The Bar Mitzvah of Shneor Shabatov, son of Roi Avraham Shabatov and Alina Oshina, became a bright and truly unifying event for the Dnipro Jewish Community. Numerous guests attended the celebration, including relatives and family friends from Israel. The festivities took place in the grand event hall of the Jewish community, the Menorah Ballroom.
Before the official part began, guests congratulated the Bar Mitzvah boy and his parents, took photos with them, and shared warm wishes. When everyone took their seats, the hall fell silent as a video address from the Seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, appeared on the screens.
A special moment was the reading of a letter of blessing for the Bar Mitzvah from the Lubavitcher Rebbe: the text in the original language was read by Rabbi Mayer Tzvi Stambler, and the Ukrainian translation was read by Rabbi Akiva Romanovsky. Following this, the Chief Rabbi of Dnipro, Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki, addressed the Bar Mitzvah boy. Despite being unable to attend in person, he recorded a special message.
The celebration continued with a Chassidic nigun (melody), after which the guest of honor recited the maamar (Chassidic discourse) “Ito Bimidrash Tehillim”, dedicated to the importance of the mitzvah of tefillin and the spiritual responsibility of Jewish adulthood. His speech was met with thunderous applause, and joyous, spirited Chassidic dancing began in the hall.
The celebration grew even more emotional thereafter: there were congratulations from family and teachers, a video clip dedicated to Shneor, warm words addressed to him, a fun game with prizes, and continued dancing that filled the hall with genuine Chassidic joy. The evening concluded with a celebratory cake.
The Dnipro Jewish Community and our website join in the congratulations and wish Shneor Shabatov to grow as a source of joy for his parents and family, to become a Torah scholar and a worthy Chassid, and, as befits Jewish tradition, to come to Torah, the Сhuppah, and Good Deeds.
Mazl Tov!
