Hundreds of members of Melbourne's Jewish community came together for an extraordinary Bar Mitzvah celebration for 13-year-old Mendy Cooper, with a new Sefer Torah dedicated in his honor and brought to its new home in a joyous procession through the streets of Malvern.

Mendy, the son of Rabbi Reuvi and Menucha Cooper of Chabad of Malvern, was born with Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic condition that has left him nonverbal and affects his mobility. Despite those challenges, his family has worked throughout his childhood to ensure that he remains fully included in Jewish communal and educational life.

On August 2, the day after Mendy turned 13, approximately 600 people from across Melbourne's Jewish community joined the celebration. Mendy made his way beneath a chuppah using his walker as his father carried the newly completed Sefer Torah alongside him, with the crowd singing and dancing behind them on the way to the Chabad center.

The Sefer Torah had been planned by Mendy's family for years as a meaningful way to mark his Bar Mitzvah. More than 200 people participated by dedicating letters, sections and parshiyos in the new Sefer Torah.

At the shul, the existing Sifrei Torah were brought out to welcome the new Sefer Torah before it was placed into the Aron Kodesh.

The celebration continued later with Mendy's family and friends. In a particularly moving moment, Mendy used an eye-gaze communication device to deliver a speech about the enduring significance of Torah.

Mendy attends Melbourne's Yeshivah College, where his family and school have worked to ensure that he participates alongside other children despite his disabilities. His mother has also used their family's experience to advocate for greater inclusion of children with disabilities in Jewish communal life.

The Bar Mitzvah and Hachnasas Sefer Torah brought that message to life as hundreds of Yidden joined together to celebrate Mendy and welcome the new Sefer Torah.