Students of Jerusalem was founded as a realization of the potential of the Western Wall. It is a site that attracts millions of people from all over the world and uniquely joins universalism with religion. It is a part of the Jewish temple and serves as a place of prayer and study for Jews. The most frequent visitors are Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox Jews. Yet, at the same time, tour groups from acr
oss the world come and visit, having a no less powerful experience connecting the history and significance of this plain stone wall. Students of Jerusalem was founded with the help of the Yeshivat HaKotel Leadership Project and continues to share its vision of Jewish engagement with the world. The goal of the project is to create the informal, unexpected conversations that all so often change our lives and perspectives, if ever so slightly. Our volunteers hope to share their life experiences, particularly in Israel and with Judaism, and in turn expect to learn from the experiences of whoever is speaking to them. As a project, we create these conversations by speaking to people visiting the Western Wall. We simply go up to people and ask them a basic question, such as where are you from. We introduce ourselves, say that we enjoy speaking to people at the Western Wall and the conversation moves on from there.
