“If I forget you, O Jerusalem…”

I am horribly behind in posting, and I have a  lot of stories to put up, but they will have to wait until I arrive back in the States.  My flight leaves tomorrow morning at 10:40 am local time, and if all goes to plan, I will be back around midnight, with a long layover at JFK.  Again, there are a lot of adventures that I haven’t told yet, a visit to the Jerusalem zoo, the discovery of even more amazing churches, a side trip to Hebron that showed a different part of the conflict, and much more.  To hold you over until then, here are a few pictures that attempt to sum up my experience.

1. How can one not start with the Dome of the Rock?  The golden dome is able to been seen from all over the Old City and its presence is noted by all.

2. The Western Wall is located right next to the Dome of the Rock and it is amazing to see two religions interacting so closely, in such close proximity.  It is no wonder that tensions often run high.

3. To round out the three major religions in the area, we have the Holy Sepulchral.  This is the traditional crucifixion and burial spot of Christ for many Christians, and pilgrims come throughout the day to pray, see the empty tomb, and marvel at the beauty of the church.  While it is not my favorite church in Jerusalem, I have been to it more times than I can count.  Somehow I always discover something new.  My favorite time to visit has been at night, when most, if not almost all, of the tourist have left for the night.

4. Children!  They are everywhere, East and West Jerusalem, the streets of the Old City, walking down the parks at night with their families, you name it.  The number of large families here is much higher than what you would find in the typical American city, and it is not uncommon to see a family with 8 children walking around at midnight.  The children in the picture below are from an Orthodox Jewish family that was admiring the view of the Old City at the same time as me tonight.

5. Benny Levy, our amazing contact in Israel.  Benny was a wealth of information, always willing to answers questions (and for those of you who know me, you know that I never run out of those!), and a spectacular tour guide as well.  He will be missed!

6.  The Old City, where I spent by far the greatest amount of my time.  Its winding streets, bustling markets, and never ending list of churches, museums, tiny hole in the wall restaurants, and other hidden treasures fascinated me, and always brought me back.  I will miss wandering its streets, talking to the shop keepers, and learning about the history of one of the most conflict prone cities in the world.

I will miss this city immensely.  I have had a wonderful time wandering its streets, talking with its residents, and experience life in Israel overall.  One day I hope to return, but for now I must go pack!

The last few weeks!

I have been lax in my posting the last few weeks, and I apologize to those out there waiting with baited breath to hear about my adventures.  It has been a busy couple of weeks, and I can’t believe I only have a week left in Israel!  Where has the summer gone?

Two weekends ago, Jeremy and I finally made our way over to Tel Aviv.  The bus ride from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv is only an hour long, but I have been so entranced by the beauty of Jerusalem that I haven’t wanted to leave.  After spending a few days there I still feel the same way.  It is a very nice city, literally built from the sands, and very different from Jerusalem.  The population is almost entirely Jewish, but much more secular as a whole then Jerusalem.  The city was only founded in 1909, so unlike the thousands of years of history within the Old City, Tel Aviv has little to offer in that department.  That doesn’t mean that the city is lacking in its charm though.

The first day on the ground, Jeremy and I met up with Agnes, one of the other interns here, and Benny, an Israeli who has been our contact in the country.  Benny was a great tour guide and drove us all around, showing us different neighborhoods and such.  He then dropped us off near the outdoor market, where you can find almost anything you would ever want in the food, clothing, or useless trinkets departments.  Since we were there on a Friday, we were able to wander around the craft market as well, where local artist line the street next to the main market, selling their paintings, jewelry, pictures, and other artsy things.  That night we went to the beach to watch the sunset and get a taste of the famous Tel Aviv night life.  I failed on this account though, as things don’t get swinging until midnight or so, and we were safely back at Agnes’ and in bed by then.

Sunset over the beach

Saturday morning Benny picked us up and took us around some more.  This time we went to Jaffa, one of the oldest port cities in the world.  We walked around the Old City, which has been turned into an artist haven.  Unfortunately, since it was shabbat, most of the stores were closed.  We still got a good feel for the area though, and got a spectacular view of the Mediterranean.

Benny!

Benny drove us back to Jerusalem (I haven’t yet mentioned how awesome he is, so let me take a moment now to acknowledge that!) with a quick dinner stop in Abu Gosh.  The Arab village on the outskirts of Jerusalem is famous for its hummus and we stopped at the restaurant that, until recently, held the world record for the largest serving of hummus in the world.  A  group of almost 300 chefs in Lebanon recently took this title from the Israeli group, but we were assured during dinner that they were already working on their retaliation.

I will try and post a few more items from the last few weeks over the next few days.

King David and Jerusalem

I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
Our feet have been standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem!

Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together,
to which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
There thrones for judgment were set,
the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
“May they be secure who love you!
Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers!”
For my brothers and companions’ sake
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.

Psalm 122 (ESV)

This past weekend Jeremy’s friend Ilan came to visit.  Ilan had just finished his birthright trip and came to spend a few days in Jerusalem before heading on to another program in Haifa.  Excitement was sure to follow these two, so I tagged along for the ride and had a very enjoyable weekend.

