Bris Avrohom Mass Bar Mitzvah in Israel

Bris Avrohom of Hillside, NJ, recently held a Bar Mitzvah program in Israel for 13 boys from the Former Soviet Union. The children selected for this special program live in the southern cities in Israel, such as Beersheba, Ashdod, Ashkelon and others, and have all been affected by the fighting in Gaza. Without our funding, these children would have had no Bar Mitzvah celebration at all.

For several months beforehand, all of the children came to weekly classes to learn about becoming Bar Mitzvah and some of them learned to read from the Torah as well.

The celebration began on Wednesday night, July 1st, in Beersheba. A gala dinner, with music, was held for the boys and their families. Gifts were presented as a memento of this milestone celebration. Each boy received a pair of tefillin in a bag with his name embroidered on it and a set of Jewish books. Their fathers received a new tallis and their mothers received a new set of candlesticks. Every family received a beautiful silver Kiddush cup as well.

On Thursday morning, July 2nd, the families were brought to Jerusalem for a special Shacharis davening at the Kotel. The boys had the opportunity to don their new tefillin for the first time and every boy had an aliya. Photographic portraits were taken of each child with his family and Rabbi Mordechai and Mrs. Shterney Kanelsky, executive director and associate director of Bris Avrohom.

The children and their families were visibly moved by this experience. Without the sponsorship of Bris Avrohom, the boys would not have been able to celebrate their Bar Mitzvahs. If you would like more information about the Bar Mitzvah program, or other activities at Bris Avrohom, please call (908) 289-0770.