walking in the rain
Ok. It didn’t rain on us today. It poured! Dogs and cats. Sleet and hail. You name it and it came down. We started off early this morning to explore the fascinating tunnels below the western quadrant of the Temple – or at least, where the Temple once stood. It was chilly and cloudy but not raining. But by the time we exited the tunnels, having seen the Herodian stones of the holy Temple and some of the extraordinary evidence of a remarkable culture, the rain was on.
Despite the early rains we got the chance to explore the Western Wall and put notes in the cracks and crevices of the stones of the wall. And though I’ve been there before, touching those huge Herodian stones, putting my cheek to the cold wall, just plain does something to me and for me. I sense in that moment a kind of symbiotic melding. I know that there are those who think the worship at the wall can be a bit obsessive. I agree. There are even those who call it idolatry. But what can I say? There is something special that happens at the Kotel.
Other stops included the Davidson Museum, a small place with a nice presentation about the workings of the temple (and a brief movie with an actor made up to look like a first century Jew; unfortunately the tight budget restrictions makes him appear to be from Planet of the Apes…). We saw the great steps leading up to the Hula Gate from David’s City and so many places and stones that all underscore and evidence the thriving, huge, religious life of our ancestors.
We spent the next chunk of time in the Seibenberg home. http://www.jerusalem.muni.il/jer_sys/picture/atarim/site_form_atar_eng.asp?site_id=345&pic_cat=4&icon_cat=6&york_cat=9
This diamond magnate retired to Jerusalem after the 6-Day war and built a magnificent, huge home. He had a hunch that there was something in the basement. Actually, under the basement. And so, despite the word of archeologists that there couldn’t be anything there, he spent a fortune on digging out the basement and, of course, found a magnificent home under his own from 2nd temple times… amazing. Mrs Seidenberg herself gave us the tour in her damp, dripping basement. Half the fun was listening to her tell the story and show slides…
We left the Seidenberg home en route to the Cardo, the Jewish Quarter market and tchachke center and lunch. That’s when it poured again. We were officially soaked. But we couldn’t bear the thought of foregoing the shopping. So we scattered for lunch and then found our way back to the shopping and had a ball – a very damp ball, but a good time was had by all.
Tired and soggy but high spirited, we returned to the hotel and hung out before a fab dinner at a place called the Fish and the Olive. After dinner we mounted up and headed to a first night of Hanukkah with hundreds of other Reform Jews on tour. That was a nice event which was followed by a concert by Shlomo Gronich and his Ethiopian choir. It was exciting, stirring music: contemporary, passionate, wonderful.
Despite the early rains we got the chance to explore the Western Wall and put notes in the cracks and crevices of the stones of the wall. And though I’ve been there before, touching those huge Herodian stones, putting my cheek to the cold wall, just plain does something to me and for me. I sense in that moment a kind of symbiotic melding. I know that there are those who think the worship at the wall can be a bit obsessive. I agree. There are even those who call it idolatry. But what can I say? There is something special that happens at the Kotel.
Other stops included the Davidson Museum, a small place with a nice presentation about the workings of the temple (and a brief movie with an actor made up to look like a first century Jew; unfortunately the tight budget restrictions makes him appear to be from Planet of the Apes…). We saw the great steps leading up to the Hula Gate from David’s City and so many places and stones that all underscore and evidence the thriving, huge, religious life of our ancestors.
We spent the next chunk of time in the Seibenberg home. http://www.jerusalem.muni.il/jer_sys/picture/atarim/site_form_atar_eng.asp?site_id=345&pic_cat=4&icon_cat=6&york_cat=9
This diamond magnate retired to Jerusalem after the 6-Day war and built a magnificent, huge home. He had a hunch that there was something in the basement. Actually, under the basement. And so, despite the word of archeologists that there couldn’t be anything there, he spent a fortune on digging out the basement and, of course, found a magnificent home under his own from 2nd temple times… amazing. Mrs Seidenberg herself gave us the tour in her damp, dripping basement. Half the fun was listening to her tell the story and show slides…
We left the Seidenberg home en route to the Cardo, the Jewish Quarter market and tchachke center and lunch. That’s when it poured again. We were officially soaked. But we couldn’t bear the thought of foregoing the shopping. So we scattered for lunch and then found our way back to the shopping and had a ball – a very damp ball, but a good time was had by all.
Tired and soggy but high spirited, we returned to the hotel and hung out before a fab dinner at a place called the Fish and the Olive. After dinner we mounted up and headed to a first night of Hanukkah with hundreds of other Reform Jews on tour. That was a nice event which was followed by a concert by Shlomo Gronich and his Ethiopian choir. It was exciting, stirring music: contemporary, passionate, wonderful.
posted by rebhayim at 11:24 PM
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