Jeremy and Ilan

Many of the places we took Ilan were repeats of last weekend.  However, we did make it to two very interesting sites, which inspired me to post the Psalm at the top of the page.

On Friday we decided to explore the City of David, which is now a major archeological site and is believed to be where King David built his palace.  As much as I enjoyed the ruins of houses and the city walls from the time, the best part of the visit was the 500m walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel, a tunnel that was used as an aqueduct for the city.  This water would allow the city to survive in the event of a siege, although these days is now serves to entertain tourist.  Being tourists, this is exactly what we were looking for, so down the ladder we went.

The tunnel still preforms its duties of carrying water, so the entire walk is through water, ranging from ankle deep to mid-thigh.  To make sure we were ready for this, the City of David provides a sign to show us what we could expect.  Thankfully the majority of the walk was only ankle deep!

The entire walk took around 45 minutes and a good time was had by all, especially since we got to escape the heat while underground!

Miriam and Ilan in the tunnel

At the end of the walk we ended up at the Pool of Siloam, which is mentioned several times in the book of Isaiah.  This is also the pool mentioned in the Gospel of John.

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.  And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.  We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud  and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

John 9:1-7  (ESV)

Pool of Siloam

The next day we wandered into the Tower of David, an ancient citadel next to the Jaffa Gate.  We had visited before for the light show a few weeks ago, but decided to return to see it during the day.  Unlike the city the day before, the Tower of David is not from King David’s time, as the citadel has been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times over its long history.

The museum had a great display about the history of Jerusalem, starting with a 14 minute film that covered from the time of David until today.  There were several rooms placed around the walls that described the different eras of the city, how its culture changed depending on who was ruling it, and how it came to be so significant to three religions.  We wandered for a couple of hours, reading the history and soaking in the sights.

Tower of David

We ended our adventures where else but the Al Ayed Restaurant for a tasty lunch of falafel.

P.S.  Many thanks to Jeremy for letting me use his pictures from the weekend, after I forgot my camera battery in its charging dock.

The Temple Mount

Tuesday morning I decided to bite the bullet and head out early to see the Temple Mount.  The hours to actually enter the grounds are very restricted for non-Muslims, and only on weekdays.  However, they open fairly early (7:30 am), so it was possible to go before work started.  I dragged Landon and Jeremy along with me, which was apparently a smart decision as I was approached by a police man asking me why I had come alone at one point when I was dragging behind.

The are multiple entrances to the Temple Mount, but only one is open to non-Muslims and is located right next to the Western Wall.  Climbing up the wooden ramp from one holy spot to the other was an experience.  At the first corner was a group of heavily armed Israeli soldiers.  The next corner greeted us with a pile of riot shields, ready for easy access.  When we finally arrived on the Temple Mount the demographic changed drastically.  I was well aware that I was one of only a few females even in the area, and at that moment the only non-Muslim that I could see.  The areas between the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque were populated by men, sitting in the shade, planning who knows what for the rest of their day.

We continued to wander the grounds for the next hour or so and here are some of the pictures I got.

Landon, Miriam, and Jeremy in front of the Dome of the Rock

“I walked my feet off in Jerusalem” part II

While Friday was a busy day, Saturday was even busier.  The following sites were visited, admired, photographed near to death, and thoroughly enjoyed!

Mount of Olives:  Quite a few of the places we visited on Saturday were located on the Mount of Olives.  Jeremy, my partner in crime for the day, and I decided to walk up, start at the top and work our way down.  Not our smartest move perhaps, as everyone else takes a bus up and then struggles their way down.  The walk wasn’t pleasant by the end, but the views made it worth it.  To give you an overview of the Mount, I offer up the following picture.

Our first stop, the Church of the Pater Noster, is a beautiful Catholic church that stands on the traditional site of Jesus’ first teaching of the Lord’s Prayer.  The most impressive feature of this church is the over 100 plaques that have the Lord’s Prayer written on them in a wide variety of languages.

Our next stop was the promenade just down the hill from the church.  This is where many groups start their tour of the Mount, so it was packed with groups.  It also offers a commanding view of the Old City, looking out over the Jewish Cemetery that  spreads over much of the Mount.

As we walked down we visited three churches.  The first was the Dominus Flevit Church.  According to Wikipedia “Dominus Flevit, which translates from Latin as “The Cry of the Lord” or “The Lord Wept”, was fashioned in the shape of a teardrop to symbolize the tears of Christ. Here, according to the 19th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus, while walking toward the city of Jerusalem, becomes overwhelmed by the beauty of the Second Temple and predicting its future destruction, and the diaspora of the Jewish people, weeps openly. (Luke 19:37-42)”

The next church we visited is my absolute favorite in all of Jerusalem.  The Church of Mary Magdalene is a Russian Orthodox Church and is one of the most distinctive churches in the city, with seven gold onions crowning the church.  It is only open a few hours a week, but fortunately Saturday is one of the days it is open, so we were able to walk through the beautiful gardens that house a nunnery and the church itself.

