MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A father from South Florida gave his son a moment that he will never forget after surprising him just days before his Bar Mitzvah after he was previously called for military service in Israel.
Rabbi David Kleinman is a teacher at Hebrew Academy in Miami Beach. He is also a reservist in the Israeli Defense Forces.
When war broke out against the terrorist group Hamas, Kleinman was sent to Israel, leaving his loved ones behind.
“My son is celebrating his Bar Mitzvah this week,” Kleinman told Local 10 News in an exclusive interview Tuesday. “But he knows if his father is in Israel then the bar mitzvah is still going to be, but he didn’t know it was going to be with me.”
Local 10 News captured the special, heartwarming moment when Kleinman surprised his son and his other students at the school.
While in Israel, Kleinman’s job was to gather the remains of those killed so they could have a burial in accordance with Jewish law, where all body parts possible were required to be retrieved.
Kleinman and staff at the Hebrew Academy in Miami Beach told Local 10 News that he was going to do whatever it took to make it home for his son’s special day.
“I couldn’t contain myself,” said Jackie Smith, a parent whose children attend Hebrew Academy. “I’m a mom. My kids come here to school, and no one could take back those tears.”
With so much pain in the Jewish community, Kleinmann said it was important to share his story of light, love and embracing innocence.
“Thank God I’m here,” said Kleinmann. “We are here and we are together.”