Daniel, a student at the ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran special education school, dreamed of having his Bar Mitzvah in Beit HaMikdash. This may sound far-fetched, but good will, that stretched over the ocean, helped Daniel come as close as possible to realizing his dream.

A class of students from the Beth Jacob school in Redwood city, California, decided to collect money to help ADI’s children have festive Bar Mitzvah celebrations, and Daniel’s is the second Bar Mitzvah that they have “sponsored.”

On the special day, Daniel, his friends, family, and staff and volunteers from ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran all went up to Jerusalem. The event began with a walk from Zion Gate in the direction of the Western Wall, accompanied by the sounds of shofars, trumpets and drums. Daniel, dressed in a brand new suit and donning tallit and tefillin, made a great effort to overcome his fear and read his Torah portion, with a strong and clear voice. He prayed for himself at the Western Wall: “I want to be a father that will have children.” There wasn’t a dry eye anywhere in sight, and everyone prayed that all of Daniel’s dreams come true.

The entire ADI family would like to express its gratitude to the Beth Jacob class for enabling Daniel’s Bar Mitzvah to be a truly life-changing event.