Wonderful Initiative Helps Over 100 Orphaned Boys Celebrate Bar Mitzvah Together

Photo: Bar Mitzvah in Jerusalem

A bar mitzvah, or bat mitzvah, is a milestone for Jewish children making their foyer into adulthood. It’s a time of celebration, pride and, for many, family. However, for some, the celebration can feel empty and meaningless without family around to help celebrate the occasion. Thanks to Colel Chabad, this wasn’t the case for 113 orphaned boys who were brought together to celebrate their bar mitzvahs.

The organization, which is now in its seventh year of operation, recently held a joint bar mitzvah for over one hundred children who’d been orphaned. They brought the boys to Jerusalem and held a ceremony at the Western Wall, followed by a formal banquet at the International Convention Center. The event had all expenses paid for the boys who, many of them from disadvantaged backgrounds, would not have been able to afford to celebrate this monumental occasion otherwise.

Colel Chabad, which holds events for both boys and girls, and has helped over 1,800 children to date, was started by Rabbi Yitzchak Mishan of Brazil. A father of 13, he lost his wife to illness and understands the pain one feels after the loss of a loved one.

“During times of happiness, I know that there families feel that something is missing in their lives,” he explained in an interview with The Times of Israel. “So our goal was to ensure that children know that they are not alone, that they can be truly happy and that life will go on despite the obvious pain and loss they are feeling.”

The children who came for this mass bar mitzvah were from all around the country, and of diverse backgrounds, with many of them having no experience with religious ceremonies.

“On days like today we want these children to feel the joy that any normal child experiences on their bar mitzvah,” said Rabbi Sholom Duchman in the report, who works as the International Director for Colel Chabad.

The banquet held at the International Convention Center was attended by members of the Knesset and the nation’s chief Rabbis. In addition, each child was brought up on stage in front of the attendees and given both a gift basket and a blessing.

According to the report, Eliana Zilberman, a mother who saw the event, said it “reminded us that people truly care about others.”

“The reality is that for many kids in this situation true happiness is not something they get to feel very often. But today they felt it and we will all remain appreciative for the rest of our lives.”