Following two years of the coronavirus pandemic, more than 120 bar and bat mitzvah children from around Europe came to the Western Wall today (Thursday) for a unique and moving hanachat tefillin ceremony. This is the peak of their bar/bat mitzvah journey that is taking place in Israel under the auspices of the Morasha organization connected with the Rabbinical Center of Europe.
After two years during which the pandemic restrictions made it impossible to hold the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Journey, the one-week journey set out at the beginning of this week with 120 bar/bat mitzvah-aged children.
The peak of the journey was today, at the Western Wall, during the special hanachat tefillin ceremony held by Morasha and the Rabbinical Center of Europe in conjunction with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.
The rabbis of European communities and the bar/bat mitzvah children were greeted by the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, along with Rabbinical Center of Europe and Western Wall Heritage Foundation guides who accompanied the children on this special day, connecting them with the Jewish chain of generations.
The special ceremony began when the European children arrived at the Western Wall Plaza. They were walked to the Western Wall in a musical procession accompanied by a great crowd that enveloped them with love and joy. The children each received a personalized certificate. The event concluded with experiential tours of the Western Wall Tunnels sites given in different languages.
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