Today we visited Jerusalem and Bethlehem and really experienced the trinity of religions that are represented by this city. The old buildings in Jerusalem are all built of limestone and the newer ones of white brick. So from the top of the Mount of Olives, where we looked over Jerusalem the impression is of white - except for the mosque which has a magnificent golden dome, and walls of blue. This is what grabs the eye at first glance, and the number of women wearing the headscarf makes you think at first that you have arrived in Syria or Jordan by mistake. But shortly afterwards we were being shepherded into the Garden of Gethsemane (which was beautiful with Olive trees and roses) and then, through incredible security to the Wailing Wall.
I was very moved by the Wailing Wall. Our friend Lynda is Jewish and this was the highlight of her trip. She had written a prayer to put in the Wall and showed it to me the night before the trip. I had asked if I could do the same, and she told me that both Obama and the Pope had done it, so I wrote the prayer I always say at any sacred place and prayed at the Wailing Wall and put it in one of the little gaps in the wall. It was a wonderful spiritual moment, standing with the other women (Men and women have separate parts of the wall) and praying. A lot of the men were Hasidic Jews with the long hair and dark clothing and hats.
From here we began walking the Via Dolorosa and the focus was back on the Christian importance of the place. The Via Dolorosa is lined with little shops selling all manner of goods, including the largest rosary beads I've ever seen - the ones the nuns used to wear when I was at school had nothing on these. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was anything but holy - massive numbers of tourists jostling each other to climb the stairs up to the top of the hill. I opted out - the steps were way too high for comfort, but Bookworm was determined and made it to the top. She has gained a reputation among the group for her determination.
At this point I was a bit disappointed. While walking the Via Dolorosa the Islamic call to prayer came over the loud speakers and I always find this very moving - the call and the answering. I was beginning to feel that the Christian aspect of Jerusalem was too commercialized and a bit tacky, in comparison with the other religions.
Luckily the Garden of Gethsemanie was so moving. And then we went to Bethlehem and that restored the balance.
I mustn't have been concentrating, but I hadn't realized that Bethlehem is in Palestine. So incredible security again to go into the Palestinian territories. Once there we went to Manger Square and into the Church of the Nativity. This one church has 3 sections - one Armenian Christian, one Greek Orthodox and one Catholic. We went down the stairs under the Armenian section to the little cave which is where Jesus was supposedly born. Who knows? It was, however, very reverend and spiritual. Just as we came back up again there was a male choir singing - the monks of the Greek Orthodox church, with the most beautiful harmonies and totally unaccompanied. Then, as we left the churches, the call to prayer again.
Getting out of the Palestinian area, the security was even stronger. Two young Israeli soldiers (they looked about 15 and I would have thought they were the work experience kids except that they carried enormous guns!) got on the bus to inspect each face. I think this might have had some racial connotations... But something about the looks on our faces amused the girl and she got the giggles. That (combined with the gun) further alarmed some of the passengers. She apparently said to the young man "They look so scared" and he started to grin too. I was up the back and by this time I had started to laugh too. The male soldier said something to me and I said "Yes" - but I have no idea what he said so I might have signed up for the Israeli army.Or said I was a terrorist! The two got off laughing and by this time the young girl could hardly stand up. Anyway, we were allowed to leave..
The amazing thing is that the place seemed so peaceful. All the religions seem to exist freely and most of the people too. There were Catholic schools running in Bethlehem, and at Christmas, midnight mass is televised from Manger Square. Although Israeli citizens cannot go there and our guide had to get off the bus at the border. The Dome of the Rock (the Mosque) is the most outstanding building on the Israeli side. There are walls, of course. Our Israeli guides explained that since the walls and the checkpoints there have been virtually no suicide bombings which were becoming frequent before. But many Palestinian people live on the Israeli side too. On a personal level there seemed to be less animosity than there is politically. It seems a real paradox. Not that I'm an expert ...
