Tradition, Technology and a Bar Mitzvah to Remember

For William Solomons, preparing for his Bar Mitzvah wasn’t just about learning prayers and mastering Hebrew. It was about finding a way to make the experience his own.

His Torah portion spoke about the Mishkan — the sacred space the Israelites built during their journey through the desert. Inspired by the creativity of Bezalel, the artisan chosen to lead the Mishkan’s construction, William wondered: What could I build for my own Jewish journey?

The answer was right in front of him — and inside his 3D printer.

Combining tradition with technology, William spent weeks designing and printing a yad — the small pointer used to follow the words of the Torah during reading. It wasn’t easy. Strengthening the fragile printed material took trial, error, and a lot of patience. But William was determined.

On the day of his Bar Mitzvah, William stood at the bimah, yad in hand, reading from the Torah with a tool he had created himself — a symbol of both respect for the past and excitement for the future.

His family, teachers, and community looked on with pride. His mother, Andrea, said watching him read with his own handcrafted yad made the moment even more meaningful.

William’s talents extend beyond the synagogue. A student at Anglo European School in Essex, he’s fluent in multiple languages, passionate about engineering, and already exploring new ways technology can shape the world.

Rabbi David Hulbert summed it up: “William brought tradition and creativity together in a way that felt completely natural — and completely his own.”

In the story of Tikvah Chadasha’s community, William’s Bar Mitzvah has become a new chapter: one that honours where we come from while boldly imagining where we can go next.