Tel Aviv
Exercising an abundance of caution, we left our hotel in Amman for the airport four hours before flight time. We had been warned that security associated with flights from Amman to Tel Aviv was difficult and could be lengthy. That turned out not to be the case for us which meant we had lots of extra time to explore the Amman airport, time we didn’t need as the airport is not that big.
With that said, we did go through security twice and both times they made us unwrap a beautiful Egyptian painting on alabaster that we had purchased in Luxor. The store had carefully wrapped it in bubble wrap followed with a generous application of packing tape in order to protect it while in transit. Unfortunately, the entire package fell out of the van when the tail gate was opened at the airport. It wasn’t until the first unwrapping at the Amman airport that we discover the fall had broken off a sizable portion of the top-left corner. I was mortified. And then mortified again when passing through security the second time and having to unwrap the entire package yet again.
Eventually, we board the airplane and make the 30-minute flight to Tel Aviv. Now, Israel is well known to have, perhaps, the tightest airport security in the world, so it is highly recommended that you pay for VIP services, which we did. With the VIP services, you are met at the gate, ushered through visa processing and passport control and, in a matter of minutes, you are in baggage claim collecting your luggage. It was quick, efficient and expensive.
For the Israel portion of our adventure (Tel Aviv and Jerusalem), we will be joined by our Bay Area friend, Cindy Black. Cindy is a world traveler who leans towards adventure. She has been almost everywhere in the world, completed over 20 Back Roads trips and recently visited Antarctica followed by Easter Island. Liz and I were thrilled when she raised her hand to join us in Israel.
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| Dome of the Rock, Temple Mount, Jerusalam |
When we arrive at our hotel in Tel Aviv, Cindy is already there having flown in from a business trip in Singapore. Liz and I quickly freshen up and the three of us head out on foot for dinner which provides an opportunity to catch up on our respective travels and life since we had last seen each other.
Background
It’s a cliché to say that life in the Middle East is complicated and, in fact, it is and that means the establishment of Tel Aviv is also complicated. Tel Aviv actually didn’t exist until its founding in 1909 when 66 Jewish families gathered on a sand dune to parcel out building lots adjacent to the ancient port city of Jaffa which traces its roots back to 1800 BC. From these nascent beginnings, growth was slow until, in 1917, the Ottomans, who ruled over large portions of the Middle East and beyond, expelled the residents of Tel Aviv and Jaffa.
Later that same year, the British defeated the Ottomans as part of the battlegrounds of World War I and took control of the area known as Palestine. In 1920, with the war over, Britain was granted a Mandate for Palestine which attempted to reward all of those who sided with the Allies during the war as well as recognize the various factions vying for self-determination. The British were given a "dual mandate", that is, on behalf of Palestine’s inhabitants on the one hand, and on behalf of "international society" on the other. As a consequence, Britain had a dual obligation towards both Arabs and Jews. As part of their mandate, the British drew borders including granting the eastern bank of the Jordan River to the Hashemite Kingdom and, thereby, establishing the country of Jordan.
During the mandate era, two different social systems developed under one political framework, a Jewish one and an Arab one. Each society had its own welfare, educational, and cultural institutions and they gradually became politically and economically independent of one another. As a consequence of this relative stability, the population grew dramatically from 700,000 in 1922 to 1.8 million in 1945 partially due to escalating birthrates, but also due to massive Jewish immigration fleeing from Nazi control of Eastern Europe during World War II.
As the population expanded, tensions between Arabs and Jews also escalated requiring frequent intercession by the British. In 1948, civil war broke out between Tel Aviv (primarily Jewish) and neighboring Jaffa (primarily Arab). After several months of siege, on May 13, 1948, Jaffa fell and the Arab population fled en masse. The next day, believing their Mandate to be an impossible mission, the British abandoned Palestine and headed home. The same day, Israel announced its independence and created the State of Israel. Well, that should solve the problem – just kidding, it didn’t.
Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, the new State of Israel began annexing portions of Jaffa beginning with those neighborhoods with primarily Jewish residents. Within two years, the cities were completely united and the name changed to Tel Aviv-Yafo, and most commonly referred to simply as Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv’s population continued to grow for the next couple of decades until in the 70s and 80s when a sharp decline occurred primarily due to housing prices that kept the younger generation out. But then things began to pick up again partially due to a wave of Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union – 42,000 young, well-educated immigrants skilled in science, technology and math. Concurrent with this, young locals began coming back to the city, the birthrate picked up and Tel Aviv began to take off.
Today, Tel Aviv has a greater metro area population of nearly 4 million and a booming economy driven by high-tech and tourism. The city has modern architecture, excellent infrastructure, great food and a non-stop nightlife. And it conveniently sits on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean providing an exceptional beachfront that stretches for miles. Tel Aviv is a beautiful city.
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| Tel Aviv |
Thursday, November 21, 2019
This morning we have booked a food tasting tour with Delicious Israel. As noted above, Tel Aviv has a reputation for excellent food and this tour was designed to get us started off on the right foot. The tour begins at Carmel Market – the largest market, or shuk, in Tel Aviv. It is a vibrant marketplace where traders sell everything from clothing to spices, and fruits to electronics. The hustle and bustle, vibrant noise, colors and smells, as well as its reputation as the largest authentic Middle-Eastern style shuk in Tel Aviv, all combine to make the Carmel Market a favorite place for everyone from first time tourists visiting the city, to locals who come here to get the freshest fruit and vegetables, and some of the cheapest products in the city.
