For decades, they carried a milestone they never had the chance to mark. Last week, some 35 Holocaust survivors from Ra’anana gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem to celebrate bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies that were taken from them during childhood by the horrors of the Holocaust.
The emotional event was initiated by the Claims Conference in cooperation with the Ra’anana Municipality and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. The survivors also recited Kaddish in memory of family members who were murdered during the Holocaust and offered a special prayer for the safety of IDF soldiers and Israel’s security forces.
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Holocaust survivors from Ra’anana gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem to celebrate bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies that were taken from them during childhood by the horrors of the Holocaust
(Photo: Courtesy)
For many participants, it was the first time they had marked their Jewish coming of age.
“I never celebrated my bar mitzvah, and now I finally have the opportunity to do so,” one survivor said.
The day included a visit to “A Window to the Western Wall,” a recently opened visitor experience presenting the history of the Western Wall and the Jewish people. During the ceremony, each survivor read aloud the names of loved ones who were killed in the Holocaust before reciting Kaddish.
Before making their way to the Western Wall plaza, the survivors, accompanied by a musician, also took part in a joint prayer for the safety and success of IDF soldiers and security forces serving across the country’s fronts.
The event was led by Alon Leibel, the social worker dedicated to supporting Holocaust survivors through the Ra’anana Municipality.
Leibel’s position was established as part of a national initiative by the Claims Conference and the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs, which has placed dedicated social workers in 40 municipalities across Israel to provide individual, social and community support for Holocaust survivors. The program is expected to expand to additional communities.
For many, it was the first time they had marked their Jewish coming of age
(Photo: Courtesy)
The event was organized in cooperation with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which hosted the survivors and assisted with their needs throughout the day.
Ra’anana Mayor Haim Broida said the ceremony is significant to the community.
“Holocaust survivors hold a special place in the heart of our community in Ra’anana,” he said. “For me, as the son of a Holocaust survivor family, this is also a personal commitment. Seeing Holocaust survivors celebrate a bar mitzvah many years after attempts were made to take away their childhood, identity and future is an emotional moment that symbolizes more than anything else the victory of life and the victory of the Jewish people.”
“As a society and as a community, it is our duty to continue accompanying the generation of survivors, to express our gratitude to them and to ensure that their life stories and legacy are passed on to future generations,” Broida added. “This is not only a great privilege, but also a great responsibility.”
Yaron Marcus, director of the Claims Conference’s Social Allocations Department in Israel, said the event reflected both remembrance and resilience.
“To see the survivors standing before the stones of the Western Wall, remembering their families who perished and immediately afterward praying for the well-being of IDF soldiers, security forces and the people of Israel — this is a powerful image that connects past and present,” Marcus said.
“The fact that those who were denied their childhood celebrations because of the Holocaust can now stand at the holiest site for the Jewish people and celebrate is a moving expression of resilience, continuity and the triumph of life,” he added.