The traditional Bar Mitzvah series of events for 125 orphaned boys from all over the country, including orphans from recent wars, was held this week in Jerusalem.
The main celebration, which is held annually on the occasion of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's birthday on the 11th of Nissan, was postponed this year exceptionally and at the last minute, due to Home Front Command directives, the fighting with Iran, and the unprecedented political-security tensions that prevailed at the time.
However, the organizers, members of the Chabad Kollel, did not give up, and after a delay of almost two months, the excited boys were able to close a moving circle of heroism, faith, and Jewish continuity in a magnificent series of ceremonies. The exciting event opened in the morning hours at the Western Wall Plaza, where the Bar Mitzvah grooms were welcomed with tremendous singing and boisterous dance circles together with their families.
As part of the close support of 'Chesed Menachem Mendel', the educational arm of 'Kollel Chabad' that accompanies the orphans throughout the months of preparation, from studying the parasha to the smallest details, each of the boys received a pair of elegant tefillin personally.
The tefillin were bestowed by the dedicated team led by Rabbi Shalom Duchman, who came especially from New York, and Rabbi Mandi Blau.
There were heartbreaking moments there, as thousands of family members who accompanied the grooms could not hold back their tears. The widowed mothers, who had gone through unbearably difficult times, stood moved beside their orphaned children, looking at them in their tallit and tefillin with a mixture of immense pain for those who were missing, alongside pride and hope for the future. Immediately after placing the tefillin, the boys went to a festive morning prayer in front of the remains of our temple.
From there, the boys and their families continued to the Nation Buildings, where the main and festive ceremony was held, hosted by Ephraim Kamisar. Speeches of appreciation, an experiential quiz, a rich meal and a variety of other moments made up an exciting mosaic in the moving event in honor of the bar mitzvahs. The meal quickly turned into a huge, overwhelming celebration. To the sound of music by leading artists, thousands of family members, guests and boys broke out in boisterous dances that filled the hall with high energy.
The President of the State, Yitzhak Herzog, spoke and moved the hundreds of participants when he directly addressed the Bar Mitzvah grooms: "Dear and beloved bar mitzvahs, today is a holiday for you and for us. We are privileged to celebrate this strength that exists within you, to bless you and be blessed by you. You were exposed from a very young age to immense pain, loss and difficulty, and you were forced to say a painful farewell to those dear to you. You were forced to grow up too quickly.
""You all grew out of the difficulty," the President of the State continued, "You learned to grow out of and alongside the pain. You are not only growing up, you are also overcoming. Each of you is a hero. Today we are happy for you from the bottom of our hearts, proud of you, and wish that you will continue to grow, rejoice, grow, dream, dare and succeed. I have no doubt that you will all continue to be a source of hope and immense pride.".
The grand event, which was launched thanks to a collaboration with the Meromim Foundation and the Ish Israel Foundation in memory of Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Schlossberg, with a donation from his son Rabbi Eliyahu Schlossberg, was graced by an impressive presence of dignitaries who came to honor the Bar Mitzvah boys, including the current Chief Rabbis, Rishon LeZion Rabbi David Yosef and Chief Rabbi Kalman Bar, alongside the new rabbi of Tel Aviv, Rabbi Zebadiah Cohen.
Also participating were: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Yariv Levin, Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar, former Minister of Social Welfare Yaakov Margi, Chairman of Agudat Israel Yitzhak Goldknopf, Minister of Environmental Protection Idit Silman, MK Avichai Boaron and Chairman of the Committee for Public Appeals MK Osher Shekalim.
An extraordinary peak moment was recorded during the mass ceremony of receiving the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, led by the Rishon LeZion Rabbi Moshe Shlomo Amar. The atmosphere in the square was enlivened by the artists Yair Eleitzur and Yishay Lapidot, who lifted the Bar Mitzvah grooms on their shoulders and danced with the hundreds of attendees.
""The joy was postponed for two months, but the energy was in the sky," concluded one of the war widows who lost her husband, a soldier. "Seeing my son and all the boys celebrating with such joy - there's nothing more moving than that. I'm sure the boys' fathers celebrated with them from above.".
Photography: Mandy Toitou, Ariel Ohana, Colors Productions
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