Holocaust survivors finally get coming-of-age blessing

Fifty holocaust survivors who were prevented from getting a traditional Jewish coming-of-age ceremony finally receive it during an emotional event at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

The septuagenarians and octogenarians were given bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah ceremonies, which are normally staged for male and female Jews at age 12 or 13, in an event held ahead of Israel’s Holocaust Memorial Day.

The 13 men and 37 women had mostly missed their ceremonies due to the war and its after effects, so Israel’s government organized a joint one at the Western Wall — Judaism’s holiest site for prayer.

: Illustrative: Dozens of Jewish Holocaust survivors wear Tefilin and the Tallit prayer shawl as they participate in a group bar-mitzvah ceremony, normally done at the age of 13, on May 2, 2016, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City. (AFP PHOTO / MENAHEM KAHANA)

: Dozens of Jewish Holocaust survivors dance after performing their Bar-Mitzvah Jewish ceremony, normally done at the age of 13-years-old, on May 2, 2016, at the Western Wall in the Jerusalem’s Old City. ( AFP PHOTO / MENAHEM KAHANA)

: Dozens of Jewish holocaust survivors wear phylacteries and the tallit prayer shawl as they dance with the Torah after performing their bar mitzvahs, on May 2, 2016, at the Western Wall in the Jerusalem’s Old City. (AFP/Menahem Kahana)