Twin peaks from UJIA
BRITISH BAR- and batmitzvah celebrants and their families went on a five-day trip to Israel for the conclusion of a UJIA twinning programme with young Ethiopian immigrants.
Since January, 39 Israelis of barmitzvah age have been corresponding with their British counterparts about their respective lives. Twelve British “twins” made the trip, the highlight of which was a religious ceremony at the Jerusalem Great Synagogue attended by almost 300 people, including members of an FZY tour group. Outgoing Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger addressed the celebrants.
The UJIA programme provides funding for Ethiopian children in an Israeli absorption centre to learn about their roots and to build up Jewish identity. It incorporates four months of religious and spiritual instruction, plus family bonding activities, such as fathers and sons making tefillin together and mothers and daughters embroider- ing challah covers. UJIA has twinning clubs in London, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow.
Lay leader Karen Goodkind said the programme “educates and promotes tolerance. It is about sharing and giving and the unity of Jews, despite our diversity. And it achieves UJIA’s mission to create real people-to-people experiences between Jews in the UK and in Israel.”
South Hampstead Synagogue partici - pant Lucy Bernstein said that meeting her “twin” Desta and her family had been “memorable. It was really special twinning my batmitzvah with someone who otherwise would not have been able to celebrate theirs and learning about Ethiopian culture and aliyah.”