Becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is a very special time marking an important milestone in your life. It is a time to learn about living as a Jew -- bringing Jewish traditions into your life by doing and learning. It is with this in mind that we invite all Bar and Bat Mitzvah teens to bring two important elements of Judaism into their celebrations – giving charity and caring about others.

By creating an educational project in Koby’s name and donating a percentage of your gift money to support Camp Koby you will be remembering Koby and the many children in Israel who have lost parents or siblings to terror.

Remembering Koby and remembering the many children in Israel who have lost parents or siblings to terror is what our Bar and Bat Mitzvah program is all about. In working with The Koby Mandell Foundation, you can add joy to the lives of Jewish children in Israel whose mothers, fathers, sisters, or brothers have been killed in a terrorist attack.

Many of these children are your age. But when they celebrate, they celebrate with a hole in their hearts. Together, we can help children bereaved by terrorism in Israel to heal their broken hearts.

However, The Koby Mandell Foundation is not just about terrorism; ours is a universal message of a positive response to trauma. Every individual has experienced some sort of personal tragedy or sorrow in his or her life.

The message of the Foundation, and the lesson that Rabbi Seth and Sherri Mandell embody, is that the experience of the tragedy itself has a power to transform the individual into a stronger person. The programs of the Foundation teach this lesson, and participants emerge with a new outlook on life, just as you will emerge after your Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

Koby Mandell was 13 years old when he was murdered by terrorists. His Bar Mitzvah in Israel was a time of great joy for his family as your is for your family. We wish you and your family a Mazal tov and thank you for your support and caring.

The photos above are from Koby’s Bar Mitzvah.

Read about the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Programs in Canada...