The adolescent program “DJCY – STL Teens – EnerJew,” implemented by the Dnipro Jewish Community with the support of STL and the JRNU Foundation’s project EnerJew, recently celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of one of its active Sunday participants, Dmitry Yakushin.
His birthday fell on a Friday, and on Saturday, Dmitry was called to the Torah reading for the first time. The entire community warmly congratulated him, showering him with candy and singing “Siman Tov U’Mazal Tov.” The following day, Sunday, the Bar Mitzvah celebration continued at the “DJCY – STL Teens – EnerJew” project meeting. Dima and his family prepared seriously for this important event in the life of every Jew. Together with Daniel Pavlotsky, the birthday boy studied the text of the weekly Torah portion and delivered his first lesson on his birthday. Although he was a bit nervous, everyone listened attentively and supported him.
The general theme of this “DJCY – STL Teens – EnerJew” meeting was chess. The attendees divided into two teams that competed in various contests throughout the event. This fabulous chess match concluded with a traditional “banquet,” where everyone enjoyed a delicious cake and received gifts from the birthday boy, who also blessed all his friends with the warmest wishes.
“It was a very warm and joyful celebration in an atmosphere of friendship, respect, and Ahavat Yisrael (Love for a Fellow Jew),” said Beila Letychevskaya, coordinator of “DJCY – STL Teens – EnerJew.” “We all want to thank everyone who made this possible and who supports our program: the Dnipro Jewish Community and its Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki, as well as the JRNU Foundation and its director, Rabbi Shlomo Neeman, who was an honorary guest at our celebration.”
