| My
name is Mark Chess, I am a student at the University of Texas in Austin,
and have had the wonderful opportunity to spend a summer in Israel. After a month
in Jerusalem learning the rationale and logic of Judaism, I was mentally convinced
to pursue a life of a pious Jew. I proceeded to pray three times a day and learn
Torah during every spare moment, but something was missing. I had an internal
battle between my soul and my intellect. To know G-d exists is a mental decision.
But to truly know Him, as a man knows his wife, is a spiritual connection that
each person must find and continue to develop. I reached the climax of my battle
after praying at the Kotel; yet even at the holiest place in the world,
my soul felt deprived. I recognized my discomfort and could only say, "This
does not feel right." The next day I left for a few days in SAFED, including
Shabbat, and lodged at ASCENT, as various friends had recommended the place to
me. I soon found that Ascent is much more than a building with beds and showers;
it supplies the real living necessity of spiritual growth. As I sat in the class
on the deck, watching the sunset over Mount Meron with resplendent rays shining
through the mist of the Kinneret, I breathed in the fresh breeze of the City of
Air and knew it felt right. 
Havdalah
ceremony in the Ascent courtyard after Shabbat Ascent has provided me
with inspiring learning, warm hospitality, and the perfect environment for my
Jewish growth. Every staff member has been a friend and teacher. Classes that
start off on a perplexing tenet of Judaism often evolve into heartfelt conversation
that leaves everyone with a better understanding. The media center is stacked
with audio and visual tapes and computer software on any topic I may desire, Jewish
law, philosophy, science and even Torah Codes with my name. We greeted the Shabbat
on the Ascent balcony singing Lecha Dodi in the city where it originated
and danced outside in the twilight sky. Each of us was placed in a home in the
community for Shabbat dinner to experience an authentic family dinner. Shabbat
culminated with the third meal at Ascent, where we all gathered for eating and
singing. Ascent is the perfect environment for any traveler on his spiritual journey.
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