(Courtesy of Bris Avrohom) For the 15th consecutive year, Bris Avrohom sponsored a gala bar mitzvah celebration for boys living in southern Israel who would not otherwise have the ability to celebrate their bar mitzvahs. Some of the fathers of the boys are currently serving in the IDF and some are from single parent homes.

Chabad of Be’er Sheva, under the leadership of Rabbi Zalman Gorelick, prepared the children for their special day with courses to teach them about the significance of bar mitzvah as well as the laws regarding donning tefillin. The boys enjoyed receiving the gift of a pair of tefillin in addition to a tallit for their father and candlesticks for their mother.

On the day of the celebration, the boys and their families left Be’er Sheva for Yerushalayim. Accompanied by music and trumpets, the boys were escorted to the Kotel where they each received an aliyah and the family members wished them mazel tov and customarily threw candies at them. From there they traveled to Kfar Chabad, where a festive meal was served with lively klezmer music. Chabad volunteers lifted the bar mitzvah boys on their shoulders and danced with much excitement. Wishes of mazel tovs were exchanged as the boys embarked on their new Jewish journey in life with prayers for protection for their brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.

Rabbi Kanelsky expressed his thanks and appreciation to all supporters who made the bar mitzvah possible. May this mitzvah tip the scale for the coming of Moshiach.

For more information about Bris Avrohom and its activities, call (908) 289-0770 or visit www.brisavrohom.org.