A significant celebration planned for this Sunday in the Rachmastrivka Hasidic community has been overshadowed by controversy after the original venue was abruptly canceled. The bar mitzvah, scheduled for the 11th of Elul (corresponding to the Torah portion Ki Tavo), marks a historic milestone: the first time the current Rachmastrivka Rebbe will celebrate a grandchild reaching Bar Mitzva age.
The Rebbe has two married daughters. One is married to Rabbi Shmuel Abba Twersky, whose son is the bar mitzvah boy, and the other to Rabbi David Yitzchak Yaakov Biderman. This represents the first bar mitzvah celebration among the Rebbe's grandchildren.
Anticipating thousands of Hasidim and supporters from Israel and abroad, community organizers initially secured the grand hall of the Karlin-Stolin beit midrash (study hall) in Givat Ze'ev, a settlement north of Jerusalem. The choice drew attention within Hasidic circles, particularly given past protests by extremist elements within the ultra-Orthodox community. The Toldot Avraham Yitzchak Rebbe had previously held two celebrations for his descendants at the same venue despite heavy pressure from these groups.
However, those same elements have now succeeded in forcing the cancellation of the Rachmastrivka event at the Givat Ze'ev location. Community organizers are currently working to arrange an alternative venue, with plans reportedly shifting to a large tent to be erected near the Slonim beit midrash elsewhere in the area.
