HEARTBREAKING: Recovering Meron Boy Watches Own Bar Mitzvah From Rehab on Zoom

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — This week, eight months after the Meron tragedy, the youngest survivor celebrated his bar mitzvah–albeit from afar. Like all 12 year-olds, Elazar Berger was greatly anticipating this momentous event. Yet sadly he could not attend the celebration in person, because he remains confined to a rehab facility.

Elazar watched the event on Zoom. A source close with Elazar was quoted in B’Chadrei Charedim saying, “He laughed and cried with emotion throughout the evening.” The event was attended by Rav Shmuel Eliyahu of Tzfas, and a group of friends completed Shas Mishnayos in Elazar’s honor, as he watched from the facility.

His father Dov expressed his family’s struggle on Kan 11 News, saying “This was extremely difficult, seeing him this way, and it’s difficult to see his Bar Mitzvah with [Elazar] not able to attend his own event.”

At the event his father said, “Elazar, we want to say thank you very much. We are privileged to be your parents. You have great emotional strengths. We know it’s not easy, but with all the tefillos and support from the tzibbur – we are sure you will come out of this situation in complete health, a speedy recovery and return to your original strength, and even more.”

One month after being seriously injured in the Meron disaster, Elazar was transferred from Rambam’s intensive care unit to continue his recovery at the Alyn Rehab Center in Jerusalem. His parents were at his bedside for all forty days he spent in Rambam hospital.

During his hospitalization at Rambam, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited his bedside while he was sedated and on a respirator. His father told the prime minister about the night of the disaster, when he was next to his son, who was crushed by the crowd, yet miraculously was the first person to be rescued by first responders and brought toward the hospital.

All are asked to please continue to be mispallel for Elazar Ben Raumah, who is still in need of great Rachamei Shamayim.

In addition, another Meron survivor, a 15-year-old, is still hospitalized in extremely serious condition. His name for tefillah is Yosef Ezriel ben Chaya Michal b’soch sha’ar cholei Yisrael.