Over a hundred boys who lost a parent, including during the October 7 War, celebrated their bar mitzvah in a joint event at the Western Wall on Sunday, Colel Chabad Rabbi Sholom Duchman told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
The 125 boys enjoyed a day-long celebration, proceeding down to the Western Wall, accompanied by their families, where they were called up to the Torah.
According to a press release, before the Torah readings, Colel Chabad gave the boys new tefillin. A celebratory dinner and gala were later held at Jerusalem’s Binyanei Hauma International Convention Center.
The boys have lost parents due to tragic circumstances, including illness, terrorist attacks, accidents, and the October 7 War, Duchman and Colel Chabad explained.
Through the hardship, Duchman said that the charity accompanied the bereaved families for years, providing financial aid, tutors, and counseling. One woman, Anat, lost her husband five years ago to the Coronavirus pandemic, and spoke of the mixed emotions in celebrating the bar mitzvah of her only child.
“We have experienced a lot of loss and pain over the last five years, so this event is a blessing for my son, giving him a wonderful celebration during this very special time,” said Anat.
'Each and every one of you is a hero'
President Isaac Herzog attended the event, according to Colel Chabad and his office, imparting a message of resilience to the boys and their families.
“From too young an age, you have been exposed to immense pain and have had to grow up too quickly. All of you have grown out of hardship; you have learned to grow amidst the pain and alongside it. You are not only coming of age, you are also overcoming – and each and every one of you is a hero,” said Herzog.
“Today, together with the fragmentation, we rejoice with you from the depths of our hearts. We are proud of you, and we wish that you will continue to grow, to rejoice, to flourish, to dream, to dare, and to succeed,” he concluded.
The event had originally been set to take place before Passover, but was rescheduled due to wartime restrictions on public gatherings. Duchman told The Post that the celebration took months to prepare for, but that Colel Chabad had been involved with the families for years, providing financial aid, tutoring, counseling, and even vacations.
“You should always remember that this is not simply a ‘coming of age’ experience that we typically think of for a bar mitzvah,” Duchman told the boys during the dinner.
“You are carrying a message of faith and hope, and that light can win out over darkness. I know that each of your parents is looking down from above with incredible pride, and that their souls are in the room dancing along with all of us.”
Dr. Jonathan Donath, founder and president of DailyGiving.org, a micro charity initiative that gives daily donations to multiple organizations, including Colel Chabad, celebrated with the boys at the Western Wall.
“Speaking on behalf of the more than 24,000 daily givers in 51 countries who contribute to Daily Giving, we know that the sensitivity and impact that Colel Chabad has for the people it helps is so incredibly moving,” said Donath.
“Witnessing the level of compassion and intentionality at this event, where every kid is able to feel so cared for, gives us great honor to be bringing happiness to families who have experienced such loss and sadness.”
Duchman said that it was a privilege to be able to support boys and girls who had suffered such a loss. His organization also held a similar bat mitzvah event for girls earlier in the year.
The event has been running annually for about 28 years, and has its roots in the large bar and bat mitzvah events for new Russian immigrants. As the post-Soviet Union collapse aliyah trickled away, the focus shifted to orphans.
Colel Chabad has been operating in Israel since 1788, according to Duchman, who was tasked to run the program by Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson almost five decades ago.