For the first time since October 7th—the day that occurred 430 days ago but feels like yesterday—and for the first time since residents of Kibbutz Be’eri, who lost nearly 100 members on that day in the fierce battle fought among their homes, began to return and rebuild their community, the kibbutz held a Bar Mitzvah ceremony to mark a young boy, Adam, reaching the age of 13.
Adam was in Be’eri on the day the war broke out and spent 16 hours confined in his home—an 11-year-old child. But today, he stood proudly and read from the Torah, surrounded by the entire community, who embraced him, protected him, and gave him—and themselves—a sense of security.
“The children of October 7th became adults in a single day, despite their young age,” wrote Haim Yellin in an emotional post on Twitter to commemorate the event. “Mazel Tov, Adam.”
Before the war, Kibbutz Be’eri had a beautiful tradition of celebrating Bar Mitzvahs collectively. All the 13-year-old children of the kibbutz would organize an acrobatics performance and fire displays, which they would present to the kibbutz community in the amphitheater near Be’eri during the last week of the school year. This year, this tradition did not take place due to the war and the ongoing resettlement process within the kibbutz.
הבר מצווה הראשונה בבית הכנסת בבארי לאחר ה-7.10.
אדם עלה לתורה.
הוא היה בממ"ד 16 שעות עם משפחתו.
שמע, ראה והרגיש את מה ששום ילד לא צריך לחוות.
אנחנו מנסים לעטוף ולתת ביטחון .
היום, אדם וכל משפחתו נתנו לכולנו תקווה.
הילדים מה-7.10 הפכו ביום אחד למבוגרים, למרות גילם.
מזל טוב אדם pic.twitter.com/fLVJehMZrE— חיים ילין Haim Jelin (@HaimJelin) December 16, 2024
Haim Yellin’s post about the bar mitzvah.
Haim Yellin served as head of the Eshkol Regional Council from 2007 to 2015, years when Gaza border communities had to adapt to Hamas rule and face ongoing rocket “drips” with heads held high. Yellin was a member of Kibbutz Be’eri and later joined Kibbutz Nahal Oz to help prevent its financial collapse. From 2015 to 2019, he served as a Member of Knesset for the Yesh Atid party before retiring from politics. Since the war began, Yellin has been prominent in his efforts for the safety and return of Gaza border residents. He has also been awarded two honorary doctorate titles this year by Reichman University and Bar-Ilan University.
