We had the great pleasure of having Rabba Ayala Samuels conduct our son Liam's  bar mitzvah in Caesarea. Living overseas in the United States posed some challenges with time zone and communications logistics, but the Rabba was not only accessible for the pre-bar mitzvah training, but truly helped everything go as smoothly as possible. There was genuine care for the experience to not only be informative, in helping connect the ceremony and significance of God, the Torah and what it means to be Jewish for our son, but inspiring as well. In an age where one can become disconnected to one's spiritual side, the Rabba helped our son connect with the history and the significance of events in Jewish history. The Rabba also shed new light on perspective within the history and how we can all learn from what has happened in the past with fresh eyes and understanding.

 

The ceremony flowed, was well paced, informative and a wonderful life memory for all of us, especially our son, on his special day. To have family members be a part of the ceremony made it that much more special, including Liam's older brother singing and his Savta, Uncle, Aunt and parents taking part as well. The setting was beautiful, creating a wonderful setting for some fantastic pictures and the words shared were certainly impactful, but all would be insignificant if there wasn't meaning.

 

For our son, respecting and being mindful of others has played an important part of his life and within his surroundings. To care how one treats others is often lost, not just on the young, but over time on adults as well. Family, friends and community are what we make of it and that is a special part of being Jewish, as it has not only brought the Jewish people together, but has also helped the survival of the Jewish people. Through the Rabba's teachings, our son embraced this awareness, and that he should continue this path throughout his life of respect for all, integrity and appreciation. It is one thing to be an adult physically, but is is something else to be an adult mentally.

 

Thank you Rabba Ayala Samuels!

 

The McDaniel Family, Los Angeles