March 8, 2018

I think that for many, the anticipation was high, as our bus worked its way into Jerusalem. Today was our chance to immerse ourselves in the ancient sites that gave birth to Christianity, Judaism and Islam, as well as walk in the path of Jesus. It’s a very sacred area and also an area filled with fellow pilgrims and devotees and curious travelers. We were so fortunate to have the guidance of our leaders today for keeping us together, ensuring we saw the most vital points of interest and also sharing with us an incredible wealth of knowledge about these important historical sites.

We began at the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem, where we could see the golden Dome of the Rock rising from behind the fortress walls of the city. From this vantage point we observed how Jerusalem has four distinct areas; Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Armenian. At the base of the Mount of Olives, we walked around the edge of the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus sought refuge in prayer the night before his crucifixion.

We were given an incredible opportunity to tour both the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque, sacred sites that are normally difficult to access. Past conflict at these sites have limited visitors to Muslim worshippers and those with special permission. Our guide at these sites, Aouni, was a knowledgeable and gracious host as he led us into the majestic and ornate structures that are important holy places for Muslims to gather in prayer. The buildings themselves are beautiful and awe inspiring. The space is filled with an air of reverence and history. Aouni discussed the areas of the mosque that have been rebuilt in the past and explained the special meaning of the building’s design. He also showed as areas of the mosque that are preferred areas for praying. Aouni shared with us that he feels that the entire area is a holy place because of the devotion of individuals that gather there to pray and that wherever they choose to pray should be considered special holy place.

As could be expected, there were many people gathered at the Western Wall, commonly referred to as the Wailing Wall. The wall is the last remaining wall of an ancient temple and is an important place to visit and share devotions, especially for many Jewish pilgrims visiting Israel. The special connection to this site was evident in watching the devout place their written prayers in cracks in the wall, touch the wall and press their heads to the wall in prayer. Men and women are required to pray on separate sides of the wall, however this did not deter one large group attending a Bar Mitzvah at the wall from celebrating together. Women leaned over one side to watch their male family members reveling on the other side and throwing candy to them. It was a celebratory break within an atmosphere of solemn reverence. The entire scene felt as if it was connecting us directly with the faithful of many years past.

We spent a good part of the day walking along the Via Dolorosa, tracing the path Christ took along the stations of the cross. The stations are situated within the winding passages of the old city, allowing us to explore the ancient architecture and take in the lively market atmosphere along the route. During this part of the tour we stopped to rest and have lunch at the fountain square. The restaurant was very efficient in serving a group of our size and we were able to give our feet a little rest before setting off to discover more ancient sites.

In the evening we were honored to have the chance to meet with Dalia Landau, one of the real life protagonists of the book The Lemon Tree. Dalia’s story is an important one of forgiveness and transformation. Dalia openly and thoughtfully discussed her opinions on reasons for the ongoing conflict, the psychology of Israelis and the difficulty in rebuilding trust between people. She also discussed her school and summer camp and other Open House programs in Ramle. The school is based in the home that was taken from her Palestinian friend Bashir’s family and given to her own family after the forced exodus of Palestinians in 1948. For many years they couldn’t resolve what to do with the home, but for the last 26 years it is has become a center for Jewish and Palestinian children where they learn together and get to experience each other as they really are. Dalia is a passionate and thoughtful woman and it was helpful to hear an Israeli perspective. Something people keep asking us is if we are confused yet in trying to understand the complexity of the ongoing conflict. It seems that anyone that is thoughtful about the conflict here ends up being very confused at some point.

~ Ryan Larkey