Rating: It’s the Kotel. What more needs to be said?

Service Attended: Friday Night Services
Date: September 19, 2014

Time of Service: Services start at candle lighting, and new minyanim start every few minutes
Mechitza: Men’s and Women’s sections, separate services
Women: Lead women’s services
Meals: YES! See special section below review
Frequency: All services, every day
Family friendly service: Definitely friendly towards families

Review: The Kotel. The Western Wall. The Wailing Wall. All of these are names for perhaps the single most holy place on earth for Jews. Jews from all backgrounds gather daily to daven at the place where the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple, once stood.

Upon arriving at the Kotel (men on the left side, women on the right), I grabbed one of the free Kotel Siddurim and immediately began to wander around looking for a minyan to daven with. I love Kabbalat Shabbat, so I like to go around to a few different minyanim and daven KS a few times before proceeding to Ma’ariv (call me a heretic). Another of my favorite parts of Kotel davening are the soldiers that show up in large groups and have their own minyanim. They start with a spirited ruach session filled with singing and dancing, things like Am Yisrael Chai, and proceed into typical davening (the soldier minyan I davened with for a while was using Carlebach style tunes). It’s amazing to see Haredi Jews singing and dancing and praying alongside soldiers, in a way that is uniquely Israeli.

Whether you’re in Jerusalem for a week or a year, the Kotel is a place where you have to daven on a Friday night at least once in your lifetime.

Meals: If you’re looking to be set up with a family for a nice Shabbos meal after your davening, then Jeff Seidel is your go to guy. If you’ve heard of someone going to the Kotel and receiving a famous “Kotel Meal”, chances are Jeff is the one who set them up. If you have the foresight early in the week, you can contact Jeff by email or by phone at (02)-628-2634 to give him a heads up that you’re looking to be set up for a meal, or you can find him at the Kotel on Friday Night and introduce yourself.

At some point in the night (it was 7:20pm the week I went), he’ll tell you to meet just outside of the men’s section in the plaza. You know you’re in the right place if dozens of 20 and 30 year olds are standing around in a circle waiting. Once there, you wait around patiently until Jeff places you with a family, and from there you’re home free with a fantastic Shabbos meal. Oh, and don’t forget to thank him on your way out.

If you’re looking for Jeff, he looks like this:

To find out more information about Jeff Seidel or shabbat meals, visit www.jeffseidel.com or www.getshabbat.com.