Chabad Hosts Special Bat Mitzvah Celebration

Rabbi Zushe Silberstein believes that every female should experience the joy of a bat mitzvah ceremony. So when the opportunity arose for two intellectually challenged ladies to do so, he and his wife Bayla made it happen.

The rabbi’s Chabad Lubavitch Ville St. Laurent and Chabad Bois Franc co-sponsored a recent ceremony for Evelyn Schachter and Rochelle Krakower.

Schachter, 62, was elated. “Tonight is a very special occasion for me as I stand here and celebrate the moment I have been waiting for, for a long time; My bat mitzvah celebration – just like my friends and family have celebrated. I hope to continue to live as a real bat mitzvah, increasing in doing mitzvahs, and together may we all bring about a better time for us.”

In a similar spirit Rochelle Krakower, 44, explained, “My Hebrew name is Rachel and as I think about my role as a Jewish woman, I feel like I am an important link in a chain that extends all the way back to Rachel. As we think about our responsibility of adding just another mitzvah, we hope that the promise to Rachel our Matriarch will be accomplished and we will return to Israel.”

Abraham Fuks, chairman of the Miriam Home board of directors, believes that for too long people have been excluded from this important ritual because of their disabilities and a lack of openness.

“This ceremony marks the full integration of these women into our community of faith,” he declared.

Family from as far away as Hamilton came to town to join the celebrations. There were about 50 guests in all. The joyous celebration was followed by a party featuring traditional live music and a magnificent buffet including a chance to create your own traditional Shavuot cheesecake.

“Miriam Home is proud to serve a diverse community in Montreal, but we are also dedicated to fulfilling our historic mandate of supporting the Jewish community as a dynamic part of our city’s diversity,” said Daniel Amar, Miriam Home’s director general. “Fostering a sense of Jewish identity among our Jewish clients is part of the Miriam difference. This is the second time our clients have participated in special bat or bar mitzvah ceremonies, and it is a tradition we are committed to building upon. The moment they knew they would have their Bat’ Mitzvah, Évelyn’s and Rochelle’s faces became so joyful. This is how the hardwork pays off. These great moments are also a measure of success.”

Rabbi Silberstein believes this “mitzvah” will result in more such ceremonies.

A number of years ago, the Miriam Home organized and hosted a collective bar/bat mitzvah for a number of its adult clients who had never had the opportunity to celebrate this important Jewish milestone. It was extremely successful and very well received. A number of clients, who did not have occasion to participate at the time, had indicated their hopes that they too would eventually have a similar opportunity.

Miriam Home is the only rehabilitation centre for persons with intellectual disabilities and pervasive developmental disorder that has a linguistic and cultural mandate in addition to a geographic one. It serves the city’s West End, the English-speaking community and the Jewish community.