THE BAR-MITZVAH PROJECT

During their studies in the Junior Unit of our Children's Home, many of the boys reach the age of bar-mitzvah, a definitive event that is celebrated every year in the Junior Unit and the Home. Marking this significant age involves a process that throughout the year includes a variety of stages:

The religious ceremony and being called up to the Torah:

All the bar mitzvah boys are called up to the Torah reading in groups, in a synagogue close to the Children's Home. For months, each of the boys receives instruction in reading the Haftorah from the hands of a deeply dedicated young rabbi from Jerusalem. The rabbi prepares each boy in the special reading of the Torah portion and in the prayers to be said when called up to the Torah in the synagogue.

Discussing the Age of Adolescence:

Throughout the year, special get-togethers are held both in the school with the homeroom teachers and in the residential cottages with the child-care workers. At these sessions, discussions are initiated regarding topics such as : the meaning of becoming an adolescent, ceremonies of passage, acquaintance with the world-at-large, identity, getting an official ID card, and the essence of the Bar Mitzvah speech.

Writing the Bar Mitzvah speech:

Each lad writes a personal speech, escorted throughout the process by a staff member. The speech includes his relating how he came to the Children's Home, the journey he has done since then and is still doing, his hobbies and goals. The speech at the end includes thanks to all those who helped him along the way. Each lad reads his speech in front of an audience consisting of all the Junior Unit boys and staff and the boys' families, on the day of their Torah reading.

Bar Mitzvah Field Day:

Towards the end of the year, all the boys of the Junior Unit go on a special field day, along with all the staff members of the Unit. The trip is marked by its affinity to the Jewish religion. Each year another route is chosen: David's City, the tunnels of the Western Wall or the ancient walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. Each year, regardless of which route is chosen, the field trip's final station is at the Western Wall. The boys learn about the sites they will be visiting and the Bar Mitzvah boys jointly prepare a special task they carry out in the course of the field day.

Bar Mitzvah Party:

Towards the end of the school year, a special celebration is held for all the Bar Mitzvah boys at the Home. The boys' families attend, along with other people close to the boys, such as past staff workers and other children from the Home. A special play, written in honor of the Bar Mitzvah boys, is put on, and the festivity is augmented with a special meal, cakes and gifts.

Bar Mitzvah Project:

Each of the bar mitzvah boys participates in a special project that contributes to the general good of the community. Some past projects included: gardening in other schools and teaching children hospitalized in a children's ward in one of Jerusalem's hospitals how to build mobiles. The very act of giving leaves a deep and long-lasting impression on the young adolescents.

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