), and she is eager to celebrate with everyone!
For those who can make the trip to join us outside of West Chester, PA this spring, we have reserved a block of hotel rooms at the Home2Suites by Hilton in Glen Mills, PA. These rooms are available at a discounted rate until March 29th of this year.
Home2Suites by Hilton Glen Mills Chadds Ford
75 Applied Bank Blvd
Glen Mills, Pennsylvania 19342
Direct booking link for discounted rooms:
Or you can call the hotel booking line at 610-358-4716 and mention the name of the room block (“Heller Bat Mitzvah”) or SRP (380). (Don’t ask us what “SRP” stands for!)
The Home2Suites is roughly equidistant between our synagogue and where the evening celebration will be held (The Gables at Chadds Ford restaurant: 423 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, PA 19317). It’s also walkable to Starbucks, a Wegmans supermarket, and several fast casual lunch options. We’ve included some additional hotel ideas below if you prefer a more boutique experience and/or have preferences as to hotel chains:
The historic Hotel Warner in downtown West Chester
The Hampton Inn and Suites at Chadds Ford
Residence Inn Glen Mills/Concordville
Hilton Garden Inn Kennett Square, PA
Inn at Whitewing Farm West Chester, PA
On Charlotte’s Bat Mitzvah morning, services will begin at 9:30 am at Kesher Israel Congregation in West Chester, PA. Please feel free to arrive any time before 10 am; a light lunch will be served after services conclude around 12:30 pm. The evening celebration will begin at 6:00 pm at the restaurant and conclude before 10:00 pm (parents of Charlotte’s friends: a good pickup time to plan for is 9:45 pm!). You are also warmly invited to join us for Friday night Shabbat services on April 29th beginning at 7:00 pm at Kesher Israel if you make it into town beforehand.
The public health situation continues to evolve rapidly, and we can’t predict what specific health precautions will be in place in late-April. We’ll be following all public health and synagogue-specific safety precautions for both the religious services and the celebration, as well as common sense. Please expect to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination as well as an email address (via the RSVP card) where we can update you closer to the Bat Mitzvah as to specific masking and/or pre-Bat Mitzvah testing requirements. Yes, this all stinks but it’s better than getting people sick unnecessarily. Many thanks in advance for your consideration and thoughtfulness.
Please reach out to us at any time with questions at heller2002@hotmail.com and 703-401-4788 (mobile).
Love,
Jennifer, Nathaniel, Charlotte, Lily, and Olive the Bernedoodle