Look at this ad. We constantly see the Selichot at the Western Wall - that's the image the Jewish world knows, we tend to see only what photographs well: the crowds, the emotion, the drama. But the phenomenon runs far deeper and wider than that. Readers have written to tell me: Selichot is not just the Kotel. It’s in a community center in Hadera, in a parking lot in Gedera, on the beach in Eilat, and in synagogues from New York to LA.
And then there’s Tel Aviv—a city often in the headlines for religious-secular tensions, so let's check what's happening in Tel Aviv.
Someone asked this week in a WhatsApp group if there's somewhere in Tel Aviv to say Selichot tonight. She received back this beautifully designed ad, with dozens of locations, on a regular night in Elul, in Tel Aviv. Selichot non stop. It's not just the quantity of new participants but also the age - we're talking about teenagers and young people. This generation is reconnecting to its roots and identity.
This isn't the main headline, but it's certainly the main headline up in heaven.
May we continue to awaken, and may all prayers be accepted.
