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The Kallman family (including Kyle, pictured left) were the hosts for the Ethiopian parents and their teenage sons who were given and wore the traditional symbols of a bar mitzvah, their own tallit and tefillin, for the first time. |
And the answer is, "Todah rabah, rabah (thank you very, very much) for a great simcha!" And the question is, "What do you say to an olah (female immigrant) from Chicago who organized a Jewish Agency program that brought together sabras (native born Israelis), olim (immigrants) from the United States, the Former Soviet Union, Brazil, South Africa and Ethiopia and an incredibly generous family from Greenwich, Connecticut? And what do you say to Kyle Kallman and his parents who made this wonderful day come true? How about "seeman tov v'mazal tov!"
Kyle is a 13 year-old young man from Greenwich, Connecticut who enjoys skiing and scuba diving. Along with his family, Kyle decided to celebrate his bar mitzvah in Israel. "It was an easy decision," said Kyle, who was making his first trip to Israel, "but I wanted to do something even more meaningful and special." The words "special" and "meaningful" are understatements. Kyle and his family did a mitzvah.
The idea for this mitzvah was started by Jewish Agency staff members. Many wonderful ideas, though, need financial support and it was necessary to search for a partner in a program that would enable 14 olim from Ethiopia to celebrate their bar mitzvah in Jerusalem. The call for a sponsor was answered by the UJA Federation of Greenwich, Connecticut who found a donor in the Kallman family.
Kyle was joined by his parents, grandparents and younger siblings at the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem for a tefillah (prayer service) that was held in both Hebrew and English with translation in Amharic provided for the parents of the bar mitzvah boys when necessary. Music, the international language, was provided by the Consonans Band, a group of klezmer musicians who emigrated from the Former Soviet Union. The Kallman family were the hosts for the Ethiopian parents and their teenage sons who were given and wore the traditional symbols of a bar mitzvah, their own tallit and tefillin, for the first time.
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After their teacher read the third aliyah from the Torah, everyone in the congregation, including special Jewish Agency staff and dignitaries, threw candy, in expression of their hope and prayer for a sweet and happy life, at the boys on the bimah. | During the service, Kyle was called to the Torah for the first time. His grandfather followed him and then, all of the Ethiopian bar mitzvah "boys", whose ages ranged from 13 – 17, were called up to recite the b'rachot (blessings) before and after the reading of the Torah. After their teacher read the third aliyah from the Torah, everyone in the congregation, including special Jewish Agency staff and dignitaries, threw candy in expression of their hope and prayer for a sweet and happy life at the boys on the bimah.
The celebration continued when, at the conclusion of the service, all of the b'nei mitzvah were treated to a festive luncheon, again, sponsored by the Kallman family. Eloquent Divrei Torah were conveyed, but the most impressive were the two given by the new bar mitzvah boys from Ethiopia who expressed their "gratitude to Kyle and the entire Kallman family." Yet, the most touching words were saved for their parents who they thanked for "their support, patience and education, but, above all, for bringing us to Israel."
The party continued on a lighter note when the Ethiopian bar mitzvah boys demonstrated the capuera skills they were taught by their oleh teacher from Brazil to the enthusiastic reaction of everyone present. When the applause ended, everyone got on the bus which left that morning from the Merchavia absorption center near Afula to enjoy the "Time Elevator Jerusalem", a thrilling simulator ride through Jerusalem's rich 3000-year history.
Kyle and the entire Kallman family had just been in Israel for one day, but the memories from these first 24 hours will last a lifetime. May they go from strength to strength!
Written by: Arnie Bendor |