About 150 lone soldiers who completed a Jewish conversion process during their military service are set to celebrate bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies at the Western Wall Plaza in Jerusalem in two weeks, organizers said. The event, led by the Ach Gadol (Big Brother for Lone Soldiers) nonprofit, will bring together soldiers serving without immediate family in Israel, many of whom immigrated alone and enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces.
For participants, the ceremony is expected to mark a first, celebrating a Jewish coming of age publicly at the Kotel while serving in uniform. Organizers said many of the soldiers completed conversion through the military’s Nativ conversion framework, which has been covered previously by The Jerusalem Post.
A milestone at the Kotel
The program is expected to include a group procession to the prayer plaza, individual moments for each participant, and a shared celebration led with support from partners at the Western Wall. Similar Kotel ceremonies for lone soldiers who completed conversion have been reported in recent years, including events organized by Ach Gadol and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.
Ach Gadol describes its model as one-on-one mentorship, pairing each lone soldier with a volunteer who once served as a lone soldier. Beyond holidays and life-cycle events, the organization’s broader support network includes practical help with absorption, navigating the IDF system, and daily needs, a role also reflected in earlier reporting on lone-soldier initiatives in Jerusalem and nationwide.
From Ethiopia to the Nahal Brigade
One of the soldiers expected to participate is Bahru Abayit, a Nahal Brigade fighter who immigrated to Israel alone from Ethiopia around two years ago with the goal of enlisting, according to details shared with The Jerusalem Post. Organizers said Abayit grew up in a village without electricity, internet, or modern transportation, before making aliyah and entering the IDF as a combat soldier.
In the week leading up to his beret ceremony, Abayit is expected to mark his bar mitzvah for the first time, this time as an Israeli citizen and as a Jew, at the Western Wall. Organizers said the moment is meant to connect his military service to a personal milestone, surrounded by fellow soldiers who took a similar path, immigrating without parents at their side and building community through service.
Also expected to attend is Uzi Brenner, a former Nahal fighter and former lone soldier who immigrated from Argentina and now volunteers with Ach Gadol. Brenner mentors Abayit, organizers said, helping him navigate absorption challenges, the demands of combat service, and the everyday details that can be harder without close family in the country.
The ceremony is scheduled to conclude with a joint gathering of soldiers and mentors at the plaza, underscoring what organizers called a shared message: for lone soldiers who chose conversion during service, “this is the first time they are marking this milestone as Jews at the Western Wall.”