Jerusalem Old City, Burnt House & Davidson Center

Less than two weeks ago, my Tanach/Bible learning group, aka chevruta, went to a couple of Jerusalem's Old City-- Rova Yehudi-- Jewish Quarter museums. The Burnt House and Davidson Archeological Center, which are extremely different.

First we went to the Burnt House, which is the same sort of "museum" as Plugat Hakotel, which I've visited a few times. Plugat Hakotel is in the building we had lived in when we first made aliyah-- moved to Israel, so it's very special to me. Both museums are located in accurately historic locations and offer a fictionalized versions of what had happened there.

In the Burnt house the movie is in Hebrew, English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and French

Davka, both museums write it up as a young man's story to help people identify with the history. The big difference is the eras when the stories happen, the Burnt House a couple thousand years ago and Plugat Hakotel close to a hundred years ago. Heroism is idealized, of course, which is good. 

The Burnt House is comfortable and recommended for those who can't walk easily, since you sit to watch the movie.

After the Burnt House we walked to the Archeological Garden Davidson Center, which can best be described as a "mixed bag." First with the good things. We took the tour led by a very charming young lady. Yes, there's a lot of walking and steps, so if you or some of your group isn't up to it, find out about an easier version. There are indoor parts of the tour which would be much easier, but we all managed quiet well. You can also do the tour on your own, following the instructions they'll give you when you pay and enter.

We walked around a section of the Kotel, Western Wall of the Temple Compound and around to the Southern Wall. It's all so majestic. Our guide explained why the building stones are so different in the same wall, the time periods and the builders.

We were mesmerized by the views and the stories. Luckily we were all up to the walking and steps. 

Following our guide, we ended up inside the archeological museum where there were movies, mostly short and one longer. One movie explained the significance of the seven branched menorah, but they made a mistake. They started off correctly saying that the seven branches were for the seven days of the week, but they got the days wrong. they stated that the middle, tallest branch was Wednesday, the fourth day of the wee, but that's wrong. The middle branch is for Shabbat, the most important day of the week.

Judaism has Shabbat at the center of the week. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday one prepares for Shabbat, and then Sunday, Monday and Tuesday one "cleans up" from Shabbat and can make the Havdala prayer, which ends one's observance of Shabbat. I checked this out with a rabbi friend, who said that I'm correct. I'm surprised that the mistake hadn't been caught and corrected soon after the museum reopened a few years ago.

We followed our guide further and I can't imagine going through this museum without a guide...

Then we got to the movie they had about Jerusalem which I remembered from my visit soon after the Davidson Center had reopened. I was very upset with the movie then and even more so this visit. 

The best way of describing it is that it's a "woke" version of the history of Jerusalem, intentionally masking and confusing the timeline, history of the city to give the impression that Judaism, Christianity and Islam have been around in the same timeframe. 

The truth is very different. Judaism began about two thousand 2,000 years before Christianity. The Jewish Bible begins its story almost six thousand 6,000 years ago. Christianity is barely two thousand years old, and Islam began about five hundred years later.

The Jewish People were ruled by Jewish Kings in Jerusalem and had two Holy Temples there before either of those religions even began. 

I was terribly disturbed by the sections about Islam. They were like knives in the back. It's clear that whoever wrote the screenplay for that section has an agenda, and it's not a good one. As you can see here, an Arab man and boy are playing chess. The man is showing the boy how to win. There's no actual history; it's sneaky at best. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. There was no need at all to add it. It doesn't relate to the rest of the movie in any way. Jerusalem isn't even mentioned in the Koran. It's political, anti-Israel and anti-Jewish.

I hate to end this blog post in such a negative way, because I really did enjoy most of my time in the Davidson Center.

We Attended Evyatar Banai's Humongous Outdoor Concert in Jerusalem

Yes, here we are sitting with thousands and thousands of people

 See, I'm not exaggerating at all. Sultan's Pool, near Jerusalem's Old City is quite an impressive venue.

Evyatar Banai performed with three guest artists, and I have no doubt that Aviv Geffen was the highlight for most of the audience. It was quite an extravaganza. 

We were sitting in the VIP section in front. Why? Well that's a story.

Both of us, my husband and I, had totally ignored the ads about the concert which was sponsored by Mateh Binyamin, our regional council -a sort of cross between a county and American-style state. So to put it mildly, we hadn't planned on attending. 

So, how did we end up going, and davka with seats in the VIP section?

Barely 24 hours before the concert, my husband received a message from what we'll call the Public Relations Department of Mateh Binyamin offering us a pair of complementary tickets including an invitation to the preconcert reception. For decades we've been the volunteer "meeters and greeters" welcoming journalists, dignitaries and a wide variety of other visitors including groups. I'm no longer on their "speed-dial," though my husband still gets calls. Over the years we've gotten preholiday gifts, which is how I got that "beer glass" I drink cold brew coffee from. It even came with special beer, which was a real treat for me.

Rather obviously, just like the classic Jewish Joke, as soon as we heard that we'd been offered free tickets, we happily accepted them and attended the concert. To be perfectly honest, until I heard them live, Banai, Geffen and two other popular singers, I don't think I've even listened to their music, though I had heard of them. 

I must say that the Evyatar Banai & Friends concert in such a venue was great fun. Until I turned around to photograph what was behind me, I had no idea how humongous it was, even though we had walked down from the top. Beware that the steps are dangerous, because they aren't marked with reflective or white tape. I didn't want to leave the way we came; it was terrifying to think of going up those black unmarked steps. Luckily there was a lower exit, no steps. I think that we could have entered that way too, if we had come with the other VIPs.

