Ceremony Fetes Beginning of Jewish Adulthood for S. Petersburg Adolescents

Some 50 boys and girls celebrated their entry into Jewish adulthood in a joint ceremony at S. Petersburg, Russia’s famed Great Choral Synagogue.

Attended by members of the city’s Jewish community, the grand ceremony marked the completion of a year-long program that educated the adolescents on how to fully lead Jewish lives.

Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Menachem Mendel Pewzner, the city’s chief rabbi, conferred medals on the youngsters. The bar mitzvah boys and bat mitzvah girls, whose portraits graced the walls of the synagogue, also received Jewish prayer books.

During the concluding feast, the children demonstrated their knowledge of Jewish traditions and history in a friendly trivia competition.

The Jewish community of S. Petersburg is a member of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia.