December 4th, 2017 – Each Monday the Torah scroll is brought out by the Chief Rabbi of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. Bar- and Bat-mitzvah ceremonies are being performed on those days in Jerusalem at the Western Wall.

Today it was a memorable day for 110 Holocaust survivors from Haifa and Kiryat Shmona (including the Deputy Mayor) who came to Jerusalem through the Bar/Bat Mitzvah project initiated by Helping Hand Coalition for Israel (עמותת יד לעזרה ישראל). The survivors, who never had an opportunity to perform this ceremony in their teens, and members of their families who came to support them, took part in touring around the wall, listening to a short lecture and had a solemn ceremony performed for them by the Chief Rabbi.

A celebratory lunch followed, with everyone sharing their feelings and enjoying delicious food. At the end of the lunch every participant was given a certificate with his/her name on it. Said one of the survivors: “This day moved me to tears. I will have these memories for the rest of the days that I have left in this world”.

Hundreds of Holocaust survivors were given the opportunity to have this ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem this year alone. On November 27th the same ceremony was performed for 110 survivors from Dimona and Ofakim, and we are planning to bring one more group of survivors before the end of the year.