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| Carmel Market |
We walk the length of the market until we arrive at the designated meeting place where we hook up with our guide, Tovah, and meet our fellow foodies – a couple of guys from London. Tovah takes us back into the market where we walk from one storefront to another sampling their offerings which included the best homemade falafel any of us has ever eaten. After tasting from no less than six different stores, we complete our 2½ hour tour at Arte, an authentic Italian ice cream parlor. Fantastic! The tour is an excellent introduction to both the Carmel Market as well as Israeli cuisine which is indeed, delicious. What a great way to begin our exploration of this city.
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| Our Delicious Israel guide, Tovah, distributing freshly made falafel |
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| Inspecting the spices at Carmel Market - (l to r) Cindy, Liz, Tovah and two guys from London |
We spend the afternoon visiting a couple of art museums and stroll through Old Jaffa which is close to our hotel. That evening we enjoy an excellent dinner at Claro before returning to our hotel after a long day of walking Tel Aviv.
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| The Clock Tower near our hotel - day and night |
Friday, November 22, 2019
This morning we head back to the Carmel Market for the arts & crafts fair that is held on an adjacent street every Tuesday and Friday. In order to display at this market, the products must be handmade and the artist must be present. We spend well over an hour visiting every booth. It is impressive and fun and we each purchase multiple items, primarily as gifts for family back home. We also take this opportunity to sample, for the second day in a row, the fantastic falafel and ice cream.
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| Collage of fruits and vegetables from the Carmel Market |
From here, we walk down Rothschild Blvd, one of the oldest and best maintained streets in the city. The boulevard is a divided highway with a wide pedestrian walkway and green zone that runs down its center. It is a beautiful day and there are many other pedestrians enjoying Rothschild Blvd including its several street performers and musicians.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
In the Jewish religion, Saturday is the sabbath which they call Shabbat. The bible begins by describing God’s creation of the universe in six days and then resting on the seventh. Shabbat is the day of rest for Jews and, at least in Israel, it is taken very seriously. Jewish law prohibits “work” on Shabbat where “work” is defined by 39 categories including farming, baking, sewing, writing letters, making a fire, tying your shoes, etc. These are ancient laws requiring adaptation into todays’ more modern society.
Within the Orthodox or Conservative Jewish religion, the use of electricity and automobiles is also prohibited. And these rules have given birth to some clever work arounds. For example, the use of an elevator is a prohibited activity because the act of pushing a button is considered “work”. Tel Aviv is a city full of high-rise buildings and, thus, lots of elevators. So, elevators in Tel Aviv have been modified to stop automatically at every floor on Shabbat eliminating the need to push a button.
Now, there are exceptions to these rules, for example, when life and death are on the line, and there are secular Jews who do not follow the rules. However, on this Saturday in Tel Aviv, there is a noticeable difference in activity on the streets and a substantial reduction in the number of cars.
Which creates the perfect opportunity for today’s activity. Cindy, Liz and I walk 3+ miles north along the beach and then back. The beachfront is magical. Wide beaches with soft, white sand extending for miles. Pathways that parallel the beach and wind their way through parks, playgrounds, restaurants and coffee shops and past the marina. Sports courts with people playing beach volleyball and soccer. This is a vibrant scene and it is a beautiful day and the residents of Tel Aviv are out enjoying their day of rest.
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| Miles of beautiful beach in Tel Aviv |
Upon our return, we head into the old town of Jaffa where we visit the port and walk the alleyways that have been converted to an artists’ studio where numerous artists have opened their shops and make their creations available to the public. This is definitely worth a visit.
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| Beautiful urban artwork in Jaffa |
From Jaffa, we return to the beach as I must swim in the Mediterranean. While on this adventure, I have taken every opportunity to swim in the Mediterranean including Valencia, Mallorca, Cartagena, Granada and Barcelona in Spain; Saint Tropez in France; the Amalfi Coast in Italy; multiple places in the Greek Islands; and, finally, Tel Aviv. The water is warm and perfect, just like it is everywhere.
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Today, we will meet our guide who will stay with us for the remainder of our trip. His name is Amir who was a referral from an acquaintance of Cindy's who lives in Tel Aviv. As with our other guides, Amir is perfect. Knowledgeable, personable, engaging and interesting.
Amir picks us up at the hotel at 8:30 and we do a walking tour of Jaffa. We then get in his car and head for the old train station, HaTachana, the first train station built in the Middle East in 1892. The station has been restored and the surrounding area has been turned into design studios, shops and restaurants. It’s a cool place with a sense of history in an otherwise modern city.
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| The Gate of Faith in Abrasha Park, Jaffa with Liz and Cindy |
From here, we head to Rabin Square – a large public square with city hall on its northern boundary. “Peace in the Middle East” has been a mantra for centuries and, likely, millennia. In my lifetime, there have been several attempts including the Camp David Accords in 1978 signed by Sadat (Egypt) and Begin (Israel) and brokered by President Carter at Camp David. The Camp David Accords defined a framework for self-governance and autonomy for the Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The West Bank refers to a large land mass (2,200 sq miles – about the size of Delaware) that begins on the west bank of the Dead Sea, extends further west to Jerusalem and runs north along the Israeli-Jordan border. The Gaza Strip refers to a much smaller piece of land (140 sq miles) along the Mediterranean that borders Egypt on the south and, otherwise, surrounded by Israel.
Within the British Mandate, the West Bank and Gaza Strip were designated Arab land and when Britain pulled out of Palestine in 1948, Jordan annexed the West Bank as part of Jordan and the Gaza Strip became the home of the Palestinian Government. During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel captured both parcels of land and while it didn’t formally annex the land, they remained under Israeli military control. The Camp David Accord sought to create a framework for the Palestinians living in these areas to achieve self-governance.
Unfortunately, the Camp David Accords were rejected by the United Nations because there was no UN or Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) involvement in their creation and, therefore, the Camp David Accords never took effect. However, they did create the framework for the Oslo Accords fifteen years later in 1993. The Oslo Accords, which did include the PLO and the UN, also provided a framework for Palestinian self-governance, the withdrawal of the Israeli military and a permanent settlement of unresolved issues within five years.
Yitzhak Rabin was Israel’s Prime Minister at the time of signing the Oslo Accords. On the night of November 4, 1995, Rabin was attending a rally at the Kings of Israel Square (re-named Rabin Square) in support of the Oslo Accords when a 25-year old law student and right-wing extremist, who opposed the Oslo Accords, assassinated Rabin as he was leaving the rally. Our guide, Amir, was at the rally when Rabin was assassinated and, even though he was a young boy at the time, the event remains crystal clear in his memory today.
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| Memorial plaque for Yitzhak Rabin |
The Oslo Accords stalled after Rabin’s assassination. While there was progress on the PLO self-governance initiatives and Israel’s military withdrawal, there was no meaningful progress in the unresolved issues that were supposed to be tackled during the five years after the agreement was signed. Further, the right-wing party of Israel, Likud, has held the Prime Minister role for all but three years since Rabin’s death including 14 years with Netanyahu at the helm. The Likud party has shown little affection for the Oslo Accord or promoting Palestinian self-governance. Meanwhile, the PLO over the years has largely disintegrated and has been taken over by the radical Hamas group which several countries, including the US, Canada, EU and Egypt, classify as a terrorist organization.
Did I say it was complicated?
Jerusalem
After our visit to Rabin Square, we are back in the car for the hour-long drive to Jerusalem. We arrive in time for lunch which we enjoy at Machane Yehuda, an open-air market. While not quite as a magnificent as Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, this is also an excellent market with a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, spices and hard goods. We enjoy another round of homemade falafel.
After lunch, we are back in the car and headed for the Jaffa Gate to Old Jerusalem. Before describing this experience, it is important to provide some background as context to what we experienced. Below is a graphic titled, “Timeline of the Land of Israel”, which highlights the influence of the world’s three major religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – on this single location on the planet.
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| Timeline of the Land of Israel |
The timeline begins with Ancient Israel and the building of King Solomon’s Temple around 1000 BC – over three thousand years ago. The location of Solomon’s Temple is called Temple Mount and, among things, the temple contained The Holy of Holies – the most holy site in Judaism as this is where the Ark of the Covenant that held the Ten Commandments was placed. Due to the sanctity of Temple Mount, it remains a practice today for Jews all over the world to face Jerusalem when in prayer.
The timeline then indicates for a period of roughly 400 years, Jerusalem was inhabited by the Babylonians, then the Persians and, finally, the Greeks with Alexander the Great. This was followed by the Hasmonean Dynasty and a re-insertion of the Jews as the governors of Jerusalem. However, this lasted for only 100 years when the Romans took control of the area and King Herod became the ruler of Jerusalem.
King Herod, also known as Herod the Great, was a master builder. The original Solomon’s Temple and its replacements over the centuries, were long gone, but Herod recognized the importance of Temple Mount and directed that a new temple, the Second Temple, be built where Solomon’s Temple once stood. But first, he ordered a massive earthworks project whereby the previous hill that was Temple Mount, was flattened by removing the top of the mountain and spreading this dirt around to create a large, flat courtyard, paved with stones and covering an area of 140 acres. And it was here that he built the Second Temple.
Of course, this is the same King Herod from the Bible who ruled over Jerusalem at the time of Christ’s birth and the Bible states, in the Book of Matthew, that so jealous was Herod of the supposed birth of the King of the Jews, that he ordered the slaughter of every male child two years or younger in Bethlehem. Most historians today believe this is a myth, but it certainly made for a classic good v. evil story surrounding the birth of Christ.
The Roman and secular period in Jerusalem lasted for almost 400 years when Constantine became the ruler of Rome, converted to Christianity and moved the Roman capital to Constantinople, current day’s Istanbul. And, for the next 300 years under Roman control, Jerusalem was under Christian rule.
As the Roman Empire began to fall, the Arabs, who have for centuries lived in the Middle East, captured Jerusalem and proceeded to occupy Jerusalem for the next four centuries. The Arabs' interest in Jerusalem stems from the Islamic belief that the Prophet Muhammad traveled to Jerusalem from Mecca in 610 AD and, while praying on Temple Mount, was swept up into Heaven where he met Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and where God gave him the second of the Five Pillars of the Islamic faith – to pray five time a day. As a result, Jerusalem is the third most holy city in the Islam religion behind only Mecca, where Muhammad was born, and Medina, where Muhammad and his followers fled to from Mecca to escape persecution for their belief in a monotheistic God.
During the early 700s AD, Muhammad’s followers built two amazing structures on Temple Mount. First, the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the site where it is believed Muhammad had prayed before ascending into Heaven. The second, is the Dome of the Rock built on the site of Solomon’s Temple. Today, both of these structures remain in place and serve as daily holy sites for Muslims.
Back to our timeline, Christian crusaders rescued Jerusalem from the Arabs for a period of roughly 200 years before the Arabs and Islam were back in control for the next 600 years. It was then that World War I led to the defeat of the Ottoman Empire by the British and the later establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 as explained above.
And, so, we have Jerusalem as one of the most holy cities on the planet for each of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Each of these religions has hundreds of years in which they controlled Jerusalem, each has important events that are integral to their origin as a religion that occurred in Jerusalem and each view Temple Mount as a supremely holy place. Did I mention earlier that it is complicated?
The Jaffa Gate
Returning now to our tour of Jerusalem where Amir has brought us to the Jaffa Gate. From ancient times, Jerusalem was a walled city accessible through seven gates. Below is a map of the Old City indicating the original seven gates (clockwise from the north: Damascus, Herod’s, Lions’, Golden, Dung, Zion and Jaffa). There is an eighth gate – New Gate – which was added in 1889.
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| Map of the Old City of Jerusalem |
The map also indicates the division of the Old City into four quarters – Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Armenian. The Armenian Quarter traces its origin back to the 4th century AD, when Armenia adopted Christianity as a national religion and Armenian monks settled in Jerusalem. While it considers itself part of the Christian Quarter, it has remained a separate quarter because the Armenians are neither Arab nor Palestinian unlike the residents of the other three quarters.
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| The Jaffa Gate |
It is getting late in the afternoon and we do not have a lot of time to explore the city, so Amir escorts us between the Christian and Armenian Quarters to the Jewish Quarter and we then make our way to the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall. When Herod leveled Temple Mount and created the large, open plaza for the Second Temple, he also surrounded the area with a wall on all four sides.
As you can see in the map, the Jewish Quarter borders portions of the western wall to Temple Mount giving it its name, Western Wall. It is called the Wailing Wall because Jews are prohibited from praying inside the walls of Temple Mount as this area is under the control of the Muslim Quarter. Therefore, Jews who wish to pray facing one of the most holy sites in the world – the home to the Holy of Holies – must stand outside the wall to pray and, literally, thousands of Jews can be found here doing so every day.
Men and women must pray separately and, therefore, we approach the wall from different entrances. We join the crowds of the faithful at the wall which rises up 62 ft above us providing no opportunity to see anything contained within its walls. Some are in silent prayer, others not (hence the name, Wailing Wall). Many are reading from the sacred texts of the Torah. It is easy to tell visitors from the residents as the latter are almost exclusively orthodox and wear black overcoats, black hats and have long, curly sidelocks. It is a somber, reverent experience at the wall.
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| The Western Wall - women to the right, men to the left. Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock in the background |
We spend about an hour at the wall before heading back to our car exiting the Old City through the Dung Gate, so named because this was the gate from which all garbage and residue from sacrifices were transported out of the city.
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| A closer look at the Western or Wailing Wall |
That night we have dinner at Machneyuda Restaurant. It came highly recommended for great food and a great party-like atmosphere. The food is excellent and the atmosphere was loud and rocking. At one point, our waitress came over and shared complimentary shots with us which she then proceeded to do with each of her other tables. Not at all sure how she got home that night.
Monday, November 25, 2019
Today, we have a new guide, Delev, as Amir needed to attend to a sick child at home. We didn’t skip a beat with Delev – he was excellent.
We got an early start and head back to the Western Wall where we briefly visit before joining the 9 AM tunnel tour. The above map of the Old City indicates a tunnel that runs along most of the length of the western wall to Temple Mount. The tunnel, which begins in the Jewish Quarter, extends north and underneath the Muslim Quarter. But it wasn’t always a tunnel. Originally, going back to King Herod’s original construction over 2,000 years ago, this was a road that bordered the exterior wall to the temple. Over the millennia, as we have seen in many other ancient cities during our travels, the ground level of cities rises as one building after another is built on top of the ruins of other buildings. This tunnel was only discovered and excavation began in the mid-19th century.
Today, visitors can walk the nearly 500-meter length of the tunnel and see Herod’s original wall as well as remains from the Crusader and Mamluk periods. Our tour guide was an elderly, overtly partisan, Jewish woman. While she was full of information, it was filtered through a lens where everything the Jews did was good and everything the Arabs did was not. In spite of this, the tunnel tour is certainly worth doing.
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| Liz walking the tunnel - the Western Wall on her right. |
We exit the tunnel through its northern exit (you can only walk the tunnel from south to north) and from here, we make our way over to the Lion’s Gate at the northeast corner to Temple Mount. This entrance marks the start of Jesus’ walk from prison to crucifixion along the Via Dolorosa.
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| The Lion's Gate where Jesus entered Jerusalem on the day of the crucifixion |
Via Dolorosa and the Stations of the Cross
Via Dolorosa translates to Sorrowful Way or the Way of Suffering and is believed to be the path that Jesus followed on the day of his crucifixion. It is a winding 600-meter route that starts at the Lion’s Gate and ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where it is believed that Jesus was buried. Along the route, there are 14 stations marking specific events that occurred that day as written in the Bible. Nine of these stations are on the Via Dolorosa and the remaining five are at the church. The Via Dolorosa is a celebrated pilgrimage for Christians and one can find pictures of the 14 stations in every Catholic Church in the world.
