After breakfast, we departed for Yah Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, a most sobering visit. The main building is shaped like a triangle, soaring to a point overhead, an open space right in the middle with separate galleries on either side. You make your way back and forth. The walls were simple concrete but you would think the walls were weeping with all the sadness and tears I saw, teens, elderly, there was no age limit. You finally get to the Hall of Names, a circular room with a dome above with pictures of 600 victims symbolizing the 6 million.. The walls themselves are lined with shelves holding books and books listing every documented death in the camps. There are computer rooms nearby where you can research your family names to insure they are included. The very middle of the room looks down on a seemingly bottomless hole - it partly feels like the world has cracked, shattered in grief. There is a separate Hall of Remembrance built to look like a tent, housing the names of all the camps and an eternal flame; all men are required to don the yarmulke out of respect. There is also a separate children's memorial, a building lit by a single candle but the walls are lined with mirrors so it feels like there are thousands of them. As you walk through, you hear the names of all the children, roughly 402,000; it takes 3 years to go through the list entirely. Between the buildings are a number of gardens, one, the Garden of the Righteous, set up to honor the those non-Jewish individuals who helped in any way to save lives. You can also see from the pics on Facebook, a lot of exterior sculptures; on in particular, the set of upstanding columns that look cut off or unfinished - reminds me of the children, whose lives were cut off long before they had a chance to live.
We then travelled to Machaneh Yehuda, the open market in Jerusalem, a very lively place, especially when its getting close to sundown on Friday, Sabbath. We had falafels for lunch, yum, and I thought I knew what a real falafel tasted like!! We then strolled through the market, marvelling at the variety of fruits, vegetables, baked goods (yes, my chocolate rugelachs) and everything else you could imagine. If you ever get there, go to the Marzipan Bakery -its the best!!!
We then met up with Daniel Rossing, Director of the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations for a walking tour of the Christian Quarter, Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, starting at the Jaffa Gate. He took us to the top walkway of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for some really spectacular panoramic shots of the city as well as some shots down into the Church from above. When we actually got down and entered the Church itself, my camera died so for this day I have no interior shots. Not to worry, Jeff and I returned the next day and I made up for it. Suffice it to say, the Church is presided over by 4 different branches of Christianity which makes for some picky and interesting jurisdiction battles. For instance, you will see an outside shot of the Church with a ladder up on the second story - its been there for decades. One branch is responsible for the windows, another for the ledge. So when they wanted to wash the windows, no, no said the other branch so the ladder just remained. Inside, you will find 3 separate religious sites, upstairs the rock of Golgotha where Jesus was crucified, downstairs when you immediately enter the Church - the stone on which Jesus' body was prepared for burial, and then further on, the rock that served as His Tomb. A very crowded reverent place.
After that, we continued on and toured and shopped in both the Christian and Arab Quarter. Hint - you have to know how to haggle. You pick something you like, THEN WE TALK!! That means, let's discuss price. I have to admit the Arab Quarter was amazing, narrow alleys with little shops, all of them inviting you bluntly to talk to them, make you a deal. And the aromas of herbs and spices and incense are heavy and fragrant. We ended up in the Jewish Quarter and the Wailing Wall. As I headed to the Wall, I was approached by this old white-haired and bearded old Jew who asked my name, my wife's name and then proceeded to tell me my future - only in Jerusale. I had brought a note with me with prayers for all my family and friends which I, of course, pressed into a crack in the Wall - what an amazing amazing experience. I did not realize that to the left there is an interior room decked out like a library, bookcases filled with prayer books. To stand at the Wall and to look up and see the Dome of the Rock just above me - priceless!!!!
We then headed back to the hotel to prepare for Shabbat dinner with a local family. By that time, the hotel had set one of the elevators on Sabbath mode - it automatically stops at every floor so you don't have to push buttons (no work on the Sabbath). Sr. Frances, Esther and I walked to our hosts' home, very close to the hotel - Bernie and Fran Alpert. Also joining us for dinner was their daughter, son-in-law and 10 year old granddaughter, visiting from Boston. Bernie and Fran are both archaeologists; in fact Bernie for a time was head of the government's dept of archaeology, a wealth of experience and information. Turns out they are originally from Chicago, up around Morse and Ashland, where Ginger and I had only just gone to see a play at Lifeline Theater, which amazingly they are sponsors of - very small world. Bernie, just in the last few years, has started this new project called "Dig for a Day" - a chance for tourists to participate in an actual archaeological dig sit, for an hour, a day, whatever!! Sheesh, why couldn't I have come for 2 weeks instead of one??
Anyway, the actual Shabbat dinner was wonderful, prayerful, thoughtful. And with 3 generations of the family there, I got a real sense of how the religious traditions are continuing to be passed along. The food, obviously, was delicious and, of course, there was plenty and then some. Our gracous hosts explained everything every prayer as we went along and it was such an honor and a privilege to be included in their family for this occasion. Too often, we microwave our meals, eat alone or in such a hurry that there is no such thing as conversation. When was the last time any of us had a real family meal, much less one that we would do regularly once a week, every week.
One small point, but it speaks such volumes. What water there was left after the meal, Bernie used to water all of the flowers and plants in the house. In a country where the weather is more desert-like and water is precious, it was a simple reminder that all water is sacred and should never go to waste!!!
Lila Tov
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