This past weekend WOFI spent Shabbat in Jerusalem. As the city was starting to slow down we began our walk towards the Kotel all dressed up ready for Shabbat to begin. For some, it was their first time at the Kotel and they were lead down by their friends as they closed their eyes only opening them when they were in front of the Western Wall. For others, it was exciting to be back and be part of the atmosphere. There were hundreds of people dancing, singing, and praying. We pushed our way in to be near the wall to pray. It was amazing to be surrounded by so many Jews from around the world starting Shabbat together. After some time at the Kotel we made our way back to the youth hostel for Shabbat dinner. We had a fun program with the new Shinshinim (Israelis taking gap years who will work in Cleveland next year) and had free time to hang out together.
The next morning we split up to go to the Conservative synagogue or The Great Synagogue (an Orthodox synagogue). I went to the Conservative synagogue where we met WOFI kids from Chicago. The service was much shorter than services in America. It was empowering to be surrounded by a full synagogue of Conservative Jews who were all singing the blessings with amazing “ruach”. The service was followed by a kiddish in the synagogue’s courtyard which was also shared with the youth hostel. At the kiddush we were able to talk with the Chicago WOFI kids and compare our programs. We spent the rest of the afternoon eating, sleeping, playing in the park, and spending time with each other.
As Shabbat was coming to a close we walked to David Immerman and his family’s home where we sang songs, went over the past week in Israel, and did Havdalah. It was great to hear what people loved about the past week and what they were looking forward to.
This past Shabbat was very special. As we entered Jerusalem it made me feel like I was really back in Israel. It was great to spend Shabbat with WOFI which is made up of people from all different denominations of Judaism. We taught each other about how we each spend Shabbat and I think we really learned a lot from each other. There is nothing more meaningful than spending Shabbat in Jerusalem and everyone should experience it at some point in their lives.