The first station is at the Church of Flagellation which is a Christian church built on the place where Jesus was tried by Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea. According to the Bible, Jesus was brought to Pilate by Jewish chief priests, often referred to as the scribes and the pharisees, because Jesus was critical of their teachings and was developing a large following that was becoming problematic for them. Pilate initially finds no fault with Jesus, but the Jews persist. Pilate then sends Jesus to Herod who also finds no fault with Jesus and returns him to Pilate. Pilate tells the Jews he is going to release Jesus, but they cry out for Pilate to release Barabbas, a convicted murder, instead. Reluctantly, Pilate releases Barabbas and condemns Jesus to death by crucifixion.
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| The First Station - the Church of Flagellation |
The second station is nearby at the Church of Condemnation and the Imposition of the Cross, another Christian church built on the place where it is believed important parts of Jesus’ last day occurred. Specifically, it is believed that this is where the soldiers brought Jesus after the sentence from Pilate to be prepared for crucifixion. Again, according to the Bible, the soldiers wrapped Jesus in a scarlet robe, placed a crown of thorns on his head and a reed in his hand and then mocked him by saying, “Behold, the King of the Jews”. Then they removed the robe and gave Jesus his cross to carry.
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| The Second Station - the Church of Condemnation |
The third, seventh and ninth stations all commemorate places where Jesus, while carrying his cross, fell. Although the Bible doesn’t refer to these falls, they have become a permanent part of Via Dolorosa.
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| The Third Station - Jesus stumbles with the cross |
The fourth station is located at the Armenian Catholic Church where it is believed that Jesus met with his mother, Mary. Again, there is no written account of this meeting in the Bible, but, like the falls above, this meeting with Mary is enshrined on the Via Dolorosa.
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| The Fourth Station - Jesus meets with his mother, Mary |
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| A crowded Via Dolorosa - the Fifth Station on the right |
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| An artist's rendering of the Veil of Veronica - the Sixth Station |
The eight station is marked by the Greek Orthodox Monastery and is believed to be the place where Jesus stopped briefly and spoke to a group of “pious women” saying, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me…”.
The final five Stations of the Cross all occur within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the final stop on the Via Dolorosa. It is here that the two holiest sites in Christianity are housed: the site where Jesus was crucified and where he was buried and, subsequently, resurrected.
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| The Church of the Holy Sepluchre |
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| Panorama of the Church of the Holy Sepluchre |
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| The Stone of Anointing - believed to be where the body of Jesus was prepared for burial following his crucifixion |
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| The burial shrine, located within the Church of the Holy Sepluchre, believed to be the place where Jesus was buried |
We walked the entirety of the Via Dolorosa, along with hundreds of others, stopping at each of the stations. Having grown up within a Christian community and attending Christian schools right through high school, my childhood was filled with the stories and images of the Old and New Testaments with a particular focus on the life of Jesus. These latter stories all take place during the early part of the 1st century AD, a time when Jerusalem doesn’t look anything like it does today.
While the Old City is still quite old as compared to the more modern parts of Jerusalem outside the city walls, the contrast of the images in my mind compared to what we are actually seeing was quite stark. Most of what is visible today was built beginning in the 16th century and beyond – a long time after the events recorded in the Bible. And then there are the crowds. The Via Dolorosa is narrow and packed and lined the entire way by shops selling relics, trinkets and souvenirs to the masses of pilgrims and other visitors. I kept having images of Jesus entering the temple and throwing out the money changers. With that said, it was a fascinating experience, quite different from my expectations, but totally worth it.
After completing our walk of the Via Dolorosa, Delev took us on a tour of each of the four quarters within the Old City. The common scene everywhere is religion with numerous churches and mosques. The streets are narrow and lined with shops. Finally, there are 39,000 residents in the Old City of which 70% live in the Muslim Quarter, so, for at least these folks, this is home.
One of the places we visited was Casa Austria, also called the Austrian Pilgrim Hospice, inside the Old City. The building is 160 years old and has a rooftop deck that provides one of the best views of the entire Old City. This is a definitely must stop, if only for the views, but the apple strudel served at the restaurant is worthy of a stop too.
Our next stop was a building that contained the tomb of King David, the third king of ancient Israel, who lived around 1000 BC. King David is revered as one of the most important kings in all of Jewish history. He is the same David, a shepherd boy, that slayed the giant Goliath with his slingshot and delivered the Jewish people from the Philistines. He is also the same David that Michelangelo immortalize in his famous statue, on display in Milan, and simply known as The David.
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| The building containing King David's tomb and the Upper Floor where the Last Supper took place |
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| King David's Tomb |
Within the same building and on the upper floor, is the place where it is believed Jesus had his Last Supper with his disciples. Leonardo da Vinci immortalized this scene in his painting, The Last Supper, which can also be seen in Milan.
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| The Upper Floor where it is believed the Last Supper took place |
After a very full day, we left the Old City via the Zion Gate and walk back to our hotel. What an extraordinary day!
