Sunday 3/4 we drove up to Jerusalem for the day. It was very cold, rainy and windy so we decided to visit the Israel Museum which houses archeological, artistic and cultural treasures in a sprawling modern complex. After several hours of wandering around inside looking at the art we braved the weather outside to see the huge scale model of Jerusalem during the time of the second temple which was impressive. You really get a sense of the enormity of the temple by walking around the model.
Although I could have stayed at the museum all day we left to grab some lunch and to walk around the market before heading into the old city. Oded took us to a small place that serves Iraqi cuisine and after puzzling over the menu I chose a beet based soup which appeared before me minutes later, a steaming bowl of bright fuschia liquid studded with fat meat-filled dumplings. It was quite tasty.
After wandering the Mahane Yehuda market (which was the site of terrorist attacks a few years ago) we snaked through the winding streets in impossibly slow traffic to get to the old city where we spent the rest of the day.
The old city is an area of ancient stone buildings surrounded by a high wall in the center of Jerusalem. You enter through one of eight massive gates into a warren of twisty cobbled streets which form four distinct neighborhoods. There are Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Armenian quarters which each have their own character and their own religious edifices that are profoundly significant to the faithful. Even though I am not in the camp of believers I was still moved by visiting the holy places and seeing pilgrims from all over the world having an experience of a lifetime.
The old quarter is an amazing feast for the senses. It is brimming full of interesting people dressed in flowing robes, head scarves, furry hats with long black coats and other religious garb. As you wander the neighborhood alleys and bazaars kids are running around, women are selling spices, black robed priests are conversing, tourists are haggling and praying. The air is scented with spices and roasting meats and filled with the music of clanging bells and the muslim call to prayer which is loudly amplified. Visually there is something fascinating and foreign to look at in all directions. I was a sponge soaking it all up. We walked through the neighborhoods and visited the churches and markets and eventually made our way to the Western Wall which is the holiest place in the world for Jews. We took a tour of a tunnel which has been excavated that parallels the Western wall which was led by a perky and very interesting guide. After the tour we emerged from the tunnels to a cold starry sky which promised an end to the stormy weather and we drove the hour back to Tel Aviv for a much needed rest.
The next morning we drove all the way back up to Jerusalem for more wandering in the old city. We went to the Ultraorthodox Jewish neighborhood of Mea She'arim which is like going to an 18th century Eastern European shtetl. It is not a tourist area but a residential and business enclave where thousands of people live according to ancient biblical laws.
After this brief trip to the "old country" we drove through decidedly 21st century traffic to Tel Aviv to get ready for the wedding.
It is mind boggling for me to see such diversity and fanaticism in one place. How can the fundamentalists of any religion believe that their way is the only way and denigrate anyone who doesn't believe their version of reality??