The Bar Mitzvah Gift On August 15th, 1985, my father had his bar mitzvah.  This was the day of his 13th birthday, where in Judaism, you become a man.  His grandmother Rose, my great grandmother, presented him with a necklace.  She bought this necklace from an Israeli jeweler who crafted many jewish ornaments, bracelets and necklaces.  Furthermore, the necklace was made of gold and had a small pendant on the end of the chain.  The pendant was a chai, a symbol of life in jewish culture.  This necklace was given to my father when he became a man, and he wore it for many years into his adulthood.  On June 13th, 2015, it was my turn to become a bar mitzvah.  After months of practice and hard work, I took the bema and was reading to perform my torah portion.  Finally, two and a half hours past and I was done.  I completed my service and was a man in jewish religion.  Later that night was my celebration of my accomplishment.  Many family members and friends came to celebrate with me.  When I went home, it was about 2 am in the morning.  My dad told me to come with him, and he took me to the basement.  He took out a wooden box and gave it to me.  Eventually I opened the box, I saw the necklace.  He then told me the significance of this heirloom and said where it had came from.  My great grandmother Rose gave this to my father, and he gave it to me. As a result of this, I feel closer to my religion and my heritage with its meaning and story.  #jsarich2018

– Max Rovner

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant