48 children of fallen IDF soldiers mark b’nei mitzvah at the Western Wall

Forty-eight children whose parents died while serving in the Israel Defense Forces celebrated their b’nei mitzvah at the Western Wall today in a ceremony organized by the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization (IDFWO).

The group, which included Jewish, Muslim, and Druze children, marked the milestone according to the children’s various own traditions. Boys received tefillin and were called up to the Torah, girls were gifted Shabbat candlesticks, and members of non-Jewish groups visited their respective holy sites, IDFWO says.

The group also met with President Isaac Herzog and celebrated with a party at Jerusalem’s Museum of Tolerance.

The annual celebration has been taking place for over a quarter of a century, but more Israelis have become IDF widows and orphans since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack than in the entire 20-year period that preceded it, IDFWO says. To date, since the onslaught, 885 children have been left without a parent, and 352 partners have been left without a spouse.

“These families paid the ultimate price for our freedom and deserve to have the best possible celebration as they become young adults,” says IDFWO CEO Shlomi Nahumson.