Day 6

Sabeel Center

The Sabeel Center is “An ecumenical center in Jerusalem for Palestinian Liberation Theology which seeks to make the Gospel contextually relevant.” Omar, the representative from the Sabeel Center who we got to talk to, was able to give us the Arab Christian perspective of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unfortunately, I found this to be one of the less interesting outings we had. Omar wasn’t especially engaging, and I honestly don’t remember a lot of the details of what he talked about. The main theme of his talk was the importance of nonviolence and of actually practicing nonviolence. He mentioned that with their youth groups, instead of sitting around talking about nonviolence, they will try to find a way to put it into practice. The other thing I found more interesting about his talk was his insight about housing demolitions. Although I doubt I’ll ever understand the full complexity of the issue, the general problem is that the Israeli government demolishes homes built by Palestinians in occupied areas. This happens because the Israeli government refuses to give building permits to Palestinian people, and then the Palestinian people build the houses anyway because they need places to live. The Israeli government then has these “illegal” houses demolished, and the cycle starts again. This seems like more trouble than it is worth, but it also seems like an effective tactic of the Israeli government to dehumanize and break down the Palestinian people.

Supreme Court

We then went to the Supreme Court, which was a very interesting building. The picture below is an outdoor courtyard, but I wish I had more pictures of the inside.

Inside, there is a library, and the floors of the library segregated depending on your role in the judicial process. For example, lawyers and judges wouldn’t be allowed on the same floor because they don’t want people to talk about cases or influence any opinions. The higher up you go on the floors, the more importance/experience the people have. The first floor is for lawyers, the second floor is for judges, and the third floor is (I’m pretty sure) for retired judges. This emphasizes the hierarchy of knowledge.

I’m also going to steal a bit of info from Jess Manno’s blog because she summed up the system so well…

“The Israeli judicial branch operates as follows: Across the country there are 32 magistrate courts, then 6 district courts, then the supreme court (with 15 justices, governed by a chief justice-which is essentially the one with most seniority). There are NO JURIES, as they wanted their court system to be fully professional and NOT to have people judged by their peers. Courts hear civil and criminal cases and whether you start at magistrate or district depends on the level of sentence that could result if you are guilty. If you start in magistrate you can only appeal to district and if you start in district you can only appeal to supreme. HERE IS THE KICKER… there are no real requirements on being a supreme court justice-you don’t even really need to be a lawyer-you just have to be knowledgeable in law. You have to be at least 18 and be qualified. You could petition in, be recommended or any other avenue then you go throw an interview process.”

City of David

Following the Supreme Court we went to the City of David. We saw a very disorienting 3D movie, but then got to travel through some underground tunnels! Yael gave an explanation about how they built the tunnels under the city to direct the flow of water into the city. We hiked down through the tunnels and then back up the mountain on stairs (reminded me of Lehigh!) that offered beautiful views of Gethsemane and Mount of Olives.

Coming out of the side of the mountain and looking across the valley to a modern city…

Awesome, old olive tree…

One of my favorite views of the entire trip…

Encounter

We ended the night with a group called Encounter, which was by far the most engaging group we had come to talk to us in our night sessions. Encounter brings American Jews to Israel to see the “less popular” sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The leader of the group, Rebecca, said that she was shocked when she learned about the experiences of Palestinian people under Israeli occupation, because she had never heard that side of the story before. She has made it her job to expose that side of the story to American Jews who are leaders of different organizations—she called them “grass tops” because it’s not as much of a bottom-up approach as grass roots organizations, but she’s not targeting policy makers either. Through this experience, these American Jews have the opportunity to listen to the stories of Palestinian people and even participate in a home-stay with a Palestinian family. It’s less about dialogue and more about listening, which I think is really interesting and probably helps the Jewish people focus more on what they are hearing than any rebuttals they may be tempted to make.

I think they were also one of my favorite groups because they never seemed like they were trying to preach to us. They told us what they were all about, were super interested in answering our questions, and shared some really personal information about their goals and their experiences in Encounter.

Day 2

Mediterranean Winter Wonderland

Day two was super busy. First, we went to Yad Vashem, which is the Holocaust Museum here in Jerusalem. Getting there wouldn’t typically be an issue because it’s only ten minutes away, but … it snowed for the first time in four years! Crazy! It was only like an inch, but no one knows how to deal with it and they didn’t have plows or salt or anything. Even the slightest hill, cars were sliding down and people were turning around because they couldn’t make it up. At one point, our bus got stuck in the middle of a road, and we all went and sat near the back wheels to give more friction—it worked! Here’s a picture of a car sliding down the road!

Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum

Yad Vashem itself was amazing. The building was gorgeous. It is basically a really long triangle, and the exhibition is one continuous gallery that you weave back and forth through. It’s hard to explain. Here’s a link to what the building looks like from the outside (I did not take this photo):

The exhibition went in chronological order, starting with a video of what life as a Jew was like before the Holocaust started. As we went, it honestly just got more and more sad. There was a room about Auschwitz, and they had a few quotes by Elie Wiesel. Even though I’ve read Night, it’s so hard to picture the little old man I saw speak at a Lehigh commencement in such a horrible, horrible place. One of the most impacting things was a rather large sculpture of the Krema II, a gas chamber and crematorium at Auschwitz. Here’s a photo (that I didn’t take), but it doesn’t do it justice:

The expressions on the faces of the model people were heart breaking. In the first underground room you see there on the left, the people are all undressing and naked. They had them undress before the herded them into the second room, on the right, where you can see all the people packed close. It was in that room that they were killed by gas pellets that were dumped into the room from holes in the ceiling after the room was sealed. They estimate that 500,000 Jews were killed in just that gas chamber alone. It was such an incredible sculpture. I wish I could have taken photos of it. Another thing that really struck me was they have the actual train tracks and bumper stop that was where the trains stopped when they were leaving people at Auschwitz. Finally, something I was super impressed by, some of the journals people kept, they wrote them in multiple languages. For example, one girl kept a journal of everything in the margins of a novel, and she copied it in four different languages. It made me realize how many great minds were lost. They also had good things, though, like stories of Jews that formed resistance groups and tried to fight back, and stories of the people who helped Jews escape or hid them (called Righteous Gentiles). What I loved about the museum is that it told the whole story through focusing in on many people’s individual stories. It was more like reading lots and lots of letters and journals than reading a history book. The last thing that really got to me was the Hall of Names. It’s the very last thing you go in, and it’s a huge circular room with what look like photo albums lining the walls and a piece in the center full of photos up to the ceiling. It’s hard to find one image that does it justice, so here are a few:

The last one is a reflective pool, and I think it might represent the mass graves Jews were buried in as well as reflecting the photos above and the faces of anyone looking down into it. The books lining the walls are full of testimonies about the people who died in the Holocaust. If you know someone who did, you can go in a little room and look them up, and then you can read their story and add to it if you want.

After we finished going through the main galleries, we went outside. There are a few memorials last night, but the main one we looked at was the Children’s Memorial. Over 1.5 million children were killed in the Holocaust, and this memorial commemorated them. It’s extremely dark when you walk in, and there are hanging pictures of children near the front, and then you walk further in. When you get in the main room, you just have to follow the railing along the outside because it’s all mirrors and candles. Very disorienting, but extremely beautiful. In Jewish culture, the candle is a symbol for the human soul. There were only a few candles lit, but the way they reflected on the mirrors, it looked like there were hundreds. Also, as you walk through, there is an audio recording reading out the names and ages of children who were killed. It’s all very moving.

Us walking in…

A picture I didn’t take of the inside…

Machane Yehuda

After leaving Yad Vashem, the weather had cleared up so we went to Machane Yehuda, which is a huge outdoor market through streets and alleys in Jerusalem. There had to be hundreds of vendors, all selling things ranging from fresh fruits and vegetables, to candy, to pottery, breads and pastries, and alcohol. There were also clothing and jewelry stores and cafes thrown in between all of those as well.

Overall, the experience of the market was really neat. It was the first place I really felt the impact of being in a non-English speaking country. The vendors all yell things to try to attract attention to their shops, but I didn’t understand a word any of them were saying. I kept asking Barkai, our guard, to translate for me. I didn’t purchase anything from any of the vendors, but Alissa, Rachel, and I did stop in a shop on our way back to the bus to buy our Purim costumes—cheetah ears (yes, we plan on drawing on whiskers).

Celebrating Shabbat and Oneg

Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, starts at sundown on Friday evenings. Basically everything shuts down at sundown, because Jews are required to rest on the Sabbath. Not only does this not include not working, but it includes not using electricity, not cooking, and not driving. This impacted us in a variety of ways, but one of them that surprised me was the elevators. On Shabbat, the elevator stops at every floor on the way down to the lobby that way Jewish people don’t have to press any buttons (use electricity)—they just wait or use the stairs.

Before dinner, Seth (one of our trip advisers, he’s a rabbi) and Rachel did blessings over a glass of wine and two loaves of bread (Kiddush and Motzi, respectively). My first thought was that it was very Last-Supperesque, and then I realized those were probably the prayers that Jesus was doing over the bread and wine except a little different because it was Passover. Definitely educational.

Following dinner, we had Oneg Shabbat, which literally translates to “joy of Shabbat” or “enjoyment of Shabbat.” We basically all sat around and just talked and enjoyed everyone’s company. Since you can’t use electricity or do anything that would be considered work, you basically just hang out and chat. It seems like where Christians likely got the idea for spending time in gathering spaces after services. I think it’s a really neat tradition.

