Tourists in Jerusalem

 

Today was a big day, a day of exploring our personal and collective connection to the City of Peace, Jerusalem. Having grown up in Jerusalem, I know firsthand the ways in which this connection deepens and takes on new meaning as the years go by. I hope that today’s many special moments will become part of the fabric of our 8th graders’ unfolding sense of connection to Jerusalem, to Israel, and to their personal and collective heritage.

 

As we prepared this morning to walk the ramparts of the old city walls, our guide read us a section from “Tourists,” a poem by Yehuda Amichai, Israel’s greatest modern poet. Our students smiled in recognition, as they had studied this poem with Ms. Baumer and Mr. Jefferies prior to our departure.

Today’s tour of Jerusalem was most definitely a study of Jerusalem’s history as well as a firsthand experience of the rich tapestry of people who make Jerusalem their home.

 

As we climbed up the spiral metal staircase and began our walk of the city ramparts, we were struck by the beautiful views in all directions. To the north was David’s Citadel. To the west were the small structures of Mishkenot Sha’ananim, the first Jewish neighborhood built outside the old city walls in the late nineteenth century. To the east, we saw inside the walls of the Old City, views of churches, minarets, and synagogues, which painted the picture of Jerusalem’s centrality to all three religions.

 

We paused often to drink, take photos, and learn from our guides. We learned about the four quarters of the Old City and about the many layers of Jerusalem’s stones and history. Infinite cycles of building, destruction, exile, and rebuilding, from King David to King Herod, from the Mamelukes to the Crusaders to the Ottoman empire. We appreciated the wonder of a return to Jewish sovereignty after more than two thousand years of these cycles.

 

We traveled on through Zion Gate, and into the Jewish quarter for a quick snack, for a chance to take in the view of people, both tourists and locals bustling around and preparing for Shabbat. Feeling refreshed, we headed toward the Western Wall and the Western Wall tunnels. As we approached the small porch area from which our students would be catching their first glimpse of the Kotel, our guide asked our students to close their eyes, as he led them toward the lookout point. When the students opened their eyes, a collective “wow” was heard by all as they took in the view of the Kotel, brightly reflecting the strong sunlight.

 

After a short teaching, our students wrote notes to put in the cracks of the ancient stones, and we headed down to the Western Wall plaza and to the men’s and women’s areas for our individual experiences. The main section of the Kotel operates for all means and purposes like an Orthodox synagogue. And we knew that in the evening, we would be heading as a group to the egalitarian section of the Wall, at Robinson’s Arch, to welcome the Shabbat as a community.

 

Our tour of the Western Wall tunnels brought the layers of Jerusalem’s history into sharp relief. With the help of models and animations, the site docent gave an excellent tour that captured the attention of our students. We walked the excavated tunnels along the base of the Western Wall, touched the huge stones from Herod’s time, and followed a tunnel away from the wall, leading to an ancient aqueduct.

 

By now we were definitely ready for lunch! We headed back to the bus, taking the short drive to Shuk Machaneh Yehudah, the famous Jerusalem Market, eager to join the colorful cacophony of Jerusalemites purchasing goods and sitting in small restaurants and eateries. Our students were excited to join the “balagan” (local word for all kinds of chaos) and get their own taste of the wide variety of food and treats. Off they went with their lunch money and their buddies to explore the scene.

 

Time flew by and it was time to gather together and head back to our hotel, to rest and prepare for Shabbat. We are fortunate to be staying at a very centrally-located hotel this year—right in the middle of downtown Jerusalem—located three minutes away from the pedestrian shopping area of Ben Yehuda, fifteen minutes from the Shuk, and twenty minutes from the Jaffa Gate.

 

After some rest, showers, and a change of clothing, we headed back to the Old City to welcome Shabbat. Walking through Jerusalem on a Friday evening is a special experience in and of itself. One can feel Shabbat approaching, the whole city taking a deep breath, slowing down, and embodying a space of rest. As we walked, we joined with many people from all parts of the world all headed in the same direction. It brought to mind words to a song I once learned: “Jerusalem, you will be called a place of prayer for all nations.”

 

The Kotel on Friday during the day and the Kotel on Friday night: what a striking contrast! Now the Western Wall plaza and prayer areas were packed. Shabbat melodies and chants, some familiar some new, were mixing and rising from the different sections. We headed toward the egalitarian section, formed a big circle, and—with student leadership—sang “Hinei mah tov umah naim” (how good it is to come together), welcoming Shabbat with a combination of traditional prayers, as well as Hebrew and English songs. We ended with Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu, mixing the words of Shalom and Salaam, bestowing these wishes for peace upon ourselves and this holy city.

 

Our Friday culminated in a festive Shabbat meal back at our hotel. As I write this, our students and chaperones are fast asleep in their beds. Tomorrow is a new adventure. We wish you all a Shabbat shalom, a Sabbath of peace from the City of Peace, Jerusalem.

  

Israel Trip Leader