In an earlier post where I went on the Holy City tour and wrote a load of post it notes of, well, notes, one insight the guide shared was that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher can be interpreted as a figurative 3rd Temple. So of course, I had to come back and get on top. But first, I visited a nearby Church with possibly the greatest view of the Old City. Count 'em, and pardon my heavy breathing...
Following the "climb," I walked into a side entrance before the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and was immediately greeted by Ethiopian Monks, pilgrimage groups, and once on the roof, I found a cistern! There's not much to say. The pilgrims were not English speaking so I couldn't follow along, but once on top I got this feeling of ascent, and I tried to get even higher than the Church roof. I managed to find an Arab neighborhood, but one of the monks told me I couldn't go in there. I guess I'll have to pay another visit...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Haifa Hike
Let me start with the end. The end of Ulpan. No longer will I be testing my alertness at 8:30 on a daily basis. No more five hours of high school Hebrew; only two and half. The last day of Ulpan all of the classes attended a special assembly with this very talented guitar player, who also introduced everyone to the Hang . This crazy instrument is made by two people in one factory in Switzerland, and there's a two year waiting list for it, but it was very cool watching and listening. We also sang some songs we had learned as a group. Later that day, I walked through an empty Rose Garden and found an awesome soup restaurant, and all of this during a terrible dust storm, where the sky was gold like the stones, the sun was a white mento in the, and every breath was dirty...
So how did I celebrate such a conclusion? By riding a bus for 2 hours to the third largest city in country (kinda like Allentown) known as Haifa. I went with two others from my program, and the only schedule we had was check-in and check-out at a hostel. We also knew the weather for the weekend...rain!
We got to the city fine, but we weren't exactly sure where to get off, so we chose a stop that was a half hour's walk from the hostel. We found a small hummus hut for lunch. Then came the first downpour. Rain, as we found in Haifa, came in bursts. It poured for maybe ten minutes, and then the skies cleared. Kinda like Back To The Future 2. We found the hostel, checked in and took off. This time we weren't walking. So we took the one and only subway in the country, which also turns out to be the smallest "subway system" in the world. It's called Carmelit , because it goes up Mount Carmel. However, the station was near empty and the train wa very small. It was a near joke, but it got us where we wanted to go...the Bahai Gardens!
Okay, so we didn't get in to see the terraces, because we missed the last tour and it rained on Saturday, but it was something to see, apparently it's the Eighth Wonder of the World. The center is a shrine where the Bab, the founder of Babism , and one of the central figures of the Bahai Faith , is buried. There's not much that I know except it brings in many Bahai pilgrims, and it was built entirely by their donations.
It was starting to get late, so walked down this mountain:
and were mildly surprised to find some other students from Rothberg in our dorm room. They told us they were heading to the Chabad for Shabbat services, and after walking five hours already, who were we to refuse a few more? I didn't really want to sit through hours of proselytizing, but I couldn't think of anywhere else to go. On the way there, a guy with a Kippa invited us to his synagogue. I asked him what kind of service? He said, "Mizrachi."
Mizrachi, meaning eastern. The Jews from Yemeni, Iraq, Iran, etc. The Ones who speak Hebrew like like it's Arabic. I knew we were in for an experience. We may have made their minyan which certainly got us Mizrachi points. I was interested to see how different the service was from home, especially Kabbalat Shabbat, because it's one of the most recent addition to the Jewish liturgical corpus. As it turned out, there wasn't much of a difference, just one additional psalm was included, and we even knew the Lecha Dodi melody. That said, the synagogue was a decorative hole in the wall, and the tradition of the Mizrachim is to recite everything aloud in one contiunal melody, and rather loudly too. The exceptions are the Shema, when each person recited it at his own (there were only guys there) pace, often enunciating the last syllable, and the V'ahavta which was chanted with Mizrachi Torah troupe. The rest of the service and the Kaddish had added words and different orders, so it was exciting to look for new surprises.
After the service, we spotted supper in the german colony, directly below the Bahai Gardens. I ordered some sort of fish, some call it Sea Bream, other's St. Denis. Whatever it was, the waiter delivered with an ENTIRE FISH. Complete with eyeballs. My appetite wavered, but I managed.
