Today was a free day and a few weeks ago I booked a tour with Yoram Neri. I reached out to an old friend that has been to Israel several times and asked for some off the beaten path things to do and she recommended spending the day with Yoram. So, I sent him our itinerary and said "show me your Jerusalem". My friend, Mark, joined me on the tour and we had a great day with Yoram and got to see things we would not have seen as part of a big group. Our trip mom, Catherine, didn't like us going off with a stranger and made us take this photo before we left. Now, I'm not going to get the sequence right of the places visited but know Yoram mapped out a great itinerary for us and went at our pace. As we have been going at warped speed since arriving, we really wanted a leisurely day so we could take in everything and also experience some of the locale.
As we made our way to the light rail from the hotel, we passed the only remaining piece of the wall that once separated East and West Jerusalem. Unlike Berlin, there is not a brick line throughout the city showing how it was once divided.
The light rail is very easy to use. Simply go up to the kiosk and follow the directions for purchasing a ticket. Fortunately, there is the option for English...just look in the lower left corner. When you board the train, there is a place to validate your ticket, make sure you do it. Once en route, don't be surprised if a worker comes up and asks for your ticket and runs it through their machine. If you haven't validated your ticket or you don't have one, the fines can get pretty high.
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| City Hall |
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| City Hall Plaza To the left, is Old Jerusalem To the right, is New Jerusalem |
We made our way to the Herodian Quarter. The site was discovered during excavations in the 1970's. Given the artifacts found, it is presumed these were the houses of the priests who served in the Second Temple. There were beautiful mosaics, ritual immersion baths, actual bathtubs, pottery and much more. There was a sign that said we had descended 3 meters (~10 feet) below the level of the present Jewish Quarter and gone back two thousand years in time to the upper city of Jerusalem in the Herodian Period (King Herod's reign).
In the same area, we walked along the Cardo. So remember when I mentioned while at Caesarea we learned that King Herod used the instructions for building a Roman city to build Caesarea? Well, in 135 AD (CE), the Roman emperor Hadrian built the town of Aelia Capitolina on the ruins of Jerusalem using the same instructions. One of the key elements of a Roman city is the cardo maximus (translation "main street") which runs north to south. Back in its day, the Cardo would have been lined with shops and vendors selling their wares. While this part of the Cardo is a historic site, once through the doorway, it leads to Muslim quarter of the Old City and shops abound.
The lion is the symbol of Jerusalem. The lion was the symbol for the Tribe of Judah which became the Kingdom of Judah. Jerusalem was the capital of Judah.
Because the streets in the Old City are so narrow, two sizes of ambulance are required. The one on the left is first used to transport the person to the city parking lot near the gates. Once there, they are transferred to the ambulance on the right and then taken to the hospital. Better hope its not a major life and death situation!
One of my favorite stops today was the City of David. The city was built more than 4,000 years ago and actually became called the City of David about 3,000 years ago when King David conquered the city and made it his capital. The first archaeological excavations of the City of David took place in 1867 when Charles Warren, British engineer, entered through the Gihon Spring and then crawled through Hezekiah's Tunnel. Later excavations discovered that 300 years after King David, King Hezekiah of Judah dug a tunnel through solid rock to bring water safely into the city's reservoirs. This was necessary as enemies would hide in the hills across the Kidron Valley and shoot arrows at the citizens as they would go to collect water (you can see this somewhat in the City of David model to the left). We spent a little time above ground before going underground and down to the water.
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| Wonder what cool discoveries this archeologist will find today |
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| Remains of the palace at the City of David |
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| Canaanite Period Wall - 1200 BC(E) |
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| Old City Wall |
The Gihon Spring was the main source of water for the Pool of Siloam (patience...we'll get there). There is little water left in the spring today but the site is illuminated in blue light and has the calming sound of running water.
We reached the water tunnels built later by the Romans and had the option to take a tunnel with running water or one that was dry. Fortunately Yoram decided to take us down the tunnel without running water. While I'm all for an authentic experience, I'd much rather not wade thigh high in water while trying to walk down a hill for 30 minutes. It was clear these tunnels were not designed for people as there were times they were so narrow we had to turn sideways to get through. This is definitely not something anyone who has trouble walking should do as there are rocks, holes and very uneven surfaces along the way. Also, if you have any claustrophobia, you might want to skip this site. Personally, I thought it was pretty cool.
After we made our way out of the tunnels, we headed to the Pool of Siloam. This is the pool where in the Gospel of John, Jesus sent a man blind from birth to the waters to be healed. The man did as Jesus instructed and was able to see. (John 9:1-11)
During the Second Temple period, it is believed the pool was used as a mikvah (ritual bath) for those making the trip up to the Temple. In order to enter the Temple, Jews must be clean and this was a public mikvah which is why it is believed to have been so large. There were smaller mikvahs along the route up to the Temple but those were not public.
