O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together under her wings and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 13.34, 35)
Israel Handbell Festival Images
This morning we left Tel Aviv very early and drove the 70 minutes to Jerusalem. The saying in Israel is that Tel Aviv is the city one plays in and Jerusalem is the city one prays in. It could not be more true!
Our initial stop was on the Mount of Olives for a fantastic panoramic view of the entire old city of Jerusalem. Linnette Rodriguez from Puerto Rico even managed time to get in a camel ride! We then walked down the “Palm Sunday” road where we stopped at the Dominus Flevit, the traditional spot where Jesus lamented over the city of Jerusalem before entering the city to festive hosannas. We continued down the steep hill to the Garden of Gethsemane, where we viewed 2000 year old olive trees…really mind-blowing when you think about it…and the place that tradition says Jesus was betrayed by Judas while he was praying.
Arriving at the Dung Gate of the Old City, we encountered families and friends of those who were making their bar mitzvahs, accompanied by a band, dancing and general merry making. Walking through the Dung Gate, we entered the Holy City and visited the Davidson Center where one can experience years of excavation that have uncovered remains dating back to the First and Second Temple periods, and through Byzantine times to the Omayyard era. Fascinating.
The Wailing Wall (known more accurately as The Western Wall) was next on our agenda (about a 5 minute walk from where we were). This wall is part of the retaining wall of the Temple Mount, built by Herod the Great, and now Judaism’s holiest site. Men and women are separated by a barrier and one will see many praying at the wall, inserting prayer requests into the gaps between the stones in the wall, reciting Psalms and other Scripture.
We joined the Via Doloros, the road that traces the last steps of Christ on his way to be crucified on Golgotha, at the 5th Station. This is where Cimon of Cyrene was ordered by Roman soldiers to help Jesus carry the cross (Mark 15.21) From this point on, one climbs flights of stairs which lead up the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This massive church was built on the site that is believed to be the spot where Jesus was crucified, prepared for burial, buried and resurrected. The final 4 stations of the cross are located within this church.
A quick note about the roads in the walled Old City of Jerusalem: they are not like any roads you or I experience. These roads are basically 2 meters wide and are lined with venders, small tractors bringing supplies to businesses, shops, restaurants, and lots of humanity! One has to carefully watch where one is going as the paving stones are very uneven and there are many distractions along the way. It’s a really cool experience, however!
Concert at YMCA. Our second concert of the festival was held in the Art Deco Concert Hall of the Jerusalem YMCA. Designed by Arthur Loomis Harmon, the architect who created NYC’s Empire State Building, the Jerusalem YMCA was built from 1926-1933 and is one of modern Jerusalem’s best-known landmarks. It sits directly across the street from the exclusive King David Hotel, the hotel where, as everyone pointed out to us, “Obama stayed last week”.
This was the second and final concert with the Israel Handbell Ensemble, Inbalim, and after a bit of maneuvering to get everyone in an appropriate playing position, the concert went very well. This was a fundraiser for the youth program at the YMCA and there were about 250 in the audience.
Following the packing up of our equipment (a reat fete in itself-14 6-foot tables, 14 6-foot pieces of foam, two boxes of table cloths, 11 boxes of handbells, music folders, etc.), we headed to the 3 Arches Restaurant at the YMCA and had a much desired, and deserved, dinner.
We were back at our hotel by 10:30 pm….early compared to the last couple of nights!
From Jerusalem, Shalom