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Temple Mount, the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane
Amir returned from his family emergency (all is well) and picks us up at 6:45 so that we can get an early start for our visit of Temple Mount. We arrive to an almost empty courtyard and spend the next hour exploring the exterior of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. These are extraordinarily beautiful buildings and it is a perfect morning to take them in. Both buildings are places of worship for Muslim’s and non-Muslims are not permitted to enter, but no worries – they are perfectly beautiful from the outside.
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| Al-Aqsa Mosque |
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| The Dome of the Rock with Cindy, Liz and Amir |
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| A panorama of Temple Mount, the courtyard built by Herod, with the Dome of the Rock in the center |
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| The Dome of the Rock, a close-up |
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| Final picture of the Dome of the Rock - this building is mesmerizing |
After Temple Mount, we return to our hotel for breakfast and then head to the Mount of Olives which is the hill immediately to the east of Temple Mount rising above the town of Gethsemane. Today, the Mount of Olives is a grave yard and only prominent or well-connected Jews are able to be buried there. Burial rites and the after-life in the Jewish religion is complicated. Jews believe that the God of Israel will one day give life back to the righteous among the dead and they will live forever in the World to Come, thus fulfilling the prophesies of the Messianic Age – the future period of time on Earth in which the messiah will reign and bring universal peace and brotherhood, without any evil.
Further, the Jews believe that the epicenter of this future period on Earth will be Jerusalem and that the righteous will rise out of their graves and return to Jerusalem. Accordingly, the Mount of Olives, with its proximity to the Old City, is perhaps the best place on the planet for a Jew to be buried. It is also why Jews, the world over, are buried with their feet facing Jerusalem so that when the righteous are called, they will be heading the right direction.
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| The cemetery at the Mount of Olives, view from the bottom |
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| The cemetery at the Mount of Olives, view from the top with Old City and New City Jerusalem in background |
From here, we walk down past several churches, to the Garden of Gethsemane which is the place that Jesus agonized about his crucifixion that would take place on the next day and where he was betrayed into the hands of his captors by the disciple, Judas Iscariot.
The courtyard of the garden is full of ancient olive trees. Several of them have been carbon dated indicating ages back to 1092 AD, however, most of the trees are hollow on the inside making carbon dating impossible and it can’t be ruled out that some of these trees are original from Jesus’ time.
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| An ancient olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemane |
Next to the garden is a beautiful church, the Church of All Nations which was built in 1924.
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| The Church of All Nations |
Bethlehem
From here we load up in the car and head for Bethlehem – a 30-minute drive. Bethlehem is inside the area called the West Bank and was placed into Palestinian control as part of the Oslo Accords. A wall separates Israel from Bethlehem and we must pass through security before entering. Once through the gates, it feels as though we have entered a third-world country. The infrastructure is substantially worse off and there is trash everywhere. It is hard to believe that these two places can be in such close proximity, but appear and feel so different.
I am no expert on how to solve the question of “Peace in the Middle East”, but this contrast in living conditions lends credence to Amir’s favorite solution – a single state under Israeli control in which Israeli’s and Palestinians live together. It is never expected that they would live side-by-side, but communities of predominantly Jews or Arabs all contained within the borders of a country run by Israel seems difficult, but possible.
Unfortunately, no credible, organized government of Palestinians has emerged since the founding of the State of Israel over 70 years ago. The closest this came was perhaps the PLO under Yasar Arafat. But today, the PLO is a faint shadow of its former self and the most organized group of Palestinians is the terrorist group, Hamas, in the Gaza Strip. Perhaps it would be best for everyone if the West Bank was swept into Israeli control and operated on behalf of all of its residents – Jews and Arabs alike.
In Bethlehem, we visited the Basilica of the Nativity, a church erected on the site where Jesus was born, which the Bible tells us was a manger “because there was no room in the inn”. This provides another stark contrast to the images emblazoned in my head, and reinforced year-after-year, of the baby Jesus lying in a humble manger surrounded by his parents, Mary & Joseph, shepherds, cattle and sheep. In the place of that humble image, instead we find a rather significant church and three monasteries: Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Roman Catholic.
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| The Basilica of the Nativity |
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| The Basilica of the Nativity |
The original church was built in 330 AD by Constantine the Great and rebuilt 200 years later by Byzantine Emperor Justinian after the original was destroyed during the Samaritan revolts. As such, it is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world.
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| The Basilica of the Nativity |
Inside the church is a cave or grotto, believed to be the actual place where the birth occurred. As you can imagine, this is a popular destination for visitors and today was no exception. The church is crowded and the path to the grotto takes you down a staircase and through a narrow passageway to a small room that is below ground level. Here, you can peek into the grotto and admire other relics, however, the place is so crowded that it is hard to comprehend exactly what you are looking at. We eventually depart and complete our tour of the Basilica and the three adjoining monasteries.
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| The grotto believed to be the place where Jesus was born, marked by a silver star |
In spite of the crowds, this is definitely worth a visit, not only for the tour of the Church of the Nativity, but also to witness the contrast between territories under Palestinian or Israeli control. Remarkable and disturbing.
The World Holocaust Remembrance Center
From Bethlehem, we head to Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. This is a beautiful, well curated and troubling museum. Having been to the holocaust museum in Washington, DC and, earlier during our European adventures, spending a week on a Holocaust Tour of Poland, the Yad Vashem complimented these other experiences very well. It was also useful to experience a museum in Israel, the world home for the Jewish people post- Nazi Germany. “Never forget” means something very special to these people and this museum stands as a testament to that end. When in Jerusalem, save time for this museum.