Part of the drainage system to keep any water coming back down the Herodian steps from getting in to the purified water in the Pool of Siloam.
We walked along the Herodian street that hundreds of thousands of Jews would walk three times a year to ascent to the Temple during pilgrim feasts. It is almost certain Jesus walked this way.
Below the steps is another tunnel system that took rain water and sewage from the Old City into the Kidron Valley. Remember when I said at Masada there were Jews that did not leave Jerusalem but hid out in tunnels? Well, theses were the tunnels. The parts of the steps covered with lighted glass look down into those drainage tunnels where thousands of Jews hid only to sadly come to the fate (or worse) they were hoping to avoid.
Over the centuries and millenniums, Israel was occupied by different cultures and civilizations. Evidence of this is seen throughout the Old City. However, during the British Mandate (1917-1948), most of the construction was done outside of the Old City. All that remains today to show the British were ever here are these old post boxes. There were five left in the Old City and all but this one had the king's emblem sanded off when the state of Israel was established. The initials on this post box are King George (father of the current Queen Elizabeth).
So no way would this have ever been allowed in the US! We walked into the school yard of an orthodox boys school. Neither Mark nor I could believe we could just wander around kids without a specific reason (or permission) to be there.
Some random pics around town...
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| More evidence of how this city is a layered city. Gate on the bottom is from Roman rule Gate on the top is from Turkish rule |
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| Quarry from Roman times Yoram took us down a path not open to the public to get here |
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| Touching a part of the wall Jesus himself could have very well touched as it was on the side He would have entered when coming from the desert |
All that marks an unsuccessful attempt by the Israelis in 1948 to take back the section of the Old City from Jordan. The Israelis dug a tunnel that led to this side of the Western Wall and brought in an explosives expert to determine the amount of dynamite needed to take down the wall so they could surprise the Jordanian army and reclaim the land. Well the best laid plans did not quite work as the expert underestimated the amount of dynamite needed and instead of taking down the wall, it only made this small hole.
For Catholics, we believe the biblical location of Calvary and Jesus' tomb is on the site of the present day Church of the Holy Sepulchre. However, Protestants believe it is at the Garden Tomb. We joined the tour (they require you take a tour with them so Yoram was not able to serve as a guide while there) about half way through and it was interesting to hear the Protestants perspective. One thing the guide said stuck with me and I believe as I leave this pilgrimage and go about my life I may find it to be very true. He said a rabbi once said that people do not choose to come to Israel, they are drawn to Israel. They come because there is something God wants them to get from Israel. I truly believe God has a plan for each of us and while we may not know the plan (which for a major Type A control freak like me is tough to accept), everything happens for a reason and there was a reason I came to Israel now. I may not know it in the near future or ever and it may not have been for me to get something but for me to be here for someone else to get something. Regardless the reason, I am glad I am here.
One of the many pleasant surprises of the day with Yoram was the opportunity to visit and lay a stone on the grave of Oskar Schindler. He is responsible for saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. Schindler was a Catholic and is buried in the Mount Zion Catholic Cemetery. Was it his Catholic faith that led him to do what he did or his genuine love for humanity? No matter the reason, the world is a much better place because of the man that said "I didn't do enough."
Because the tradition of placing flowers on a grave is thought to be more of a pagan tradition, Jews place stones on graves. Stones of all sizes are placed without a pattern as though a community is being built. According to Tamar, it is because flowers are scarce in Israel, but stones "we have plenty of stones."
Who knew when I asked Yoram if we could take a necessity break, he would sneak us into the upper level of a synagogue...gotta love a guide that knows where the best bathrooms are! We were in the section reserved for women within the synagogue and there was a sheer curtain separating us from the lower level as well.
When Yoram said we were going to the Western (Wailing) Wall, I told him we were going with our group on Tuesday. He said "do not worry, we will see a different part of the wall." Man, he was not kidding. He took us to the foundation of the Wall! Before going below the wall, we stopped for a view above ground. From here you can see the black curved roofs of the security checkpoint everyone entering the Western Wall must pass. The elevated covered walkway leads to the Temple Mount. Non-Muslims are only allowed on the Temple Mount grounds during very limited hours each day and are not permitted to enter the al-Aqsa Mosque. The part of the wall where Jews (and pilgrims) go to pray is just beyond the covered walkway.
We still had no idea we were going to the foundation of the wall as we followed Yoram through an underground passage. What a treat it was down there as there were no crowds...just saw maybe a handful of other folks. We were able to leave our prayers and those I brought from family and friends in the foundation cracks. Yoram said it was better to leave them here as they will never be removed unlike those placed above ground.
More random pics from around town...
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| Damascus Gate |
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| Hanukkah Lights outside several homes in the Jewish Quarter |
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| Tower of David ...though King David never occupied this tower |
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| Vehicle used to transport Orthodox Jews living inside Palestinian controlled areas. Orthodox Jews are often stoned in those areas. |
You can see the history of the various civilizations that have ruled Israel by the city's wall. The Roman period is indicated by stones that seem to have a frame around them (top pic). The Byzantine period is indicated by the plain looking stone (middle pic). The Turkish period by the grayish stone and cut outs for arrows (bottom pic).
In 1857, Moses Montefiore built a windmill in an attempt to create industry in the New City of Jerusalem. Life inside the Old City during this time was very crowded and unsanitary so the New City was developed. The challenge was getting people to leave the city because in spite of the living conditions inside the walls, it was safe. Moses funded extra policing for the New City and eventually people moved into the new area.
Around 3:00pm and after walking around the city haven not eaten since breakfast, we were getting a little peckish and Yoram had the perfect solution. He zigzagged around the Muslim Quarter and brought us to a place that served what can only be described as heaven on a plate. This delicious dish is called Knafi, a traditional Palestinian dessert. It starts with goat cheese and then just gets better. Add some butter, thin pastry, pine nuts, sugar, orange blossom water and pistachios...though honestly he had me at goat cheese! If we had known it would be so massive, we would have told him to just get one of us to split but we did do some damage to what we were served. Good thing we had some more walking to do!
Some more random pics around town...
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| Fresh Pita |
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| Falafels |
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| Israelis proudly fly their flags in their Muslim Quarter homes |
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| Produce and Grains Yoram pulled a little sprig of one of the herbs for us to taste |
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| It's not every day you see 18 year olds walking around with AKs. These teens are part of the Israeli military and they are not allowed to leave their weapons unattended. |
As I mentioned earlier, access to the Temple Mount is restricted for non-Muslims but Yoram had a plan for getting us as close as possible. He took us down one of the alleys in the Muslim Quarter to where a door led to the Temple Mount. The entrance was guarded by five armed guards. Yoram asked if Mark could come up a few steps and they said yes. Then they told him to come all the to the top of the steps. Then they motioned for me to come up the steps too...apparently a pretty big deal according to Yoram. Just past the doorway in the photo is the area restricted to Muslims. They asked us where we were from and thanked us for coming to Israel. As we walked back down the alley, Yoram said he has never seen the guards so nice. Must have been my Southern charm and smile.
We left the hotel at 8:45am and returned at 4:15pm...we walked the entire time with the exception of the 20 minutes we sat to enjoy the knafi. After that knafi, we needed to walk for sure...but man was it good! If you are ever in Israel (because he is licensed as a guide for the country), I strongly recommend you spend some time with Yoram. Not only is he highly versed on the thousands of years of history, he is super fun. Shortly into our time together, I felt like we had been friends for years as he is so gracious and welcoming.
Before we left the Charleston airport, I was talking with a man that was also headed to Israel. The reason I met him was because I'm so conditioned to go the Delta terminal that I went there instead of the Jet Blue terminal and after being there an hour, I realized I was in the wrong place...but there was a reason for me sitting next to him. He had been several times before and told me about Notre Dame. It is actually the Pontifical Institute Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center. While Notre Dame is a guest house, chapel and educational center owned by the Vatican, the feature he mentioned to me was their Wine & Cheese Restaurant on the top floor. He said it had great views of the city and if you get there before sunset, you can hear the evening call to prayers from the minaret. He had me at wine and cheese!
Father West, Mark and I headed there and arrived just before sunset. The views were fabulous in spite of the weather flaps being down because it was cold by Israeli standards but just right by my standards. We ordered tapas and wine and had a great time chatting about the day and life in general. Not often do you have a priest captive and able to ask questions about the Church so I definitely took advantage of the opportunity. We are blessed to have such a wonderful priest at Saint Clare of Assisi. He is such an approachable, humble, human, incredibly intelligent and totally fun man. For those of you that may not know, it is because of Father West that after 48 years of marriage to Moma and being a C&E churchgoer, Daddy became a Catholic. Of course in his true humble manner, Father West will say it was the Holy Spirit working through him.
We had a nice walk back to the hotel. By nice walk, I mean my short legs were running to keep up with their 6 foot plus long legs! The struggle is real for those of that are vertically challenged!
According to Mark's step counter, he walked 15,000 steps and since for every one step he took, I had to take two to keep up, I basically walked 30,000 steps today. Phew, what a day...I need a nap!
Layla Tov!
Layla Tov!
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