Touching the Wall, Finding Themselves, Transforming Young Jewish Lives

Standing before the Western Wall, 10-year-old Avi Saperstein reached out to touch the ancient stones as his mother, Rachel, captured the moment with her camera. But for Rachel, it wasn’t just a photo op — it was the fulfillment of a dream years in the making.

“We tell our kids stories at home. We light the candles, we celebrate the holidays,” she said. “But being here makes it all real. It turns tradition into experience.”

Every year, during summer vacations, winter breaks, and increasingly over Passover, more Jewish families from North America and beyond choose Israel as a destination and a meaningful rite of passage for their children. They’re seeking more than sightseeing. They hope to plant something more profound: a bond with the land and people and a shared identity that transcends borders.

“It’s not your typical vacation,” said Eli Schneider, who traveled from Toronto with his wife and two young children. “You’re not just here to relax. You’re here to give your kids something — a sense of identity, a connection to something bigger than themselves.”

Trips That Plant Seeds

For many parents, the goal isn’t simply to walk through Israel’s history — it’s to help their children feel it, belong to it, and carry it with them long after the trip ends.

“You can talk about the stories of the Tanach or teach them about the Six-Day War,” said Miriam Grossman, a mother of three from Los Angeles. “But it’s different when they stand on Masada at sunrise or hear the shofar at the Kotel. It becomes real in a way no textbook can replicate.”

These trips often balance ancient and modern: hiking the Galilee, biking along Tel Aviv’s beachfront, wandering through Jerusalem’s Old City and Akko’s bustling markets — all while absorbing the sacred sites and stories that shaped Jewish history.

“My son couldn’t believe you could walk through a shopping mall and, thirty minutes later, climb through a 2,000-year-old archaeological site,” Schneider said. “It blew his mind.”

For Hillel Feuerman, who came from Florida, the journey was about more than education. It was about transmitting a legacy.

“This is one of the most meaningful ways for a Jewish child to connect with their heritage and understand what it means to be a Jew,” Feuerman said while visiting the Old City. “Even though I didn’t grow up spending much time here, the connection to this land has always been with me. I wanted my son to feel that too — to know that Israel isn’t just a country we care about. It’s part of who we are.”

Parents often speak of the subtle but powerful changes they see once they return home: children showing more curiosity about Jewish life, using Hebrew words unprompted, or expressing deeper pride in their heritage.

“We know one trip isn’t going to change everything,” said Yael Berger, who visited with her two teenage sons last year. “But it opens a door. It plants something. And that’s what matters.”

For Feuerman, the trip offered something no school or synagogue could replicate.

“You spend years trying to explain to your kids who they are,” he said. “Then you bring them here, and suddenly, they just know. They feel it in their bones. That’s a gift they’ll carry forever.”