"Front row seats to Geula"

It seems a bit crazy that I’ve already been in Israel for three months. Time seems to not function in a normal way here, as a result I also haven't posted in awhile. Although there has been no public proof of my experiences, so far I have had an incredible time and have been trying to write as I go (except unfortunately forgetting to actually post it). As a result it's a bumper post!

“Don’t forget you have front row seats to Geula”

These words that a friend texted me right before Yom Kippur have stayed with me right throughout the holiday period.

Front row seats to Geula. A direct line to G-d.

At times in the Old City it feels like you live in the centre of the world, you can easily forget that there exists a world beyond the realm of Jerusalem – when everyone is constantly travelling to where you live, why would you want to go anywhere else?

By contrast, living where we do at Harova we run the risk of forgetting the importance of where we are. It’s easy to forget that you are walking the streets Israel (quite literally) fought for in 1967, the streets Jews were banned from by the Romans, the streets of our ancestors.

You don’t quite realise where you are until it seems like all of Israel come to Selichot at the Kotel on Erev Yom Kippur. Or you’re trying to leave the dorms the morning of a mass Birkat Kohanim at the Kotel during Chol Hamoed Sukkot. During moments like this you truly realise the power of the place you live.

The Yomim Noraim is a wonderful time to be in Israel and fully appreciate the opportunities available to me living in the Old City. On Yom Kippur we davened all day from 6:45 without a break, towards the end of Mussaf I decided to brave the Kotel steps and make my way down.

Some people don’t connect to the Kotel and simply see it as a wall. Others see it as Kodesh HaKodashim, the holiest place in the world. The Kotel on Yom Kippur in the middle of the day is a remarkable place to be.

No tour groups, nobody standing on their phone and a very very empty women’s section (and an equally empty men’s section!) On Yom Kippur the atmosphere was different, I felt the importance of the Kotel that day, it was as if you could feel G-d’s presence – I think for the first time since I arrived in Israel I truly realised how lucky I am.

From the powerful experience of over 200 girls singing, shouting and praying together on Yom Kippur we moved into Sukkot. Jerusalem during Sukkot is something I hadn’t been fortunate to experience yet. Suddenly Sukkot started appearing out of nowhere - In the middle of the Rova Square, on balconies that you hadn’t noticed existed, even over benches at a bus stop!

Front row seats to Geula. A direct line to G-d.

A pre-Yom Kippur text sent by a friend in London completely changed how I viewed my holiday period. I began to notice the beauty in where I live more and more, the love for Judaism and for Jews all around me and it truly had a positive impact on how I pray.

A simple message received at the beginning of my year in Israel that I truly hope will impact how I see the Old City, Jerusalem and the amazing country I am living in.