Israel & Jordan 2018 (Part 2)
As I’m walking back to the hotel, I realize that tomorrow’s tour of the Holy Sepulchre with my main tour group will probably not have time to go into the Tomb or to see Golgotha either, so I decide to head back to the Church around 5PM where hopefully it will be less crowded and still be able to make it back in time for our group’s welcome dinner at 8PM. So after a short disco nap, I’m trekking back down to the Old City and I actually manage to find my way to the church on my own and it’s still packed. Like crazy packed. The line to Golgotha is shorter so I go there first. Up the stairs and then join the mass of people in “line” to see the altar of the chapel built where Jesus was crucified. So the chapel is very ornate with hanging lamps, etc and it’s just a bit too much. But I think this chapel is owned by the Greek Orthodox so that makes sense. I finally get in close and apparently the thing to do is kneel under the altar and touch the rock where Jesus’ blood came down. Next I’m off to the Tomb. Another massive “line” and I’m using air quotes because it’s just a mass of people with no real line. And again the structure is overly ornate (for my Episcopalian sensibilities) and there is a Greek Orthodox Priest who is sheparding people into the structure and quickly herding them out. But I finally get in and some eastern european women (I think) are basically throwing themselves on the rock slab where Jesus’ body was laid. My 30 seconds in the tomb go by too quickly and then I’m sheparded out. Which is sort of good since I need to get back to my hotel to shower and change for dinner. As I’m walking back, I’m thinking about my lack of spiritual connection when I was in the church, Golgotha, the Tomb. And I’m a little surprised and saddened.
I made it back in time for a quick change and then made it downstairs to meet my tour group for our welcome dinner. And I’m super relieved to find out that we are a small group, only 11 people. Well 12 if you count Moody our tour guide. We do some quick introductions and then head off to a very nice welcome dinner hosted by the owner of the Israeli gay tour company. So there were actually two group, one big group like 30 plus and then our small group. And I must say we bonded quickly, exchanging stories, and telling jokes. Our group was made up of six Americans, a fun couple from Montreal, one guy from Berlin, my roommate from Brazil as well as a guy who lives in the US, but is from Brazil. So very much a fun group. After dinner, we went to the Mamilla Hotel for a welcome party that included some local drag queens. Or course. But it was fun. And a great way to start off the trip.
So the next morning, Ciao, Robert (a Delta pilot), and I got up early to go to the Temple Mount. I knew our planned tour did not go there and I really wanted to see it. So we got up early and with only some small difficulty made our way back to the Western Well (through the Armenian Quarter this time), through the Jewish security, then exited the Western Wall, and through the Arab controlled security for the Temple Mount. We only had to wait a few minutes before we were let in. So Jews are not allowed on the Temple Mount and non-Muslims are not allowed to pray up on the Mount, but you can wander around and I will say that it is very pretty up there. In addition to the Dome of the Rock with its golden dome, there is also an important Mosque (the al-Aqsa Mosque) which of course as non-believers we can’t go in. But the three of us wandered around and took some pics under the already hot early morning sun and then it was time to head back to the hotel to clean up and grab breakfast. So needless to say I do not eat kosher at home so I was a bit disappointed by the lack of bacon or sausage, but I will say the hotel breakfast buffet was amazing and delicious.
Time for our tour and we headed off to the Israeli Museum. One of the first things we see at the Museum is a replica of ancient Jerusalem which shows the original Jewish Temple, the walls of the city, Herod’s palace, Golgotha, etc. Moody did a great job of providing the historical context of ancient Jerusalem, how the temple was destroyed, how the city was destroyed, and rebuilt. Destroyed and rebuilt. The role of the crusaders (hint: not good) and how the current city aligns with the ancient Jerusalem most people know from the Bible. Then it was time to see the Dead Sea scrolls and the exhibit was fascinating. How they were found, and bought by the State of Israel, and some of the research that’s been done on them. Then finally we did a quick tour of the Jewish culture section of the Museum which includes exhibits from Jewish communities from around the world from Iraq and Armenia to India and Malaysia. It was also pretty interesting. But then it was time for our tour of the Old City with Moody.
Having a smaller group made for a much more enjoyable tour of the Old City. While we didn’t go into the Armenian quarter, Moody did mention that Kim Kardashian had North West baptized at the Armenian Church here in the Old City and amazingly enough it was a relatively low key event. We made our way back to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Moody explained the various religions that are in the church and took us to some of the smaller chapel in addition to showing us Golgotha and the Tomb. Needless to say it was packed, but this time with a little bit more time to explore, I will say that I think the church is very pretty. Still not a fan of the ornate decorations or all of the hanging lamps, but that’s fine. And as I wandered a bit through the church, I think one of the reasons I was having a hard time with making a spiritual connection is that the church was packed. And loud. Surrounded by the masses all talking, praying, etc in various languages made it difficult for me to find the inner quiet that I think I needed to make a spiritual connection. And I’m not sure that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is ever really quiet enough for contemplation. I do want to go back again some day now that I’ve experienced it from a historical perspective, maybe at night when the tour buses have gone, so just sit there and pray and listen to God.
After the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we went to a great hummus restaurant. It’s owned by a Muslim family which is fine, but it was also Ramadan, so they were making food for other people, but not eating themselves which I find a bit interesting. While a majority of residents of the Old City are Muslim, there are plenty of Jews and Christians (Orthodox mainly I think) and they, for the most part, live together well. While the City is traditionally divided by the four quarters, Arabs can live in the Jewish Quarter, and vice versa. It seemed like, for the most part, everyone keeps their religions to themselves and just goes about their own lives. Notice I said “for the most part”. Well as Moody was taking us through the Old City showing us some of stations on the Via Dolorosa he turns and says that now he’s going to take us to the Western Wall which is part of the Temple Mount. Well an Arabic guy who had been sitting nearby comes up to Moody and tells Moody not to call it the Temple Mount. And they have a little “discussion”. Moodly is speaking Arabic to him and trying to calm him down but the guy gets a little animated and finally Moody is like let’s just keep moving. And we are all a bit curious. Well after we left the Arab Quarter and are approaching the Western Wall, Moody stops to explain the altercation. Apparently there is a new thing where the Muslims are trying to deny that the Jewish Temple was ever on the Temple Mount, they are denying its very existence, and saying that it should not be called the Temple Mount, it should just be called by its Arabic name for the Dome of the Rock and the mosque that is up there. So that was a little bit sad.