WOW! Today was an
AMAZING day. Each morning as we begin
our bus ride to our first destination Uri always says “Today is going to be a
great day!” And each day he is right!
Today was a day I have been looking forward to since the inception of
this trip, the day I get to take my traveling family into the Old City. There is something special about the Old City,
something indescribable. Something that
every person should experience. And
today, after more than 2 years of planning, I got to take these precious people
into my most favorite place in the world.
I have also been looking closely at this day because without question,
this is the most physically demanding day of the entire trip. We did a lot of walking!
But first, we made our way to the City of David (insert joke
about a city named after me…).
We explored this ancient city, the core of ancient Jerusalem
as we learned how the city was administered during the First Temple Period. First, Uri took us up to a wonderful overlook
to show us where we were in relation to the Temple Mount and the surrounding
areas. We could see the Mount Olive
Cemetery, the oldest active Jewish cemetery in the world and the Palestinian
town of Silwan, where the City of David is located. Uri shared the complexities of this place. There was a Palestinian town that was built
on top of it. Should we have dug this
site out? Who really has claim to the
land? These are questions we are unable
to answer, except to say that the discoveries there are really incredible.
We then made our way to some incredible archeological discoveries
which illustrate how the wealthy and powerful lived in ancient Jerusalem. We saw the oldest discovered indoor toilet in
the ruins, and Uri shared with us a lot of information about King David and his
story. What I found most interesting is
that David had his issues. He was not
perfect. We often put leaders like this
on a pedestal but clearly each one is a human being who makes mistakes. The key, as Uri shared, is how they respond
to the mistakes. Do they accept responsibility
for what they have done? Accountability
is an important step in teshuvah. It was
a fascinating discussion, and a reminder that our Jewish ancestors, even those
included in our prayers were nothing more than human beings. This is one thing I love about Judaism. We are all on equal footings.
After we exited the water, we walked back to the visitor’s
center through another tunnel system, this time the ancient drainage channels. It left us off at what used to be a parking
lot, and is now an incredible archaeological site, where we could actually see
the layers from the different time periods throughout history. This is a truly unique Israel experience.
We then made our way through the Dung Gate into the Old City
to explore the Jerusalem Archaeological Park, including the Davidson Center,
Robinson’s Arch and the ruins from the top of the Temple Mount that fell 2000
years ago.
Uri shared with us how this site looked back when it was
completed, with the help of Cody, who played Mount Moriah and Dave, who helped
to hold up the retaining walls that supported the platform on which the Temple
was constructed.
When you see these
stones up close, you are amazed at the size of each of them. Using volunteers, Uri shared how they could
move stones of this size back in ancient times.
Uri, once again, set the scene for us perfectly and challenged
us to consider why this place was so important to us, and why it has been
important throughout history. He talked
about the ruins that were behind him and the reason the Temple fell. We are taught that the First Temple was destroyed
because of our sins against God. That
Temple was rebuilt. The Second Temple was
destroyed because we could not get along with each other. Sinat chinam, or baseless hatred, is what
brought this Temple down. Perhaps, as
Uri suggested, what we need more of in this world is more baseless love rather than
baseless hatred. It definitely gives us
all a lot to think about.
We then made our way up to the main plaza where we came face
to face with the Western Wall.
Uri, once
again, set the scene for us. Some people
find meaning there because of its history.
Some because of its religious meaning.
Some go back to the 67 war when the paratroopers brought the Israeli flag
back to the Temple Mount for the first time in 19 years. And some find meaning because we are there as
a community. We all had our moment to be
with the Wall. Once again, I made my way
to “my” stone and laid my hands and let the prayers flow.
For me, this is a difficult place to be, especially on a
trip with my Hayley. You can see that
the photos I shared are all of the men in our group and their time at the Wall. I tried to get everyone, and I apologize for
those I missed. But for me, the Wall is
not quite as meaningful as it could be because I cannot go with Hayley and wrap
my arms around her and tough the Wall together.
I yearn for the day when I can come here with Leasa, Carly and Hayley
once again, and we can experience this together.
I am grateful for the many women in our group who took
Hayley under their wing and made sure I could see her encounter with the Wall
through their camera lens. One day I
hope to see it with my own eyes.
Hayley and I shared a long and emotional embrace following
our time at the Wall. Seems that she
felt the same missing element as I did.
I cannot wait to walk the Western Wall tunnels with her tomorrow night
where we can have our moment.
After our time at the Wall we made our way up the stairs to
the Jewish Quarter where we enjoyed some lunch and a little shopping time. Hayley and I have been looking for a
necklace for her with her Hebrew name on it and we are having one made. They were going to ship it to the US but the
store owner, David, asked where we were staying and he is going to hand deliver
it to her once it is completed. Only in
Israel!
Following lunch, Uri walked us around the Jewish Quarter of
the Old City where we stopped to look at the Hurva Square, which is the center
of modern-day life in the Jewish Quarter, King Hezekiah’s Broad Wall, a massive
wall built to protect Jerusalem 2700 years ago, and a walk along the rooftops
of the Old City where we saw the domes of the three great religious landmarks:
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (marking where Jesus is believed to have been
crucified), The Jewish Quarter’s Hurva
Synagogue, and the Dome of the Rock, one of Islam’s most sacred and beautiful
sites.
Seeing the Old City from atop the rooftops shows us how
small an area this is, and how so many faiths live in such close quarters to
each other with relative peace. It is
also amazing to be in a place that is so important to so many faiths. How blessed we are to be here together.
We had a little down time at the hotel before walking back
to the Mamilla pedestrian arcade for dinner before our final event for the night. Mamilla is a fantastic place! Especially at night with the thousands of
twinkle lights.
We were so lucky to be in Israel with the Festival of Light
that is going on. We saw projections on
the wall of the Old City along with some really cool light up characters. It was packed with people enjoying the
lights! What a great reminder for us to
bring our light to the world.
We then made our way to The Night Spectacular at the Tower
of David Museum, where the walls of the Citadel serve as the stage for this
nighttime show that is a celebration of sight and sound – that told the story
of King David.
We had a nice walk back to the hotel together and are
turning in for the night, exhausted from a full day, and looking forward to
what tomorrow brings. Tomorrow, we will
experience Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the 6 million and museum, a heavy,
difficult look at man’s cruelty to man.
Uri spoke today of sinat chinam, baseless hatred. I can’t think of a more perfect example of
this than the holocaust. I know this will
be especially emotional for Hayley, as she was too young to enter Yad Vashem
when we visited Israel 4 years ago. I
will do my best to be present for her through this, and to be present for our
whole group who will deal with the horrors of the Nazi final solution. I remember how Uri made this place so
meaningful with his insights last trip, and I know he will do so again.
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