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| The Hall of Names at the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center |
The Israel Museum
A short drive from Yad Vashem is the Israel Museum. Here, our first stop is the Shrine of the Book which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest biblical manuscripts in the world. The scrolls date back to the third century BC – 2300 years ago – and were found in the Qumran Caves of the Judean Desert in 1946.
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| The Dead Sea Scrolls |
Adjacent to this building is a large, outdoor model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period showing what Temple Mount looked like after Herod’s reconstruction and before the Romans destroyed it in 66 AD.
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| The model of Temple Mount showing the Second Temple period |
From here we then visit the actual museum and spend all of our time in the archaeology wing. Organized chronologically, from prehistory through the Ottoman Empire, the exhibit presents seven “chapters” of this archaeological narrative, weaving together momentous historical events, cultural achievements, and technological advances, while providing a glimpse into the everyday lives of the peoples of the region.
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| Sarcophagus at the Israel Museum |
This is yet another “must see” while in Jerusalem.
This would be our last night with Cindy as she heads home tomorrow, so we treated ourselves to a fantastic dinner at Chakra. It has been fantastic sharing this experience of Israel with Cindy. As I said before, she has traveled almost everywhere in the world. And her travel preferences mirror those of Liz and myself exceptionally well. She is a huge fan of history, loves to explore other cultures, is up for almost anything and everything, and loves good food. Together, we never skipped a beat. We will miss her as we continue the final week of our journey, but look forward to re-connecting when we return home.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Akko
Amir picks us up at the hotel at 8 AM and we all say our good-byes to Cindy. Today will be our last day in Israel and we will spend it by driving north to visit the ancient cities of Akko and Caesarea. Our first stop is Akko (also called Acre), about a 2-hour drive, and only 12 miles from the border with Lebanon. Akko sits on the Mediterranean on the northern lip of Haifa Bay, Israel’s only natural bay on the Mediterranean. Akko was founded during the Middle Bronze Age around 2000 BC and is among the oldest continuously-inhabited places in the world.
The history of Akko largely follows that of Jerusalem with a seesaw of conquests between Jews, Arabs and Christians. Given its strategic location on Haifa Bay with access to the interior cities of Jerusalem, Damascus and cities further east, Akko grew as a trading port between Rome, Greece and other major cities in the west with the coveted spices in the east.
During the period of the First Crusaders (early 12th century AD), King Baldwin of Jerusalem captured Akko from the Arabs following a four-year siege of the city and Akko then became an important supply-line city for the Crusaders. The city grew in size and prosperity reaching a population of over 25,000 by 1130 AD.
In 1187, the city capitulated to Sultan Saladin without a fight following Saladin’s decisive victory in capturing Jerusalem. But Saladin’s hold on Akko was brief when the forces of Richard I of England (Richard the Lionheart), recaptured the city five years later as part of the Third Crusade.
A hundred years later, the Arabs recaptured Akko, in yet another siege, ushering in the Mamluk period that would last for almost 230 years when the Ottomans swept in from Turkey and took control of the entire region. As discussed above, the Ottomans remained in control of Palestine for a period of 400 years until the British forced them out during WWI. They came close to losing Akko in 1799 when Napoleon laid siege to the city for a period of two-months, but, ultimately, that siege failed and Napoleon was repulsed.
It wasn’t until the State of Israel was declared in 1948, followed by extensive immigration from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Republics, that the population eclipsed its high point achieved in 1130 – over 800 years earlier. Today, Akko’s population is around 49,000.
The Old City of Akko is a walled city providing defenses from either the sea to the west or land to the east. Inside the walled city there are numerous archaeological sites and ruins that capture the stories over many, many centuries as the fortunes of Akko ebbed and flowed, sieges came and went and Arabs, Christians and Jews were in control.
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| The seawall at Akko |
One of the more unique features is the Templars’ Tunnel. The Templars were a military-monastic order who – in the name of the pope – aided pilgrims coming from Europe to visit the holy sites of the Land of Israel. They first settled in Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount as the guardians of the Temple (hence their name "the Templars"). When the Mamluks conquered Jerusalem in 1187, the Templars made their home in Akko and began to build their quarter in the City's southwest section. The tunnel is 150 meters long and it extends from the Templars' fortress in the west to the city's port in the east. It served as a strategic underground passageway that connected the palace to the port. The tunnel was discovered in 1994 and was opened to the public, after excavation, in 1999.
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| The Templars' Tunnel |
The tunnel, as well as many other underground ruins, are reason enough to come to Akko, and the views of Haifa Bay from high atop the city walls are spectacular.
Caesarea
From Akko, it is an hour’s drive south to Caesarea, another coastal city. The ancient city of Caesarea was built by Herod the Great around 10 BC as a major port. It served as an administrative center of Judaea Province of the Roman Empire, and later as the capital of the Byzantine Palaestina Prima province. During the Muslim conquest in the 7th century, it was the last city of the Holy Land to fall to the Arabs. The city degraded to a small village after the provincial capital was moved away and had an Arab majority until the Crusader conquest. Under the Crusaders it became, once again, a major port and a fortified city and then diminished after the Mamluk conquest.
