One hundred American boys and girls, who came to Israel on the annual Bar-Bas Mitzvah pilgrimage were greeted at a special reception attended by George Henry, the cultural attache of the American Embassy in Tel Aviv, who told the youngsters, “This is also my Bar Mitzvah.” He is a unitarian.
The American official said at the reception, which was held at Alonei Yitzhak, a youth center in North Sharon, that it was the first time he had witnessed a Bar Mitzvah event. He said he was happy to welcome the young people on the soil of Israel “for the purpose of building cultural bridges between America and the Holy Land.”
During their visit, the children were presented with gifts and mementos by the Ministry for Religious Affairs and by the Yeshurun Synagogue in Jerusalem. They also were greeted at the residence of President Ben-Zvi.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.