With Religion it brings the sights of Israel. Further to my Holy Land Posts this focuses on the Sights and Religions I encountered during Holy Week 2011.
Nazareth
My first pilgrimage was to the city of Nazareth which is the home of Mary and where Joseph had his carpentry and Mary drunk from the well. So the sights I sought out were Mary's Well at the top end of the old town where it is said that Gabriel came to Mary and spoke to her. Now the sight has graffiti and no water so I guess its lost its drawing power.
Just meters away is the Eastern Orthodox Church where it is believed that the Annunciation took place. Everyone was huddled around a water fountain from the 3CE with their Evian bottles so it must be the drawcard these days. I fancied a cheeky wine next door as I watched an end of term party crack on in the village discotech which polluted the village square.
The final destination in Nazareth was the Church of the Annunciation. Built in the 1900's this ultra modern monstrosity is on the grounds of Marys family church and the grounds include the carpentry shop Joseph used to work in. The steps and mosaics of Josephs carpentry was my highlight...I always loved that my Dad had the same profession as Jesus' Dad and seemed to be the one thing that connected us - other than Noahs Ark being our favourite story (after all I am sure Jesus didn't have The Very Hungry Catepillar in his time).
Due to transport difficulties I missed going to the Sea of Gallilee. Which I was told was like swimming in a very dirty fish tank.
Haifa and the North
Alas it was to the city of Haifa in the northern seaside coast with the help of my Polish driver and Belgian passengers I detoured. Here we took in the Haifa City Museum which offers a really interesting insight into the founding of the city and some background to the English occupation in the late 1800's and through to the end of World War 2 when Israel became an independent state. One of the fascinating lessons learnt was there was actually a war of the Languages. Whereby the local authorities battled over the rightious language of the country in the teaching in schools. It was argued German was best for Sciences (with strong Germanic ties to the British Royals at the time), Hebrew was the native language of the locals. Hebrew won the battle and lives strong throughout the nation to this day.
From the Museum we went up to beautiful Bahá'i Gardens which allow a spectactular view of the cities port which is the largest port in Israel. The stairs are larger than those leading to Sacré Coeur but on this sunny Tuesday we could only walk half way with Gardeners closing the gates to the great temple.
Along the northern coast we called into the roman ruins of Caesarea beaten by the Mediterranean Sea. With development over the years these ruins have been revived for the locals and tourists alike. It was my first real taste of the American influence on the restoration and adoption of the culture and land alike.
After a farewell to my Belgian buddies and dinner with the Slovakian Consulate and Polish Chauffear in Tel Aviv I moved onto Jerusalem.
Jerusalem
On arrival to the walled city through the myriad of young soldiers coming home to see their families for Easter, I made my way to the old town from the Central Bus Station. I had seen a hostel that "could not be missed" by the Damascus Gate online and after walking through the gate and onward for about 5 minutes figured I might have just missed it after all! I decided instead to find another highly recommended hostel called "Citadel" near the Jaffa Gate on the opposite side of the city...whats a 30 degree day for if you cant walk for miles in heaving pedestrian streets with a pack on your back on your own! The hostel had room for females only (men had to sleep on the roof!) so I was delighted.
Christianity in Jerusalem
Once settled in the hostel I made my way to Christ Church a protestant church just around the corner from the hostel (beside the Jaffa Gate). This is a very simple church with a small museum in the front rooms before you reach the Church itself nestled in the surrounding buildings for protection (despite being opposite the Central Police Station or perhaps because of it!). The simplicity of the church was marred by a service Matthias and I attended on Easter Thursday when we were confronted with a "Modern Protestant" Service which neither of us related to. Songs were rocked out, people raised their hands and nodded like the possessed. It was something my Dad would call "happy Clapper" and I was really sad to see this in a city where I thought tradition would be maintained like it was (I can't say today as its been years!) in my family Parish in NZ. When I later spoke to the Australian Parish Leader and mentioned this he understood my experience and how I related it to "Americanised Religion". His delightful parents also said it was more "modern" than their home parish but encouraged their sons long service in this lively city.
I took a trip up to the Mount of Olives with the congregation of Christ Church. Where we settled in the gardens of the Russian Orthodox Church with its piercing spires and disappointingly small inards (standing room only). Here we were told the story of Judas and Peter where the Minister compared Judas to an evil German SS Guard in Auschwitz called Gunter and Peter was the less unassumingly evil guard called Hanz. Only in Jerusalem would we be cast back to WWII. The Mount of Olives is filled with Olive trees and has some of theoriginal Olive trees from the time of Christ - that would be BC and C and AD. You can't touch the real oldies though. Just look and gaze. At the foot of the Mount of Olives is the Church of Mary Magdalene which housed a rousing Easter Friday service for the Spanish masses (and was something I could understand for a change!) The Church is modern and stunning. Not as much raping and pillaging needed like the Vatican for this church I can assure you. Plenty of Olive leaves from the old trees were given out for mass so they must be pretty darn holy now!
Walking the streets of Jerusalem with my German friend Matthias I wanted to get into the Holy Sepulchre the renowned site of Jesus Christ's crucifixion. Unfortunately the church was closed but I snuck into a side chapel which was so crowded and with the stench of more incense than a hippies house I made a quick departure. On Easter Saturday I understood why - 10,000 pilgrims with urns and prayers needing answers were queued outside the Jaffa Gate with 1,000 tickets already distributed for the day...there was some very disappointed pilgrims.The Last Super rooms was something I rather enjoyed visiting - it was a small room above King David's tomb (which was rather unremarkably, much like the Holocaust Museum across the street) with high rooves and a simple yet grand fireplace. No images we have seen from Da Vinci or others matches the room but filled with pilgrims it seemed to take on a life of its own. We had people singing hymns, trainee priests reading the bible, Orthodox Priests taking readings from scriptures to the rapture of his congregation and a bird flying through. It was a lovely alive sight which didn't afford us any reflection but sure made us feel like the room was fit for purpose. Jesus asked for a place for his friends to gather nothing to austinentacious but private and ambient. Some things remain the same.
