boys from the Ethiopian community celebrated their Bar Mitzvah at the Western Wall

For the first time, boys from the Ethiopian community celebrated their Bar Mitzvah in cooperation with the Israeli police at the Western Wall.

This morning, 13 boys and their families from the Ethiopian community from all over the country arrived at the Western Wall for an emotional Bar Mitzvah celebration. They were selected by the ‘Community Division’ of the Israeli police for this special event at the Western Wall.

They were greeted by the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz; Rabbi Yaakov Shriki, the chief rabbi of the Israeli Police; Rabbi Rami Barchiahu, the Jerusalem District rabbi; Rabbi Shimon Shokron, the Ethiopian community rabbi; Rabbi Reuven Wobeshet, Jerusalem Police District Commander Doron Turgeman, who blessed them on the occasion of reaching the age of mitzvot.

The Rabbi of the Western Wall praised the boys for following in the footsteps of their parents and grandparents who made huge sacrifices to come to the Land of Israel, and for having the privilege of having their bar mitzvah. He also commended the Jerusalem District of the Israeli police and all those involved in the sacred work of connecting the wider public with the police and the police with the entire community.

The excited boys put on tefillin (phylacteries), ascended to the Torah, recited a moving prayer, and accepted upon themselves the yoke of Heaven for the success of the Jewish people. Afterwards, they conducted a tour of the Western Wall Tunnels.