He walked into the Kotel area wearing his own tallis (prayer shawl). We asked him to put on tefillin.

     He said, "I'm Reform. I don't do that."

     I asked him if his mother was Jewish. He said she was.

     I said, "You're a Jew. You can put on tefillin. Come! You'll have a good time."

     I gently pulled him by his arm and put tefillin on him.

     His name is Victor. He's a retired businessman from America. He said his father was orthodox, but became an atheist because of World War Two. He is 64 years old and this was the first time in his life that he put on tefillin.

     After reading the Shema in English he Stood close to the Kotel and talked to Hashem in his heart. He stood there for a long time.

    When he finished, he asked me, "If having tattoos is forbidden, are the Survivors with numbers tattooed on their arms going to swish around in hell because of them?"

     "Of course not! They didn't put those tattoos on themselves! They were forced on them!"

     "Then, what about all the Israelis I see walking around with them on their arms? If they are forbidden, why do they have them?"

     "They are not religious yet. They haven't learned what the Torah says to do."

     No one would turn away from the ways of the Torah if they knew Who gave it to us.