Eastbound and Down

Jerusalem is, without a doubt, sacred land.  Jonathan and I are not particularly religious, but from our first look at this city and the people residing here, it is obvious this place is unique.  Yes, we have seen plenty of yarmulkes and are now accustomed to the call of prayer, but upon entering the western edge of Jerusalem, we were immediately surrounded by hundreds of Hasidic and Orthodox Jews with devout Muslims and Christians across the way.  This town felt different.  It felt scholarly, but at the same time soaked in belief and at times even propaganda.  People from all over the world were here to “study” their “beliefs” which cannot necessarily be “proven” all the while, their neighbor is doing the exact same thing for a completely different belief.  It is mind blowing.  It would be like passionately studying world geography next to someone studying the same map, only upside down… with both parties believing their map is the correct and only way to view the world.  No wonder Jerusalem is a bit chaotic.

We spent the next four days immersing ourselves in this historical yet bizarre walled city… while also trying to keep our history and Bible knowledge up to snuff.

We spent one day seeking out the most important sites of each of the three major religions here including:

– The Temple Mount (The Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque) is the site Muhammad ascended into Heaven on his horse and is the third most holy site to the Islam religion.  It is also identified by Jewish and Christian tradition as Mount Moriah, the supposed location where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac to God.  Though a highly contested site, it is occupied only by Muslims and tourists as Jewish law prevents the Jewish people from setting foot there.  To them, The Holy of Holies resides there and they are forbidden to step in the same space – and are not huge fans of the Islam religion sharing the same site.  The Temple itself is an absolutely gorgeous shrine blanketed with royal blue tiles and intricate mosaics.  After some pretty aggressive security measures, a brief slap on the wrist when my cousin, Bobby, touched my shoulder (men and women must not make contact), and a quick lesson on the Quran, we were allowed to just wander the grounds of this incredible building.  We had a two hour window during our entire stay in Jerusalem to see this site, as it closes often for prayer and holy days, and it was well worth making a priority.

– The Western Wall, the most holy site for the Jewish faith is the remains of a temple long ago destroyed by the Romans.  This is a relatively small segment of the structure which originally composed the western retaining wall of the Second Jewish Temple and is the place to which Jews turn during prayer.  We were able to witness from afar as men and women danced, sang, and rhythmically prayed at the wall.  Once Jonathan and Bobby donned their yarmulkes and we were separated by sex, we were able to get a closer look at the wall itself.  I found a corner that I could touch and stand quietly by for a moment, but if I am going to be honest, it seemed like “just a wall” with those around me worshipping together.  Part of me hoped to feel something as I was surrounded by a community that clearly was, but I guess acknowledging the wall for its importance to others is about as far as I will get.

– The Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulichre in Latin reads, ” Way of Sorrows” and is the path Jesus took to crucifixion ending at the site he was crucified, died, and was buried.  After years of Catholic school, the 14 stations of the cross are more or less ingrained in my mind and I must admit, there was something pretty amazing about walking the “real” path.  I looked up at the steep hills and thought, “no wonder Jesus fell three times”.  We followed a procession led by chanting monks of multiple Christian sects along a path (through the Muslim quarter of the city surprisingly) ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulichre where the last five stations take place.  The church surrounding the site was elaborately covered in gold, softened by candlelight and the accompanied incense.  Jonathan felt the church to be cluttered and almost tacky with the amount of gold and trinkets spread about.  For it to be the site of such a humble act, it seemed a bit overdone to me as well.  Maybe it was just because this was the story I grew up with, but I was surprised to feel my stomach turn just a little when I reached the site of crucifixion…

While seeing these sites were separate events for us, they were happening simultaneously all day… everyday!  The monks lined the street during their procession along the Via Dolorosa while Muslim women in hijabs walked by on their way to the souk (market) and a Hasidic Jew in his hat and curls made his way to the wall for sundown… all under the “watchful” eye of the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) whose presence was well known in Jerusalem.  It seemed like people were, at least outwardly, living in tolerance and contentment – with only extreme radicals causing any disruption amongst the masses.

We spent one of our days taking a tour of The City of David and the Hezekiah Tunnels. This archaeological site of ancient Jerusalem is one of the most intensively excavated sites in the area and was an awesome example of biblical archaeology – the act of matching stories from the Bible to events in history. This was the birthplace of the city of Jerusalem and the guide said, “everything in Jerusalem is old, but in this part of the city, 2000 years means new”.  In 1004 BCE, King David conquered the city and established his capital there.  The excavations show large elaborate houses of the wealthy civilians of the city as well as King David’s palace where ancient letter seals (bearing the names of people mentioned in the Bible) were found, helping cross-reference and date the site.  One of the most fascinating parts of the City of David is their water system perfected years later by King Hezekiah.  Tunnels were built extending from the city to a well and the spring at the base of the mountain to allow transport of water without being seen and to secure the city’s water supply against siege.  It seriously amazed me to see ancient minds at work and the creativity it must have taken for success over 3000 years ago.

 

On our last day, we set out to enjoy the sunshine with a nice picnic.  However, in true Jerusalem fashion, you cannot have an outing without finding yourself at a sacred site.  Our selected picnic place with a panoramic view of the city also happened to be the Mount of Olives, the site of Jesus’ betrayal by Judas and the resting place of Mary.

 

This city is chalked full of history both religious and secular, and I found myself exhausted after four days.  Though I didn’t see much blatant aggression between religions, the undertone of the city let you know things were constantly on edge.  Off to the Dead Sea for some much needed decompression.