Jewish
With the help of my Christ Church aide Maureen I went to The Wall. Chaos had hit the streets of the city and getting to the Temple Mount for the night before Easter at dusk was a tall ask. Alas Maureen is grey haired and tricky sneaking through the crowds with me merely pointing after her with an "I'm with her, please can I keep up" smile. We approached the wall from within the city giving us an amazing overview of the happenings. The Wall is an exposed distance of about 150metres. It runs along the outer South Western wall of the "Temple Mount" known by Muslims as the "Noble Sanctuary" or "Bait-ul-Muqaddas". Maureen arranged for us to go to the latest attraction at the Wall which is a Glass exhibit which taught me more about the 6million Jews killed in the Holocaust than anything else. But it had an AWESOME Holigram display at the end in Hebrew of an old chap telling a wee tale. I was taken by the display and thought it must have cost a fortune...well done to those families of Jewish folk earning the big money and giving back to the church. I appreciated the donation (despite paying an entry fee!)I feel like a history lesson should interject here: Jerusalem is the city of God and all things central to the religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Jewish people feel they own the city and have rights to the city as a result of the 1948 war where they were granted rights to the city as Israel - a Jewish State was born. They did not gain the rights to the Temple Mount and this has been a sore point. When the Arabs took over the Temple Mount in the first millennia they built houses and shops right up against the edge of the walled mount to restrict the access and subsequent pilgrimage of Jews and Christians to the inner city. During the 19th and 20th Centuries excavations were made to uncover tunnels leading to the Temple Mount. The exposed wall seen today at the South West corner of the Temple Mount continues to draw crowds and the crazy stairwell leading to the Mount is for non-Muslim visitors. People come to the wall to recite the Bible in Hebrew and pray. Many people leave prayers stuffed in the gaps of the wall. [this is my intepretation so please do your research I had only Jewish references and subsequently only Christian references to form these views]
From here we joined the Western Wall tunnel tour. A really interesting insight (from a Jewish perspective) into the story of the wall. This includes a model with moving pieces and an young bold American guide with enough projection in his voice to ensure his place in Heaven. We went down to the walls tunnels and walked the length of the entire unexposed Western Wall, seeing the Reservoir which they cannot identify the source of water to and ancient market roads and signs of life. The efforts to excavate has been paid for by the Israeli Government (Reminder they don't have rights to the Mount itself and are the leaders of the Jewish State ). This stretch of the wall was open to Tourists and local Jewish women with passes only. There was one particularly significant site which the women all huddled around with 1st testaments in hand.
The Exposed Western/Wailing Wall had thousands of pilgrims over the 3 days I was in the city. I chose not to walk directly to the wall as I felt my visit was not appropriate for those who had travelled many miles in religious pilgrimage for it (and I couldn't take pictures anyway). Men and women are divided at the wall and pray with a small screen between them. No mother can bring her son to the wall and have him with her there or vice versa for fathers and daughters. It made me really feel for widows. The bigger the hat and the blacker the coat the more Jewish you must be also. I wanted to touch a lot of the fabrics and pat lots of the hats whilst visiting the Jewish Quarter I have to confess! But that would be involve more a faux pas or two.
Islam
Despite holding the Temple Mount few Muslims were evident during the Holy week as it is common for the mass exodus of non-Jews/Christians from the city during the festival. Access to the Temple Mount was not open to non-Mulims on the days I attempted to enter so I was unable to see what all the fuss was about. I can't blame them for doing this as it would only cause more trouble I would imagine. A positively useful case of crowd control. Also I found very intriguing the lack of Burkas seen in the city of Jerusalem or perhaps because it was Jerusalem they were not able to wear them for fear for their lives. Alas being so close to a holy sight with face and hair showing was definitely something women could get away with....now how about that Saudi Arabia?
Ultimately I was completely taken with the Wall and the pilgrims. Judaism and more specifically the Orthodox factions is a complete mystery to me and to be honest they were more closed off than any culture I have ever come across. I would not go back to Jerusalem for the friendliness of its Jewish citizens but for the intensity of their belief and the many places yet to experience outside of Holy week!
Non - Religious sites
Visiting Oskar Schindlers grave was a peaceful experience shared again with my German Friend on our day out. We were surprised with the number of rocks placed on Mr Schindler's grave and I have not uncovered the significance. You can ask the young man at the gate to his grave which is near the bottom of the Cemetery overlooking the valley outside the Zion Gate for directions.
Israeli Museum - in the hills in greater Jerusalem this modern Musuem takes in vistas of the area and shows items from around the Country and Jordan curioously without acknowledging the great monstrosity of a concrete wall just a few kilometers away dividing the Palestinian Territories. There is some very interesting works to look at both religious and modern art. I loved the photographic work by Adi Nes who took a modern day twist on the Last Supper. UNfrotunately the Dead Sea Scrolls were a mere fax of the originals - making the dustry Amman Museum on New Yeards day in Jordan seem far more significant in my religious pilgrim experience.....funny how a hangover can make you miss the importance at the time.
If for nothing else you should go to Israel for the experience of being at the centre of it all. It has wonderful variety and each city feels like a new country. I really enjoyed it and will return with more questions of the people and the politics this time. It draws on my sensibilities that people of faith can't live in peace together. Defying to me so many parts of the founding passages of our religions. I hope one day people can move beyond ancient scripts to see the good of man is more important. But somehow I don't see that day in my lifetime.
Comments
Post a Comment