The next day we went to Akko, another port city just north of Haifa, but much much older. Napoleon's army was stationed there so we explored some of the remnants. Unfortunately, almost everything was closed, including the Turkish Bazaar. Shucks. So we made up for it by walking along the shore and getting rained on by the Mediterranean Sea instead of the sky, for a change.
When we got back to Haifa, I had my first Big Mac and through the window witnessed a five minute hail and thunderstorm. Yes, the weather is faster than the food I ate. We took the bus back at sunset, and while heading south, I watched Defiance on my laptop. Although I didn't finish it til later, I thought how cool it was to watch such a film of paranoia and persecution, and then to look up, back in the reality of a bus, filled with all kinds of Israelis...
So how did I celebrate such a conclusion? By riding a bus for 2 hours to the third largest city in country (kinda like Allentown) known as Haifa. I went with two others from my program, and the only schedule we had was check-in and check-out at a hostel. We also knew the weather for the weekend...rain!
We got to the city fine, but we weren't exactly sure where to get off, so we chose a stop that was a half hour's walk from the hostel. We found a small hummus hut for lunch. Then came the first downpour. Rain, as we found in Haifa, came in bursts. It poured for maybe ten minutes, and then the skies cleared. Kinda like Back To The Future 2. We found the hostel, checked in and took off. This time we weren't walking. So we took the one and only subway in the country, which also turns out to be the smallest "subway system" in the world. It's called Carmelit , because it goes up Mount Carmel. However, the station was near empty and the train wa very small. It was a near joke, but it got us where we wanted to go...the Bahai Gardens!
Okay, so we didn't get in to see the terraces, because we missed the last tour and it rained on Saturday, but it was something to see, apparently it's the Eighth Wonder of the World. The center is a shrine where the Bab, the founder of Babism , and one of the central figures of the Bahai Faith , is buried. There's not much that I know except it brings in many Bahai pilgrims, and it was built entirely by their donations.
It was starting to get late, so walked down this mountain:
and were mildly surprised to find some other students from Rothberg in our dorm room. They told us they were heading to the Chabad for Shabbat services, and after walking five hours already, who were we to refuse a few more? I didn't really want to sit through hours of proselytizing, but I couldn't think of anywhere else to go. On the way there, a guy with a Kippa invited us to his synagogue. I asked him what kind of service? He said, "Mizrachi."
Mizrachi, meaning eastern. The Jews from Yemeni, Iraq, Iran, etc. The Ones who speak Hebrew like like it's Arabic. I knew we were in for an experience. We may have made their minyan which certainly got us Mizrachi points. I was interested to see how different the service was from home, especially Kabbalat Shabbat, because it's one of the most recent addition to the Jewish liturgical corpus. As it turned out, there wasn't much of a difference, just one additional psalm was included, and we even knew the Lecha Dodi melody. That said, the synagogue was a decorative hole in the wall, and the tradition of the Mizrachim is to recite everything aloud in one contiunal melody, and rather loudly too. The exceptions are the Shema, when each person recited it at his own (there were only guys there) pace, often enunciating the last syllable, and the V'ahavta which was chanted with Mizrachi Torah troupe. The rest of the service and the Kaddish had added words and different orders, so it was exciting to look for new surprises.
After the service, we spotted supper in the german colony, directly below the Bahai Gardens. I ordered some sort of fish, some call it Sea Bream, other's St. Denis. Whatever it was, the waiter delivered with an ENTIRE FISH. Complete with eyeballs. My appetite wavered, but I managed.
The next day we went to Akko, another port city just north of Haifa, but much much older. Napoleon's army was stationed there so we explored some of the remnants. Unfortunately, almost everything was closed, including the Turkish Bazaar. Shucks. So we made up for it by walking along the shore and getting rained on by the Mediterranean Sea instead of the sky, for a change.
