Mill Hill Counts: 40 New Babies

Mill Hill Synagogue in NW London celebrated the birth of 40 children in the past year with a special ceremony with Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet. Full Story

December 31, 2014 – 9 Tevet 5775

Mill Hill Synagogue in NW London celebrated the birth of 40 children in the past year with a special ceremony with Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet. Full Story

By COLlive reporter

Another 40 babies were “blessed” at a special Chanukah ceremony, also known as the annual Chanukah Birchas Habonim event at the Mill Hill Synagogue in NW London.

More than 40 children born in the past year to members of the local Jewish community were in attendance with their parents and grandparents for a special “baby blessing.”

The blessings included the recitation of several passages in davening and Tehilim of shevach vhoido’oh, Menorah lighting (a torch handed from one father to the next and likewise by the women) with which the menorah is then lit.

At the end, the parents receiving a special poster with the Shema and their child’s name and birchas Cohanim.

“When we launched this all those years ago, we had 8 babies in attendance with their parents and grandparents and I thought, ‘will we be able to repeat this process year after year?'” the Shul’s Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet told those assembled.

“Today I can proudly say we have had more than 500 babies sharing in this wonderful experience,” said Schochet, who initiated the program 16 years ago. It has since been held in other communities as well.

The ceremony drew a crowd of 300. As a concluding remark Rabbi Schochet added: “I hope to see you all back here again next year, or at the least the year thereafter.”