In 1991, Colel Chabad began organizing mass bar mitzvahs for Russian immigrants to Israel who had not been able to keep Jewish traditions in their homeland. To date, the organization has performed over 17,000 bar and bat mitzvahs. The annual event for 1,000 Russian-immigrant boys and girls takes place at the Western Wall in the presence of government officials, Chief Rabbis and other dignitaries. Colel Chabad volunteers spend months preparing each child to participate in the special day, and each boy receives a pair of tefillin while each girl receives a sterling-silver candlestick. The event concludes with an all-day trip to an amusement park.