Park Hotel Update

After that, it was definitely bed time. Alissa, however, wanted more pillows. I stole the extra one from the closet, and she wanted another as well. She called reception and asked for two or three extra pillows (assuming that, considering our luck with the towels, we'd get at least one). When we heard a knock on the door, Rachel answered. To our surprise, they brought us towels. Yes, towels. When Rachel tried to explain we wanted pillows, we found that our lovely room serviceman did not speak English. Rachel thanked him for the towels, and we all had a good laugh. Alissa called reception again, explained what happened, and asked for pillows. They never came, and we gave up and went to sleep.

Israel: Flight and Day 1

Newark to Ben Gurion Airport (Tel Aviv) via El Al Airlines:

Getting in and out of the airports went pretty smoothly. Lloyd and Seth, our professors and advisers, warned us that it’s likely the most intense airport security we’ll ever have to go through. They asked a bunch more questions than at any airport security I’ve ever been through before, and two of our students got detained between security and boarding. One of them was one of my roommates here (my roommates are Rachel and Alissa), and she said that they basically just checked their carry ons personally, swabbed their shoes, patted them down, and then let them sit and watch TV. They weren’t allowed to come back out and sit with us, but they were on the plane when we boarded.

On the plane, it was set up like my flight to England my senior year of high school, with three rows of three people each. I was in the very middle of the middle row, but I was sitting between Rachel and Alissa, so it was fine. These are the two girls I knew before the trip, so I’m glad I got paired up with them, and they’ve both also been to Israel before: this is Alissa’s third trip and Rachel’s sixth or seventh. Yes, they’re both Jewish.

The plane ride was really long. England/Scotland and Ireland were about six hour flights, and this was around ten and a half. I didn’t sleep nearly as well as I wanted to, even though I was reading and listening to calm music and even had a glass of wine. I couldn’t stay asleep for more than half an hour at a time. I did read the entirety of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, though, which was exciting.

Tel Aviv to Jerusalem via MayaTour bus:

Once we landed in Tel Aviv, we had to drive to Jerusalem. As it figures, it’s absolutely pouring out. The rain is so bad. Figures I’d go to a desert country and it would rain. Also, it rains so rarely, that the Israeli people aren’t very good at driving in the rain. There was an accident ahead of us, so the rip took a bit longer than expected. In Jerusalem, though, we were going to go right to the Israel Museum, but Rachel got motion sick on the bus. She threw up a few times, and we took her to the hotel so she could rest for the day. I think between motion sickness from the flight and the bus and being over tired, her body just couldn’t keep up. After we dropped her off, we went to the museum.

It was pretty neat. We learned about the history of Jerusalem, the stages of Jewish life, different style synagogues, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

This photo is a model of Jerusalem in the era of the second temple (when Jesus was around). King Herod had it built.

This is a picture of the tabernacle from a synagogue in Italy that they uprooted and brought to this museum. I got yelled at after taking pictures in there, so I didn’t take any more.

This is the room where they house some parts of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

We then had an hour to go look around on our own, but just about everyone fell asleep on benches near the cafe in the museum. It was pretty rough. I felt guilty for not exploring more, but I was starting to feel sick and knew I needed the rest.

The Park Hotel in Jerusalem:

Ohhhh hotels… or should I call this a dorm? It’s definitely not like the kind of hotel I expected. We were also a little shocked because even though there are three of us in this room, there were only two twin beds. We’ve been having quite the fun time calling the reception desk. First for our extra bed, then for a third towel for me… and then for towels again because they never came. It’s been a blast.

Israeli Food:

Dinner at the hotel was good. I wish I had taken a picture of it. I didn’t realize hummus was so popular in Israel. They serve it with just about every meal (we even got it in our meals on the plane), and it is SO good. They serve it with fresh rolls which are super fluffy. I’m kind of in love. The rest of the food is good too. I feel like they eat so very much healthier than we do in America. There are so many vegetable and fruit options all the time, and not just a lettuce salad. For dinner, I had what I am pretty sure was really tender chicken, small baby potatoes, a cucumber and dill salad, mixed steamed vegetables, rice (which was the only thing I really didn’t like), and of course hummus and a roll.

Final Session: Gershom Gorenberg

Our speaker was Gershom Gorenberg, who is a well-known historian and journalist who writes about Israel and Israeli/Palestinian politics. He talked to us about the history of the Temple Mount, which is the site where God supposedly sent Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Abraham was going to do it, and God sent an angel to stop him right in time, and because of Abraham’s great faith in God and willingness to sacrifice his only son, he was named the father of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), and God said his descendents would be as many as the stars in the sky and the sand on the shore (or something like that). Because this story is so important to all three religions, they each want to stake claim to the Temple Mount (also known as Mount Moriah). He went into more depth, but overall he was an engaging figure and helped make the information more easily accessible to us rather than reading dry texts about it. Toward the end it was rough, though, because the room got really warm and we’re all exhausted still.

We went to bed by 10:30ish, even though we had napped earlier before dinner. We’ve been exhausted the whole trip. It just takes a while to adjust, because of the 7 hour time difference.