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Harrison of Congregation M’kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a pet owner herself, has mixed feelings.

“To imagine that a dog could do anything like this is degrading.” Cantor Rhoda J. The bar or bat mitzvah ceremony “is something that young Jewish adults prepare for, for years,” Rabbi Daniel Satlow, then of Congregation Beth El in Fairfield, Connecticut, says in the AP video. Unsurprisingly, some Jews disapprove of the trend. In 2012, video journalist Janet Weinstein reported for the Associated Press that bark mitzvahs are “a booming multimillion-dollar industry.” Weinstein’s video on the craze was featured on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, complete with a clip of a dog in a yarmulke being lifted into the air, as human guests danced the hora. The number of people planning bark mitzvahs has generated a market for related products-from “It’s my bark mitzvah! ” dog bandanas to bark mitzvah-themed squeaky toys. “The bark mitzvah offers us a chance to extend our joy of Judaism to our dogs in a fun and friendly environment.” “While our dogs certainly don’t practice Judaism, they are members of Jewish families and live in Jewish homes,” says congregant Melinda Neumann, who helps organize the affair. Every year, the Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism’s Rabbi Steve Gross conducts a short service for more than 250 dogs that includes readings, songs and blessings, along with a certificate declaring that each participant became a “bark mitzvah.” The festival features a DJ, food trucks and dog-related vendors. Synagogues have also gotten in on the act. Search “bark mitzvah” on YouTube and you’ll find all kinds of celebrations, from over-the-top parties to low-key backyard gatherings. Since then, the popularity of bark mitzvahs has only grown. “I’m giving them a little party and we’re dancing and having fun, and the animals are getting attention.” “I’m giving them a little Jewish prayer, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Day said in a 2016 radio interview. She eventually trademarked the term “bark mitzvah,” described in the filing as “entertainment in the nature of live performances at parties given for pets.” The ceremony’s profile rose in the early 1990s when Day presided over the bark mitzvah of Joan Rivers’ beloved yorkie, Spike, on The Joan Rivers Show. Some 25 years later, New Jersey pet entertainer Lee Day began performing bark mitzvah ceremonies for families that wanted to celebrate their dogs.

The occasion was nonetheless a huge success, and the Salters went on to host several more bark mitzvahs over the years. “They were laughing so hard they could hardly stand it,” says Salter, now 94. Windy remained on his best behavior, as did the other canine attendees-but the human guests, not so much. “Guests brought classic bar mitzvah gifts like fountain pens, and also dog biscuits,” recalls Janet Salter, the former newspaper cartoonist and philanthropist who hosted the festivities along with her late husband, Beverly Hills Mayor Max Salter.

The invitations requested “the honor of your presence at the bark mitzvah and 13th Birthday” celebration for the Duke of Windsor-a black cocker spaniel whom his humans dubbed “Windy”-followed by a “Dogtail” party. More than 100 guests attended, and Monty Hall of Let’s Make a Deal served as emcee. T he first known bark mitzvah took place in 1958 in Beverly Hills, California.