A teenage boy from central Israel will receive tens of thousands of shekels after gift envelopes disappeared during his bar mitzvah celebration at an event hall in Jerusalem about a year and a half ago. The payout was agreed in a recent settlement between his parents and the hall owners, following mediation. The report was published by mako.
According to the lawsuit filed in Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court through attorney Inbal Avrahami-Druker, the family chose the venue because of its proximity to the Western Wall and its view. The event began with a bar mitzvah ceremony at the Wall, followed by a party at the hall with relatives, friends and other guests. The parents said they were never given the key to the safe where the envelopes were stored, and did not know the hall’s employees had access to the room. They claimed, “They did not secure the safe room so employees could not access it.”
At the end of the event, the family says they received a bag containing the collected envelopes. Only when they opened it at home did they discover many were missing. The boy said, “I opened the bag and saw that grandpa had not given me any gift and had not written me any blessing. Envelopes from uncles and close friends were also not there. It seemed very strange to me.” His parents said they only later learned from the hall that a theft had taken place. “One employee told us she was surprised we had not been informed. Then we were told that one of the workers had stolen envelopes,” they said.
Police opened an investigation, and officers from Jerusalem’s Oz station arrested three workers on suspicion of stealing envelopes from several events held at the hall. Investigators also suspected other couples who held weddings there may have been affected. The case was sent to the Jerusalem District Prosecution Unit to consider indictments. The hall owners were not investigated and were not accused of involvement.
The family said the stolen gifts were worth about 45,000 shekels, and they filed a 105,000-shekel claim, arguing the hall was negligent and caused serious distress to the boy and his parents. The owners denied responsibility and said they could not be held liable for employees’ actions. After a long mediation process, the sides reached a settlement that will end the dispute without a court ruling.
