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Kristallnacht
A Jewish coming-of-age ceremony that is celebrated when a boy reaches 13 years of age. The ceremony involves reading a portion of the Torah; afterwards, a boy is viewed as an adult in the eyes of a law. Josef celebrates his bar mitzvah a week into his journey on the St. Louis, and views it as his own personal passage into adulthood.
Bar mitzvah Quotes in Refugee
The Refugee quotes below are all either spoken by Bar mitzvah or refer to Bar mitzvah. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean – 1939, 8 days Quotes
It all came flooding back to him now—swaying and humming along with the prayers, craning his neck to see the Torah when it was taken out of the ark and hoping to get a chance to touch it and then kiss his fingers as the scroll came around in a procession. Josef felt his skin tingle. The Nazis had taken all this from them, from him, and now he and the passengers on the ship were taking it back.
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A week into Josef’s journey on the St. Louis, the social hall is converted into a synagogue and Josef is able to have his bar mitzvah on the ship. Josef recalls how he had not been able to attend synagogue since before Kristallnacht, since after this event German Jews became afraid of gathering together in public spaces for fear of Nazi retaliation. Josef’s memories of the services and his excitement at being able to revive these traditions emphasize the importance of his cultural heritage. But the fact that Josef is able to practice these traditions once more on the St. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas deb
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Bar mitzvah Term Timeline in Refugee
The timeline below shows where the term Bar mitzvah appears in Refugee. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Josef: Somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean – 1939, 6 days from home
...age. Ruthie tells them that Josef just turned 13, and is going to have his bar mitzvah soon. Renata tells them that they are traveling alone—their mother had to stay back in...
(full context)
Josef: Somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean – 1939, 8 days from home
The day of Josef’s bar mitzvah arrives—the day Josef will “leave his childhood behind and become a man, and he could...
(full context)
Josef is upset that Aaron will not join for his bar mitzvah , but wonders if becoming a man means not relying on one’s father. At the...
(full context)
Josef: Somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean – 1939, 10 days from home
...member Josef noticed storming off as the portrait of Hitler was taken down for Joseph’s bar mitzvah , grows angry that passengers are being shown downstairs. Schiendick calls the children “Jewish rats”...
(full context)
