A group of Holocaust survivors will celebrate their Chai Mitzvah —the Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremony— in Buenos Aires, in an act of healing and life.
Next Thursday, October 30, at 10:30 a.m., at the Max Nordau Temple of the Dor Jadash Community (Murillo 661, Villa Crespo, Buenos Aires City), a deeply moving ceremony will take place: a group of Holocaust survivors participating in the Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program run by Fundación Tzedaká will finally celebrate the Jewish ritual that marks the passage into religious adulthood, a ceremony they were unable to hold during their adolescence due to Nazi persecution.
The Chai Mitzvah Project is a joint initiative of the Dor Jadash Community and Fundación Tzedaká, with the support of the Claims Conference. It seeks to honor the lives, memory, and identity of Holocaust survivors, accompanying them as they reconnect with their history and faith. Holding this ceremony so many decades later represents an act of historical, emotional, and spiritual repair.
The participants in this ceremony were born in Romania, Croatia, Poland, Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Austria. After surviving Nazism, they found refuge in Argentina, where they rebuilt their lives. Today, they are between 87 and 100 years old and continue to demonstrate their extraordinary resilience and strength.
The Chai Mitzvah Project carries a universal message of hope and dignity, a reminder that even after immense pain and loss, it is still possible to celebrate life, faith, and continuity.
Thursday, October 30 – 10:30 a.m. – Dor Jadash Community, Murillo 661, Buenos Aires City
The ceremony will be streamed live and can be watched from anywhere in the world.
The Bar Mitzvah
In Jewish tradition, the Bar Mitzvah (for boys) and Bat Mitzvah (for girls) mark the moment when a person assumes religious and community responsibilities. It is a symbol of spiritual maturity, commitment to identity, and generational continuity.
About the Dor Jadash Community
The Max Nordau Temple of the Dor Jadash Community, located in the heart of Villa Crespo, was founded by Jewish immigrants in 1912 and is one of the historic institutions of Conservative Judaism in Argentina. For over a century, it has been a vibrant space for gathering, prayer, education, and culture, with an active community life open to all generations. The institution includes departments of worship, education, and solidarity, as well as programs in traditional dance, choir groups, and activities for youth and seniors, among other cultural and religious initiatives.
About Fundación Tzedaká
Fundación Tzedaká is a social organization founded in 1991 within the Argentine Jewish community with the mission of protecting its most vulnerable members. Since then, it has developed social promotion programs in the areas of health, education, and social assistance, providing direct support to more than 4,600 people and distributing free medication to over 50,000 individuals across the country.
The Foundation also organizes the Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program, which works to improve the quality of life of survivors, uphold their rights, and restore dignity through initiatives that promote active aging, well-being, socialization, and community integration. The program is funded by the Claims Conference.
