Bar Mitzva for Boy Wounded by Gaza Mortar Shell
Three years have passed since that terrifying moment, when a mortar shell fired from Gaza landed in Neveh Dekalim in Gush Katif, critically wounding 10 year-old Roni.
August 23 2007
Three years have passed since that terrifying moment, when a mortar shell fired from Gaza landed in Neveh Dekalim in Gush Katif, critically wounding 10 year-old Roni.
Following numerous surgeries and medical treatments, even the eviction of his family during Israel's Disengagement in 2006, reached a special milestone.
Today, Roni's sweet smile melted the hearts of scores of relatives and friends who joined him at the Kotel to celebrate his bar mitzva and that of his "twin," Netanel Belmont of Toronto.
"Today my dream has been realized," said Roni's mother, Mali. "How I wanted to celebrate Ron's bar mitzva at the Kotel. I have no words to thank the Belmont family for their touching gesture."
"Twin" Bar Mitzvahs, a project of Chabad's Terror Victims Project (CTVP), brings together a family from the Diaspora marking a child's coming of age, together with an Israeli family victimized by terror.
At the Kotel, Netanel presented Ronit with a beautiful new talit (prayer shawl) and set of tefilin. Families and friends broke into song and dance when the two young men proudly carried the Torahs. Following the prayer service, the families partook in a festive meal.
"After all of the suffering that Roni has undergone, it is a great privilege for us to participate in his simcha," said Netanel's father, Brian. "We thank him and his family for affording us this opportunity."
"The Bar Mitzvah Twinning Project is an extremely meaningful experience for both families," said Rabbi Menachem Kutner, CTVP Director of Activities.
"The Israeli family feels that a family from the Diaspora-and by extension, the Jewish people-truly cares for them and feels their pain," he said. "The visiting family from the Diaspora teaches their son an important lesson on his happiest day, namely, considering the plight of others."
Chabad's Terror Victims Project encourages all families to twin their family bar mitzvahs with those of Israeli orphans. For further information, please contact Rabbi Kutner.
