I came to realize in that moment that prayer transcends the religious boundaries and that whatever my definition of my Judaism was, that was okay.
I came to realize in that moment that prayer transcends the religious boundaries and that whatever my definition of my Judaism was, that was okay.
It was entrancing and intoxicating, the most hope I had ever witnessed, and in that moment I felt totally connected to all Jews across the world and across time.
At Mount Scopus, we learned about the Old City, while admiring its beauty.
But, what kind of inspiration should I draw from such an important place as the Western Wall? For me, I was inspired because it is our most powerful connection to the biblical past of Judaism and the original Jewish state. It is a place where everyone can find their own meaning and purpose.
When we visited the Western Wall, one of our group members put her mother, who is a Rabbi, on speakerphone to discuss the significance of the Western Wall to the Jews. Each member of our group then took time to experience the Western Wall in their own unique way. We said a prayer and left a note in the wall and then took step back to take in the overall significance of the moment.
Walking around the most ancient part of Jerusalem comes with so many feelings.
Looking at that famous and meaningful Jerusalem stone, noticing the variety of people walking the alley ways, and our special group experiencing it all together paints a picture that is so spiritualy meaningful.
As we got closer to the western wall, everyone's heart started beating faster, awaiting. For some of us that moment when we first saw the Western Wall was really unique, for some even life changing.
Overall, my experience at the Western Wall was much more powerful than I had anticipated and I wouldn't change a second of it.
Then we all linked arms and walked with our eyes closed to a lookout just above the wall. On the count of three, we all opened our eyes and saw the wall for the first time all together. It was a very powerful moment. We walked down to the wall carrying our little notes or prayers to put in the wall. The boys all went to one side and the girls the other. Many of the guys wore tefillin, most for the first time, as they stood and prayed at the holiest site in Judaism. We took some pictures and discussed this powerful emotional and religious experience as we headed back to the hotel for dinner.
The next stop was one of our favorite parts of the day: the Kotel. With so much historic and religious significance, the Western Wall is known as one of the holiest sites in the world. It was exhilarating to see people of all different religious backgrounds and beliefs worshipping and praying at the same place. Being able to put our hands on the wall and think about all of the people who came there before us was something that was truly indescribable.