Clip Taken in Normandy Inspired 82 Year Old’s Bar Mitzvah

By COLlive reporter

Rabbi Motti and Zlata Levin, Chabad Shluchim in Caen, capital of Normandy, France, recently celebrated the Upshernish (age 3 haircut ceremony) of their son Chaim Menachem.

The event brought generations of Jews full circle, with one participant being moved to do a Mitzvah.

The 3-year-old boy’s great grandfather and namesake, Rabbi Chaim Menachem Teichtel OBM of Jerusalem had survived World War 2 in France. Today, his grandchildren are dedicated Shluchim serving the Jewish population in Normandy – where they lift spirits and bring the spirit of Yiddishkeit to this desolate place.

At the event, a video was shown, explaining the custom of the haircut at the age of three, and the connection to his roots. The video included clips from their hometown, the coasts of Normandy, known as the place of the historic allied armies’ invasion and the turning point in the eradication of the Nazis in the Second World War.

The video shows children on a special journey tracing the Normandy landings, in the same Jeep army vehicles the Allies used in the invasion. They then continue the journey exploring authentic German bunkers, and there they assist in the writing of a special Sefer Torah.

Rabbi Motti and Zlata organize these journeys for children and families a few times a year. Hundreds of groups of tourists, young and old are very moved by the tour.

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Following the video and the exciting ceremony, one of the guests, an 82-year-old Jew, was moved to put on tefillin for the very first time during the event.

The event was attended by the father of the Shliach Rabbi Y.Y Lewin (and his wife), principal of a boys’ high school Schneur in Aubervilliers, as well as his father-in-law, Rabbi Eliezer Nisilevich (and his wife), chairman of the Schneur Institutions in Aubervilliers, France.

The Shluchim from neighboring cities also joined the celebration.