CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In Judaism, a bar or bat mitzvah happens when a teenager turns 13. It's celebrated by holding a ceremony, and sometimes a party, that signifies entering adulthood. During the ceremony, the teen prepares a reading portion, with real-world lessons and reads from the Torah.

What is rare is when someone has a second bar mitzvah decades after their teenage years.

What You Need To Know

  •  Milt Bergman decided to have another bar mitzvah almost 70 years after his first one

  •  Bergman's purpose was to raise money and fight antisemitic acts

  •  The beginning of the Israel-Hamas war reinforced the need for the event

Milt Berkman shows pictures from his bar mitzvah roughly 70 years ago. With a smile on his face, he reflected on some of the most important parts from that day. 

“You look at all the pictures, you see I am extremely happy. So I was loving it, and I was having fun ... but at the same time, it was my commitment to Judaism, really," Berkman said.

He relived his special day a few weeks ago, but this time the purpose was to raise money and fight antisemitic acts.

A commitment he says is even more important today.

"It is interesting that when I was writing my D'var Torah and really getting into it in the last few months and then October 7 happened, so I included that in the speaking portion,” Berkman said.

Berkman said the bar mitzvah was already in motion before the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October. However, he said that reinforced the need for the event. He read aloud a portion of what was written for his bar mitzvah.

"Jews are facing an existential threat of Hamas and how it has created a schism in the world, in world opinion, as to how Jews are perceived," Berkman said. "Opinion is being swayed by a band of terrorists who have no respect for life or for their own people. Jewish students on college campuses are experiencing a significant rise in antisemitic threats by pro-Hamas groups. Students are showing tremendous resiliency by speaking out against these threats."

He then continued to share the deeper meaning behind the second bar mitzvah.

"The idea of the bar mitzvah is not just about you getting presents, but you giving back to the community. We need something happy right now. We need something to take our mind off all the sadness that's around us," Berkman said.

He partnered with the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte to raise money that would go toward the Outshine Hate Initiative, which has a goal to combat antisemitism. Berkman says the federation has raised $6,000 so far, and he has vowed to match that amount of up to $10,000.