When we got back to Haifa, I had my first Big Mac and through the window witnessed a five minute hail and thunderstorm. Yes, the weather is faster than the food I ate. We took the bus back at sunset, and while heading south, I watched Defiance on my laptop. Although I didn't finish it til later, I thought how cool it was to watch such a film of paranoia and persecution, and then to look up, back in the reality of a bus, filled with all kinds of Israelis...
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Driving in India: Ira goes secular in Nes Tsiona and Bet Jamal
This weekend Jews all over the world recited the Ten Commandments. Synagogues and Temples listened to the famous words directed towards idol worship, guarding the sabbath, and moral social behavior...
Ira wasn't there .*
I took a bus north to a very old (Modern State speaking) town of Nes Tsiyona, where Eric Swartz, an American-born who made aliyah at 18 to serve in the Army, lives with his wife Michal, their two kids Niv and Itai, and their cute little dog Cookie. He took me on a calming walk around the area, with some pretty neat views during the sunset. We had a warm family meal, something I can't say I've had in five weeks , I slept near 12 hours in a 10 yr olds bed, and then we picked up and drove south to the almond tree forests and a small place called Bet Jemal outside of Bet Shemesh, where some think they found the burial place of Raban Gamliel. There was this teeny tiny church of St. Stephen, where I found New Testaments of all different shapes and sized, including one in Yiddish! The site was packed with Israelis who were making a day out of the fantastic weather. Afterward, we drove down to a picnic spot (in Hebrew slang, zula, or chill out), and then the Swartz's drove me home. It was a very different feeling coming back to the student apartments, finding people in skirts and dress pants sitting outside reading, while I had a large backpack and sunglasses and looked like I had just climbed a mountain. Such is the diversity of Israeli culture, and such is awesome! Plus we had a running joke about this funny video we saw of drivers in India .
I must also include here the outcome of the hallowed "Before Rent" performance I attended. Please note, this is only one person's opinion. Yeah:
The show was hysterically off the mark. The musical portions, which were basically karaoke moments of Rent songs, were okay. Some were better done than others, but the songs had no place in the show, which established the characters before the real play. The problem was that some of the characters couldn't know each other to the extent that they did in the real show. That said, most of the play was in the form of long monologues. It provided me an oppertunity to further appreciate the talent of the high school performances I'd seen in the states. What put me off the edge was watching the Israeli rock band on stage. When a monologue was well done, they would watch, and react. When it was bad, and they knew when a bad one was coming, they would count their fingers, waiting for the chance to take hold of their beloved instrument and move the show away from this pothole, or simply drink their beer and Nestea. It was a fun night.
Now I'm left with one more long week of high school Hebrew, five hours a day, and then... only then... I start my semester, and the closest I get to taking real classes this spring, after five weeks...
*take the other two tablets and call me in the morning. I may not have guarded it, but I remembered Shabbat, and had one fantastic dinner!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Dome.of.the.Rock.
It took almost one full month, but today was one of those days that will sit with you for a long time...
I had been wanting to take a special tour of the Old City for a while now, but there was always a conflict. The tour only took place at 11am, and even though it was a daily tour, some of the spots weren't available. Then today, Israel's Election Day, just about the only non-religious holiday observed by the state, I decided it was time. Now, there were a few factors to take into account before I continue:
1. Election Day is a national holiday. Businesses and Schools are closed. Buses run different schedules. That said, I didn't know if this tour was going to happen or not. I'm in the middle of two weeks of intensive Hebrew, starting every morning at 8:30, so sleep is a luxury I wouldn't want to waste on a day off.
2. Yesterday was Tu Bishvat, the Jewish New Year for trees, and someone upstairs decided it was a ripe time to bring some wintry weather to the Syrian African Rift. Rain was in the forecast for today and tomorrow, and the hourlies on weather.com showed high percentages of precipitation in the middle of the theoretical tour.
So we have rain and the possibility of everything being closed and canceled. But as you see in the title, the rain had not arrive when I woke up, and even though the wind practically blew us to the Jaffa Gate, and there were only five people interested in touring (my group was four), tour guides were present and willing to take us on a wonderful adventure!