Caesarea had no reliable source of fresh water when construction on the city began around 22 BC. King Herod commissioned a raised aqueduct to deliver water from springs 10 miles north-east of Caesarea. Today, the most impressive part of the aqueduct can be seen on the beach, just north of the ancient city.
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| The aqueduct at Caesarea |
From the aqueduct, we drove a bit further south to the old city of Caesarea. Herod named the city after Caesar Augustus who was currently the ruler of Rome. Mark Antony, who was married to Cleopatra, had been Caesar prior to a power struggle with Augustus in which Augustus emerged as victorious. Herod, who had been appointed King of the Jews by Antony, had backed Antony during the power struggle and when Augustus called Herod to Rome, Herod was concerned that he might be put to death by Augustus. It is reported that Herod told Augustus, that his support for Antony was out of unfailing loyalty to Caesar and that he would pledge the same unfailing loyalty to Augustus now that he was Caesar. Augustus apparently bought this argument and Herod returned to Israel where he began work on Caesarea and invited Augustus to attend its inauguration following its 10-year period of construction.
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| The entry gate to the Old City of Caesarea |
What Herod built here was magnificent. Here is how Flavious Josephus, an ancient Roman historian, described Herod’s Palace shortly after it was completed-
“Adjoining … was the king’s palace, baffling all description: indeed, in extravagance and equipment no building surpassed it. It was completely enclosed within a wall thirty cubits high, broken at equal distances by ornamental towers, and contained immense banqueting halls and bedchambers for a hundred guests. The interior fittings are indescribable—the variety of the stones (for species rare in every other country were here collected in abundance), ceilings wonderful both for the length of the beams and the splendor of their surface decoration, the host of apartments with their infinite varieties of design, all amply furnished, while most of the objects in each of them were of silver or gold. All around were many circular cloisters, leading one into another, the columns in each being different, and their open courts all verdant; there were groves of various trees intersected by long walks, which were bordered by deep canals, and ponds everywhere studded with bronze figures, through which the water was discharged, and around the streams were numerous cotes for tame pigeons.”
Besides the palace, which actually partially extended into the Mediterranean Sea, Herod also built a deep-sea harbor, storerooms, markets, wide roads, baths, temples to Rome and Augustus, and imposing public buildings. Every five years the city hosted major sports competitions, gladiator games, chariot races at the hippodrome and theatrical productions in its theatre overlooking the Mediterranean.
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| The hippodrome where chariot races occurred |
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| The Roman theatre |
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| The remains of Herod's palace which extended into the water |
Caesarea is truly one of the more remarkable ancient cities I have ever seen.
We drove back to our hotel in Jerusalem as the sun set. In the morning, we will head to the airport for our flight to Istanbul which departs in the early afternoon.
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| The sun begins to set as we return to Jerusalem |
Our visit to Israel was outstanding. The history is amazing. It was particularly useful to be able to place the Biblical stories, that were such a large part of my growing up, into context. It was also useful to have spent several days in Jordan which provided some important context for the Jewish-Palestinian debate that is active today and has been for a very long time. There is no substitute for actually going to a place and seeing it.
Our split of time between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem was about right, although I think I would have shaved a day or more out of Tel Aviv and used that extra time to visit some of the other older cities and places in Israel like the Sea of Galilee and the city of Jericho in the West Bank. If you get a chance to go to Israel, do it. And while you are there – having traveled all of that distance – go to Jordan and Egypt as well. You will not be disappointed.
Musings…
Did we really go to Israel? The whole trip seems like a dream;). Malcolm’s right - go if you have the opportunity. It’s one of those places that everyone who visits comes back with positive experiences. And there are lots of different activities so the visit is quite diverse.
Loved Tel Aviv - combined with the old city of Jaffa = fun! Big foodie town (best falafel ever!), fantastic bars and cafes on every corner (especially in Jaffa neighborhood), delicious wine, and the shopping is supreme. Lots of boutiques and unusual, not run of the mill, stores with unique handicrafts and clothing choices. The vibe of the city is just cool. It helps that it sits on the Mediterranean so the view is magnificent. Walking along the beach everyday solidified its appeal. If you go, wear black - literally 4 out of 5 people were black (more than NYC;). Once again, we had unbelievably gorgeous weather (I think Malcolm has good weather karma). However, plan your visit wisely, it’s 110 in the summer (can’t even fathom that).
Arriving in Jerusalem was stepping back in time. The old city is a monument basically, with such deep roots for the various religions. Growing up Catholic and attending Catholic school for many years, I heard about all these places and events and then you are in the middle of them. Walking the stations of the cross, seeing where Jesus was crucified and where Mary grieved for him. Amazing. And yet sad, even after all these thousands of years the various religious sects don’t really engage with one another. The mood is much more somber, noticeably so, in Jerusalem than Tel Aviv - not surprising, I guess.
Bethlehem was shocking to me. The city, in the heart of Israel, only a few miles from the old city of Jerusalem, is a third world city. The difference between the two cities is staggering. I am not schooled enough on the subject to have an opinion or even begin to suggest a solution, but they’re neighbors, close neighbors, living in completely different worlds. Then again, I live in CA bordering Mexico so what’s the difference…our world is not fair for many it seems.
Last day visiting the northern coast was beautiful. Loved Caesarea, the ruins there are outstanding to walk through. Highly recommend you put Israel on your bucket list - it will not disappoint.
Shalom...
