A night view overlooking Jerusalem from the 8th floor of the Mamila Hotel
Scale Model of Jerusalem during Second Temple Period
Debbie & I at the Israel Museam
Night Look at the Fortified Walls of the Old City
Jaffa Gate - enters Old City between Armenian and Christian QuartersSaturday, November 13th
Outstanding day today! I might have learned more on this single day then any other on the trip. Man - how can I know so little about religion and this region in general. Good thing I'm OK with asking many questions. And - excellent thing that my sister's friend Debbie was willing to play along. Thanks Debbie - you are awesome!
I got up around 8am in Tel Aviv. I worked things out with the hotel reception desk - informing me how I could get to Jerusalem today. Israel is a heavy Jewish country - but there are still many folks who are not real religious and do not adhere to some of the customs and beliefs. The buses were not running, so I took the sheroot. A sheroot is between a taxi and a bus. It's basically a 10-person minivan that you must flag down like a taxi. However, it's much more cost efficient. You get on, pay the fee like a bus, and can just yell up at the driver whenever you want to get off. It does have a destination - but many stops can be made before this point.
I actually took 2 sheroots. The first one brought me to the central bus station in Tel Aviv. The second one brought me to Jerusalem. I will say that I didn't know where to get out on the second sheroot. I wasn't even sure I was in Jerusalem until I saw the bronze dome on the "Dome of the Rock" in the Old City. Everybody else had bailed out - so I figured I might as well join along.
Debbie and I had plans to meet up at the Israel Museum at 11:30am. I borrowed a lady's cell phone on the sheroot to call and confirm plans. Once out of the sheroot, I hailed a taxi across town to the museum. I think I was easy to spot. Debbie says that there is no doubt I'm a tourist. Even without my bag - it's written all over me. In this scenario, in this country -- I like that.
We spent several hours walking through the newly renovated museum. Really interesting. First thing we came to was the Dead Sea Scrolls. Obvious right - oh yeah. No - I've never even heard of these before. The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 documents, including text from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1946 and 1956 in 11 caves in and around the ruins of the ancient settlement of Qumran on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. The texts are of great religious and historical signficance, as they include the oldest known surviving copies of Biblical and extra-Biblical documents.
Another significant thing I learned today is about the 2 temples that were built and destroyed in the Old City. The temple mount (the area once housing the temples) acts as a figurative "footstool" of God's presence in the physical world in the Jewish faith. On this very spot, the Dome of the Rock now stands - this is an Islamic shrine. Is there a wonder how/why there is a religious conflict in this area?
We then saw this display with a small-scale model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period. Fascinating. It covers nearly 1 acre and recreates the topography and architecture of ancient Jerusalem at its peak in 66CE, shortly before its destruction by the Romans.
There was another interesting area about Jewish Art and Life - but, mostly I learned just by listening to Debbie. At one point in the day, I said: "If somebody came to the US and I was trying to explain Christianity (or Catholism for that matter), I'd have a difficult time answering all their questions.
We then headed down and walked around the Old City of Jerusalem. How incredible was this? This is the ancient city surrounded by fortified walls. There are 8 gates with access to this area. The Old City is made up of the Christian, Jewish, Armenian, and Muslim Quarters. The Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock sit beside the Jewish and Muslim Quarters.
So many things for me to learn here. First, there are obviously places that the Jewish people would not be very welcome - the Muslim Quarter and the Dome of the Rock. Just seeing the differences in people walking around - amazing. We went inside the Jaffa Gate (between the Armenian and Christian Quarters). We walked through some interesting shops and had a nice lunch.
I ended up getting a hotel inside the Old City. Wow! I would not have picked this area if I was by myself. Since I'm planning to do some touring the next couple days - it's easier for me to be staying here. A great spot, and I feel good about it. Let me say, and Debbie and I discussed this quite a bit today, Jerusalem is so much more tourist friendly than most Americans would ever gather. Debbie stated that many people who come here for the first time have the same fears. Almost everyone agrees it's a great spot and they feel comfortable after visiting. You have to be careful in certain areas, but you must also be careful in certain areas of St. Louis as well.
I can't wait to see more. Tomorrow I'll get up early to tour the Temple Mount area and then I go sea-swimming in the Dead Sea. Until then, good night from the heart of Israel, where it all began. Bethlehem is down the road, Nazareth and Galilee are a couple hours north, the area Jesus walked the stations of the cross (Via Delorosa) is a few hundred yards away, the crucifiction and burial site (Church of the Holy Sepulchre) are a 3-iron shot from where I'm sleeping tonight. Pretty special stuff.
