Berke said that she first thought of the idea in 2004 while she was on a JDC mission to Siberia, a region that is home to approximately 70,000 Jews.

"Siberia is a forgotten part of the Jewish world," she said. "It’s like we’re plucking these kids from the ashes of the Holocaust and the Soviet regime. On my trip, somebody asked the group of 12 Hillel students how many had Bar Mitzvah. Only two raised their hands. One said: ‘For the rest of us, it’s too late.’

"It’s never too late to become a full-fledged member of the Jewish community."

Along with her daughter, Susan Fogel, Berke began to formulate plans for the group Bar Mitzvah, including working with the JDC office in Siberia to recruit participants and enlisting two rabbinical students from the University of Judaism to train the participants through distance learning activities. The rabbinical students, David Kosack and Bradley Greenstein, will also plan the service and lead it.

The distance-learning component they have developed includes Torah portions, text study and mini-seminars run by Hillel in Siberia and local JCCs.

"This is a milestone," Berke said. "Something like this has never been done before. These are the descendents of gulag prisoners and people who fled the Holocaust. We want them to feel empowered to participate in Jewish life in their communities, and we hope other Jewish community leaders will replicate this model in other places where Jewish youth are hungry to connect with Jewish life and traditions."