Jewish-American actor Noah Schnapp shared a picture from the Western Wall, saying “learning so much about my culture. So inspiring.”
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The 18-year-old actor was made famous for his role as Will Byers on Netflix’s Stranger Things, and has been followed closely on his trips to Israel, the latest of which seems to be particularly meaningful for the young man.
On his latest trip to Israel, Schnapp visited the holiest site in Judaism, the Western Wall, also known as the Kotel. He shared a picture of himself praying, with a yarmulke and phylacteries wrapped around his arm and on his forehead.
Organized by Aish Global, the star was able to tour the Old City of Jerusalem with a focus on learning about his Jewish religion and culture, which turned out to be “so inspiring.” He was accompanied by Israeli social media giants, Moti Ankari and Rachel Katsner.
Both of the American actor’s parents are Jewish, with Russian and Moroccan roots. He was also seen enjoying Tel Aviv, posting “in love with this place" in a photo overlooking the Mediterranean on a city balcony. Schnapp had his bar mitzvah five years ago in the Holy Land.
Phylacteries, or the Hebrew tefillin, which are part of the Jewish tradition to wrap a pair of black leather boxes containing Hebrew parchment scrolls close to the body, have been the scene of conflict on the streets of Tel Aviv.
For many Israelis, it’s a familiar scene. But this Jewish ritual became a battleground between secular and ultra-Orthodox Jews in Tel Aviv. A group of activists started to document and confront Chabad members asking children to put on tefillin, claiming it is coercion.
Reprinted with permission from i24NEWS.