As you'll see in the multiple picture albums (I took over 150 pictures), I wrote notes on post its and then photographed them and then stuffed them in my jeans. Weird, right? WRONG. The day was so fantastic that by the end it WAS pouring RAIN! This is a real blessing in Israel, but not for post its, and they got a little wet. Our tour guide's name was Kobi. Of all places, he comes from Cheltenham. I'll try to transcribe what I wrote. Pardon the lack of order, bear with me and the pictures and videos will follow:
The Armenian Qtr. is really a compound, completely enclosed by walls. The censuses always say there are 2000k Armenians when there are probably more like 800 in the area. These are ways of protecting the safety of the group.
The Zion Gate was originally built in a way to protect the city by requiring chariots to slow down in order to turn. If they're an enemy, they can be attacked from above. Now, it's the cars that have to stop inn order to make the narrow turn.
After the Crusaders left, the Franciscans were ordained by the Pope as the protectors of Jerusalem for 500 years.
The Tomb of King David is not located in the "City of David" but rather on Mt. Zion. There's a possibility it was moved during one of the exiles of the Jews. For example, during the Roman Byzantine period, the Jews were kicked out for 500 years. Things change.
The 13 tribes of Israel can be compared to the 13 American Colonies. The first king came from the smallest tribe, and a relatively normal family. There was peace between groups. Then came David, from the largest tribe (Judah) and a well to do family. There was disagreement. He decided to move the Capital of the Nation from Hebron to a smaller and more centralized and uninhabited city, Jebus. This became Jerusalem. Similarly, the US decided to move its capital from the largest city in the Western World, Philadelphia to a smaller location, D.C.
Thanksgiving is all about turkey, Indians (stick with the political incorrectness) and duh, thanks. In Hebrew, Turkey and India are both translated into Hodu, and thanks is Hodot, which is also the root of the religion and Judah tribe. The tour guide also said there were plans for the colonies to originally adopt Hebrew as the spoken language because the area was seen as a promised land from religious persecution. Unfortunately, there was no one to teach it.
The room where many believe Jesus' Last Supper took place is all right about the Tomb of David. It was once a synagogue, and then later became a mosque. Scholars are pretty certain that it was an area of early Christian life. One explanation is that this place, located on Mt. Zion was once connected by a road to Mt. of Olives, so Jesus could have used that path. The room is a big deal for Pentecostal Christians.
On the roof of the same building, one can see the Dead Sea and Jordan. There is U.N. post on a mountain that's been traditionally referred to as the mountain of "Wicked Consul." Fitting? When Israel lost Jerusalem, Jews would come to this spot and look at the Western Wall and Temple Mount (which we couldn't see because of trees), but until '67 the Old City was Jordan. For 19 years, this was the closest the Jews could get to their holiest spot.
The first Holocaust Museum was erected here by Orthodox Jews, at least 15 years before Yad Vashem, the better known one.
The Zion gate has two huge Mezuzot on the walls, and the covers are made out of melted bullet shells.
From the walk down to the Western Wall, you can see a blue looking Church, which is believed to be where the High Priest lived during the time of Jesus. There are roosters all around the area referencing the garden where Peter denied Jesus three times.
In the time of the Temple, Jews came to pay a half Sheckel Temple Tax, and make a sacrifice, depending on the circumstances (birth, marriage, sin offering, Superbowl sacrifice). Much like in the United States, where legislatively you have the Senate, with equal representation, and the House with a varying number of reps.
No one is allowed to pray on the Temple Mount except Muslims. Anywhere. If found praying, you'll be kicked off.
Jason, my suite mate from school said the shema 13 times on the Temple Mount.
The Temple Mount was conquered by Israel in the Six Day War. Two days later, it was returned.
Jerusalem as a whole has been conquered at least 30 something times. All times from the North except twice, when David conquered it, and When Israel did so in '67.
Sunni Muslim-leadership elected
Shi'a Muslim-leadership from ancestry of Muhammed
The largest Muslim countries are not Arab.
