The moment arrived to call Josh Kadysiewicz to recite the blessings before the Torah as a bar mitzvah. At 26, the long awaited and eagerly welcomed opportunity was particularly moving as Josh found himself in Israel’s holy city of Tzfat surrounded by hometown pals and new friends on his Taglit-Birthright Israel: Israel Free Spirit Yachad trip. For Josh — Yehuda Aryeh Binyamin ben Chaim (his Hebrew name) — the first day of the Jewish month of Elul was a day he will never forget.
“The smile didn’t come off his face,” shared his mother Brenda, months later after watching a video of the ceremony recorded by the Yachad Birthright staff. “Josh was so proud of the fact that he’d become a bar mitzvah. He’d phoned us that evening from Israel to share every detail; he was so excited! Everywhere he goes, he tells people about traveling to Israel with Yachad and his bar mitzvah celebration.”
“Yachad Birthright is accessible to everyone,” explains Nicole Bodner, the director of Yachad’s Taglit-Birthright Israel program and director of New York Yachad. “We adapt the itinerary in ways that make sure everyone can participate in all activities. For example, we take the cable car to Masada, and our hikes are all wheelchair accessible. The focus is on connecting to our Jewish homeland and identity and building upon social skills, as this is the first time many of our participants are given an opportunity for independence.”
At the start of each trip, Nicole and her staff ask if there is anyone who had not experienced reciting the blessings over the Torah in celebration as a bar mitzvah. On this trip, only Josh had not, so a celebration was planned.
In preparation for the big day, Josh was given a transliterated version of the Hebrew blessings. He learned the blessings with Akiva Maresky, a Yachad Birthright staff member who was also a friend from Josh’s hometown in Toronto. The pair also prepared a brief speech that Josh gave in honor of his special moment.
Since birth, Josh has had developmental delays and his speech is not always clear. Still, he says he wasn’t nervous about speaking in front of this crowd.
“I am so happy that I can celebrate my bar mitzvah with all of you in Israel,” Josh read. “Although I really miss my amazing family in Toronto, you are all like family to me! This past week on Yachad Birthright has been really, really fun. I loved spending time with everyone, and seeing the incredible sights around Israel. One of the highlights of this week was becoming an Israeli Army commander. I think that I was a really good commander, and it was a lot of fun. Bar mitzvahs are about growing up and becoming an adult. I think that I am becoming more mature and I am happy to finally celebrate my bar mitzvah.”
Josh was praised and supported by his new friends, honored with speeches and even received small gifts from Yachad staff and guests. The celebration continued with singing and dancing in honor of the new bar mitzvah. Josh’s brilliant smile grew wider and wider as the hours went by. “You could see on his face that he felt important,” noted Aryeh Spiegel, another friend of Josh’s from Toronto Yachad and a member of Yachad’s Birthright staff.
“The point of this Yachad Birthright trip is that you are special because you are Jewish, not because of a disability,” Aryeh continued. “After the trip, you could tell Josh felt a greater connection to his heritage because now he was a bar mitzvah.”
“Josh is a super helpful, energetic, friendly, and easygoing guy. He is genuinely interested in both Judaism and new friendships,” added Nicole. “A fellow Yachad Torontonian celebrated a birthday while on the program and Josh did not let the event go unnoticed. He brought a card with him on the trip.”
Josh’s parents, Brenda and Harold, were so proud that they wished to celebrate Josh’s bar mitzvah (again) in Toronto. Shortly after Josh returned home from Israel, family and friends gathered to celebrate this milestone in his life. Guests watched the moving and joyous video of Josh’s experience that day in Tzfat, and wished him a hearty mazal tov.
“He was so proud!” Josh’s mother noted. “As far as I’m concerned, we owed this to Josh. Due to medical issues as a child and an ill grandparent that left the family busy, Josh missed out. When this opportunity arose, I jumped on it. Even if we could’ve given Josh a bar mitzvah ceremony in Toronto it wouldn’t have compared to what went on in Tzfat. That ceremony, in that atmosphere, with those friends—that couldn’t have happened here in Toronto.
“The best part of the Toronto bar mitzvah celebration was when Josh went to bed that night, and turned to me and said ‘Mommy, I’m so happy for my day.’”
For more information about Yachad Birthright contact Nicole Bodner at bodnern@ou.org or 212.613.8266.
Batya Rosner is a staff writer at the Orthodox Union.
This article is from the 2015 issue of Belong Magazine. If you would like to receive a hard copy please email belong@ou.org.