PopSyndicate.com

On the surface, Devora Bartnoff looked and sounded like a typical mom coaxing her young toddler. “Do you want to sing a song?” she asks Lior. But Devora was not an ordinary mother. For one thing, she was a rabbi, making Lior the child of two rabbis. “Itsy-bitsy spider or Old MacDonald’s?” she suggests. “How about Shalom Aleichem?”  Lior’s face lights up and the sing-along commences. Shalom Aleichem, the traditional song sung Friday nights to welcome Shabbat is always sung with great joy. And that’s exactly what we see on young Lior’s face.

Devora died of cancer in 1997, when Lior was only 6 years old, but she left behind a legacy of faith, spirituality and an extraordinary child with Down Syndrome. Praying With Lior is an emotionally charged documentary by filmmaker Ilana Trachtman that chronicles Lior’s family as they prepare for his bar mitzvah. Known unofficially as “the little rebbe,” Lior charms us with his humor and astonishes us with his ability to connect to God and family and inspiring all those who are lucky enough to meet him.

Trachtman interviews members of the Liebling family along with congregants of the Reconstructionist synagogue to which they belong. But the star of the show is Lior, as he davens continually (and loudly!) accompanied by rhythmic drumming.

The director has managed to solicit the most endearing interviews with that of Lior’s classmates. “God makes every person with a different test,” proclaims one young friend. “It becomes a test for us – how do we treat him?” he asks. “That’s part of our test!”

Finally, the big day has arrived. And for those of you who have anticipated their child’s bar/bat mitzvah day, you will surely recognize the palpable sense of expectation in his father’s eyes. As close to 300 people celebrate his accomplishment, we celebrate too.

Stay for the credits and don’t forget the tissues.

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