Jerusalem

I get one full day in Jerusalem and that’s it. My guide came for me in his Land Cruiser at 8am. His name is Reuven, he’s Jewish & moved to Israel 40 years ago. I didn’t ask but I’m almost certain he was originally from New York because that accent was unmistakable. Reuven was a kind fellow and also very happy to see me; I was his first tour since Covid! On this trip to Jerusalem I’m introduced to the pure relief the tourism industry is feeling to know that they are close to having their livelihoods back. This relief remains a common topic of conversation throughout the remainder of my trip. 

I should mention, before we actually pulled out of the Weissman, Reuven called someone to check for news coming from Jerusalem. Apparently there had been civil disturbances for the two days prior, so he wanted to conduct a quick vibe check. His buddy didn’t answer the phone, which troubled him, but he turned on the local news radio channel to check there. It was exactly 8, so the news program was beginning. In Hebrew, the man on the radio is reporting nothing of interest, so off we go.

He seems like a jolly man. Right out the gate he’s diving headfirst into thick layers of facts about the history of Palestine/Israel. The drive to Jerusalem from Rehovot is about an hour and a half and he used every minute of it to describe the happenings of the past 4,000 years in the region. It was expertly and timed appropriately in a way that, for instance, right as we are approaching this narrowing section of highway he’d be at the part of the story where in 1967 the Israelis were sending an aid caravan through the narrow mountain road to Jerusalem. I was getting a crash course in Israeli history that would essentially end up being a knowledge bombardment lasting 10 hours. 

This man was so rich with facts, it was making my head spin. He explained that first we’d venture over to the Mount of Olives. We drive up and up and up and pull over to the edge of this little mountain. Perfect place to start the tour. This viewpoint overlooks all of the Old City and the City of David, the first little Jewish settlement in the area. Reuven uses this bird’s eye view to point out how the city is laid out. The way Jerusalem is set up: Jerusalem proper is a normal city, with large modern buildings and schools and smoothie shops and The North Face and everything totally normal. But where things get freaky is in just one small section of Jerusalem called the Old City. Aptly named because it was there way, way BC and is still here AD. The Old City is completely encapsulated by enormous walls. Reuven had so many facts about these walls, enough to last all day, you wouldn’t believe it. This special wall surrounds the place and within this place you have sections of the town- the Armenian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. We’d traverse our way through them all in time. Everything I talk about in this blog will be located inside the walls. Reuven pointed out several of the key buildings/structures. As he went on and on about these structures and the timelines and the sequences of events, I was trying with all my might to memorize everything he was saying. It was fine at first but my god, the city has changed hands so many times, so many wars and battles and rulers and peoples. I didn’t have enough free disk space for all of it. But I certainly got the gist, which is invaluable. 

I am an atheist, which means I don’t believe there is a god of any sort. I cannot imagine how powerful and moving a visit to this city can be for believers. I’m sure it’s overwhelming at times. Before we left the top of the viewpoint, I was pleased to witness a group of elderly southern American women singing a hymn together facing the Old City. I felt their passion and I knew this day would be special for them. I joke a lot about religion in my normal life, some of you reading this know that, but today it wasn’t a joke to me. Just wanted to make that known. 

Okay that’s done-  LET’S GO!

Into the city we went. This is what you would have pictured if I’d told you I was going to Israel (as opposed to the scenes outside the trendy vegan bakeries and vape shops of Tel Aviv). Old streets, cobblestone. Ancient, tan, stone buildings. And people wearing clothing I’d not seen yet. The Jewish people vary in their religiosity in general. An additional layer to this is the outward layer of religiosity that’s expressed in clothing/hairstyles. This clothing varies based on culture too. Many layers here. Many historical and cultural things at play. So that + the spectrum of Christian and Muslim customs out on display made for a very colorful day out on the town. 

We passed through all the quarters, stopping at significant sites along the way. For instance, the room said to have been the setting of Jesus’ last supper (later adapted as part of a mosque). We visited the Wailing Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and was given a glimpse of Al Aqsa Mosque.  All very holy and historic. We got falafel for lunch. We walked along the Roman cardo. I found a blessed tea spoon for my mother in the Jewish quarter. I bought some delicious pomegranate juice in the Muslim quarter. All the while I received the relevant facts associated with each nook and cranny of the passing scenery. 

Eventually I needed a break and a mental boost to handle these facts (were they all facts?), so we walked over to a little espresso shop. The man serving the coffee was old and charming. I asked for an espresso. He asked, “would you like that long or short, madam?” “Short is fine,” I replied with confidence, having no idea what the question or my answer meant. 

He prepared my espresso, popped it onto a little dish with an accompanying cookie. He handed it to me saying, “Now I have an important question: Do you eat the cookie or drink the espresso first?” He was tickled by my answer, “It depends on how hot the espresso is!” 

My time in Jerusalem did not fly by, it was dense and lengthy. I learned Reuven’s understanding of the story. I saw things I’d never seen before and may well never see again. I’m mixing what I saw and heard with pinches of salt and taking it all with me as a snack into the rest of my life. 

Something I observed and want to keep here on my record is that although the past 4,000 years of history in Jerusalem is rife with violence and conflict, Reuven’s stories often included obvious coordination and even kindness between famously hostile groups. For instance, Ottoman authorities (Muslim) kind of protected Christian presence during their empire. 

Jerusalem represents a long history of religious and cultural clashes, however, if you look real hard, the town also demonstrates many beautiful attempts (often successful) to get along and work together.

 I’m not naïve to the past & current strife, shit’s legit and ongoing. I’m simply coping by highlighting a positive.