Tunnel tours and Shabbat Shawarma    

Erev tov and Shabbat shalom (“good evening and happy Sabbath”), friends and family! This is Amanda, bringing you the news from our second to last day in Israel. Today was our second day in Jerusalem, and we had just as much of an adventure as yesterday. My group started off with a visit to the Western, or Wailing, Wall in the heart of Jerusalem. We spent half an hour writing, observing, and exploring the Western Wall plaza, and watched as many people from all over come to pray and leave notes at the wall. It was a very teaching experience, and our tour guide Nadav explained to us the various types of people around and the significance of the wall. The wall was part of the support stage for the original temple, and many people who pray there today believe it is the closest they can get to God.

From the Western Wall Plaza, we ventured into the Western Wall tunnels. The tunnels run under the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem, along the wall. The tunnels were not originally tunnels, but as they have been excavated, they are now part of an underground tour that many tourists skip over. About 28 feet down from the plaza level, we walked along what would have been the first century street level, and Nadav showed us different interactive models of the original temple and what has happened in that spot from its destruction in 70 AD to the time of the Dome of the Rock we see today. We had the opportunity to see how intensely the wall was constructed under the rule of Herod the Great, and that there were rocks moved to the wall that modern technology wouldn’t know how to go about moving. At the end of our tunnel tour, we walked through the Muslim quarter and Nadav bought us some Jerusalem bagels as a snack. (Sorry Bus 1, you missed out!)

After our Old City escapades, we all went to the ruins of Herodian. This was a summer vacation spot of Herod the Great, and is now an active archeological site, where Herod’s tomb was recently discovered and just made available for viewing two months ago. The Herodian is on the tallest hill in the area, and it is overlooking Bethlehem. We got to see firsthand how Jesus was born literally in Herod’s shadow, and just how aggressive the Roman presence was in the time of Christ. Because the area is under Palestinian control, we were with a Palestinian-Christian tour guide named George for the latter part of the day. We were able to ask George questions and he explained to us his views on the conflict in Israel, and that the Christian population of the area is decreasing. It was incredibly eye-opening to hear what he had to say, and gave us a better idea of what the journey to peace in the Middle East realistically looks like. George then led us through the Herodian tunnels, we waved to Herod’s newly excavated tomb, and then we were off to lunch in Bethlehem.

On our drive into Bethlehem, we had a passing view of graffiti by the famous street artist Banksy, which depicted a man throwing a bouquet of flowers in place of an act of violence. This was just another reminder of the surrounding conflict and the struggle for peace in Israel. In a small restaurant, we had our first experience with Shawarma, which was delicious. We then went to a Palestinian-Christian owned shop and bought a bunch of cool olive wood souvenirs for all of you back home.

Since today is the beginning of the Sabbath here in Israel, we are now back at our hotel, resting and looking forward to a bittersweet day tomorrow exploring the old city. It will be our last day in Israel, and although we are all eager to be home, we have all experienced a new connection with the Holy Land and it will be hard to say goodbye. Now a shout-out to all the parents reading, we want to hear your comments! We all know you’re following this blog, so let us know what you think! If you leave a comment, Rich will probably read them to all of us and it’ll be a fun time for everyone. Lehitraot, javerim! (“See you later, friends!”)

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