March 27, 2023 – Jerusalem, Israel

We arrived early in Ashdod, Israel to dock in a commercial area. Ashdod use to be the home of the mighty Philistines.

What a beautiful morning. Cannot believe we are in Israel! There was talk onboard about this port being cancelled because of ‘unrest’. First thing that came to mind was, there has been unrest in this area for thousands of years. Let’s go!

We met our guide, Maury. He asked where we were from and we said Florida. He said no, before Florida and we said upstate NY. He laughed. He said I’m from Israel, but before Israel, Brooklyn, NY. He visited here 50 years ago as a teenager and never went back. His parents were both Holocaust survivors. We boarded a bus and headed away from the port to Jerusalem. From sea level, the highway went through the countryside where we saw all kinds of agriculture. We saw orange trees and other citrus, olive trees and grape vines. It’s spring in Israel. The coolness and colors of new flowers reminded me of home. Red bud trees were beautiful. We call them Red Bud in the US, but here they are called Judas trees.

Soon we were going through a valley with steep hills. We could see skeletons of armored vehicles. Maury explained these were left as a remembrance of those that had died during their fight for independence. This is a valley where convoy’s would bring supplies on the highway to Jerusalem. Vehicles were left to honor the perseverance of those brave people in 1948.

The countryside soon turned into communities and suburbs of Jerusalem. The anticipation of seeing the old city had my heart pumping. Maury said, our first stop will be The Garden Of Gethsemane and the Church Of All Nations. We got off the bus and there before us, the wall around the old city. I could feel tears coming down my face. Here we are in ‘The Garden of Gethsemane’. The olive trees are ancient, apparently, many centuries old. Here we are where Jesus brought Peter, James and John. They slept as Jesus prayed ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done’. He was soon arrested.

The Church Of All Nations is a Roman Catholic Church with a gloomy atmosphere that simulates the atmosphere surrounding Jesus the night before the crucification, with low ceilings and 12 domes where Jesus prayed before Judas Iscariot handed him over to the Romans. The church was built by Antonio Barluzzi, the Italian architecture, in 1924. During excavation, evidence of a 4th century Byzantine church was discovered. The original mosaic floor can be seen through a glass opening in the floor. The architect took the original design of the floor and incorporated into his design in 1924.

The central focus of Jerusalem is the zone of Temple Mount. One of the highest outcropping of stone in this area, identified as Mount Moriah. Seems many religions have claimed their stake in Jerusalem. One church upon another, century after century. Jewish, Christian and Muslim all consider this place to be holy ground. Traditions says King David built an altar here to mark the site. The Temple Of Solomon was probably on or near this rock, as were the later temples of Zarubbabel and Herod.

The Romans incorporated Judea into their empire and quickly grew to appreciate the importance of Jerusalem and The Temple. Roman governors lived for most of the year at the administrative capital of Caesarea on the coast, where most of trade took place. They saw little value in Jerusalem as a capital; however, they had the practice of visiting the holy city during major feasts or any other times when disorder might break out (see what I’m saying….unrest, disorder).

Jesus visited Jerusalem many times during his life and did some of this most important teaching in the Temple. It was here he was arrested and put on trial for treason before Pontius Pilate, since the Governor came to the city for Passover, bringing extra troops, ‘to maintain order’. The trial took place and Jesus was condemned to death by crucifixion. The sentence was carried out immediately, just outside the walls. The body of Jesus was buried near the execution site, in a tomb cut into the rock. Christians believe that Jesus was raised to life 3 days later and appeared to his followers.

The fate of Jerusalem was sealed when another revolt against Rome broke out between AD 66 and 73. The final disasters included the destruction of Jerusalem leveling the entire hilltop and leaving only a portion of the outer wall along the western side (The Wailing Wall). The city was rebuilt but the hilltop remained vacant for centuries until the Muslim conquest, thus Dome of the Rock, is one of their holiest places.

West of the Temple Mount is the winding, climbing Via Dolorosa – “Sorrowful Way” – which marks the route that Jesus carried the cross to his execution. Until the middle of the 1st century, this was outside the old city wall. The Via ends at the Church Of The Holy Sepulcher. This church marks the historic location of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Many people are skeptical about locating events 2,000 years old, but Emperor Hadrian made this one easy. He was eager to erase this history of the Christians (hmmm, sound familiar?). He destroyed towns in the Holy Land and rebuilt temples. He placed a Temple of Venus on the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and the Temple of Adonis at Bethlehem. So, two centuries later, Constantine and his mother Helena went looking for the place of Jesus’ birth and death, they knew exactly what to look for. The Church Of the Holy Sepulcher contains a number of chapels and shrines (Greeks, Latins, Armenians, Syrians and Ethiopian’s). Among the most important is the Chapel Of The Cross, marking Calvary and the nearby stone of the anointing, where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial.

Just a few miles south of Jerusalem is Bethlehem, the home of David and birthplace of Jesus. The Church Of The Holy Nativity.

