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Birthright and the Western Wall

June 07, 2012

I have led four student trips to Israel over the years. The part I remember most vividly is visiting the Kotel, the Western Wall. As I write this, the SF Hillel birthright trip is heading for Jerusalem, where they will spend a couple of days including a priceless Shabbat. 

 

Three memories come to mind. There was a young man, rather arrogant and belligerent, who wanted everyone to know how none of this Israel stuff was that impressive. I had to peel him from the Wall, as he stood there wrapped in teffilin and tallit, his eyes shut, tears rolling down his cheeks. I helped him wash his face before rejoining the group. I never asked him what happened and he never told me. But he gave me a hug and then a nod. You were right, he said. I'm not sure what I was right about, or even if he was talking specifically to me, or to me as a representative of his Jewish Peoplehood.

 

There was the young woman from a strong Jewish family, who had a bat mitzvah and attended summer camp, She had been waiting for this moment for as long as she could remember. She returned to me with a pale look on her face. Nothing had happened, she said.

 

And then there was a young woman who had no Jewish upbringing and almost no knowledge of her religion, who actually asked if she was worthy to approach the Wall. Of course you are, I said. The female group leader took her hand. "Let's go together." The young woman wrote that this was a pivotal moment for her. Not just going to the Wall, but being taken by a fellow Jew.

 

No one can anticipate what this moment at the Kotel can mean for him or her. For some it is life-changing, for others it is not.  

 

Birthright was born out of a need to provide a generation of American Jews with a collective Jewish memory. There is nothing that can replace that moment at the Kotel - whether you stand there alone, surrounded by friends, or with thousands of years of Jewish memory.

 

Birthright is about inviting a young adult to take their place as a member of the Jewish people. I feel honored, as a Hillel educator, to be entrusted by the Jewish community with such an awesome challenge and responsibility at this pivotal moment in our history.

 

 

Alon signature  

Alon Shalev

Executive Director, San Francisco Hillel

 

 

 

Tags: israel birthright jerusalem western wall

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