Jerusalem – A bar mitzva ceremony for White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel’s son Zach and his nephew Noah took place Sunday at the southern wall excavations area near the Western Wall.
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Although Western Wall Bar Mitzvah ceremonies are traditionally held on Monday, Thursday or the Sabbath, the days when the Torah is read, Bar Mitzvah celebration parties can be held at any time.
Both Emanuel’s son and nephew read from the Torah portion of the week and gave D’var Torah.
Well dressed friends and relatives attended the ceremony, including Catholic relatives of Emanuel’s wife Amy and former Ambassador to the US Itamar Rabinovich.
His family members began arriving at the center’s archaeological park in the early morning, under cover of secrecy. The ceremony, some of it conducted in English, took place before just 50 people.
On the scene were numerous security guards, some of whom are accompanying Rahm Emanuel on his visit to Israel. They prevented the press from entering the premises.
The Davidson Center said the hour-long ceremony went off without a hitch, despite earlier fears that extreme rightists would attempt to cause disruptions.
The Emanuel family held the ceremony on Robinson’s Arch, through which it was possible to ascend to Temple Mount during the time of the second temple. It is located southwest of the holy site, not far from the Western Wall.
Foreign and local media have not noted that the Davidson Center where Zach Emanuel’s Bar Mitzvah is being held is in an area that the United States does not recognize as being under Israeli sovereignty.
The senior Emanuel is considered the man behind U.S. President Barack Obama’s “hard love” policy that has included labeling Jewish neighborhoods near the Western Wall as ”settlements.”
Family members visited the wall last week, angering rightists. A number of them yelled “anti-Semite” at Emanuel, and extreme right-wing activist Itamar Ben-Gvir tried to legally prevent the bar-mitzvah from being carried out.
However his appeal was rejected by the Jerusalem Municipality, which said the bar-mitzvah was a routine occurrence and posed no legal violations..
The ceremony took place after police obtained a restraining order against right-wing activists who intended to heckle Emanuel.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Baruch Marzel and Noam Federman were forbidden to come within 1000 meters of Emanuel, who they consider a traitor against Israel.
In response to a petition by Ben-Gvir on Thursday in which he asked the Jerusalem District Court to prevent the bar mitzva from taking place at Davidson Center near the Wall because the center lacked a license, the Jerusalem municipality said no license was needed because only prayers would take place.
Ben-Gvir said he was overjoyed by the municipality’s response, because he interpreted it to mean that no catering or music would be allowed at the bar mitzva.
The Emanuel family spent Shabbat in Jerusalem, where they prayed on Friday night at the Orthodox egalitarian minyan, Shira Hadasha, in the German Colony neighborhood.
Mazal tov ! You should see a lot of “yiddish” nachas.
“… read from the Torah portion of the week …”.
Which portion, B’haalois’cho, or, Sh’lach?
Either way (Misoin’nim or M’raglim) there is Mussor for these 2 Bochurim not to follow in their father’s/uncle’s footsteps.
Emanuel’s diverged from traditional Jewish custom during his trip, although he often has been described in the media as “Orthodox.” He ate non-kosher food publicly in Eilat last week and brought his family to an “alternative orthodox” synagogue in the Germany Colony in Jerusalem Friday night.
Lovely, since when do we have bar mitzvas at the southern wall instead of the koisel, read Toro on Sunday, eat tarfus in Eilat, daven with the bunch of feminists on Shabbes
I’m gonna puke. This guy is touted as “observant”?
Is Emanuel’s wife or she has catholic relatives through her fathers side ? ,
Is his wife Catholic too? Or only her relatives?
How could the “rav” of the kosel allow the sefer torah to be taken out and read on a Sunday which is k’neged halacha. His wife is a convert who was not mikabel ol mitzvos at the time of giyur which makes her and her children goyim gemurim.
why is it assur, some people have a minhag to do shnayim mikrah drom a torah. you just can’t make a bracha.
Honestly, poor kid, being used as a photo-op by his parents like that.
It won’t be long or (soon ) before he converts to Islam .
For all those that saying that what’s the big deal in reading from a Sefer Torah on Sunday if he didint make a brocho. Trully disturbing to se the amount of ignorance that’s out there. It is against halacha to take out s Sefer Torah from the aron kodesh for no reason. Learn Hilchos Krias Hatorah and you’ll see its 100% against halacha to do what they did, its mind boggling.
There was no issur for him it was (probably) a pussul seffer torah
Reply to 32- give me a break! Rahms wife had a moment of intense halachic revelation and acceptance during her conversion. Yeah right! Just before she went to eat shrimp in Eilat.