Our guide, Maury, was excellent. First, to the Western Wall. A day of celebration with many bar mitzvah’s. Dancing and music. Balloons and pictures with family. People watching was fun. Guards in the square, fully armed. Felt absolutely safe in our surroundings. Maury walked us through the tiny, narrow streets of Jerusalem and explained what we were seeing. What things were representative, etc. We walked the Via Dolorosa. Saw the location where Jesus was on trial and then into The Church Of The Holy Sepulcher. Like I mentioned, many churches have claimed their stakes over the centuries, building and tearing down churches but apparently evidence this is the location of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection. It use to be outside the city wall. We climbed these very steep and narrow steps with hundreds of people. At the top, the rock of Calvary. Was it the actual rock or representative of the area where the cross once stood, I don’t know. I can tell you, it was very emotional. There were people climbing under an alter to touch that rock. Next we climbed down and into an area of the church that contained two rooms. One holds the Angel’s Stone, believed to be a fragment of the stone that sealed Jesus’ tomb, the other is the tomb (tomb within a tomb but now not a cave but ornate tomb surrounding it). Maury told us of that morning that Mary Magdalene walked to the tomb and saw the stone rolled away. She was the first person to see him after the Resurrection. Hallelujah! Chills as we stood there listening to Maury’s account. The moment that changed the world!

As we left the church, we continued to walk through the tiny streets of that old city. We suddenly smelled bread, you know that smell that makes you hungry. The wonderful smell of fresh baked bread. We looked through this door and here inside was a man running his business inside what looked like a cave. Maybe a business that has been there for centuries. We followed Maury along this way and Bob and I notice a sign for a tattoo business. Not a moment later, a group of nuns and one nun turns around to an older nun and asks her if she’s like to stop for a tattoo (not in English, but you knew exactly what she said and we all laughed at her expression).

Out into the sunlight, we sat along the great city wall while waiting for our bus. We boarded the bus and went to a hotel for a very nice lunch. The variety of salads and regional fresh vegetables, olives, fish, meats and breads were so tasty and fresh.

We boarded the bus to go to Bethlehem. Can’t believe it’s only 6 miles away. A world of difference riding a bus vs a donkey. Sadly, we had to go through a security checkpoint and through a massive gate to cross into Bethlehem. It’s still Israel, but Palestinian Authority occupied. Maury could no longer be our guide because he is Jewish. We picked up a woman that Maury told us would be very informative and she was. Traffic was absolute chaos. Nobody follows any traffic rules. They all come together, in mass confusion at intersections, blow their horns or get out of their car to yell at someone. Now, at this point, I’m thinking, I can get there quicker on that little donkey. Crossing the border into Bethlehem is sad because there is an immediate, noticeable difference. Graffiti, garbage everywhere, empty lots trashed, buildings run down. I can only describe this as something like a landlord with a horrible tennant (that’s putting it nicely). This is not my ‘Little Town Bethlehem’ anymore. Tears in Jerusalem as I stood in awe but tears for Bethlehem as I felt shame.

Bethlehem is very large with many buildings up and down steep hills, yet looking out over it all, I can see what the landscape looked like so many years ago. This is David’s hometown, the little shepherd that became a great king, and, the birthplace of the King of Kings. As we drove through the town, I see a little sign that says ‘King David’s Well’. It looks as though it points to this little, overgrown lot that is not taken care of. We’re talking King David. I’m thinking, garden with many beautiful flowers and a well. No, not in this neighborhood, but someday.

We got off the bus and walked up the hill to the Church Of The Nativity. Again, a church built upon a church, connected to another church. We approached a very small, short opening in the wall. It was built that way so you bow as you enter in reverence. You walk into a Greek Orthadox church and as you walk forward you see a line of people waiting to go into a grotto. Apparently, the grotto contains the area where they believe Jesus was born. In those times, people kept their animals in caves beneath their homes, thus the grotto. When Constantine sent his mother to the Holy Land to identify important sites, it was concluded this cave was beneath a Roman temple (remember, hiding history with temples). Constantine had the temple demolished and replaced it with a church, dedicated in the year 339. The cave beneath the Church Of The Nativity became known as the Grotto of the Nativity. A star in marble was placed to show where they believe is the location of Christ’s birth. We then entered another portion of the church that was Roman Catholic. Confusing, eh?!

We left the church and walked back down the hill to the bus. As we rode away from Bethlehem, there were so many things going through my mind. Before we exited the ‘occupied’ area, I saw a very large, red sign. No words.

We started back to Ashdod. The sun began to set and the sky turned a fiery red. We heard many buses were delayed because they got caught in protest areas. We returned to the ship. Seems no lineman to untie us tonight. Finally, someone showed up a few hours later. We sailed away into the dark sea and let our imaginations run away.

Shalom Israel! What an unforgettable day. We will see you again.

(Israeli New Shekel: 3.59 = $1)