To have a loving and caring family is certainly one of the most important pillars in life. It’s perhaps one of the most dependable structures upon which one can model and build his or her own life.

You spend a moment with this family and you know that for them it’s all about unconditional love, utmost caring and respect. But there’s also a great energy about them, part liveliness and part zaniness that makes this family so much fun to be around.

All zaniness aside, at one point in life a child will need to realize that the consequences to his actions are for his own to bear. And that, regardless of how dire these consequences, he will have to man up and face the outcome.

A Bar Mitzvah is a Jewish coming of age ritual. And according to Jewish law, when a Jewish boy turns thirteen years old, he becomes accountable for his actions.

Jonathan’s Bar Mitzvah was held at the imposing and beautiful Shaarei Tsedek Ashkenazic Synagogue at Mahaai in Curacao. Jonathan looked mighty spruce in his outfit and seemed unperturbed on the early Thursday morning and why shouldn’t he… His father Lazaro and older brother Isaac were constantly making funny faces during the family photo shoot, while Jacky and Leah were doing a pose down for best dress and most beautiful female of the year.

The ceremony is quite intense, there’s a lot of loud prayer involved, which reverberates throughout the synagogue because of its dome-like shape. And the sunlight cascading down through the glass dome atop the roof gave this Bar Mitzvah ritual a surreal look and feel.

It’s only when Jonathan starts reading from the Torah that you realise a thirtheen year old boy is indeed ready to understand and accept accountablility.

And soon there after, when he’s showered with sweets–his brother Isaac was throwing some fast balls at him–you realise he’s just a sweet little kiddo!