4 | JULY 22 • 2021
PURELY COMMENTARY
for openers
No Israeli Child
Left Behind ...
E
veryone knows how Israelis
take care of one another as if
everyone is one big family. Here
is a story about exactly that.
The invitation culture in Israel is such
that parents invite friends to their son’s
bar mitzvah or daughter’s
bat mitzvah, and no one is
expected to respond. There
are no seating cards, so
when they arrive, everyone
just sits at any table.
The problem is that the
parents have no idea who
is actually coming to the
party and who is not.
Occasionally, things go wrong.
Maybe it’s a bad date because everyone
is away at a different event or trip, or
the child is simply not very liked by his
peers, and nobody wants to come.
But when this happens, Israelis show
us their lovingkindness for strangers.
Someone from the event hall — the
caterer or the DJ — posts a message
on large Israeli Facebook groups, both
local and national, and people from all
over come to celebrate with the boy or
girl. They bring gifts, they dance, they
eat and they simply show up so the
child doesn’t have to celebrate alone.
Here are four Facebook posts I have
translated from one such occurrence
this summer:
#1
Attention residents of Modiin and
surrounding areas: Currently, there is a
bar mitzvah happening in the Move-It
hall in Yishpru [an area of Modiin]. No
kids came to the event to celebrate with
Itamar.
Anyone from the area who can come
over and celebrate with him will be
blessed. Come make this event the
happiest it can be!
We are counting on you, please share
with as many people as you can!
#2
Many kids and parents have arrived
at the bar mitzvah at Move-It. Within
half an hour, the hall is packed with no
more room, and outside it’s also full
and nobody else can enter.
It’s amazing how quickly everyone
has mobilized!
#3
The nation of Israel at its best! Simply
champions and angels!
We are in Yishpru in Modiin at
Move-It and thousands of people have
arrived to celebrate with a bar mitzvah
boy after an announcement that there
were no guests.
So very moving! They are already
blocking the entrance.
Friends, good for you! No one else
needs to come.
#4
No more posts about empty event halls.
I am volunteering with a lot of love.
To all the parents who are making
parties for their children and including
friends from school: You invite the
children, and before the event, we will
make sure to remind the parents and
get a good picture of the situation so
we can help solve the issues before the
event, so that all the children come.
Send me a message, and in the
coming days, I will give you the phone
number.
Free, without charge. Just
volunteering.
Aviva Zacks is a former Akiva (now Farber)
Hebrew Day School teacher who made aliyah
to Israel. She reports from Israel for the Detroit
Jewish News.
Aviva Zacks
Contributing
Writer
#4