Dome of the Rock built ~691
Al Aqsua built ~715
Jerusalem mentioned in the Torah 669 times. As Zion, mentioned 154 times. in the New Testament mentioned 142 times. In the Qur'an, 0. In Surrah 17, Muhammed visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque (meaning far mosque, far from Mecca), where he rose to the heaven on the stone in the Dome. He left a footprint. He talked to God, and was told to abstain from alcohol and pray 500 times a day. On the way down, he bumped into Moses who told him to haggle a little. Muhammed went back up and got the praying down to 5x/day.
Why was the Dome built?
1. There was nothing on the Temple Mount when the Muslims came, and it's big enough for 27 football fields. The Byzantines destroyed it and left it like that.
2. Perfect place for Monotheism, prophets, since Islam follows the line of Abraham and Jesus and others.
3. Nomads vs Civilization-built to restrain Muslims from assimilating with Christian culture and churches scattered throughout the city.
4. Alternative pilgrimage site for Muslims, outside of Mecca. In ancient Israel, the same happened as there were two kingdoms and the northern didn't want his people going to Jerusalem in the other.
Earthquakes- the Al-Aqsa Mosque in not on bedrock, but rather the lift King Herod erected. Jerusalem is on the Syrian African Rift, responsible for creating things like the Red Sea. The Mosque has fallen many times in history, as recently as 1927. The Dome of the Rock meanwhile is on bedrock.
There's a special place for Wudu, or ritual cleansing before prayer that was made in 1230 out of one piece of marble. It's called Al-Kas.
Dome of the Rock tiles are from the 16th century, renovated by Armenians in 1900's.
The Dome has 80kg of Gold!
There's a small structure next to the Dome. Some think it's a small model but it's not octagonal, some think it's where the treasury was. The center of the structure is the center of the Temple Mount.
There are 34 Churches and Monasteries on Mt. of Olives. The golden one was built for Mary Magdalene by the Russians, but everyone knows it was for the Czars mom. The Church of Ascension is where Jesus went to Heaven, the Paternoster is where Christians learned how to pray (in Gospels this happened in Galilee), Another Church translates to "Our Lord Wept," it has a black roof and looks like a teardrop. While most Churches face east, this one faces Mt. Moriyah (Temple Mount) because that's why Jesus wept. Below view is the Garden of Gasemone where Judas betrayed you know who, next to the Church of Agony ("All Nations"). What do these have in common? They show the transition of Jesus from a human to divine figure, all on one mountain.
At the Kotel Hakatan I learned that notes are collected every year on Passover and Rosh Hashana and buried in Mt. of Olives.
You can climb to the tower of the Church of the Redeemer from 8:30-15:30 (but not 13:00-13:30) for 3 sheckel if you're a student.
Constantine's wife, Queen Helena found the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in 335.
The Protestants go to the Garden Tomb near the Damascus Gate for the place where Jesus died. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is divided between (in ranking order):
Greek Orthodox
Roman Catholics
Armenians
Coptics
Syrian Orthodox
Ethiopians (who take care of the roof)
There are 6 chapels inside. These groups fight over everything, even who owns which stone, and operation hours. That's why Salah al'Din decided to have a Muslim family open and close the church. It's still done at 5:00 and 21:00.
The Chapel of Adam, located inside, was once controlled by the Roman Catholics, and Crusader kings were buried there. But due to a fire? it was returned to the Greek Orthodox who kindly removed all the bones. Golgotha can been seen from in the chapel (a place where the skull of Adam is believed to be, and tradition has it that Jesus was crucified above the skull).
Stone of Unction, where Jesus was anointed after being taken from the cross, but it's really the stone under the stone everyone visits.
The mosaic done in front of the Armenian area next to the Stone of Unction was done by a Jewish artist.
An area in the back is shared by the Armenians and the Syrian Orthodox, but neither knows who it belongs to. Crusaders are buried next to it.
Chapel of the Finding of the New Cross is the oldest part of the Church.
3rd Temple Analogies- chambers like in Jewish Temple, references to Adam and Abraham, ritual done once a year, notes put in the walls, two gate entrance like messianic Golden Gate.
Holy City Tour Pictures
part 1
part 2
part 3
Two more lookouts from campus...
I had been wanting to take a special tour of the Old City for a while now, but there was always a conflict. The tour only took place at 11am, and even though it was a daily tour, some of the spots weren't available. Then today, Israel's Election Day, just about the only non-religious holiday observed by the state, I decided it was time. Now, there were a few factors to take into account before I continue:
1. Election Day is a national holiday. Businesses and Schools are closed. Buses run different schedules. That said, I didn't know if this tour was going to happen or not. I'm in the middle of two weeks of intensive Hebrew, starting every morning at 8:30, so sleep is a luxury I wouldn't want to waste on a day off.
2. Yesterday was Tu Bishvat, the Jewish New Year for trees, and someone upstairs decided it was a ripe time to bring some wintry weather to the Syrian African Rift. Rain was in the forecast for today and tomorrow, and the hourlies on weather.com showed high percentages of precipitation in the middle of the theoretical tour.
So we have rain and the possibility of everything being closed and canceled. But as you see in the title, the rain had not arrive when I woke up, and even though the wind practically blew us to the Jaffa Gate, and there were only five people interested in touring (my group was four), tour guides were present and willing to take us on a wonderful adventure!
As you'll see in the multiple picture albums (I took over 150 pictures), I wrote notes on post its and then photographed them and then stuffed them in my jeans. Weird, right? WRONG. The day was so fantastic that by the end it WAS pouring RAIN! This is a real blessing in Israel, but not for post its, and they got a little wet. Our tour guide's name was Kobi. Of all places, he comes from Cheltenham. I'll try to transcribe what I wrote. Pardon the lack of order, bear with me and the pictures and videos will follow:
The Armenian Qtr. is really a compound, completely enclosed by walls. The censuses always say there are 2000k Armenians when there are probably more like 800 in the area. These are ways of protecting the safety of the group.
The Zion Gate was originally built in a way to protect the city by requiring chariots to slow down in order to turn. If they're an enemy, they can be attacked from above. Now, it's the cars that have to stop inn order to make the narrow turn.
After the Crusaders left, the Franciscans were ordained by the Pope as the protectors of Jerusalem for 500 years.
The Tomb of King David is not located in the "City of David" but rather on Mt. Zion. There's a possibility it was moved during one of the exiles of the Jews. For example, during the Roman Byzantine period, the Jews were kicked out for 500 years. Things change.
The 13 tribes of Israel can be compared to the 13 American Colonies. The first king came from the smallest tribe, and a relatively normal family. There was peace between groups. Then came David, from the largest tribe (Judah) and a well to do family. There was disagreement. He decided to move the Capital of the Nation from Hebron to a smaller and more centralized and uninhabited city, Jebus. This became Jerusalem. Similarly, the US decided to move its capital from the largest city in the Western World, Philadelphia to a smaller location, D.C.
Thanksgiving is all about turkey, Indians (stick with the political incorrectness) and duh, thanks. In Hebrew, Turkey and India are both translated into Hodu, and thanks is Hodot, which is also the root of the religion and Judah tribe. The tour guide also said there were plans for the colonies to originally adopt Hebrew as the spoken language because the area was seen as a promised land from religious persecution. Unfortunately, there was no one to teach it.
The room where many believe Jesus' Last Supper took place is all right about the Tomb of David. It was once a synagogue, and then later became a mosque. Scholars are pretty certain that it was an area of early Christian life. One explanation is that this place, located on Mt. Zion was once connected by a road to Mt. of Olives, so Jesus could have used that path. The room is a big deal for Pentecostal Christians.
On the roof of the same building, one can see the Dead Sea and Jordan. There is U.N. post on a mountain that's been traditionally referred to as the mountain of "Wicked Consul." Fitting? When Israel lost Jerusalem, Jews would come to this spot and look at the Western Wall and Temple Mount (which we couldn't see because of trees), but until '67 the Old City was Jordan. For 19 years, this was the closest the Jews could get to their holiest spot.
The first Holocaust Museum was erected here by Orthodox Jews, at least 15 years before Yad Vashem, the better known one.
The Zion gate has two huge Mezuzot on the walls, and the covers are made out of melted bullet shells.
From the walk down to the Western Wall, you can see a blue looking Church, which is believed to be where the High Priest lived during the time of Jesus. There are roosters all around the area referencing the garden where Peter denied Jesus three times.
In the time of the Temple, Jews came to pay a half Sheckel Temple Tax, and make a sacrifice, depending on the circumstances (birth, marriage, sin offering, Superbowl sacrifice). Much like in the United States, where legislatively you have the Senate, with equal representation, and the House with a varying number of reps.
No one is allowed to pray on the Temple Mount except Muslims. Anywhere. If found praying, you'll be kicked off.
Jason, my suite mate from school said the shema 13 times on the Temple Mount.
The Temple Mount was conquered by Israel in the Six Day War. Two days later, it was returned.
Jerusalem as a whole has been conquered at least 30 something times. All times from the North except twice, when David conquered it, and When Israel did so in '67.
Sunni Muslim-leadership elected
Shi'a Muslim-leadership from ancestry of Muhammed
The largest Muslim countries are not Arab.
Dome of the Rock built ~691
Al Aqsua built ~715
Jerusalem mentioned in the Torah 669 times. As Zion, mentioned 154 times. in the New Testament mentioned 142 times. In the Qur'an, 0. In Surrah 17, Muhammed visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque (meaning far mosque, far from Mecca), where he rose to the heaven on the stone in the Dome. He left a footprint. He talked to God, and was told to abstain from alcohol and pray 500 times a day. On the way down, he bumped into Moses who told him to haggle a little. Muhammed went back up and got the praying down to 5x/day.
Why was the Dome built?
1. There was nothing on the Temple Mount when the Muslims came, and it's big enough for 27 football fields. The Byzantines destroyed it and left it like that.
2. Perfect place for Monotheism, prophets, since Islam follows the line of Abraham and Jesus and others.
3. Nomads vs Civilization-built to restrain Muslims from assimilating with Christian culture and churches scattered throughout the city.
4. Alternative pilgrimage site for Muslims, outside of Mecca. In ancient Israel, the same happened as there were two kingdoms and the northern didn't want his people going to Jerusalem in the other.
Earthquakes- the Al-Aqsa Mosque in not on bedrock, but rather the lift King Herod erected. Jerusalem is on the Syrian African Rift, responsible for creating things like the Red Sea. The Mosque has fallen many times in history, as recently as 1927. The Dome of the Rock meanwhile is on bedrock.
There's a special place for Wudu, or ritual cleansing before prayer that was made in 1230 out of one piece of marble. It's called Al-Kas.
Dome of the Rock tiles are from the 16th century, renovated by Armenians in 1900's.
The Dome has 80kg of Gold!
There's a small structure next to the Dome. Some think it's a small model but it's not octagonal, some think it's where the treasury was. The center of the structure is the center of the Temple Mount.
There are 34 Churches and Monasteries on Mt. of Olives. The golden one was built for Mary Magdalene by the Russians, but everyone knows it was for the Czars mom. The Church of Ascension is where Jesus went to Heaven, the Paternoster is where Christians learned how to pray (in Gospels this happened in Galilee), Another Church translates to "Our Lord Wept," it has a black roof and looks like a teardrop. While most Churches face east, this one faces Mt. Moriyah (Temple Mount) because that's why Jesus wept. Below view is the Garden of Gasemone where Judas betrayed you know who, next to the Church of Agony ("All Nations"). What do these have in common? They show the transition of Jesus from a human to divine figure, all on one mountain.
At the Kotel Hakatan I learned that notes are collected every year on Passover and Rosh Hashana and buried in Mt. of Olives.
You can climb to the tower of the Church of the Redeemer from 8:30-15:30 (but not 13:00-13:30) for 3 sheckel if you're a student.
Constantine's wife, Queen Helena found the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in 335.
The Protestants go to the Garden Tomb near the Damascus Gate for the place where Jesus died. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is divided between (in ranking order):
Greek Orthodox
Roman Catholics
Armenians
Coptics
Syrian Orthodox
Ethiopians (who take care of the roof)
There are 6 chapels inside. These groups fight over everything, even who owns which stone, and operation hours. That's why Salah al'Din decided to have a Muslim family open and close the church. It's still done at 5:00 and 21:00.
The Chapel of Adam, located inside, was once controlled by the Roman Catholics, and Crusader kings were buried there. But due to a fire? it was returned to the Greek Orthodox who kindly removed all the bones. Golgotha can been seen from in the chapel (a place where the skull of Adam is believed to be, and tradition has it that Jesus was crucified above the skull).
Stone of Unction, where Jesus was anointed after being taken from the cross, but it's really the stone under the stone everyone visits.
The mosaic done in front of the Armenian area next to the Stone of Unction was done by a Jewish artist.
An area in the back is shared by the Armenians and the Syrian Orthodox, but neither knows who it belongs to. Crusaders are buried next to it.
Chapel of the Finding of the New Cross is the oldest part of the Church.
3rd Temple Analogies- chambers like in Jewish Temple, references to Adam and Abraham, ritual done once a year, notes put in the walls, two gate entrance like messianic Golden Gate.
Holy City Tour Pictures
part 1
part 2
part 3
Two more lookouts from campus...
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Winterless Wonderland
I haven't got much to show from the last few days, except for my visit to the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens with my very kind Dutch Israeli great aunt. That day it was 25 degrees, or eighty F. I spent this weekend more immersed in Israeli society than before, thanks to a reunion of staff from mine and other Jewish sleep away camps. While most of the Americans took the event as an opportunity to catch up with old friends and reminisce, I chilled with the Israeli staff, now out of the army and looking to travel or head to university. I also attended a short class by a journalist from the Jerusalem Post, who gave us all the information we would need about Israel's upcoming election (less than 48 hours away) and the major problems facing the country. Among them were:
1. This has been the worst winter in 10 years. In America, a bad winter means lots of snow. Here it means lots of summer (Mom, can you bring up some sunscreen when you visit?) The only source of freshwater in the Middle East, the Sea of Galilee, is so low there are islands in the middle. The cost of water is going up. One of Israel's allies is Turkey. Israel offers weapons, Turkey offers water and the friendship of a Muslim country. However, following the war in Gaza, there is increasing Anti-Semitism across the globe, including there, and recently the Turkish Prime Minister walked out on a conference, condemning Israel's polices. The next government will need to face this.
2. Egypt, more than in prior years, is assuming responsibility for weapon smuggling by Hamas. However, every time there is an attack by Israel or Hamas, grows a little more irritable that there is no movement towards negotiations of any sort.
3. Jordan and Israel share a very cold peace. Nobody in Israel talks about Jordan because relations are near non-existent. The good news in Jordan is that there are strongly enforced laws concerning terrorists. The bad news is there are many Palestinians in Jordan, who are concerned about the events in Gaza and certainly don't support Israel's actions.
4. The economy everywhere is a bummer. Old news.
The decision to have elections came so late, and was followed soon after by the war in Gaza, so this left about three weeks for political parties to run campaigns. Some parties are huge and cater not to major issues or platforms, but rather a "motto." Others are very small and care about supporting one issue. Therefore, some have joined forces. For example, there are commercials by a party fighting for rights to Holocaust survivors. However, there is an old guy talking about how important it is to legalize Marijuana. Why? because this party joined with another party fighting for a completely different cause. Brilliant! Either way, if there's one thing I learned this weekend, it's that nobody is really sure who they're voting for, but since two of the four candidates for Prime Minister have already been, and not been completely honest, there's sure to be a new face or two in the Knesset. Big plus- Election Day Tuesday means NO CLASSES!
p.s. I have since found a new feature with this blogging technology. Once I used a paper-made map, marking the spots that I visited. Now, I can label the places at the end of each of my blog posts (where it says location). If you click on it, Google Maps will take you to where I am or was. There is also a box at the top of the page, labeled "Where I've Been" You can drag the box around and zoom in by clicking on the + and - keys. Also, tomorrow is Jewish Earth Day!
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