Gideon Colliver Bar Mitzvah

Welcome We are so grateful you are here to join us for this beautiful simcha for our son, Gideon Matthew. Gideon has studied hard this past year in preparation for this day, and we could not be more proud. We recognize that you have come from near and far, you have traveled, and taken time from your busy lives to be here with us. Thank you. Thank you for reflecting the love back to us that we feel so deeply for all of you. Today, Gideon assumes the religious, spiritual and ethical responsibilities that come with being a Jewish adult by becoming a Bar Mitzvah. Now, as a full member of the Jewish community, Gideon will be able to be counted in a minyan, a quorum of 10, the minimum required for holding a prayer service or reading from the Torah. The centerpiece of today’s celebration will be when Gideon has his very first aliyah; the first time he will be permitted to recite blessings over the Torah on behalf of the congregation. He will also chant part of this week’s Torah portion. We hope, if this is your first Bar Mitzvah, that you will learn something about Judaism. If this is your first time joining the beautiful Blacksburg Jewish Community Center congregation, we welcome you.

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Much love and with so much gratitude, Lauren & Ethan