Stand By Me

In a project involving dozens of devoted volunteers and the mobilization of local communities, Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies and celebrations were held for young immigrants from the Canaan Absorption Center.

By the 16th century, the Jewish practice of calling boys to read from the Torah at the age of 13 had coalesced into tradition --  the Bar Mitzvah. Over the centuries, the ceremony took its natural twists and turns with different communities adopting different customs. This process of creation continues to evolve in the ancient city of Tsfat where thirty-three 13-year-old Ethiopian immigrants, mentored by thirty-three young Israelis, recently prepared for the revered rite of passage. Together, they explored the meanings of maturity, Jewish identity and community.

Moran Yanay, Cultural Coordinator for the Canaan Absorption Center, ran the most recent Bar Mitzvah program, known as The Ladder of Commandments. “The program lasted three months, with each Bar or Bat Mitzvah candidate working with an Israeli high school student volunteer. Each week, there was a different type of activity. The Ethiopians were given a taste of tradition, custom and history, while the entire group discussed issues of morality and identity. They were together for a Shabbat in the town of Shlomi close to the Lebanese border, and at the culmination of the three months, a three-day seminar was held in Peki’in, near Tsfat.

“The Pears Family from the UK, who sponsored the project and the celebration, came for the conclusion of the program, while their daughter, who had been corresponding with one of the Ethiopian girls for a few months, celebrated her Bat Mitzvah together with the Ethiopians. Two nearby communities hosted the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremonies and celebrations.

“For the Ethiopian children, the project engendered a dramatic transformation in their self-confidence and feeling of belonging. They were thrust into the arms of Israeli society through their teenage mentors, as well as through the communities which adopted the project, and they responded keenly. In addition, the concept of a Jewish girl coming from England to celebrate with them was not only exciting, but affirmed their place in the world Jewish community.”