JERUSALEM POST
Son of US soldier killed in Afghanistan shares bar mitzvah with Israeli counterparts
by Daniel K. Eisenbud
October 16, 2016

Andrew “AJ” Voelke was 8-years-old in 2012 when his father, US Army Major Paul Voelke, 36, was killed while serving in Afghanistan.  On Thursday, AJ and his mother, Traci, of Washington, DC, joined 30 Israeli children who also lost a parent in war, to hold a communal bar and bat mitzvah ceremony near Mount Herzl [this would be the same Mount Herzl that the US government say isn’t in Israel] and to celebrate their milestones together at a festive event at the Jerusalem Theater. Hosted by the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization, the children met with President Reuven Rivlin and Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman at a gala event worthy of royalty. READ MORE