IDF Widows & Orphans brings Israeli orphans to US for Bar Mitzvah

Twenty-eight children from across Israel who lost a parent killed while serving in the country’s security forces participated in a three-week delegation to North America as part of the IDF Widows & Orphans Organization’s annual Bar/Bat Mitzvah program.

The journey began earlier this month in Chicago, where the children spent a weekend with host families before traveling to Camp Chi in Wisconsin for nearly a week of activities with American kids. They then continued to New York City, where they visited Times Square and saw The Lion King on Broadway, before heading to New Jersey. For many, it was their first visit to the United States.

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“Everything is planned very carefully. The Lion King, for instance, is more than a Broadway show for them. It’s the story of an orphan who is able to honor his father’s memory and move forward because of the support of his friends. Nothing about this trip is accidental. It is deliberately designed to give them as powerful and meaningful an experience as possible,” Daniel Elbaum, executive director of the IDF Widows & Orphans Organization, told Digital.

With the United States home to the world’s largest Jewish population outside Israel, the trip gave the children an opportunity to meet people from diverse backgrounds and levels of religious observance while, for many, experiencing international travel independently for the first time — which Elbaum said reflects their entry into the covenant with the Jewish people in a tangible and meaningful way.

Although the trip was not designed as an initiative to combat antisemitism, Elbaum said fostering a strong Jewish identity, pride in Israel and solidarity with its people are among the most important ways to help American Jews confront the world’s oldest hatred.

Memorials at the site of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, Israel, on Monday, May 27, 2024. (Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images )

“As much as I think we are doing something important for these Israeli children, whose families have paid the highest price for Israel, what we are doing for the American children is almost as important in giving them a sense of pride and connection they might not otherwise experience,” he added.

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Founded in 1991, the IDF Widows & Orphans Organization supports more than 18,000 widows, widowers and orphans through assistance programs, rehabilitation, advocacy and legislative efforts. Since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 massacre and the ensuing war, 359 widows and widowers — including 48 pregnant widows — and 910 new orphans have joined Israel’s circle of bereavement.

Among this year’s participants was 11½-year-old Tal Goldstein-Almog from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, who was taken hostage to Gaza with his mother and two siblings on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. His father, Nadav, and sister Yam, an IDF soldier, were murdered during the attack.

Tal did not tell the other children he had been held captive until one evening, when he felt ready to share his experience.

The IDF Widows & Orphans Organization’s annual Bar/Bat Mitzvah program delegation in NYC after seeing the Lion King on Broadway. (Yiftach Moran)

“It’s not hard to tell people, but it’s not easy either. Once you’ve said it, you don’t know how others will react or treat you. That night, it felt safe to open up, and nothing has changed in the way they treat me since,” he told Digital.

The trip was Tal’s first extended journey without his family. He learned about the program from a friend from the kibbutz who also participated.

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“Now that I came, I think I will continue taking part in these things after meeting new kids, feeling comfortable around them and understanding that we experienced the same things,” he said.

Tal said that since Oct. 7, the connections in his life have helped him maintain a sense of normalcy.

“My motto is that life is always going to continue,” he added. “It feels refreshing to come to a new country and experience fun things here.”

Shadan Knefiss first participated in the program as an IDF orphan and has since returned as a counselor, supporting the next generation of bereaved children. A member of Israel’s Druze community, she also joined the delegation to help translate for participants whose first language is Arabic.

“I met a lot of people here who don’t know about the Druze. We serve the country, we love our country, and we even die for it. We pay the same price as everyone else. Most terrorists in Israel are Arab, but because we speak Arabic and serve our country, it’s a bit of a twist,” she told Digital.

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Shadan Khnefiss (left) enjoying New York pizza with other participants in the IDFWO delegation.  (Yiftach Moran)

Shadan became an orphan at the age of three. Her father, a Border Police officer stationed in Jerusalem, transferred to northern Israel after her brother was born with a serious skin condition so he could be closer to the family. He was killed in a car accident during his first shift there.

“This program helped me in so many ways throughout my life. The people around me have not all lost their father, so sometimes I can’t relate to them. Sometimes I want to share how I feel, but they don’t understand. This program made me feel comfortable talking about things I can’t discuss with people in my everyday life,” she said.

Noor, 13, was one of three participants whom Shadan helped during the trip. His father, Yosef Saleh, served in the IDF before joining the Israel Police, where he was killed in the line of duty in 2013.

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Noor told Digital that it was his first trip to the United States. “My message to other children like us is to go on trips, meet new kids and make new friends,” Noor said.