Friday, October 31, 2008

Going Up To--and Down Under--Jerusalem


Friday, Oct. 31, 2008

Early this morning, 58 very bleary-eyed Anshe Emeth congregants arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on two separate flights. The main contingent, including Rabbi Miller, flew over on El Al, and reports have it that almost no one slept very much during the 10.5 hour flights thanks to crying babies and continuous davening in the aisles. After collecting their luggage, they headed to the Haas Promenade to say a shechecheyanu upon their arrival in Jerusalem. Six of us arrived an hour later on Continental, and played catch-up to the main group. And 4 people who arrived in Israel earlier this week came out to the airport to meet the earlier plane. But by about 10:30 a.m., we were all together at the City of David National Park, just south of the Temple Mount.

City of David is a fantastic place which is largely underground. The area consists of the original Israelite city of King David's time, and the most remarkable aspect of the site is the underground water system which has been used for thousands of years to bring water into Jerusalem. The water tunnels are opened to the public, and the park was full of tour groups climbing down endless series of steps, descending into the tunnels and walking on ancient pathways.

Looking down at the Royal Quarter

As planned, we are divided into two groups each day for touring. The "first timers" went to view the archaeological remains of the city itself, the "Royal Quarter", which is terraced onto the side of the hill. The remains of a number of massive buildings have been uncovered and can be seen from the observation areas on the top of the site. The group then headed down to explore the area around Hezekiah's water tunnel. This 1,750-foot tunnel was created in the bedrock of the mount in order to divert the waters of the Gihon Spring, Jerusalem's main water supply. King Hezekiah's


engineers accomplished this task in order to protect the city during the siege by the Assyrian empire (~701 BCE.) Although the group wasn't able to walk through the tunnel itself, as planned, they did go down through Warren's Shaft, a vertical system which meets up with yet another tunnel which accesses the Gihon Spring. They also surveyed the Shiloah Pool, the main mikveh which allowed visitors to the Temple Mount to ritually cleanse themselves before climbing up the long staircase to the Temple.

"First Timers" underground

The "repeaters" group was privileged to be guided by Eli Shukrun, the archaeologist who is in charge of the latest work in this area, exploring the Shiloah tunnel system. This system is not as deep as Hezekiah's tunnel, but it is significantly older.





"Repeaters" listen to Eli Shukrun while looking down at
the "Royal Quarter"

The latest excavations have made it clear that hidden tunnels accessed the Gihon Spring in the time of Abraham, when the Canaanites still lived on the site later conquered by King David. The group also went down through Warren's Shaft, then entered the newer excavation and followed the stairways deeper into bedrock until they came to the area of the original Gihon pool. This large underground pool allowed water to be drawn and then taken up to the surface. It became a dry empty area when Hezekiah's tunnel diverted the water away further below ground, and subsequently houses were built in that spot. Foundations of the houses are still there, deep underground. This area is not usually open to the public, but Eli Shukrun has the key to the gate, and he took us inside.

Descending into the water shaft

At that point, we were given warning that the way ahead was VERY narrow--it is a small cramped tunnel which leads to just above the Gihon Spring water (up until this point, the tunnels were completely dry.) We carefully followed, ducking to avoid the ceiling and in one place, squeezing through a very small space about 4 feet high and 2 feet wide. After viewing the water beneath our feet, we squished back through to another narrow tunnel which led at last to daylight.


A very narrow space

Both groups stopped for lunch in the German Colony area (falafel or shwarma for most of us) and then were taken to the Inbal hotel. We collected our luggage and checked in, but only 2 hours later it was time to meet for kabbalat shabbat services. This time we split into 3 groups, visiting Kol HaNeshamah or Har El (both Reform congregations), or the Great Synagogue, an Orthodox synagogue. At 7:30 we went to dinner at Beit Shalom, a historic landmark building built in the Bauhaus school of design, containing beautiful art and furniture dating to the original owners from the 1930s. The food was delicious and we were invited to walk through the house and simply enjoy ourselves. We were all more than ready, however, to go back to the hotel to sleep, especially when we heard the ambitious agenda that Rabbi Miller and our guides have waiting for us in the next couple of days!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Simchat Torah 5769


October 21, 2008
Photos by Adam Cohen
and Ira Gordon

On Simchat Torah, it is our AEMT tradition to consecrate all the children who are beginning their religious school education this year. First, we take a group photo of our entering class of 5769. Then, the children go upstairs to wait eagerly outside in the vestibule, holding tightly to their very own miniature Torahs, while the congregation begins our special Simchat Torah service in the sanctuary.


At the appropriate moment, the children are led into the sanctuary and they take their place on the bimah for a special consecration blessing. Then, with the rabbis and lay leaders of Anshe Emeth, the newly consecrated students lead a joyful hakafah through the entire congregation....





....and into Reitman Hall, where the dancing and celebration continue!











Members of our Junior Choir join Cantor Ott and Anshe Emeth's own Awesome Family Band to lead the singing as the dancing continues.


After the dancing, we go back into the sanctuary, unroll the Torahs, and listen to the rabbis chant the verses which complete the annual Torah reading cycle and begin again "in the beginning" with Beresheet. By the time we end the reading, the children are so comfortable that they go up to the bimah to help Rabbi Miller and Rabbi Fellman put the Torahs back into the Ark.

At the conclusion of the service, we all go back to Reitman Hall and celebrate the sweetness of Torah and of learning with candy and juice. It was a wonderful evening!