NFTY in Israel at the Reform Kotel, Spiritual Peak of the Summer

By Rabbi David Wilfond, Director of Education

Earlier this morning was the teens visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Educational Center and Memorial. As these teens have already been to Auschwitz this summer, the visit was tailored with sensitivity to their previous educational experiences.  Emphasis was placed on the role of memory of the Holocaust in Israeli Society. An hour was spent meeting with one of the last survivors.  In a few years’ time, these teens will be among the last people to be able to say they actually met and spoke with a survivor of the genocide of European Jewry from 1939-1945.

The same day that they teens went to Yad Vashem the also visited the Belz Hasidc Center. Most of the members of the Belz community were slaughtered by the Nazis in the Holocaust. Today there are about 20,000 families in the Belz Community. Their numbers, and that of the Ultra-Orthodox community in general, over the last 40 years have grown to become an increasing powerful part of the world Jewish community. At the Belz Center the teens met with Chezki, who is 52 years old, and has 10 children and already 2 grandchildren. Chezki explained that his Rebbe is concerned that secular Jews do not understand the spiritual beauty that Hasidism offers. For this reason and because of the desire to disarm some of the negative feelings in Israeli Society about their community – they have opened up their synagogue for educational tourism and hospitality.

Also, this week, the teens were hosted by a Muslim family in their home in Ein Rafa, a village at the outskirts of Jerusalem that is committed to promoting the co-existence of Jews and Arabs in the Land of Israel. The Mom of the family named Yasmin is a Muslim and an articulate teacher of Islam. Yasmin creates a safe space in which the participants can ask any question they have about Muslims, Islam and the Arab/Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Yasmin is very charismatic and does her best to challenge and break stereotypes and enables the students to engage with the challenges for Israel to be both a Democratic and a Jewish State. This visit proved a very stimulating and compelling discussion for our teens.

Tomorrow, the group’s exploration of Modern Israel will bring them to the sunshine capital of Tel Aviv, the first Hebrew City.  Tel Aviv in many ways tries to be the opposite of Jerusalem.   Jerusalem is timeless. Tel Aviv is timely. Jerusalem looks back on history. Tel Aviv looks forward into the future. Jerusalem is religious. Tel Aviv is secular.  Yes, these are stereotypes and there are important exceptions. Nonetheless it is so interesting just how different these two cities are in spirit. To get to know the Tel Aviv spirit better the teens will spend a good part of the morning with Eitan Chinitz, a local music star and rhythm artist who shares his story as an Israeli who loves being Jewish but creates secular Jewish culture in Tel Aviv.

Friday is the teens last shabbat in Israel. To make the last shabbat in Israel extra special the teens will go to the Old City of Jerusalem to celebrate Shabbat at the Reform Section of the Western Wall with prayers services in the Classic NFTY Reform style. The summer has been full of so many rich and meaningful experiences. But the spiritual peak will be the teens last Shabbat in Israel celebrated at the egalitarian section of the Western Wall Kotel in Jerusalem.

The last days of NFTY in Israel, the teens are in Jerusalem, the heart of Israel’s body and soul. Like NFTY in Israel comes back to the Jerusalem at the end of the summer, we hope one day the participants might come back to visit the Land of Israel. Every time you come the experience is different and we want them to come back often and to feel at home in this eternal place of the Jewish People. There are many metaphors and stories about Jerusalem that can inspire a lifetime of connection. Each one of us is a brick in the Wall of Jerusalem – one of the stones that holds up the Wall of the Jewish People. Jerusalem can release a cascade of emotions and inspirations. Almost every synagogue around the world has a picture (or tapestry) of Jerusalem it the symbol of the Jewish People par excellence. Jerusalem has an almost mystical strength, durability and has survived the centuries and been witness to almost all of History. Jerusalem is ours and part of our story and it is our symbol – of hope, strength, survivability, and the future. Jerusalem will be here in the future. And we pray we too will be here – and maybe our children and grandchildren one day will be here too.

Creating Jewish memories is what NFTY in Israel is all about. Our hope is to create Jewish memories that inspire the participants to feel a part of the Jewish Community and to feel a commitment to its future as happy, proud members and maybe even as a leader in the next generation of our people – L’Dor V’Dor (from Generation to Generation). Freud noted that only people with memories can have dreams. At NFTY in Israel we want the participants to have Jewish Memories that can lead to Jewish Dreams. May the participants travel from “Strength to Strength.”

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