A Surprise Bar Mitzvah at Argentina's CKids Shabbaton

The moment arrived Sunday morning without warning. A young boy from Bahía Blanca stood surrounded by 250 Jewish children from across Argentina as Rabbi Tzvi Grunblatt, head Shliach of Argentina, handed him a pair of tefillin. Shluchim broke into song and dance. The boy's mother, watching from the side, began to cry.

It wasn't supposed to happen this way. The family had traveled hours just to attend the annual CKids Shabbaton, held this year at sprawling campgrounds outside Buenos Aires. The mother, who had recently returned to Argentina with her two boys after a complicated divorce abroad, had moved from town to town searching for stability. When she finally settled in a small town near Bahía Blanca, the local shluchim, Rabbi Shmuel and Shterni Freedman, convinced her to bring her two children to the Shabbaton. Only after the logistics were arranged did they realize the boy's Bar Mitzvah fell on that Sunday.

The shluchim decided to make it unforgettable.

"Until recently, she and her children had no connection to Judaism" recalls Mrs. Etti Silberstein, who co-directs CKids Argentina with her husband Rabbi Levi Silberstein. "Now this mother is working so hard to reignite that spark in her children. Through JewQ and this Shabbaton, we got to give them a Bar Mitzvah and celebrate with the entire Jewish community of Argentina."

The surprise celebration capped a weekend that brought together children from more than seven provinces and twenty Chabad Houses across the country. From Salta in the north to Bahía Blanca in the south, families traveled up to eighteen hours to reach the campgrounds with its vast playing fields, pool, and activity areas.

The weekend concluded with the national JewQ Beit Rachel championship, the culmination of a year of learning. Children who began the year with minimal understanding of Jewish traditions now stood confidently, answering questions about Jewish history, holidays, and heritage. When medals were distributed, the room erupted in applause and tears of joy.

"When children who met just 24 hours earlier are cheering for each other, you realize this is about more than a competition," Mrs. Silberstein says. "Jewish children across Argentina discover they're not alone. They are part of the same story, the same people. It strengthens their Judaism and infuses them with pride."

For Geraldine, a mother from Mar del Plata, a resort city on Argentina's Atlantic coast, the weekend represented something even deeper. Her daughter Jazmín had participated in the JewQ program throughout the year, attending weekly sessions at the Lipinski's Chabad House, and was one of four winners of the JewQ championships, earning a free trip to New York for the CKids International Crown Heights Shabbaton.

"If it hadn't been for JewQ, she perhaps wouldn't have her Jewish identity today," shares Geraldine. "In a city like Mar del Plata, the community is very small. In her circle of friends at school, she doesn't have anyone who shares this knowledge. JewQ accompanied me in her Jewish education and helped her take ownership of being Jewish and feel proud of it."

The weekend's activities focused on building that sense of pride and community. Children enjoyed a trampoline park outing, arts and crafts sessions, and bonfires under the stars. Throughout Shabbos, the rabbis and rebbetzins from each participating community spent time with the children they serve throughout the year, having lengthy conversations, answering their questions, and deepening relationships.

Many families came from challenging circumstances. Children attended from non-Jewish schools, including some from Catholic institutions where being openly Jewish required courage.

"We felt completely included even though we're not observant," Geraldine explains. "It was a great opportunity for my children to bond with the Jewish community and with their heritage. At a time when being Jewish seems uncomfortable, it's so important to study and know our history. That's how we fight the ignorance that produces antisemitism"

The program's success is a testament to the collective efforts of the participating shluchim and shluchos from across Argentina, Rabbi Levi and Mrs. Etti Silberstein, Directors of CKids and Tzach Argentina, under the auspices of Rabbi Tzvi Grunblatt, Head Shliach to Argentina, and Rabbi Zalmy Lowenthal, Rabbi Chai Kohan, and Rabbi Mendel Raskin of CKids International at Merkos 302.

"These gatherings create moments of connection kids carry with them long after they return home," says Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky of Merkos 302. "When a child travels hours to be with other Jewish kids, when a mother finds support in raising her children with Jewish values, you see the real power of what CKids accomplishes."

As the Shabbaton ended and families prepared for the journey home to their far-flung communities, Geraldine reflected on what surprised her most.

"I was surprised by how my daughter got so enthusiastic about the meetings," she says. "I thought perhaps she would find it boring, but no, she had fun, she got hooked. On a Sunday where she could be doing nothing, she has the desire to keep sharing and learning. And that desire, that spark, is what we're keeping alive."

PHOTOS: