AISH Contributor

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I would just like to single out who I felt was the real hero of the day on Friday.

As I was standing outside The Dan Family Aish HaTorah World Center, I was approached by two teenage brothers. They said they were from Malibu and had never been to Israel before. I had some time so I offered to take them to our roof to see the Western Wall. While we were taking in the view, they mentioned that they were in Israel with their family and they would love to have a traditional Friday night dinner. I was at a loss. I was acting at the Yeshiva which is not the best place to host a family looking for intimate conversation. I was unsure where to direct them so I took down their contact information.

Right after they left, I had a thought. In the past year I have become friendly with one of the great leaders of the Jewish people, Jeff Seidel. Jeff runs The Jewish Student Information Centers around Israel. They are located on many campuses but are headquartered in the Old City. Jeff is constantly setting people up for Shabbos so I thought I would give it a try.

Jeff immediately emailed me back that it was no problem. They should just meet him at the men’s washing fountain at the Western Wall Plaza at 8:05pm. I passed along the message and went back to hosting our visitors.

Later that night, I went to the appointed meeting place to make sure everything worked out. What I saw left me speechless. A huge group was gathered around Jeff and he was working as hard as the maitre d’ of a busy restaurant. He was pairing up Jews looking for Shabbos meals with Jews eager to host. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.

I believe in my heart that what the Almighty desires most in the world is Jewish unity. When we rebuild the third Temple, it will be as a result of the Jewish people coming together in selfless dedication and support of one another. I would like to publicly thank the real hero of this past Friday, Jeff Seidel, for showing me the true path to Jewish unity.

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