Outstanding day today! I might have learned more on this single day then any other on the trip. Man - how can I know so little about religion and this region in general. Good thing I'm OK with asking many questions. And - excellent thing that my sister's friend Debbie was willing to play along. Thanks Debbie - you are awesome!
I got up around 8am in Tel Aviv. I worked things out with the hotel reception desk - informing me how I could get to Jerusalem today. Israel is a heavy Jewish country - but there are still many folks who are not real religious and do not adhere to some of the customs and beliefs. The buses were not running, so I took the sheroot. A sheroot is between a taxi and a bus. It's basically a 10-person minivan that you must flag down like a taxi. However, it's much more cost efficient. You get on, pay the fee like a bus, and can just yell up at the driver whenever you want to get off. It does have a destination - but many stops can be made before this point.
I actually took 2 sheroots. The first one brought me to the central bus station in Tel Aviv. The second one brought me to Jerusalem. I will say that I didn't know where to get out on the second sheroot. I wasn't even sure I was in Jerusalem until I saw the bronze dome on the "Dome of the Rock" in the Old City. Everybody else had bailed out - so I figured I might as well join along.
Debbie and I had plans to meet up at the Israel Museum at 11:30am. I borrowed a lady's cell phone on the sheroot to call and confirm plans. Once out of the sheroot, I hailed a taxi across town to the museum. I think I was easy to spot. Debbie says that there is no doubt I'm a tourist. Even without my bag - it's written all over me. In this scenario, in this country -- I like that.
We spent several hours walking through the newly renovated museum. Really interesting. First thing we came to was the Dead Sea Scrolls. Obvious right - oh yeah. No - I've never even heard of these before. The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 documents, including text from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1946 and 1956 in 11 caves in and around the ruins of the ancient settlement of Qumran on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. The texts are of great religious and historical signficance, as they include the oldest known surviving copies of Biblical and extra-Biblical documents.
Another significant thing I learned today is about the 2 temples that were built and destroyed in the Old City. The temple mount (the area once housing the temples) acts as a figurative "footstool" of God's presence in the physical world in the Jewish faith. On this very spot, the Dome of the Rock now stands - this is an Islamic shrine. Is there a wonder how/why there is a religious conflict in this area?
We then saw this display with a small-scale model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period. Fascinating. It covers nearly 1 acre and recreates the topography and architecture of ancient Jerusalem at its peak in 66CE, shortly before its destruction by the Romans.
There was another interesting area about Jewish Art and Life - but, mostly I learned just by listening to Debbie. At one point in the day, I said: "If somebody came to the US and I was trying to explain Christianity (or Catholism for that matter), I'd have a difficult time answering all their questions.
We then headed down and walked around the Old City of Jerusalem. How incredible was this? This is the ancient city surrounded by fortified walls. There are 8 gates with access to this area. The Old City is made up of the Christian, Jewish, Armenian, and Muslim Quarters. The Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock sit beside the Jewish and Muslim Quarters.
So many things for me to learn here. First, there are obviously places that the Jewish people would not be very welcome - the Muslim Quarter and the Dome of the Rock. Just seeing the differences in people walking around - amazing. We went inside the Jaffa Gate (between the Armenian and Christian Quarters). We walked through some interesting shops and had a nice lunch.
I ended up getting a hotel inside the Old City. Wow! I would not have picked this area if I was by myself. Since I'm planning to do some touring the next couple days - it's easier for me to be staying here. A great spot, and I feel good about it. Let me say, and Debbie and I discussed this quite a bit today, Jerusalem is so much more tourist friendly than most Americans would ever gather. Debbie stated that many people who come here for the first time have the same fears. Almost everyone agrees it's a great spot and they feel comfortable after visiting. You have to be careful in certain areas, but you must also be careful in certain areas of St. Louis as well.
I can't wait to see more. Tomorrow I'll get up early to tour the Temple Mount area and then I go sea-swimming in the Dead Sea. Until then, good night from the heart of Israel, where it all began. Bethlehem is down the road, Nazareth and Galilee are a couple hours north, the area Jesus walked the stations of the cross (Via Delorosa) is a few hundred yards away, the crucifiction and burial site (Church of the Holy Sepulchre) are a 3-iron shot from where I'm sleeping tonight. Pretty special stuff.
So glad you had a chance to meet Debbie! She is one of the best people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I was green with envy all day yesterday wishing I was there with you both. Enjoy this Holy Land!
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