A NEW synagogue held its first Bar Mitzvah at the weekend.
Teenager Louie Adler took part in the ceremony at The East London And Essex Liberal Synagogue on Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, on Saturday, January 21.
Many of his family and friends gathered to hear him read from the Torah.
After the ceremony, the congregation joined in with a Kiddush, a ceremony of prayer and blessing over wine, which was provided by the family.
The synagogue, which does not yet have a building, recently became the East London and Essex Liberal after Woodford Liberal, in South Woodford and Bet Tikvah, in Newbury Park merged together.
Rabbi Richard Jacobi Co Cheder said: "It was a wonderful morning and great to see three generations of Louie's family taking part in the service."
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