Between the holiday of Sukkot and board meetings of the Jewish Agency for Israel, I was privileged to spend about half of October in Israel.

Sukkot in Israel is a longstanding family tradition of ours, and generally one of the most idyllic times to visit. The entire country is on holiday, the weather is typically spectacular, and there’s a festive atmosphere wherever you go.

One of my favorite customs during Sukkot takes place very early in the morning on the last day of the holiday. Thousands of people converge on the Kotel — the Western Wall — before the sun comes up, to recite Shacharit, the morning prayers. There are probably close to 100 minyanim taking place at the same time, and given the vast numbers, a contained chaos rules. But, as the sun begins to lighten the sky, the minyanim arrive at the silent Amidah — the central prayer of Jewish liturgy — at roughly the same time. And, all of a sudden, there’s an awesome quiet as thousands of people stand silently, reciting the same prayer.

I look forward to that extraordinary moment every year, and the palpable sense of spiritual communal connection.

But, I’m also aware that the crowd assembled at the Kotel does not represent the vast diversity of the Jewish people. It’s an overwhelmingly Orthodox group, with men and women praying separately. This brings me to this week’s Jewish Agency board meetings.

First, some background. The Jewish Agency is UJA-Federation’s single largest grantee and has played a historic role in the aliyah and absorption of millions of Jews from around the world. Prior to the establishment of the State of Israel, the Jewish Agency served as the de facto government in waiting, headed by David Ben-Gurion.

Today, under the leadership of a modern Jewish hero, Natan Sharansky, the Jewish Agency enables aliyah and absorption for tens of thousands each year, and also focuses on growing and strengthening Jewish communities in Israel and around the world.

Three times a year, representatives from across the world gather for the Jewish Agency board meeting which, quite literally, is the global planning table of the Jewish people.

Unsurprisingly, we spent significant time at the recent board meetings discussing the Kotel, given the continuing failure to implement a long-fought agreement providing space for non-Orthodox groups to pray as they wish at the Western Wall. Both the Jewish Agency and the national Federation movement played a key role in negotiating the agreement, recognizing that an inclusive and diverse Israel is vital for ensuring the continued engagement of Diaspora Jewry with Israel. Particularly at a moment when UNESCO resolutions seek to undermine the Jewish people’s historical claim to the Kotel, our inability to reach agreement about how all Jews can share this sacred space is especially disturbing and destructive. More fundamentally, the Kotel and what it represents is simply too important to the identity and history of all Jews for one group alone to “own” it.

Just imagine how extraordinary it would be if, next Sukkot, tens of thousands of Jews — of every background and belief — converged early in the morning at the Kotel. And as the sun rose over Jerusalem, we stood at the holiest site of our shared history and all prayed together — collectively committed to each other, a tolerant and united people.

Shabbat shalom