Some 40 Israeli children of Ethiopian decent will celebrate their Bar/Bat Mitzvahs - thus taking upon all the Jewish legal obligations of adults - at a special communal celebration at Jerusalem's Great Synagogue tomorrow morning. Two British families - the Goulds of Manchester and the Abrams family of Liverpool - are underwriting the event; their sons Ilan and Bobby will be celebrating their own Bar Mitzvahs at the same ceremony. Israel's Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau will address the children following the morning prayers.
The boys will be given a talit (prayer shawl) and tefillin as gifts, while the girls will receive candlesticks, so that they may fulfill some of the commandments they will be taking upon themselves. Following a festive luncheon at the synagogue, the youngsters and their families will travel to the Haas Promenade for an overview of the city and then to the Kotel (Western Wall) for dancing and singing. The Jewish Agency for Israel and the United Jewish Israel Appeal is organizing the event.
The boys will be given a talit (prayer shawl) and tefillin as gifts, while the girls will receive candlesticks, so that they may fulfill some of the commandments they will be taking upon themselves. Following a festive luncheon at the synagogue, the youngsters and their families will travel to the Haas Promenade for an overview of the city and then to the Kotel (Western Wall) for dancing and singing. The Jewish Agency for Israel and the United Jewish Israel Appeal is organizing the event.