Update #2

Thursday, Jan. 28th


Hi All,

I forgot to tell you something funny about yesterday. We were in a big motor coach (aka bus) on a narrow, traffic-filled road trying to get up to the convent. A road was parked too far out in the road and we couldn’t get by. There were three taxis coming the other way who couldn’t get by us! There was much discussion between these four Israeli men – looking for the driver, etc. Their final solution – you guessed it – they decided to move the car over. What they did was get the car bouncing and then mid-bounce, they shoved it over – until we could get by! Of course, then the frantic owner came over but the deed had been done and everyone drove away.

Today was a really interesting day. Our group of 40+ was divided into groups of four and given a specific quarter (Armenian, Jewish, Christian and Muslim) of the Old City to explore with specific questions to answer. Our group was given the Jewish Quarter. A huge stone wall surrounds the Old City and you may enter by one of seven gates. We went in through the Damascus Gate to the Muslim Qtr. It is again like China Town – stall after stall with everything imaginable – one selling spices, another shoes, another bras! How a woman, who is covered from head to toe with only her eyes showing, can go to a strange Muslim man and buy a bra is beyond me. The shopkeepers are all in the narrow space between the shops beckoning you in – in whatever language they think you speak. Color, smells, noise, jostling people.

On to the Jewish Quarter: Same walkway but you pass through an open gate, and Jewish flags hang from the walls. The walkway widens, it’s clean, light and there are stores with shopkeepers behind their counters – totally different. One owner told us it is so different because the Jewish sector pays their taxes so they are taken care of. Many wealthy Americans are paying to keep it that way too.

I got a Falafel for lunch – chickpeas – fried! And then popped into a pita with hummus and salad. Jay and the other couple were at other vendors in the area. I came out and a man said I couldn’t sit where I had planned to. I thought it was because that table belonged to his shop but actually it was because those tables were dairy so I needed to sit in an area for meat. Interesting.

Our other big event was the Wailing Wall – what a crazy scene that was. Men and women are separated by this long, high divider. We went and prayed at the wall and women all along it were weeping – some sort of camped out by the wall praying. ON the other side of the divider, many boys were being Bar Mitzvahed – joyously toting around the Torah with beaming brothers, fathers, cousins, friends and get this…their mothers and other female family members were standing on plastic chairs so they could see over the divider to watch their sons. The sons would even back up to the divider with Mom and Grandma hanging over it for a family pic. Crazy.

Then we went what is basically upstairs from the Holy of Holy places (the Wailing Wall) for the Jews to the Dome of the Rock which is supposedly the site of where Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed (Christian faith) and where Muhammad ascended on his famous night journey (Muslim faith). They are all on top of each other – no wonder they have conflict here.

Jerusalem is very safe – or so they say. They have all agreed to live here in relative harmony.

We gave reports when we got back and they were really interesting. Everyone wanted “their quarter” to be the best – like a competition. I look forward to exploring the Christian Quarter next.

Love to all.