Over 100 orphaned boys celebrate bar mitzva together

Event sponsored by Colel Chabad helps children who have lost loved ones remember they are not alone

For many Jewish children, the bar mitzva or bat mitzva is a momentous milestone in their young lives, a rite of passage in which the excitement and pride they feel is perhaps surpassed only by that felt by their beaming, adoring parents.

It is therefore no surprise that, for those who have been orphaned, this joyful occasion can also make a loved one’s absence all the more painfully evident.

This is where Colel Chabad tries to help. An event organized by the organization on Monday brought 113 orphaned boys to Jerusalem to celebrate their Bar Mitzva together. With all expenses paid, and including a ceremony at the Western Wall followed by a gourmet meal and formal banquet at the capital’s International Convention Center, the event afforded the young boys — many of them from disadvantaged backgrounds — with an experience they were unlikely to have been provided otherwise.

The initiative, now in its seventh year, features events for both boys and girls. It was started by Rabbi Yitzchak Mishan of Brazil, a father of 13 who lost his wife to illness.

Boys who have been orphaned celebrate their bar mitzva together at the Western Wall in an event organized by Colel Chabad (Photo credit: Kobi Amsalem)

“During times of happiness, I know that these families feel that something is missing in their lives,” Mishan said. “So our goal was to ensure that these children know that they are not alone, that they can be truly happy and that life will go on despite the obvious pain and loss they are feeling.”

Colel Chabad said the children came from all over the country and from diverse religious backgrounds. Many had little previous experience with religious ceremonies.

Rabbi Sholom Duchman, the organization’s International Director, said around 1,800 orphaned boys and girls had already benefited from the program.

“On days like today we want these children to feel the joy that any normal child experiences on their bar mitzvah,” he said.

The event at the ICC was attended by various dignitaries including members of Knesset and the country’s Chief Rabbis. Each child was brought on stage and given a gift and a blessing.

One mother, Eliana Zilberman, said the event “reminded us that people truly care about others.

“The reality is that for many kids in this situation true happiness is not something they get to feel very often. But today they felt it and we will all remain appreciative for the rest of our lives.”