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To some, it may sound nearly 80 years late, but for three residents of the Martin and Edith Stein Assisted Living Residence, this weekend marks an important milestone.

Ruth Ogens, 85, Faye Bradus, and Lillian Epstein, both 92, will celebrate their b'not mitzvah this Sunday at the residence in a service during which they will each recite the Ten Commandments in Hebrew, chant prayers together, and deliver speeches to their family and friends about their journey toward this momentous day.

The program was organized by Jackie Kott, director of recreation, with the assistance of Rabbi David Glicksman. Each Tuesday since March, the three women met with Kott and Glicksman to practice reading Hebrew and learn about Judaism.

The program is the first of its kind at the residence, according to Kott, who expects at least 100 people to attend, including more than 50 out of town guests of the three women.

The residents said that the opportunity to improve their Hebrew language skills and build upon their Jewish knowledge was what compelled them to join the b'nai mitzvah program.

"The program was presented to us and we took advantage of it," Bradus said. Though she had attended Sunday school as a child, Bradus said that Hebrew was not part of the curriculum. "The program gave me the impetus to study more and learn."

All three women described how becoming a bat mitzvah would allow them to share in an experience that many of their grandchildren, and even some great-grandchildren, have gone through.

"Everyone in my family has had a bar or bat mitzvah," Ogens said, citing this as part of the reason she decided to have her own now.

For Epstein, her own bat mitzvah celebration is not the only upcoming one in the family.

"I've enjoyed it -- a lot of my grandchildren and great-grandchildren have had their bar and bat mitzvahs," she said. "I'm very excited about becoming a bat mitzvah. There are certain aspects that were important: learning more Hebrew than I was acquainted with. I had a certain amount of enjoyment with the whole experience. I have a great-granddaughter who will become a bat mitzvah in three weeks and a great-grandson who will have his bar mitzvah around Thanksgiving time."

Epstein said that she was excited for Sunday's ceremony, but remained quite nervous.

"You don't want to make a fool of yourself in front of your kinder," she joked.

The residents described the small class size as advantageous, allowing them to receive close attention and ask questions.

"[Glicksman] gives us background of different words and what they mean and the history," Bradus said.

Ogens agreed, mentioning how the program has prompted her to think about issues she never previously considered.

"You begin to understand certain things," she said. "Did it happen or did it not? You begin questioning things that you never did before, and I guess that's the value of learning."

For Kott, organizing the program has been a truly gratifying experience for herself as well.

"I feel like I'm really doing a mitzvah for these women because they didn't have an opportunity to have a bat mitzvah when they were younger," she said. "It's great to help them to be recognized as a bat mitzvah woman."

Kott said that she recently reminded the women that "you're never too old to learn."