Monday, January 17th

11:15  Arrive Ben Gurion Airport, Israel, ascend to Jerusalem
c. 13:30  Introductory overview of Jerusalem from Haas/Sherover Promenade, including bag lunch and walk along the promenade with introductory texts
15:30  Panoramic view of the Old City from the Mount of Olives; Garden of Gethsemane
18:30  Welcome - Rabbi Ron Kronish
19:30  Dinner & Free Evening


We made it here.  We had a little bit of trouble in Chicago because American Airlines only checked my bags (and those of one other student) through to JFK, meaning we had to leave security, go retrieve our bags, and then bring them back through security at the El Al desk before boarding our 747.  With that running around, there was just barely enough layover time left to grab a pizza (to be consumed on the flight).


One we'd taken off, my seat-mates and I had a relaxing glass of red wine (free from the service cart) before I took my sleeping pill and floated off.  I am struck once again by how relaxing I find air travel.  Not the "crammed in a box" and "lack of control over my environment" part, but that incredibly freeing sensation of springing into the air and leaving the world behind for a playful jaunt through the clouds.  I could stay up there forever, if I had the leg room and a more regular supply of water.


I slept fairly well on the flight.  Rabbi M threatened to make me the official note-taker for the day, since apparently no one else got as much sleep.  Yawning but quite functional, I made it through passport check, baggage retrieval and the process of securing local currency.  I told the customs guy that it was the first stamp in my passport; he congratulated me.  


Once loaded in the bus, we headed south from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  We approached from the West, which was seldom done in the old days but has become more popular as pilgrims and other visitors began arriving by sea in the last 150 years or so.  (I am conditioned to assume that wherever the largest body of water may be found is, by definition, East.  I keep having to remind and reorient myself.)  Our bus climbed past citrus groves and kibbutzim, and finally stopped on a large ridge on the western edge of the city.   We were invited to step out onto a stone terrace overlooking the ridges and ravines, construction and shanties and fabulous buildings dedicated to a number of religious traditions.  While we munched on pastry, sandwiches and fruit, our guide Jared read the biblical story of Abraham's journey to sacrifice Isaac and then pointed out that the lands described fit perfectly with the low mountains in front of us.

Thanks to Cathy for this shot of me with a friendly Jerusalem cat.

We were originally scheduled to continue to the City of David today, but a late flight and a dental emergency from one of the students put us behind a bit.  Rabbi M decided to take us to the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane instead, holding off the City of David and Hezekiah's tunnel until tomorrow.  The vista of the city, with the Dome of the Rock shining in the setting sun, was unbelievable.  We reached the chapel within the garden of Gethsemane as the light was dimming, but I did my best (with heavy reliance on my Image Stabilization software) to capture the beauty of the place.  Inside the fabulously decorated chapel is a stretch of bare limestone which is celebrated as the place where Christ prayed on the night of his betrayal.  Outside is a grove of ancient olive trees, carefully supported and tended.  Coating the mountain are the graves of Muslims, Christians and Jews.  Down the slope a bit is the beautifully simple Church of the Tear, a bit over from the gold domes of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdelene, and at the base of the slope is yet another lovely little chapel carved directly into the stone.  (Our guide told me this last church had something to do with the birth of the Virgin Mary, but the bus was arriving and he was busy.  He did say that to see all the wonderful little historical nooks in this city, I'd have to move here!)


We finally arrived at the Hotel Eden around 6:00 local time.  Those who hadn't slept during the flight were getting quite ragged, and even I was pretty pleased to wash my face and put on fresh clothes.  We had a few minutes to get settled before Rabbi Kronish's presentation on the peace process and his organization's work.  Then we were served a middle eastern feast by the staff of this little hotel that just couldn't be beat, capped off by my very favorite kind of baclava - lots of pistachios!


So what do I think, after this first crazy day in Israel?  It's hard to say.  I'm fascinated by all the different cultures represented here, although my recent readings may color my perceptions of how some are treated.  I notice that the people - especially the orthodox Jewish men - seem kind of pushy and rude when it comes to retrieving baggage or moving out of the aisles to let someone pass.  There is a sense of women not quite receiving the respect of an equal from the men, which catches me off guard.  And while walking down the Mount of Olives I noticed two young adolescent boys sniggering at my friend and fellow seminarian, who is trans-female; it made me wish I knew enough of the local language to bawl them out and remind them of their manners.


Our guide said something early in the day today about the land being filled with true history, some of which actually happened.  Although this is certainly one of the most holy, historic places on the Earth, I find myself mostly aware of the beauty of the landscape and the architecture, the marks of the faithful rather than the founding features of the faith.  I don't need to kneel where Jesus knelt in order to feel a connection to the divine, but I am fascinated by the steps taken over the generations (back to Constantine's mother and before) to identify these holy sites and preserve them.

Psalm 122

Song of Praise and Prayer for Jerusalem

A Song of Ascents. Of David.
I was glad when they said to me,
   ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’ 
Our feet are standing
   within your gates, O Jerusalem. 

Jerusalem—built as a city
   that is bound firmly together. 
To it the tribes go up,
   the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
   to give thanks to the name of the Lord. 
For there the thrones for judgement were set up,
   the thrones of the house of David. 

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
   ‘May they prosper who love you. 
Peace be within your walls,
   and security within your towers.’ 
For the sake of my relatives and friends
   I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’ 
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
   I will seek your good.