Israel and Jordan (Part 2) - Holy Land

Israel and Jordan (Part 2) Slide Show

Traveling to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and the Sea of Galilee was a dream come true for Jennifer and I. In 2001 we had a trip scheduled with our church, but we had to cancel after the events of 9-11. We felt fortunate to be able to go 7 years later with our 2 sons, Aaron and Noah, and our nephew Drew.
It was wonderful to spend Christmas Eve in Bethlehem as a family. But, as each of you watched the news in the days following Christmas, you saw how the spiritual significance of this land is often overshadowed by political and religious issues. As I write this, the missiles, bombing, and ground battles continue in the Gaza Strip. After only 2 weeks in Israel, we still have much to learn about this complex situation. What we do know is that we care deeply about the welfare of the Israelis and Palestinians that we met. Please pray for a quick end to the conflict and a long-term solution for Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
The Old City of Jerusalem is split into Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Armenian Quarters. The wall surrounding the Old City was constructed between 1537 and 1542 by Suleyman the Magnificent. You  enter the Old City through 1 of 8 gates. It is very difficult to describe a walled-in city that is split into 4 different religious quarters that carries so much religious significance for the 3 major monotheistic religions of the world. Christians can walk the Via Dolorosa to see the Stations of the Cross, the crucifixion site and the burial place of Jesus. The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount marks the spot where the Muslim Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven to take his place alongside Allah. The wall supporting the outer portion of the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock stands is the Western Wall (or the Wailing Wall) where Jews come to pray, inserting their prayers into the wall.
Prior to receiving a guided tour, we walked on the top of the wall that surrounds the Old City. It was a good way to view the city from above, seeing the winding streets with locals going about their daily business. Our tour was guided by Noam, who was extremely knowledgeable about all three religions and conducted a very informative tour. We walked the 14 Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa, ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Inside the church are the final 5 stations where Jesus was stripped of his clothes, nailed to the cross, crucified, died, and was buried. Whether or not these sights mark the exact locations of these events does not diminish the significance of walking the Stations of the Cross in Jerusalem.
The Temple Mount includes the beautiful Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Jews are not allowed to enter the Temple Mount and non-Muslims are not allowed in either building. This was our first exposure to the separation between religious groups in the Old City. On the other side of the Temple Mount wall we saw Jews praying by the Western Wall. We walked through each of the sections of the city, visiting buildings that have changed between Jewish, Muslim, and Christian places of worship depending on who was in charge of Jerusalem at the time. It was confusing, but the longer we spent in the Old City, the more we learned about the role that politics and religion have played in forming the Old City of Jerusalem today. You could spend days walking in the Old City, visiting places of worship, shopping in the souks, eating mounds of pita, falafel, hummus, and shwarma, and trying to gain a better understanding of the history of this incredible city.
Bethlehem brought another level of learning for the five of us. It was Christmas Eve in Bethlehem. Thoughts of Jesus in the manger and the Star of Bethlehem were quickly replaced with walls, security, and checkpoints. Bethlehem is a walled-in city in the West Bank consisting of Palestinian Muslims and Christians. Our tour into the West Bank was run by Fred Schlomka, owner of www.toursinenglish.com. Fred runs alternative tours not found on the typical tour bus route. For example, we spent time at a large Palestinian home that had been shot up during fighting with Israel and now is vacant.
Fred is an Israeli. We were also joined on the tour by Tamir, a Palestinian guide living in the West Bank. It was incredibly insightful getting both perspectives on the conflicts regarding the West Bank. It was enlightening to see the friendship that these two men have formed. If only the governments involved could follow their example. The wall surrounding the city and the gates and checkpoints are controlled by Israeli armed forces. We visited a Palestinian Christian family that no longer has access to the olive grove that has been in their family for hundreds of years due to the wall. The graffiti on the inside of the wall tells quite a story. Destroyed homes and refugee camps tell more stories.
We did go to the more visited parts of Bethlehem. There was a celebration in Manger Square that included Christmas songs by marching bands, complete with bagpipes. We went to the Church of the Nativity, which marks the spot where Jesus was born. It was special for us to be there on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, management of the church is divided up meter by meter between the Orthodox, Catholic and Armenian Christian clerics and they do not get along. This fact put a damper on the Christmas spirit for us. As a result of the conflict that we witnessed, our trip to Bethlehem was not quite the Christmas experience that we were looking for, but due to the knowledge and passion of our tour guides, Fred and Tamir, we came away with a deeper understanding of the situation in the West Bank.
Christmas Day was spent in our apartment, opening gifts that we purchased in the Old City market. We cherished the last day with our son Aaron as we took him and nephew Drew to the airport later that evening. Being together on Christmas, regardless of where we were was the best present of all. After their departure, Jennifer, Noah and I drove to Nazareth, the city where Jesus grew up. We saw the Basilica of the Annunciation, which marks the spot where the angel Gabriel told Mary that she was pregnant with the son of God. The Sea of Galilee was a special place where we saw where Jesus walked on the water and gave his Sermon on the Mount overlooking the Sea. We even drank some Cana Wedding Wine to commemorate Jesus' first miracle.
Special thanks to Sunita and Fred, who took us into their home, fed us, and patiently answered our questions about Israel. Sunita is a friend of Jennifer's from high school. She is a professional harpist that lives in Kfar Saba with her husband Fred (our previously mentioned tour guide) and their two children. Sunita even helped me find a baseball game to play in on December 28, the day before we left Israel. Unfortunately, the game was canceled due to bad field conditions. Oh well, the cancellation probably saved me a hamstring injury.
We spent a very informative and interesting two weeks in Israel, highlighted by being together as a family and seeing sights that we have always dreamed about seeing. As we were leaving Israel for Jordan, we drove by a convoy of tanks on flat-bed trailers making their way to Gaza. As stated earlier, we can only hope and pray that a cease-fire comes soon.
To see our slide show of Israel and Jordan (Part 2), click on the following link ==> Israel and Jordan (Part 2) Slide Show.