A Day in the Jewish Quarter of Old Jerusalem
Don Hamer is on professional development leave until May 15. He is writing occasional posts to this blog to share some of his experiences. He is posting daily until April 20 while he and his wife Debbie are on pilgrimage in the Holy Land.
Greetings from Jerusalem, where all the Jews and Christians are busily preparing for our "high" holy days. Today we spent most of our day in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City and one could sense the buildup of excitement as Passover approaches, families and friends are arriving from around the world and everyone is busy with the preparations.
Today Debbie and I got up bright and early and had breakfast with a friend from Great Britain whom we had met yesterday. We heard a fascinating story about his life as a young man growing up in Nigeria as his father was assigned there with the British military. At Yehezkel Landau's suggestion, I have wanted to go to the Western Wall to pray in the middle of the night, which is said to be a special time there. Tony and an Anglican priest who is here also on sabbatical, William, have agreed to make the trip with me. More to come on that. . .
We arrived at Damascus Gate to the Old City by 9:30, and our first stop was at the Wohl Archaeological Exhibit, which is a tour of ancient Jerusalem ruins dating back to the late Second Temple period (approx. 37 BCE to 70 CE). These ruins were not uncovered until after the 1967 war in which Israel re-occupied all of Jerusalem and resecured the Jewish Quarter. Most of this "upper city" area was occupied by families of important Jewish priests of other wealthy persons, and the ruins reflect a wealthy populsation with the means to expensively appoint large, well-constructed homes with frescoes, elaborate tile floors nd multiple ritual baths.
Next we walked down the street to the Ariel Center for Jerusalem in the First Temple Period. He we went back in history to the time of the first temple (around the 8th century BCE). An audiovisual display recounts the city's history from about 1000 BCE to 586 BCE, when the temple was destroyed and the city overrun. There were some fascinating exhibits from a secret archaeological dig that took place in the early 20th century.
After lunch at a burger joint where the hot item was a lamburger, we next visited four temples which had been constructed, and have since been restored, built for worship by Sephardic Jews. They date to the 17th century at a time when there was heavy immigration from Europe and, due to a modest working relationship with the Ottoman Empire, which controlled the area at the time, the need for more Temples. Each is unique in its own way, and beautifully appointed.
It was in visiting these temples and the ruins of another that the price of religious intolerance struck home the hardest. As one reviews the history of the City of Jerusalem, it has been forced to take on th character of the last victor on multiple occasions over many centuries. With each successive regime, there was a shift in religious acceptance and destruction of the previous places of worship in order to glorify the particular practice and belief of the victor. This has been true essentially throughout the history of Jerusalem. In the latest chapter of this story, the Jordanians held control of that part of Jerusalem after 1948, they made a point of desecrating and destroying many Jewish houses of worship. 'When the Israelis regained control of the area in 1967, they immediately set about to uncover remains of the 1st and 2nd Temple periods and to restore those places of religious significance that had been destroyed.
Our last stop of the day before dinner was to cross into the Armenian Quarter to tour the Temple of David, also known as The Citadel. Situated just inside the Jaffa Gate in the City Wall, much of it dates back to the 14th century, although excavations have revealed remains dating back to the 2nd century BCE and suggesting that there was a fortress here in the time of King Herod. This lends credence to the belief that this is the most likely site of the trial and sentencing of Jesus Christ. Historically, the most important part of this tour was the excellent and thorough review of the history of the City of Jerusalem over the course of three centuries. It reminds one that the present-day conflicts are not new, but rather the latest iteration of a centuries-old jousting for advantage among three faiths all of which claim unique rights to ownership of land that all agree really belongs to God.
Tonight we went out to dinner in West Jerusalem (we are staying in East Jerusalem) with David Bourns, the son of Courtney Bourns, formerly a Trinity parishioner and a lawyer who practices in Hartford. David is working as program chief in the West Bank office of Save the Children Federation, working to improve the lot of children living in that needy territory, and lives only several blocks from where we are staying. Aside from a good meal and a delightful evening of fellowship and conversation, it was good to hear of David's work and to get an insiders perspective on life here in this part of the world.
