As they do every year and in keeping with the tradition of the “Anusei Mashhad” community, families from the community in New York arrived this year for the traditional Bar Mitzvah celebration for the boys of the community at the Western Wall, together with the community rabbi, Rabbi Shlomo Zabihi, the rabbi of the ‘Mashhad’ in Israel and the head of the ‘Tiferet Rafael’ institutions.
In an impressive ceremony, dozens of Bar Mitzvah boys laid tefillin, assisted by their parents and guides from the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. The highlight of the event was the emotional ‘acceptance of the yoke of heaven’ ceremony, during which a large tallit was spread over the boys’ heads, and the community’s kohanim blessed them with the Priestly Blessing.
At the end of the ceremony, they offered an emotional prayer for the success of the IDF soldiers and security forces, for the safe return of the hostages, for the healing of the wounded, and for the success of the people of Israel.
