Ten UK children and their families spent four days in Israel as part of UJIA's Ethiopian bar/batmitzvah "living bridge" programme, supporting 30 Ethiopian immigrant children in the northern town of Kiriyat Bialik.

Some of the visitors joined their Israeli counterparts for a bar/batmitzvah ceremony in Jerusalem.

Nearly 100 children from throughout the UK have been involved in monthly twinning clubs, connecting them to their Ethiopian peers and learning about the Ethiopian Jewish experience. They have bonded through correspondence and shared learning activities.

The UK children have this year raised more than £40,000 for their "twins" to participate in the programme.