Silver Necklace with Star of David Pendant and ″Bar Mitzvah″ Silver Medal

In the Jewish tradition, when a boy reaches the age of thirteen he is considered an adult. This right of passage includes a whole new set of responsibilities. The Bar Mitvah Medal commemorates and celebrates this special milestone. First issued in 1961 in alignment with the thirteenth year of the State of Israel, the medal features a boy reading from the Scroll of Law wearing his Tallit and Tefillin. A quote from Mishnah Avot 5:24 (Fathers) is featured in both English and Hebrew, “At the age of thirteen, for the fulfillment of the Mitzvoth.”