The weekend between Christmas and New Year's found me in Jerusalem again. I had to work on a visit from a senior US official, so the Embassy put me up in the David Citadel hotel (where Condoleeza stays when she's in town), just outside the Old City. After spending much of the day in preparations for the Senator's visit, the hotel's well-stocked executive lounge was a welcome dining spot just down the hall from my room.
A few strokes of luck got us on a very exclusive tour the following morning. First, I more or less got off the hook in terms of work for Saturday and second I happened to contact a friend who works at the Consulate in Jerusalem who happened to be taking some people on this tour and some of the intended participants happened to cancel since the tour was originally scheduled for Sunday and had been moved at the last minute to Saturday. So, just like that I had a plan to visit the Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock, and Al Aqsa Mosque which are typically closed to non-Muslims.
The Dome of the Rock marks the place of the tip of Mount Moriah, the place that Genesis proclaims that Abraham prepared Isaac for sacrifice. And, like all places of great historical interest, it was under major renovations inside at the time of our visit. Instead of Abraham and Isaac, we found buckets and scaffolding atop the famed mountain. The interior was still breathtaking and highly recommended. The mosque was also beautiful, with high ceilings and tall white columns and windows allowing rays of sunlight to brighten the expansive space.
After this tour we visited the Western Wall again. It was much more animated this time since it was Shabbat. The men's section was positively filled with devotees visiting the wall. The women's section was about equally filled as the previous visit. The men had various factions separated (by outward appearances) according to manner of dress: there were those in the typical black suits with hats and curls, there were those with the suits and large furry Russian looking hats, those in more modern dress wearing yarmulkes or berets, and those in various long robes and headcoverings. Each group had its own set of songs and ways of worship, and at times it seemed one group would try to outdo the rest by singing louder and more emphatically than the next. One guy in a long robe, seemingly on his own, stood at this makeshift pulpit and was seriously getting down. I mean, this guy had rhythm! And he was letting everyone know about it. We might have a photo of this scene, but it's strictly verboten, so I'm really not sure how it got on our memory card.
After the Old City, I headed over to the Israel Museum and Shrine of the Book to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was really neat to see these ancient remnants. They also have a model of the Old City during the Second Temple Period (when the Jewish temple sat on the Temple Mount instead of the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque...destroyed by the Romans on August 4, 70 A.D.--Not sure how they have the exact date, but whatever...)
On our way back to the hotel, I got a text message that the IDF had invaded Gaza. It marked the beginning of daily uncertainty about the war's future as well as the second time war broke out during a stay in Israel, causing my family here to later remark (jokingly) that it is my fault.
A friend in "modest dress" outside the dome.
The tip of the mighty Mount Moriah...
Inside the Dome (the part that isn't being renovated).
Inside Al Aqsa Mosque.
Western Wall on Shabbat (and during Chanukkah).
Oddly enough, the Israel Museum did not have a coat check, but it DID have a weapons check!
Model of the Old City with the Second Temple on top of the Temple Mount.
A few strokes of luck got us on a very exclusive tour the following morning. First, I more or less got off the hook in terms of work for Saturday and second I happened to contact a friend who works at the Consulate in Jerusalem who happened to be taking some people on this tour and some of the intended participants happened to cancel since the tour was originally scheduled for Sunday and had been moved at the last minute to Saturday. So, just like that I had a plan to visit the Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock, and Al Aqsa Mosque which are typically closed to non-Muslims.
The Dome of the Rock marks the place of the tip of Mount Moriah, the place that Genesis proclaims that Abraham prepared Isaac for sacrifice. And, like all places of great historical interest, it was under major renovations inside at the time of our visit. Instead of Abraham and Isaac, we found buckets and scaffolding atop the famed mountain. The interior was still breathtaking and highly recommended. The mosque was also beautiful, with high ceilings and tall white columns and windows allowing rays of sunlight to brighten the expansive space.
After this tour we visited the Western Wall again. It was much more animated this time since it was Shabbat. The men's section was positively filled with devotees visiting the wall. The women's section was about equally filled as the previous visit. The men had various factions separated (by outward appearances) according to manner of dress: there were those in the typical black suits with hats and curls, there were those with the suits and large furry Russian looking hats, those in more modern dress wearing yarmulkes or berets, and those in various long robes and headcoverings. Each group had its own set of songs and ways of worship, and at times it seemed one group would try to outdo the rest by singing louder and more emphatically than the next. One guy in a long robe, seemingly on his own, stood at this makeshift pulpit and was seriously getting down. I mean, this guy had rhythm! And he was letting everyone know about it. We might have a photo of this scene, but it's strictly verboten, so I'm really not sure how it got on our memory card.
After the Old City, I headed over to the Israel Museum and Shrine of the Book to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was really neat to see these ancient remnants. They also have a model of the Old City during the Second Temple Period (when the Jewish temple sat on the Temple Mount instead of the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque...destroyed by the Romans on August 4, 70 A.D.--Not sure how they have the exact date, but whatever...)
On our way back to the hotel, I got a text message that the IDF had invaded Gaza. It marked the beginning of daily uncertainty about the war's future as well as the second time war broke out during a stay in Israel, causing my family here to later remark (jokingly) that it is my fault.
A friend in "modest dress" outside the dome.
The tip of the mighty Mount Moriah...
Inside the Dome (the part that isn't being renovated).
Inside Al Aqsa Mosque.
Western Wall on Shabbat (and during Chanukkah).
Oddly enough, the Israel Museum did not have a coat check, but it DID have a weapons check!
Model of the Old City with the Second Temple on top of the Temple Mount.
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