NEW YORK (VINnews) — Barry Davey, a long-time member of the Jewish military association AJEX (Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen) and a retiree from Chelsea in central London, did not grow up Jewish and only renewed his Jewish life later in life. A bar mitzvah ceremony held for him at age 86 represented a significant and deeply personal moment, allowing him to celebrate a major Jewish milestone for the first time.

Together with friends, supporters, and members of the Jewish community, he celebrated the event in a ceremony organized in cooperation between AJEX and a boys’ club supporting at-risk teenage boys in the Jewish community.

The ceremony, which took place at the Royal Chelsea Hospital, was led by Rabbi Nir Nadav, a military rabbi in the Royal Logistics Corps of the British Army. Members of the boys’ club were given aliyot (honors of being called up to the Torah) during the service, and AJEX representatives participated in the prayer service, helping create a meaningful celebration that brought together veterans, community organizations, and friends on this special day.

Barry said he felt “overwhelmed and grateful; it means a lot to me and it’s something I will never forget,” he said.

AJEX Chief Executive Fiona Palmer said:

“Being at Barry’s bar mitzvah, in such a special and iconic place, was extraordinarily moving. It was a unique event. Seeing him go up to the Torah and hearing him speak about what being part of the Jewish people means to him was incredible. AJEX is delighted to have been part of the team that helped make it happen. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard and created such a wonderful atmosphere. Congratulations, Barry!”

The British-based The Jewish Chronicle reported that although Barry was born Jewish, he only began his journey with Judaism about two decades ago, when his son married a Jewish woman.

He was not raised Jewish. His mother had hidden her Jewish identity due to World War II and changed her name when she came to Britain from France. “It was never talked about in the family,” he said. “I never grew up knowing Jewish ways. It was very strange because I knew where I came from, but I didn’t know anything about the real life of being a Jewish person.”

That changed, he said, “when my son came back home from Bolivia and said: ‘I’m going to marry a Jewish woman.’ He had no idea I was Jewish at all.”

“But that moment, when he said he was going to marry a Jewish woman, was magical,” Barry said. “In that moment, when he told me, and I told him where I came from, it was one of many magical moments my son and I experienced together.”