Forging a Connection to Jewish History
A Bar or Bat Mitzvah signifies the moment a child accepts his or her place as a Jewish individual and takes part in the fabric of the Jewish people. This landmark occasion is an opportunity for families to come together, celebrate and embrace their Jewish heritage.
David Bergman was a regular 13-year-old boy, eagerly anticipating his Bar Mitzvah.
“I was so much looking forward to this day of Bar Mitzvah. I had several years of preparation for this event. My parents even had all the gifts set aside. Indeed that day I became a man heading for an unknown destination… The day was spent in a cattle train. My father had a bottle of wine that he had secretly taken aboard, risking his life to do so. But this event meant so much to him – he felt it was worth the sacrifice. He passed the bottle of wine around and everyone made a toast to me, and that is how I celebrated my Bar Mitzvah.” David himself related this story in the personal testimony
Cleaning New York Subways, Immigrant Workers Find Abuse
Working for the MTAâs hired contractors, an immigrant workforce is exploited and harassed.
Kevin Hagen/AP Photo
Cleaning subway trains is one of the few jobs available to immigrant New Yorkers out of work at the height of the pandemic.
âGood morning Mrs. LucÃa, I wanted to let you know that I disagree with you denying me the opportunity to work, knowing that weâre in a pandemic, because I didnât play along and flirt with the supervisor,â texted train cleaner Claudia Barbosa (in Spanish) to her supervisor at NV Maintenance, one of the 21 third-party contractors hired by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to clean and disinfect New York Cityâs subways during the COVID-19 pandemic. Barbosa had to wait a month to collect her last check. She says her supervisor didnât give it to her until she showed up in person at the 96th Street and Second Avenue station and spoke to MTA staff