Members of the Givatayim organization of Holocaust survivors requested to mark a special day in their lives, albeit a bit late, their bar mitzvah. Baruch Hashem, last week, they did just that, about 70 years late, accompanied by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rav of the Kosel and Holy Sites as well as a number of bar mitzvah boys who were at the Kosel doing the same thing at the same time.
It was quite a moving event, watching the elderly chossonim bar mitzvah putting on tefillin as the straps crossed the numbers on their arms. Also taking part in hosting this special event was Givatayim City Hall, the Kosel Heritage Foundation, IDF soldiers and officers, ORT, and Aish HaTorah.
Givatayim Chief Rabbi Yosef Glicksberg, Givatayim Mayor Reuven Ben-Shachar took part in the event as well.
Pini Rosenberg, who was born in Pinsk in 1931, arriving in Eretz Yisrael in 1948, told of his memories of Yerushalayim in the days when he first arrived. He added that he felt that 1.5 million children, including friends of his from the past took part in the bar mitzvah with the Givatayim elders. He was referring of course to those who never made it, those children HY”D who did not merit an additional 70 years after their bar mitzvah, and perhaps they joined in from the Olam HaEmmes as he stated.
The survivors told their stories during the seudas mitzvah, all in agreement, that the day’s events were among the special events of their lives.
Mayor Ben-Shachar detailed some of the ongoing events in his city on behalf of the survivors. He said that for him, seeing the generation of survivors seated alongside the generation of today’s fighting forces was a very emotional scene – one that clearly defines Am Yisrael’s success and indefatigable determination to continue as a nation.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
4 Responses
“He said that for him, seeing the generation of survivors seated alongside the generation of today’s fighting forces was a very emotional scene – one that clearly defines Am Yisrael’s success and indefatigable determination to continue as a nation.” No! The fighting forces are not what determins our continuity as a nation. Here is another example of how Zionists use the Kosel as a national symbol. Our continuity as a nation depends only on our dedication to Toran & Mitzvos, And continuing our unwaivering Emuna in G-d’s promise to send Moshiach. We await for the rebuilding of Beis Hamikdush, but that has NOTHING to do with the Zionists control (or lack of…) on the Kosel area.
Our continuity as a nation ALSO includes lifting a finger and trying to help ourselves. Even in the Torah, Bnei yisrael didn’t rely on limud Hatorah alone to protect themselves.
#2 Correct. Learning Torah alone may not be enough we have to do some kind of Hishtadlus. We are not on the level that we can rely on learning Torah alone. We may have to not just ‘lift a finger’, but actualy “lift our feet and run” if need be.
Waging wars was done only when we had the devine leadership for that. Today we are in Golus and waging wars is prohibited. Chaz”al have warned us that if we violate this it can ultimately bring to disasterous consequences.
Old Fassioned Jew,
You need to learn how to distinguish between the finer points of different situations before making blanket statements. While a war waged solely for territorial expansion may certainly not be waged without divine instruction, a war to defend the lives of yidden most certainly can. In fact, it is a mitzvah of the highest order. All of Israel’s wars have been to defend yidden from maurauding arab hordes with murderous intent c”v. The zchusim these brave soldiers have for defending yidden is is unimaginable.