Cambodia's Jewish Princess Celebrates the Royal Family's First Bat Mitzvah
Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 4:52 pm
Cambodian Royal Family Celebrates Its First Bat Mitzvah
The daughter of a princess who converted to Judaism comes of age
By Menachem PosnerJanuary 9, 2020 9:11 AM
The giant menorah stood proudly overlooking the pool at the plush Raffles Hotel in the bustling heart of the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Facing the crowd of well-wishers stood the who’s who of the royal family, guests from around the world and an Israeli-born Chabad rabbi.
They were there to celebrate the belated bat mitzvah of Elior Koroghli of Las Vegas. Her father, Ray (Rahamim), is a Persian Jew, and her mother Susie (Sarah Bracha) is the Washington, D.C.-born granddaughter of HM King Monivong, who ruled Cambodia until his death in 1941.
Elior Koroghli
Elior’s bat mitzvah was the first Jewish milestone ever celebrated by the Cambodian royal family, and the first time many of the royals ever tasted food from a kosher kitchen, catered by Chabad of Cambodia, which was founded by Rabbi Bentzion and Mashie Butman in 2009.
Literally a party for the books, the event will be chronicled in the Royal Palace Record Book.
The celebration was the brainchild of Susie Koroghli, who wanted her children, who live a full Jewish life in Las Vegas, to also know of their royal roots.
After the bat mitzvah party, highlighted by the kindling of a large menorah, speeches emphasizing the beauty and depth of Judaism and gratitude to G‑d, and lots of kosher food, the family formally met the current ruler HM King Norodom Sihamoni and the queen mother, HM Norodom Monineath.
Susie Koroghli’s journey to Judaism is an unlikely one. Her father served as the Cambodian ambassador to the United States, and she grew up in a Buddhist home...
More here: https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo ... itzvah.htm
The daughter of a princess who converted to Judaism comes of age
By Menachem PosnerJanuary 9, 2020 9:11 AM
The giant menorah stood proudly overlooking the pool at the plush Raffles Hotel in the bustling heart of the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Facing the crowd of well-wishers stood the who’s who of the royal family, guests from around the world and an Israeli-born Chabad rabbi.
They were there to celebrate the belated bat mitzvah of Elior Koroghli of Las Vegas. Her father, Ray (Rahamim), is a Persian Jew, and her mother Susie (Sarah Bracha) is the Washington, D.C.-born granddaughter of HM King Monivong, who ruled Cambodia until his death in 1941.
Elior Koroghli
Elior’s bat mitzvah was the first Jewish milestone ever celebrated by the Cambodian royal family, and the first time many of the royals ever tasted food from a kosher kitchen, catered by Chabad of Cambodia, which was founded by Rabbi Bentzion and Mashie Butman in 2009.
Literally a party for the books, the event will be chronicled in the Royal Palace Record Book.
The celebration was the brainchild of Susie Koroghli, who wanted her children, who live a full Jewish life in Las Vegas, to also know of their royal roots.
After the bat mitzvah party, highlighted by the kindling of a large menorah, speeches emphasizing the beauty and depth of Judaism and gratitude to G‑d, and lots of kosher food, the family formally met the current ruler HM King Norodom Sihamoni and the queen mother, HM Norodom Monineath.
Susie Koroghli’s journey to Judaism is an unlikely one. Her father served as the Cambodian ambassador to the United States, and she grew up in a Buddhist home...
More here: https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo ... itzvah.htm