Dozens of IDF orphans celebrate bar and bat mitzvahs at Western Wall

Dozens gather in the Western Wall plaza to celebrate the bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies of 52 children who have lost at least one parent in IDF military action.

The IDF Orphans and Widows Organization is hosting the celebration, which includes five children who lost parents in the current Israel-Hamas war.

Organizers expect at least 200 guests to arrive throughout the afternoon.

The festivities begin with a communal ceremony, after which the boys and girls will split up for separate smaller events.

There will also be a third section for non-Jewish children, primarily Druze and Bedouin, who are included in the initiative.

The main ceremony is being jointly conducted by the chief rabbi of the Kotel, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, and the chief rabbi of the IDF, Rabbi Eyal Moshe Krim.