Last week I had the afternoon free and decided to meet my friend Ben and his birthright group in the Old City. At that point I had already been living here for a week and hadn't yet visited the old city which I thought was ridiculous. I met up with Ben and then went with his birthright group to the Western Wall. One of the holiest places (if not the most holy) for the Jewish people. A special tradition surrounding this holy site is that people write notes to God (often people who don't even believe in a God) and then stick them in the wall. I happened to bring some of the notes that my students at Temple Beth Shalom had written and stuck them in the wall. Then the neatest thing happened. I was able to call my pre-school in Needham while they were at camp and they were able to live view me at the Western Wall! It was so neat to know that they could see me even if I was so far away! Hopefully that made their experience slightly more tangible that their notes were able to be hand Evered to the wall. It's amazing to be at the Western Wall and think how my grandmother brought her father there so many years ago and here I am, living in Jerusalem talking to my students who are 2-6 years old 2000 miles away. it is a true example of the global Jewish community and how it develops from generation to generation. It is nice to know that I can come back here as often as I want, and each time I go I have a little but of Needham, MA to bring along with me.
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