Our final stop was at the Church of All Nations, located next to the Garden of Gethsemane.

Legs weary, we headed back to the Old City to do the other part of the Ramparts Walk, around the Christian and Muslim Quarters.  But first we had to stop off to have lunch at our trusty falafel stand, soaking in the hustle of the streets as families shopped on their weekend.  As a side note, and for those who are interested in learning more of this stand I always mention, Jeremy has written up a short review on his blog here.

Refreshed, we headed to the walls and had a fun time walking around and seeing the view from different points in the city.  We ended right next to the Temple Mount, with another view of the Mount of Olives.

To wrap up the day we headed back to the Damascus Gate and headed across the street, away from the Old City.  There we came to the Garden Tomb, the traditional Protestant burying place of Christ.  The land around the tomb is owned by the British, and is immaculately kept.  We joined a tour that was led by a British man by the name of David.  I was excepting the typical, historical, “this is what tradition says” tour, but it couldn’t have been any different.  David decided to take the opportunity of having an attentive audience and tell in great detail the exact reasons why they believed the Garden Tomb was at that site, but that, in the end, the exactly location of the tomb is not what is important.  What is important is that the tomb is empty, for Christ has risen.  This was echoed not just by David, but by the door to the tomb itself.

On that happy note I meandered back to my apartment and collapsed.  Not a bad weekend all in all.

“I walked my feet off in Jerusalem”

The title of this post comes from a t-shirt that I have seen in several of the tourist shops around.  After this weekend, I feel like I should buy one just because of how true it is.   I decided to hang out around the city and revisit many of the sites that we went to our first weekend, but I didn’t get to fully appreciate due to my jet lag.  As much as I know my faithful readers want to hear “and then I walked here” over and over again, I will spare you the finer details, and instead highlight the various churches and other sights I explored.

Friday:

The Ramparts Walk:

I actually only did half of the walk again, as the south side is closed on Friday due to it being the Muslim day of prayer.  The north side of the goes through the Jewish and Armenian Quarters of the Old City, and is the part of the walk I did earlier in the trip.

View from the Ramparts Walk

The Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu: A beautiful church, built on where Catholics traditionally believe Caiaphas’s palace was located.  The church was “erected in 1931 to commemorate Peter’s triple rejection of Jesus and his subsequent remorse” and one of my favorite characteristics is the golden rooster located on the top of the dome.  The church offers an amazing view of the Old City and East  Jerusalem.

Grave of Oskar Schindler: For those of you who have seen Schindler’s List, you might remember the final scene of the movie in which some who were saved by Schindler in WWII and their  descendants  file past his grave, placing a stone on the top.  It is located in Jerusalem, not far from the Church of Saint Peter, in a very quiet cemetery.

Abbey of the Dormition: This church was built to celebrate the dormition (falling asleep) of Mary.  It is a German Benedictine chapel. and one of the most beautiful that I have seen yet.

Room of the Last Supper: I don’t have a picture of this, but it is a very plain room located near the Abbey of Doormition.  It is interesting to see, as it is located above a Jewish synagogue and there is a mihrab in the wall, left over from when the room was used as a mosque.  When I passed through there was a large group of pilgrims sitting in the corner of the room, wailing and gnashing their teeth, so I did not stay long.

Continued travels in the north

Days three and four of our trip in the northern part of Israel were just as packed as the first two, although a lot of our time was spent driving around the countryside.  Day three we headed towards Nazareth to see two churches.  This first, the Church of the Annunciation, is built on the place where the Catholic tradition believes that the Annunciation occurred.  The church there was very modern, but beautiful.  From there we headed down the road to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, which is located on top of the well that the Orthodox church traditionally believes that Mary was at when the angel came to tell her that she was bearing Christ.  The Orthodox church was much older than the Catholic church, but both were beautiful in their own ways.

From Nazareth we headed to a Druze village located about an hour away.  For those who are not familiar with the Druze, they “are a religious community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, whose traditional religion is said to have begun as an offshoot of Islam, but is unique in its incorporation of Gnosticism, Neoplatonism and other philosophies, similar to other followers of Shi’a Islam.” (Thanks Wikipedia!)  One of the most interesting things about the religion is that is has been closed to new converts since 1043, but has managed to survive and sustain itself in a region that is hostile to new religions.  Our lunch there was with a local family, although most of them did not speak much English.  Most of our conversation was with another man in the village (whose cousin was married to their son, or something like that) and he was very informative on what it was like to live as a Druze in Israel.

After lunch we drove to Haifa and saw the Ba’hai Gardens.

We spent the night in Haifa, the third largest city in Israel, but I was so tired I didn’t get out much to see the city, so hopefully I will have another chance to return before going back to the States.

Our last day together we ended our trip with a visit to Caesarea, another ruin that reminded me of Italy.  It is located right on the Mediterranean Sea and it was a perfect place to end the weekend.