Tomorrow (if our legs are still connected to our hip sockets) we plan to tour the Dome of the Rock, the Mount of Olives, City of David and other sites just North and East of the Old City. Have a blessed day! Peace, Don+
Greetings from Jerusalem, where all the Jews and Christians are busily preparing for our "high" holy days. Today we spent most of our day in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City and one could sense the buildup of excitement as Passover approaches, families and friends are arriving from around the world and everyone is busy with the preparations.
Today Debbie and I got up bright and early and had breakfast with a friend from Great Britain whom we had met yesterday. We heard a fascinating story about his life as a young man growing up in Nigeria as his father was assigned there with the British military. At Yehezkel Landau's suggestion, I have wanted to go to the Western Wall to pray in the middle of the night, which is said to be a special time there. Tony and an Anglican priest who is here also on sabbatical, William, have agreed to make the trip with me. More to come on that. . .
We arrived at Damascus Gate to the Old City by 9:30, and our first stop was at the Wohl Archaeological Exhibit, which is a tour of ancient Jerusalem ruins dating back to the late Second Temple period (approx. 37 BCE to 70 CE). These ruins were not uncovered until after the 1967 war in which Israel re-occupied all of Jerusalem and resecured the Jewish Quarter. Most of this "upper city" area was occupied by families of important Jewish priests of other wealthy persons, and the ruins reflect a wealthy populsation with the means to expensively appoint large, well-constructed homes with frescoes, elaborate tile floors nd multiple ritual baths.
Next we walked down the street to the Ariel Center for Jerusalem in the First Temple Period. He we went back in history to the time of the first temple (around the 8th century BCE). An audiovisual display recounts the city's history from about 1000 BCE to 586 BCE, when the temple was destroyed and the city overrun. There were some fascinating exhibits from a secret archaeological dig that took place in the early 20th century.
After lunch at a burger joint where the hot item was a lamburger, we next visited four temples which had been constructed, and have since been restored, built for worship by Sephardic Jews. They date to the 17th century at a time when there was heavy immigration from Europe and, due to a modest working relationship with the Ottoman Empire, which controlled the area at the time, the need for more Temples. Each is unique in its own way, and beautifully appointed.
It was in visiting these temples and the ruins of another that the price of religious intolerance struck home the hardest. As one reviews the history of the City of Jerusalem, it has been forced to take on th character of the last victor on multiple occasions over many centuries. With each successive regime, there was a shift in religious acceptance and destruction of the previous places of worship in order to glorify the particular practice and belief of the victor. This has been true essentially throughout the history of Jerusalem. In the latest chapter of this story, the Jordanians held control of that part of Jerusalem after 1948, they made a point of desecrating and destroying many Jewish houses of worship. 'When the Israelis regained control of the area in 1967, they immediately set about to uncover remains of the 1st and 2nd Temple periods and to restore those places of religious significance that had been destroyed.
Our last stop of the day before dinner was to cross into the Armenian Quarter to tour the Temple of David, also known as The Citadel. Situated just inside the Jaffa Gate in the City Wall, much of it dates back to the 14th century, although excavations have revealed remains dating back to the 2nd century BCE and suggesting that there was a fortress here in the time of King Herod. This lends credence to the belief that this is the most likely site of the trial and sentencing of Jesus Christ. Historically, the most important part of this tour was the excellent and thorough review of the history of the City of Jerusalem over the course of three centuries. It reminds one that the present-day conflicts are not new, but rather the latest iteration of a centuries-old jousting for advantage among three faiths all of which claim unique rights to ownership of land that all agree really belongs to God.
Tonight we went out to dinner in West Jerusalem (we are staying in East Jerusalem) with David Bourns, the son of Courtney Bourns, formerly a Trinity parishioner and a lawyer who practices in Hartford. David is working as program chief in the West Bank office of Save the Children Federation, working to improve the lot of children living in that needy territory, and lives only several blocks from where we are staying. Aside from a good meal and a delightful evening of fellowship and conversation, it was good to hear of David's work and to get an insiders perspective on life here in this part of the world.
Tomorrow (if our legs are still connected to our hip sockets) we plan to tour the Dome of the Rock, the Mount of Olives, City of David and other sites just North and East of the Old City. Have a blessed day! Peace, Don+
posted by Don+ @ 4:10 PM
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