Drive-By Bar Mitzvah For 8 Boys on Lag BaOmer

By COLlive reporter

8 boys from Crown Heights will be having a Bar Mitzvah like no other, just not what they had originally planned.

Yoni Benabou, Mendel Biton, Chaim Brummel, Shmuel Simcha Chein, Moshe Litvack, Mendel Steigman, Avraham Chaim Kozlovsky and Levi Zvulunov are classmates at Lubavitcher Yeshiva of Crown Heights, and each of them had been looking forward to their special day for a long time. But due to the COVID 19 shutdowns, all their celebrations were canceled.

One of their mothers, Shevi Biton, said she felt that she wanted to do something special for the boys, since her son was quite heartbroken about missing his special day and not being able to celebrate with his family and friends.

“My son was very excited about his Bar Mitzvah for a long time,” she told COLlive. “He spent a lot of time planning what kind of party we would have, the music, the food, and all the details. When the pandemic happened, he understood the situation, but I could tell he was heartbroken.”

She soon got the families of the other boys in her son’s class on board, and together they planned a special celebration for the entire class to participate in.

The boys will all take part in a Bar Mitzvah parade of a string of festive convertible cars and joyous music which will ride through Crown Heights, passing by the homes of all of their classmates. The entire neighborhood is invited to sing, clap along and join the celebration from the front of their homes.

“The parade will be so special for the boys, because they know that the whole class is involved, as well as the whole neighborhood. They will know that they are being remembered on their big day, and no one will overlook their milestone event,” Biton said.

The parade will start at 1:00 pm and pass through the streets of Crown Heights.

You can watch the parade live on zoom.
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