Birthright in Jerusalem

Birthright season is upon us. For the next five or six weeks, group after group of bright-eyed, fun-loving college students will fill the Hurva Square of the old city, in front of Jerusalem Connection. That means many more people to speak with about mitzvoth, about spirituality, and about Israel. The Hurva Square is arguably the biggest Jewish public arena in the world, with every imaginable group of Jews congregating every day. A typical hour of passersby will include soldiers, tourists from all over the world, Birthright college students and yeshiva and seminar students. One of our readers recently sent us the following beautiful prose, that describes the experience, “I’m in New York but the weather mirrors the holy land. Israel I might be here but my spirit is yours.”  In the meantime, enjoy a few words of Jewish spirituality on the weekly Torah portion at www.jerusalemconnection.org/weekly Or, get a feel for Chabad in Jerusalem, at www.chabadjerusalem.org. And finally, you will want to devote a few minutes to meditative spiritual growth that is inspired by Jerusalem, by going to www.jewishspiritualbooks.com. There, you will find books that answer questions about Judaism, Jewish spirituality and meditation.