The survivors, many of them had Bar Mitzvah celebrations for their sons and grandsons, shared their celebrations with dozens of 13 year-old boys having their Aliyah to the Torah at the Western Wall. They laid tefilin next to the numbers tattoos, remnants from their horrific experiences, and later read the Haftara like all Bar-Miztvah boys.
Saying "Shema Yisrael" in Kotel
Pini Rosenberg (81), a survivor who made Aliyah in 1948, is still working as a tour guide. He spoke about the importance of Jerusalem for him and his family before and during the holocaust. He also commemorated the children who were murdered in the holocaust, saying "1.5 million children - including friends of mine – did not get to have this celebration."
The survivors with the Western Wall's rabbi
The event was organized with the assistance of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, the Givatayim municipality, ORT Technikum Givatayim high school, and Aish HaTorah Yeshiva. 87 additional survivors participated in the ceremony.