Shabbat in Yerushalayim

Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008

Contributed by: Lynn Sherman and Debbie Cohn

We had a wonderful Shabbat here in Yerushalayim. After a delicious breakfast we walked together up King David Street to Shabbat Services at the Hebrew Union College. We were warmly welcomed, and Rabbi Miller was honored by having an Aliyah. The service was wonderful, we really enjoyed the singing and participation by the students. We shared Kiddush, and met interesting travelers from many other parts of America.

At around noon, the two groups divided. The first timers headed over to the Museum of the History of Jerusalem in the Tower of David, near the Jaffa Gate in the Old City. Our guide Mike was full of fascinating information, and we saw a beautiful Chihuly glass chandelier at the entrance.

We then went into the Old City through the Jaffa gate, had a quick lunch of Shwarma and Falafel, and many of us tried the sesame bagels as well. Fresh squeezed pomegranate juice was a highlight. We took a short walk through the Arab quarter, and ended up on the roof tops overlooking Jerusalem. Mike read some beautiful poetry that touched our hearts.

The “repeaters” followed a similar path. We walked through the new area of David’s City and up to the Jaffa Gate, where we stopped for water and soft sesame bagels. Rabbi Miller made sure to get some zatar herbs to dip the bread into—it is the most delicious combination! After that, we walked into the Christian quarter, where our guide Mike (yes, both guides are named Mike!) explained the complexity of the different Christian sects and denominations which share “custody” of the quarter, and particularly of the Church of the Holy Supulchre. We then walked through the bustling and colorful shuk to get to the church.

The courtyard outside, and the church inside were both simply PACKED with tour groups and other visitors. We squished ourselves inside and were treated to a combination of an Armenian procession with censors scenting the air, Roman Catholic organ music, and a Greek Orthodox priest overseeing the proceedings, because all this was taking place in “his” section of the church. We moved through slowly, stopping once more to see a 1st century Jewish burial cave which is inside the church.

When we left the church, we stopped for 30 minutes for a lunch break nearby, and then we walked back through the shuk again. It was slow going, because it was crowded and was simply a feast for the eyes. We departed the Old City through the Jaffa Gate, stopping to discuss the phenomenon of visitors who have religious epiphanies as a result of their visit to Israel.

Then we walked leisurely back to our hotel, stopping from time to time so Mike could read us selections of poetry by Yehuda Amichai, an Israeli poet who lived in the Yemin Moshe neighborhood through which we were walking. The poetry gave a poignant glimpse of Israeli life and really enhanced our experience of the city today.

At 5:00, we shared a wonderful Havdallah Service in the courtyard of the hotel, and then had the privilege to hear about the current political situation in Israel today from a professor at Hebrew University. Afterwards, we all headed out for some shopping and dinner around and about this beautiful city. Tomorrow—more explorations of the Old City.