It was an emotional event at the Kosel on Monday, 6 Cheshvan 5773 as twenty survivors of the Holocaust celebrated their bar mitzvah, organized by the Kosel Heritage Foundation in cooperation with a number of cities around Israel. The event is intended to permit elderly yidden who were bar mitzvah age during the war to celebrate it today if they have not already done so.

It was an emotional scene as they wrapped the straps of the tefillin on their arms, covering their numbers in part, each sharing stories of those horrific days. Many family members were on hand, including the young ones, soldiers, and volunteers involved in the event. Kosel Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz was among those on hand, citing “This event points to the deep connection between the eternal people and its legacy in every time and place, whatever the situation may be. We are duty bound to remember those days and transmit the message to future generations.”

The rav added the event was among the most emotional for him in the course of his job, and one of the most significant in the history of such events being held at the Kosel. “The light and darkness are one, and this is our hope, and here we are witness to the eternity of the Jewish People.”

Each survivor was given the opportunity to share his story, adding to the intensity of the event.

For the bar mitzvah participants, they were all in agreement and their presence at such an event marked Am Yisrael’s victory over Hitler YS”VZ and those like him whom have tried to extinguish the light called the Jewish People over our history.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)