Reflections from the Kotel 

By Jared Klein, Bus 8

I do not consider myself a very religious person. Sure, I go to synagogue for the high holidays and live by Jewish morals, but spirituality was never at the center of my Judaism. 

All of this changed when I visited the Kotel with NFTY in Israel this summer as a part of my very first trip to Israel. 

I did not expect much of the visit. After all, we were only getting to see a piece of an old wall. But when I got there, I was amazed by the sense of holiness and spirituality that the site ignited in me. I had never felt that way before. 

I made my way to the men’s section of the wall and found a space where I could pray. Prayer in a formal setting has always made me feel disconnected because I am often chanting in a language which I do not know and this makes it hard for me to personalize my prayers. At the Kotel, I tried to chant the prayers I know by heart but I quickly became bored and began to pray in English. 

This was the most connected to God that I have ever felt throughout my entire Jewish life. I ended up praying for forty minutes without even realizing that it had been that long. 

I am eternally grateful to NFTY in Israel for bringing me to the Kotel and enabling me to develop my own form of spirituality and my own connection to God. 

I hope to return as soon as I can! 

MBE – Weathering the Storm

MBE – Weathering the Storm

The journey to MBE has not been without complications. Teens arrived at staggered times; some arrive in the morning and afternoon on the 30th of June, and then some didn't arrive until July 2nd. But at last, we are all here together– 49 chanichimot (campers), 5...

read more