Israel Day 8
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Phil's Journal
|
For our final
day of touring in Israel our guide, Doron took us through more of the
"old and new" of Jerusalem. Our bus let us enter the old city at
"Crusader's Gate". This gate was only recently discovered and
opened to the public. It is located just adjacent to the southwest
corner of the Temple Mount. This was the day that we would all
learn very clearly many of details about the Great Temple and the Temple
Mount. The best explanation we could ever have was given to us
inside a new Davidson
Center where we saw a 3-D computer simulation of the Temple at the
time of Herod, the builder of the second Temple. Now, the ruins that we
were about to see all made sense. The Temple itself was constructed on
a very large platform that was the size of 10 football fields all on the
side of a very large hill. It was constructed as an overhang,
supported at its based by huge columns and stone resembling a "walk-out"
basement of today. The so-called Western Wall is not a wall of the
defunct Temple but rather the wall of the Temple Mount (the platform).
We were shown the remains of the area where Jews purchased the animals
for sacrifice, an entry to a purification bath (mikvah),
and the main entry steps to the Temple Mount from the south. Drawings
of what the Temple might have looked like were displayed. The Temple
itself was a large stone building at the center of the Temple Mount.
Here, the "holy of
holies" (Ark
of the Covenant)
was stored. The sacrifices were made on a large alter, just adjacent to
the great Temple. The Temple and all the surrounding beautiful stone
construction including over-hanging arches were all destroyed by the
Romans. Today, in the exact place of the Temple, lies the
Dome of the Rock.
This Moslem Mosque has a gold roof and is believed to be the spot where
Mohammed ascended to heaven. While we were walking around the ruins, we
stopped for a group photo on the south steps to the Temple mount. Here
our guide made us aware that here (not the Western Wall) was the
spot where our Jewish forefathers walked up to enter the Great Temple.
Of course now, the Moslems own the Temple mount and no Jews can go
there. We left the south steps and walked around to enter the
Western Wall area. From here, our guide took us into the tunnels that uncovered the foundations of the Temple Mount. As we walked deeper into the complex we found the spot that the stone construction of the Temple Mount met bedrock. |
We exited the
tunnel at the
Via Dolorosa and our guide explain to us the "stations" of Jesus'
last walk (to be crucified). We walked (above ground) through the
Armenian Quarter and back to the Western Wall area. Here at The Western
Wall, the men and women were separated so that each could approach the
Wall. Today was a bright sunny day where many Bar Mitzvahs were taking
place here. Young 13 year old boys were reading from Torahs and much
singing and dancing was occurring throughout the immediate area of the
Western Wall. I was struck by the scene that I was seeing. Before me
was a joyous rite of Bar Mitzvah and within two feet, a soldier stood by
with a loaded rifle. This is Israel today: a precious location, a love
of religion all done in the caution of an impending attack at any moment
from those who despise this situation. I captured this moment in a
photo. We left the Old City to walk through a beautiful outdoor market in new Jerusalem (Mahane Yehuda) . Fresh produce, spices, meats, fish, and baked goods were all on display. Many of our group purchased items. We had lunch at the far end of the Market and went on our way to walk through the back alleys of some post-1948 constructed homes. We found our bus and headed for the Israel Museum. Here, former mayor Teddy Kolleck, built the first place for Jewish art and culture in new Jerusalem. He gained acceptance of this museum when he convinced the authorities to build an exhibition hall for the famous Dead Sea Scrolls. We all went through the exhibit and saw ancient writings that we heard about at Qumran. We saw some other art in additional galleries and stopped at the excellent gift shop for souvenirs. Our last stop for the day and our tour was at Zion Gate, the entry to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. As we entered this now famous shopping area our guide explained to us the ruins that we were looking at. This ruins were that of the Roman city from the time after the destruction of the Great Temple. We saw Roman columns and the remains of the street called a "cardo". The shopping area in the Jewish Quarter is now just called the Cardo. So, now, today, we fly back to the U.S.A. Seeing this place, listening to the history, observing the people and the tradition was something everyone in our group will never forget. Our guide's final comments to us were that he not only wanted to show us Israel but make us feel part of this place. He also wanted us to become good ambassadors for this land. Without doubt, his mission was accomplished. |
