Israel 7.6 continued

Our day began with a trip to a site overlooking Jerusalem. There are a lot of these, apparently, because they are beautiful, and tourists love them, and Jerusalem is very large and very hilly, so each new overlook gives you a different vantage point. This one was part of the Hass promenade, and we were able to see all of th eareas that were part of Jordan from 1948 to 1967. During that time, Israel only had access to Western Jerusalem, and a small island of land on Mount Zion. We could see the difference between the Western and Eastern parts of Jerusalem. The western side was all built up and modern, and the eastern side is older, with lower buildings.

Immediately beyond Jerusalem to the east is the West Bank, marked by a fence that was sometimes a wall and sometimes a fence. Tall towers were spaced at intervals along the border. Again, it was just surprising how close the Israelis live to people who hate them and wish them harm.

We next headed to Mount Zion to see what is supposedly King David's tomb. It was the first time that th ewomen and men had to be separated. We covered up and walked in to the women's section, which was this tiny room in this synagogue which has been created around the tomb. There is no place to sit down, and barely enough room for six of us to stand. There in front of us was half of a sarcophagus covered in a blue velvet cloth. The mechitsa separated us from seeing the other half, which was on the men's side. Two women were praying in there and it was hard to figure out how the weren't praying to David himself. Less religous people tend to be skeptical that this is actually David's resting place, but this is what tradition dictates.

Equally worthy of skepticism is that on this EXACT spot, on the second floor of David's tomb, is where the Last Supper supposedly took place. Never mind that th ebulding was constructed by the Byzantines, supposedly 1000 years after Jesus died. BUt it was a pretty room, empty save for a sculpture of an olive tree and a snoozing feral cat.

Next we went to a roof, which had the dome of a mosque, and learned more about the border dispute, or at least the craziness of having a divided city. There is a famous story of a nun who lived in Israel, on the boundary line with Jordan. She accidentally dropped her false teeth out the window, where they landed directly below her, in Jordan. She had to go to an Israeli guard, how had to go to his superviser, etc, until officials from both countries had discussions and arranged a date and a checkpoint for the transfer of the dentures from Jordanian custody to Israeli custody. There is a famous picture of the nun with officials from both countries and the false teeth.

We next headed to the Jewish Quarter in the Old City for lunch and to explore. Keith, Lorena and I ate at the Burger Bar so that Keith could have a meal that he enjoyed. He and I were so impressed with the guy who made the burgers. He had a total burger-making mojo that was beyond impressive. Afterwards, we wandered around and looked at people and things, and poked around some alleys. We took a couple of turns, follwed a few stray kittens, and then were in the Arab market that everyone had visited on Shabbat. You could tell the difference immediately, because the Arab Quarter of the Old City hasn't changed, so the streets are much narrower, darker, and more twisty. They Jewish Quarter had been abandoned and destroyed by the Jordanians, so it was all rebuild after 1967, so it is much lighter, with lots of open space. When we went back to the meeting place, Lorena and Karen weren't there. They had gotten lost and needed Ido to walk them through where they needed to go via cell phones.

Once we were all together, we went up on another rooftop to get the best view of the Western Wall. We heard more about the history of the Temple Mount, and then headed down there to pray.