13 – Kotel
Created in 2023
Medium: Jerusalem Stone
Funded by the Warren Jacobs Enrichment, Alan & Sandybeck Lease Visual Arts, and Richman Spiritual Relationships Endowment Funds
There is a uniquely special, indescribable feeling one has when standing at the Kotel (The Western Wall) in Jerusalem. In honor of Israel’s 75th birthday, Temple Sinai built a Kotel replica in order to provide our students with a tangible way of emulating a visit to the actual Kotel and thereby strengthen their bonds with the Land of Israel. The quote “Libi b’mizrach – My heart is in the East” written above our Kotel attests to the importance of this enduring connection. Youth and adults alike are invited to write private notes of prayer and place them in the crevices on the wall. When our Sinai community travels to Israel, these notes are gathered and taken to the actual Western Wall, furthering the tie to our spiritual homeland.
Reflection from Marisa Kaiser:
I love sitting in my office and listening to children as they walk past the Kotel. I hear things like, “kiss Israel!” or “There’s my note to God.” A guiding principle in the design of our building is that every space should be seen as a place for learning. Beyond the walls of their classrooms, we want our youth to have learning moments in the hallways, lobbies, outdoors and throughout our synagogue campus. Recognizing the power of visual memory, we want our spaces to be filled with positive images that provide meaning and connections that will stay with our children long after they have left our building. The Kotel is the perfect expression of this aspiration, as it fosters a visual and kinesthetic connection to Israel for our youth, which we believe to be a critical component of Jewish identity. As a Jewish educator, it is incredibly rewarding to see the implementation of big educational ideas. Still, I could not have imagined the extent of the Kotel’s impact on our children and within our community. The notes and prayers that continue to fill the spaces between the stones of the Kotel, written not only by children but also by parents, teachers, teens and adults of all ages, are an important reminder of how spaces throughout our synagogue can shape and impact a person’s Jewish identity, development and memory for years to come.
