As I walked down the century old stone steps, smoothed by thousands of thunderous footsteps, I felt the dread expand in my stomach. I mentally prepared myself for what I thought would be the worst hour of my life, but was I mistaken.
During the summer of 2015, I traveled to Israel for the first time with the Diller Teen Fellows. The DTF is a fifteen-month leadership program for a select group of Jewish teens from around the world who have high potential to become leaders in their communities and to ‘repair the world.’ In Israel I connected with my identity, core values, and found my Jewish womanhood.
On the trip to Israel, I was introduced to Orthodox Judaism. In the Jewish Orthodox community modesty in dress is a very strong custom; orthodox men would cover their eyes as I walked past. This was the first time in my life I wished I were a man. We also visited the Western Wall. The Western Wall is a religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem, and is one of the most holiest places in the Jewish religion. I am a very passionate feminist, and friends who that had previously been to the Wall told me I was going to hate the visit. They told me that for many women the Wall is symbolic of the oppression of women in Israel. When I first arrived at the Wall the first thing I saw was that the men’s section was three times as large as the …show more content…
I had never felt particularly spiritual, yet there I stood looking at this worn down piece of stone wondering what on earth was so special about it. I noticed other women touching the wall and putting their foreheads against it, praying. I wedged myself between two women so I could stand and put my hands to the Wall. As soon as my hands touched the Wall an overwhelming sense of history, love, and need flooded over me. This wasn’t a place for crazy religious fanatics, this was a place for
During the summer of 2015, I traveled to Israel for the first time with the Diller Teen Fellows. The DTF is a fifteen-month leadership program for a select group of Jewish teens from around the world who have high potential to become leaders in their communities and to ‘repair the world.’ In Israel I connected with my identity, core values, and found my Jewish womanhood.
On the trip to Israel, I was introduced to Orthodox Judaism. In the Jewish Orthodox community modesty in dress is a very strong custom; orthodox men would cover their eyes as I walked past. This was the first time in my life I wished I were a man. We also visited the Western Wall. The Western Wall is a religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem, and is one of the most holiest places in the Jewish religion. I am a very passionate feminist, and friends who that had previously been to the Wall told me I was going to hate the visit. They told me that for many women the Wall is symbolic of the oppression of women in Israel. When I first arrived at the Wall the first thing I saw was that the men’s section was three times as large as the …show more content…
I had never felt particularly spiritual, yet there I stood looking at this worn down piece of stone wondering what on earth was so special about it. I noticed other women touching the wall and putting their foreheads against it, praying. I wedged myself between two women so I could stand and put my hands to the Wall. As soon as my hands touched the Wall an overwhelming sense of history, love, and need flooded over me. This wasn’t a place for crazy religious fanatics, this was a place for