There was an intimacy in sitting so close to the stage and not seeing the rest of the audience. It was great fun. We left a bit early so we could catch a bus home. Lovely evening. I'm so glad we had been invited.

Still More Stories To Tell About Our Early Days In Israel 50 Years Since Aliyah

I've written a bit about our early days in Israel on Shiloh Musings, since it's already fifty 50 years since our aliyah. There's lots more to tell. That first year in Israel was quite a year. We arrived by boat as newlyweds and finished the year as parents of an adorable baby girl.

Davka, our neighbors, even our closest friends in Shiloh, know almost nothing about that first year. It was a full decade before we moved to Shiloh. The one person we knew then in the Old City of Jerusalem, yes that's where we lived most of the first year, passed away a few years ago. That's one of the reasons I offered to tell our story to the senior citizen club, Adarta. Even though it's for our age, we generally don't go to the meetings. When we celebrated our fiftieth 50th wedding anniversary I realized that only two other couples have been married longer than we have. And as olim immigrants who had made aliyah as a married couple, we hold that record as having done it longer ago than any other.

I gave the talk in both Hebrew and English, translating for myself. The most frightening part was being without my mask, but all the audience wore masks and kept distant. 

Many in the audience want to hear more of my stories, so maybe I'll speak again to them.

Photos by Linda Fairman

Tower of David Museum with Friends

Yesterday I met with a handful of friends from around the country, and we toured the Tower of David Museum. The only time I had been there was a half a century earlier, when I was a student in Machon Greenberg, and it was then just an ancient site.

The Tower of David is next to the Jaffa Gate and you can get there by public transportation, any bus to Mamilla Mall or the lightrail stop at Safra Square, the Jerusalem Municipality. Yes, it's a bit of a walk. The museum does require walking including stairs, so it's not for the handicapped or baby carriages/prams/strollers.

Even though it's called The Tower of David, it was built much later by Herod, and it's one of the only two remaining structures he had built. The other one is Maarat Hamachpela, the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. The other Herodian edifices have been destroyed, though sections and foundations remain.

Give yourself a few hours to wander around. There are public toilets at the exit and near the special exhibit section where there is now an exhibition about Har Habayit, the Temple Mount. My friends and I didn't have enough time, since we also had reservations at a nearby restaurant. Our time was much too limited.

Since it's not a planned museum, the rooms are small. Visiting students made it hard for us to see everything, also. One of our friends said that she has brought grandchildren, who really enjoy the Tower of David Museum. As a senior citizen, I only paid NS20 to enter, so maybe I'll be back. Yes, I recommend visiting it.

These photos should give you a good idea, but they don't tell the whole story.

Jerusalem Light Festival 2018, Rather Dull

The other night I went to the Jerusalem Light Festival 2018, even though I couldn't find anyone to go with. There were thousands of other people, and I even ran into a few friends. It is an event one can do on one's own without any problem.

I arrived before the opening at 8pm, because I had the time, and I didn't want to get back too late. But you really don't see the beauty until it's dark.

First of all, I must complain. I can't imagine why the organizers thought that they could was it save money on not having color-coded guide lights to indicate routes. In previous years we could just look up and follow our chosen route's color. This time we guessed, followed crowds, tried to understand the map wihch didn't have street names or asked the young sadranim, guides, who were stationed in some of the important locations. One tried to tell me to go back to where I had been, so I had to show him that the numbers needed to go up and not down.

I took the PINK route, which started at Jaffa Gate and ended at the New Gate. There were very long sections with nothing other than walking. Not enough for the route, and nothing spectacular compared to what I remember from previous years. No doubt I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been alone.

I got a lot of walking in, finishing the day at 20,000+ steps. Here are some pictures I took:

There was a section in a mostly Arab neighborhood that had lanterns hanging, which I presume was to guide the spectators.

Was In Old City, but Didn't Doven at Kotel

I may have mentioned this before. I'm not a great fan of the Kotel, the Western Wall.

Contrary to popular misconception, it's not a remaining wall of the Holy Temple, sic, there were two plus, nor is it "the  holiest spot in the world for Jews.

The Kotel is the remains of a very sturdy retaining wall of the Temple Mount, which is where the Holy Temples had stood before destroyed by anti-Jewish invaders.

I think of the Kotel as an old outdoor synagogue, which conveniently has an Ezrat Nashim, women's section. The holiness is derived more from the fact that it has been a place of Jewish Prayer for so long. One doesn't need to ritually purify oneself before going to pray there, which is the preferred requirement for entering Har Habayit, the Temple Mount.

What do you think about it?

Doors and Doorways in Jerusalem's Old City and Mount Zion

Early this week I met visiting family, and we hiked around Jerusalem's Old City and the downtown area. I walked a record 21,681 steps that day. They walked even more! I'm happy to say that there was no pain or aching the following days. I wish I could say that I lost weight, but I didn't, sigh.

For one of the guests, this was a first time visit to Israel. And for another we were on old stomping ground decades later.

I must say that considering all of the complaints people like to make about the upkeep, cleanliness of Jerusalem, the administration of the Old City, Jewish Quarter does a good job. I mentioned that in my recent Pishers Guide #29 about the WC near the Kotel.

As you can see from the photos in this post, there are some very interesting doors and doorways to admire. We, a small group of women, felt very safe and comfortable walking around.

Enjoy...