Bar Mitzvah boy David Hayes with Student Rabbi Richard Allen Greene. Picture by David Ehrlich
Seven Hills Shul, Sheffield, hosted a unique simcha as David Hayes marked his 80th birthday with a third Bar Mitzvah, while Student Rabbi Richard Allen Greene officiated at his first.
David first had a Bar Mitzvah aged 13 in an Orthodox synagogue, celebrating for a second time aged 70 at Seven Hills, as the Progressive community “reflected a Judaism that had become more consciously my own.”
He decided to centre his 80th birthday around a third Bar Mitzvah in order to give spiritual shape to what might otherwise have been simply a party.
He said: “This third Bar Mitzvah symbolised my continued journey within Progressive Judaism – a Judaism that speaks to me through its commitment to thoughtful tradition, social responsibility and environmental justice. At 80, I feel not that the journey is complete, but that it continues with renewed purpose.
“Preparing a D’var Torah required study and reflection. It meant engaging again with our texts and traditions – not out of obligation, but out of choice. Student Rabbi Richard’s sermon, informed in part by conversations with committed members of the congregation, reminded me how deeply embedded we are in community.”
The occasion allowed David, in his after-lunch speech, to express gratitude – to past and present committee members who have worked hard to sustain and grow the synagogue, to friends and family who have supported him, particularly through the difficult period following the loss of his wife, and to acknowledge the mutual support that defines a Progressive community.
It also gave community members a chance to honour his contributions, which have included promoting Jewish music in the region and serving for many years as editor of the synagogue magazine.
He added: “A Bar Mitzvah marks obligation. At 80, I feel that obligation less as burden and more as privilege.”
Speaking afterwards, Student Rabbi Richard said: “That feeling where you’re officiating at your first Bar Mitzvah, but you know it’s going to be OK because it’s the Bar Mitzvah boy’s third! I thank David for offering me this mitzvah and all at Seven Hills Shul for welcoming me back so warmly.”