Anybody passing the Emunah Children's Center in Afula on the evening of the Bar and Bat Mitvah celebration may have mistakenly thought that the Israeli Defense Forces had opened a new recruiting base there. The Emunah Center had dressed up 'in uniform', and 15 booths, representing the various branches and units of the IDF, were set up all over the campus. But it wasn't a mass intake of new recruits or an officers’ training graduation ceremony, it was the Emunah Center’s annual Bar/ Bat Mitzvah celebration, this year held for 22 girls and boys and as a salute to the IDF.

 

 

A large crowd of 500 people, including the Bnei and Bnot Mitzvah, their excited parents and families, friends, staff members and guests from Israel and the world, all assembled to enjoy the impressive exhibits, a festive dinner, and the spectacular musical show. The program also included Divrei Torah, dancing, a puppet show, and the traditional Henna ceremony.

 

 

Without a doubt the highlight of this year's celebration was the participation of 11 Emunah Center graduates who had all recently completed their full military or national service. Each, in turn, went up on stage, accompanied by two bnei or bnot mitzvah, and related his or her success story and how the Emunah Center was instrumental in their achievements.  Needless to say, it was a very moving part of the program.

 

 

This special evening was the culmination of a lengthy preparation process during which the Bar and Bat Mitzvah boys and girls learned the basic tenets of living as a Jewish adult, visited historical IDF sites, and met with past and present prominent IDF officers, including Rabbi Avichai Ronski, the Chief IDF Rabbi, and MK Maj. General (ret.) Shaul Mofaz.