Nazi persecution robbed them of their b’nai mitzvah. Decades later, they will finally stand at the bimah

For Holocaust refugees and survivors who were forced to flee, hide or simply survive during their childhood, an important Jewish rite of passage was among the many things taken from them.

Now, decades later, the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) is offering those who reached b’nai mitzvah age during the Holocaust the chance to reclaim that moment.

The AJR’s new Belated B’nai Mitzvah project will bring first-generation members together for a special ceremony at Belsize Square Synagogue in November 2026.

For many, their childhoods were interrupted by persecution, separation, flight and loss. The familiar milestones of Jewish childhood — including the opportunity to celebrate becoming bar or bat mitzvah — were replaced by the urgent need to survive.

The ceremony will offer participants the chance to stand at the bimah surrounded by family, friends and community, marking a rite of passage that never took place.

There is no expectation that participants must read from the Torah or demonstrate Hebrew knowledge. The ceremony is designed to be inclusive, with people able to take part in whatever way feels meaningful to them. The bimah will be lowered to the centre of the synagogue to make it as accessible as possible.

Family members will be encouraged to attend, giving children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren the opportunity to witness a significant moment in their family’s story.

An optional preparatory gathering will take place in October, allowing participants to familiarise themselves with the service, revisit practical elements such as putting on a tallit, and meet current b’nai mitzvah children.

That intergenerational element lies at the heart of the project. For younger participants, it is a reminder that their Jewish celebrations form part of a chain of continuity that survived attempts to destroy it. For the older generation, it is an acknowledgement that their place in that chain was never lost, even when the ceremony itself was.

The ceremony will be followed by a kiddush, giving families and participants the opportunity to come together and celebrate.

For the AJR, the project is about more than a religious ceremony. It is an act of remembrance and repair, recognising that the Holocaust disrupted not only lives, but childhoods, traditions, education and the ordinary rituals through which Jewish identity is formed.

By offering these men and women the opportunity to mark their b’nai mitzvah now, the AJR is celebrating not only what was lost, but the Jewish lives they went on to build.

The Belated B’nai Mitzvah project is open to men and women who reached b’nai mitzvah age during the Holocaust.