While chanting a Torah portion and leading the Torah service from his home’s dining room, Daniel Malkin is flanked by his parents, Yukiko and Joshua Malkin of Rockville.
The public health crisis forced the cancellation of the scheduled bar mitzvah – the first of the year at Tikvat Israel in Rockville and the first to be presided over by Rabbi Marc Israel (who joined us last June) – on Saturday, March 29. But a day later, Daniel Malkin, a 7th-grader at Julius West Middle School, had the chance to read his Torah portion in front of 60 synagogue members, his grandmother in Japan and other relatives stranded by social distancing in San Diego, Atlanta, Austin, Texas via Zoom video conferencing software. He did so from his living room with his parents flanking him.
Tikvat Israel members Marjorie and Steve Eiserike were among those cheering on Daniel Malkin during his Bar Mitzvah ceremony conducted over Zoom video conferencing on March 29.A gallery image via Zoom video conferencing shows some of the 60 Tikvat Israel members plus relatives in Japan, Georgia, Texas and California who helped Daniel Malkin mark his Bar Mitzvah during a digital ceremony on March 29. Rabbi Marc Israel and Cantor Rochelle Helzner led the service from their respective homes.
