Jerusalem, the City of Peace

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After my trip to Bethlehem, I spent a few days in Jerusalem before returning to Amman, Jordan. The word "Jerusalem" means "city of peace," a place where people of many faiths can coexist peacefully. Unfortunately, Jerusalem has often been anything but a city of peace throughout the ages, with Jews, Muslims, and Christians each claiming it as their own.

The Old City

Jerusalem is split into East and West: West Jerusalem is Israeli. East Jerusalem is Palestinian. Between the two is the Old City, a fascinating mix of cultures and religions. The Old City contains four quarters: Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Armenian. To make broad generalizations, the Christian and Armenian quarters are quiet, relaxed, and filled with churches. The Muslim quarter is the liveliest by far, containing numerous souqs (markets). The Jewish quarter is full of shiny new buildings that contrast with the other quarters' faded and aged structures (much of the Jewish quarter was destroyed and subsequently rebuilt after the war of 1948).

On Christmas Day, I decided to seek out the Latin Patriarchate in the Old City (not the Patriarch himself though!). Jerusalem's Christian quarter is filled with churches from various sects, but I was able to find the Latin (Roman Catholic) compound among the twisting and turning lanes without too much difficulty.

I walked into the courtyard, but the church was closed and there wasn't a soul in sight. As I turned to leave, a man emerged from a side corridor asking what I was doing there. I asked if I could see the church, and he asked me where I was from. Then he said:
"Are you a believer?"
"Yes."
"Are you Catholic?"
"Yes."
"Come."
He led me through a hallway, opened a side door, and there was the cathedral before me. It was a beautiful church. He left me alone and I entered. I was the only soul in the entire church, and each step I took echoed around for several seconds, almost deafening in the complete silence. It was just the kind of quiet and contemplative place I had been looking for since arriving in Jerusalem. After a half hour I left, thanking my personal doorman. He just smiled and said, "Merry Christmas. God bless you."

At this point, some of you who know me may be asking yourselves since when did Chris get religious? Did he come down with a serious case of "Jerusalem syndrome" over there? Perhaps a mild case. The story of my personal relationship with religion is a long and convoluted one that I won't bore you with here, but I will say: it is hard to be surrounded by all of these Biblical places of importance, among sites revered by three major world religions, and not be affected in some manner. I suppose it is a little like going to Washington DC and seeing the original Constitution and Declaration of Independence. You are much closer to history, and everything you read about or learned in school seems much more real in their presence.

The diaspora

The dreadful weather I experienced in Bethlehem continued in Jerusalem. One afternoon I was walking around the Old City when it began to hail, something I never expected to see in the Middle East. As I became progressively soaked and cold, I dashed over to the Citadel and Tower of David Museum to seek shelter. The Citadel was built by the Crusaders during their campaigns to conquer the Holy Land in the name of Christian Europe. Now it serves as a museum for the history of Jerusalem. From the watchtowers, the views of the Old City were unsurpassed. Church spires, mosque minarets, and the Dome of the Rock merged to create a skyline unlike any other, and church bells and muezzins' calls to prayer echoed across the town.

As I went through the museum, I encountered several groups of American teenagers being shepherded around by Israeli and American tour guides. Unable to speak a word of Hebrew, the kids were American Jews taking a field trip to Israel. Looking extremely bored, they reminded me of field trips when I was in school. They weren't the only Americans I encountered though. During my stay in Jerusalem, several times I walked up to Israelis to ask for directions or whatever and tentatively asked "Do you speak English?" only to have them respond in perfect American-accented English. And the amount of Russian I heard on the streets was unbelievable; sometimes I felt like I was back in Russia. When it comes down to it, Israel is a nation of immigrants with Jews coming from all over the world, and while Hebrew is one of the two official languages (Arabic is the other), dozens and dozens of other languages are spoken.

The Temple Mount

The Temple Mount, or Haram Al-Sharif, is one of the holiest sites in the world, containing the Dome of the Rock and the Wailing Wall. The Dome of the Rock is the iconic golden-domed building you see in pictures of Jerusalem. Muslims believe this is where the prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven. A short distance away is the Wailing Wall. As the only remaining part of the original Jewish Temple, it is Judaism's most revered site.

The Wailing Wall is open 24 hours a day, as long as you can get through the security checks. I visited it several times while in Jerusalem at different times of the day, and there was always something different to see each time, from Orthodox Jews dressed completely in black to hordes of Israeli soldiers, M-16s slung over their shoulders. As a male, I had to don a yarmulke (as a sign of respect toward God, who is above) before approaching the Wall, but I did not touch it. Somehow I didn't feel entitled as a Christian to touch Judaism's most sacred place.

The cracks and crevices in the Wall were jammed with letters and prayer notes. The rain had caused the papers to become water-logged, fusing together into a spiritual mortar holding the Wall together. While in Egypt a few weeks before, I had seen a story on TV about the vast numbers of letters addressed to God that arrive in Jerusalem from all over the world. The postal workers collect all of the letters, and then a rabbi takes them to the Wall and stuffs them into the gaps.

Over the course of several days, I tried repeatedly to get up to the Dome of the Rock. Each day, it had been closed by the Israeli army; why, I have no idea. My last day in Jerusalem, I finally asked a stone-faced soldier if there was any way I could go up the pathway that led to it. (I had come halfway around the world. I had to try.) He stared at me like I had just asked if I could use his gun for some target practice and said flatly, "No. Tomorrow." So I never was able to visit the top of the Temple Mount. The Dome of the Rock, visible from all over the city, remained frustratingly close, yet so far. Next time...

The living New Testament

For a Christian, walking through Jerusalem's Old City and its environs is like taking a step back in time and walking through the New Testament. The list of sites sacred to Christianity is endless. In one day you can see: the Via Dolorosa, or route where Jesus carried the cross to Calvary. The tomb of the Virgin Mary. The Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed before his crucifixion. The Mount of Olives. The Cenacle, site of the Last Supper. The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, supposedly built over a Roman prison where Jesus was imprisoned the night before he died. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose again. The list goes on and on.

I was in Israel and Palestine for five days, and it wasn't nearly enough. I barely scratched the surface of things to see and experience in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, not to mention the rest of the West Bank and Israel. Much as I wanted to stay, I had to get back to Amman, Jordan.

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Comments

[mel]

thanks!
thanks chris, for all the time you've put into sharing your experiences with us. i've found it so fascinating and i'm really disappointed to hear that there is only one more report to go. i really like how much you seek to understand other people and see a world outside of your own country. it's lovely how you respect the ways of locals so much and try to behave in appropriate ways for them. it's a shame that so many tourists make no effort in this regard and do things that are really offensive to the local people. you're lovely mel

[Eric Boike]

Great
CHris this is a beautiful account for what you have done and told us about your trip. Thanks, Eric

[hyman]

encouragement
as i read your experience on your trip to Jerusalem. am very much excited and encourage myself not to be afraid to travel alone and find my way there.