Sergeant First Class (res.) N. (36), a soldier in the Arbel Battalion of the “Ori" Brigade, immigrated from Ukraine at the age of eight. Despite his deep connection to the Jewish people, he never had a bar mitzvah or was called up to the Torah.
Despite a complex personal journey, following the outbreak of the October 7 war, N. chose to volunteer for active reserve service. During operational activity, he told his comrades that he had never been called up to the Torah.
His fellow soldiers decided not to leave the moment unfulfilled: toward the end of their operational deployment, they organized a full bar mitzvah ceremony for him, complete with a tallit and tefillin, and joined by children from a nearby community who came to celebrate with him.
Just days earlier, N. had officially changed his foreign name to a Hebrew name at the Interior Ministry. On that same emotional day, he also received a commendation from his company commander.
“I felt I experienced something every Jew should experience," N. said. “The battalion is like a family to me. People understood the meaning, and today they call me by my Hebrew name. It is an event I will carry with me for the rest of my life."