Ariel Zohar Celebrates Bar Mitzvah Wearing Tefillin of His Grandfather Who Survived Holocaust

ISRAEL (VINnews) On Thursday, Ariel Zohar celebrated his bar mitzvah, a heart wrenching and bittersweet celebration filled with emotion.

Ariel lost his entire family on Oct. 7 when Hamas terrorists attacked the Nahal Oz kibbutz where they lived. He himself survived because he chose to go out for a run that morning. His father Yaniv, who freelanced as a videographer for AP, and his mother Yasmin, were murdered with their two teenage daughters, Tehelet and Keshet. His maternal grandfather, Chaim Livne, was also killed in the attack.

At his bar mitzvah, Ariel wore the same pair of tefillin that his paternal grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, was given by his own father when he was 13. A year later the Nazis murdered both Ariel’s grandfather’s parents. Ariel’s grandfather, Marco Zohar, is 90 and lives in Israel.

Ariel’s parents had bought him his own tefillin for his bar mitzvah, according to news reports. But his first request to ZAKA was to find his grandfather’s pair, which was passed down to his father — in the wreckage of the family’s home.

The day after his Bar Mitzvah, Ariel met with Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau.

As was written by media analyst Emanuel Miller on Twitter:

“My father was also murdered. My mother was murdered too. And I, like you, was orphaned when it was time for my Bar Mitzva,” said Rabbi Yisrael Lau to Ariel Zohar, who marked his Bar Mitzva yesterday.

Ariel’s parents, Yaniv and Yasmin, lived in Kibbutz (Nahal) Oz and were among those murdered on October 7th. Rabbi Lau’s own parents were among the six million who perished in the Holocaust.

Ariel’s entire family was wiped out that day. Both his parents and both his sisters were murdered. He alone survived.

And of all the people in the world, perhaps the former Chief Rabbi of Israel understands him best.

“Despite this, I’ve had a good life and enjoyed some achievements,” Rabbi Lau added. “And so will you, you too will have a good life, because you will see how much people love you.”

Words that both broke the hearts of those listening, and simultaneously lifted their spirits.

May Ariel know that all of Am Yisrael is with him.”

“My father was also murdered. My mother was murdered too. And I, like you, was orphaned when it was time for my Bar Mitzva,” said Rabbi Yisrael Lau to Ariel Zohar, who marked his Bar Mitzva yesterday.

Ariel’s parents, Yaniv and Yasmin, lived in Kibbutz Nir Oz and were among… pic.twitter.com/OKGLC9fR4Y

— (((Emanuel Miller))) 🇮🇱 (@emanumiller) December 10, 2023