Over 700 orphans and more than 4,000 of their family members came out to Israel’s Superland amusement park this week to celebrate their Bar and Bat Mitzvah. The annual event was sponsored by Israel’s National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi) Rehabilitation branch which works directly with families who have experienced tragic loss, in cooperation with Colel Chabad, Israel’s longest-running social services organization, helping Israel’s needy, elderly, widows and orphans, founded by the Alter Rebbe in 1788. Among them were children of IDF soldiers who lost their lives in battle in recent months, and of victims of the October 7 massacre.
In addition to full access to the park, which was open solely for the participants, the celebration included carnival snacks, drinks, a full lunch buffet, and musical entertainment throughout the day Marking the nature of the celebration, a special area was set up as “MitzvahLand”, which included how to write on parchment for tefillin, building a mezuza case, making honey, preparing candlesticks and baking challah and other activities. Each child was also given a special gift to mark the coming-of-age ceremony and the evening was topped off by a performance by Israeli popstar Static.
“Especially in a year like this, when the bereaved community in Israel has grown so dramatically, and we are in the midst of war, with hostages in Gaza and tens of thousands of residents evacuated, it is essential to bring light and joy to hundreds of Bar and Bat Mitzvah boys and girls, and thousands of their family members,” said Mendy Blau, Israel Director of Colel Chabad. “On a day like this, it’s all about joy.”
