Hazon Yeshaya helps underprivileged youngsters celebrate their initiation into adulthood.
By ALYX RIMBERGchabad bar mitzvah 88 29(photo credit: Sharon Matityahu)
Nearly every month, a dozen underprivileged children celebrate their bar mitzvahs, free of charge. For these children, what may have been only a dream becomes a reality thanks to Hazon Yeshaya, a humanitarian network in Jerusalem.The celebrants, who come from needy and/or broken families, would have been hard-pressed to properly celebrate this important moment were it not for this network.Despite the severe economic decline of the last few years, the organization’s bar/bat mitzvah celebrations continue to provide a joyful experience for these kids, and a memorable and inspiring introduction to adulthood.
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Under the network’s wing, these youngsters get a tour of Jerusalem and visit the Western Wall. They are given a tallit, tefillin and a siddur (prayer book).In addition to the traditional ceremony, a small party is organized for the young celebrants, together with their family and friends. The festivities include not just food, but a magician and live music.Last week, Hazon Yeshaya held a special celebration for the bar/bat mitzvah children and their guests.One of the bar mitzvah boys was wheelchairbound, paralyzed by polio from an early age.To honor him, a number of the IDF’s finest – a group of paratroopers whom these children look up to as heroes – were on hand to perform.The children spent the day on the soldiers’ shoulders, clearly enjoying their moment in the limelight.All the bar/bat mitzvahs are funded by international donors. In fact, some of the children now celebrate a “twin event,” where both the bar/bat mitzva child and benefactor’s own child celebrate the occasion together.The founder of Hazon Yeshaya, Abraham Israel, was born in Egypt. His family came to Israel in hope of finding a better life, but was turned back and told to wait until proper documentation could be organized. The family waited three-and-a-half years, during which they ate at soup kitchens.When finally granted admittance, Israel was already of bar mitzvah age, but the family could not afford to celebrate.Israel’s “party” consisted of a single cookie and a sincere “Mazal Tov!” from his family.With that experience etched in his memory, Israel swore he would make a difference in the Jewish state’s future.And indeed he did: Hazon Yeshaya not only runs the bar/bat mitzva project, but also provides hundreds of hot meals each day.In describing the impact of the network on young lives, Israel tells a moving story of two orphaned brothers who lived together. When the younger one was of bar mitzvah age, he asked his brother to organize a party to celebrate the milestone.The older brother promptly went to a store and brought out two beers.“L’haim!” he exclaimed. But his younger sibling was very disappointed.Two weeks later, the bar mitzvah boy found himself at the Western Wall – thanks to Hazon Yeshaya. The boy was ecstatic at this unexpected opportunity to have a real bar mitzvah.“Thank you so, so much for doing all this for me,” he said to Israel, who was no less moved than the young celebrant.
