Over the course of the war, now entering its 18th month, hundreds of Israeli homes have joined the tragic ranks as bereaved families, and thousands of children will grow up without the support of fathers who fell in battle. This reality made the annual Colel Chabad Bar Mitzvah commemoration for orphan boys that much more emotional this year, as 123 boys, all of whom had lost at least one parent, came to the Western Wall to celebrate the momentous occasion.
Among those participating in the event were several families of fallen IDF heroes, alongside families who lost parents to illnesses, vehicular accidents, terror attacks and other tragedies. The annual event, organized and sponsored by Colel Chabad, Israel’s longest continuously operating charitable organization founded by the first Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1788, is designed to ensure that orphaned boys get to celebrate the coming-of-age ceremony in a truly special way, despite the financial and practical challenges many of these families are facing.
The celebration began with the traditional bar mitzva ceremony where each young man was danced down to the Kotel, accompanied by family and volunteers, to make the blessing on the Torah. Each participant received his own set of teffilin as well as new clothing for the special occasion.
The families were then all guests of honor at a gala celebration in Jerusalem’s Binyanei Hauma, where they were treated to a three-course meal, concert, photo session and special gifts to mark the occasion. The event was made possible with the support of Shlusberg family in memory of their father and the Meromim Foundation.
M, whose husband had been killed two years ago in a car accident, came to celebrate the bar mitzvah of her son with her family, describing the event as very complex emotionally. “On the one hand we have the joy of the bar miztvah, but our family’s identity is very much still associated with my husband’s death. But when I look at my children smiling, laughing and dancing I realize that we have to keep pushing forward in our life’s journey to find and embrace all the good that’s here despite our personal situation and the difficulties the country is facing at this time.”
Rabbi Sholom Duchman, Director of Colel Chabad said that while this Bar Mitzvah event has been taking place for over 34 years, Israel’s current challenges reinforced the importance of finding joy amidst tragedy. “Every child deserves to know that they are not forgotten, particularly during these landmark occasions in Jewish life. When a boy approaches bar mitzva, it’s natural to think that his father will be standing alongside him and when that’s not possible it’s critical that we find a way to ensure his mother and family have the emotional and practical support they so deserve.”