An Argentine oleh (new immigrant to Israel) who made aliyah 20 years ago celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in Eilat on Monday after a long period of conversion.
Ariel Weintraub, a 57-year-old Argentinian-Israeli who has been living in the country for the past 20 years, decided to fully convert to Judaism after connecting with his Jewish coworkers in the Garbage Removal Department of the Eilat municipality.
According to a statement from the Eilat municipality, Wientraub's decision came after his coworkers included him in the Shabbat kiddush, a major factor in his conversion.
Process to convert to Judaism
The process, according to the municipality, included learning about Jewish customs, getting circumcised, and finally reading the Torah in a ceremony alongside friends and family in Eilat.
"He was honored to read the Torah today, accompanied by friends, including Daniel Apriat, Oren Levy, Eli Abu, Hagai Weizman, Shlomi Petito, and more, who lovingly prepared a Bar Mitzvah party for him, including a Torah scroll that was brought especially to the department," the statement said.
Eilat's mayor, Eli Lankri, was among those present at the event, offering well wishes and congratulating Weitraub on behalf of the entire Eilat municipality.