A Timeless Old City

I felt as if I was walking in another era as my program toured the Old City in Jerusalem. When I walk through this timeless city, it's as if I've been there before. For many Jews, there is an innate spiritual connection to Israel and I find that even more apparent in the Old City.

There's a certain way the light reflects on the ancient stone walls, and so depending on the time of day you visit, the same setting can look exceptionally unique each time. I always find a peaceful quiet in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. I love walking through the windy alleyways as if I'm in a maze. I enjoy sitting on the benches there as I watch kids playing, mothers strolling their babies, and fathers walking to schul with one another.

 The Old City is the location where the three major religions intersect. The city is divided into three quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Muslim Quarter, and the Christian Quarter. We first walked through the Arab shuk in the Muslim Quarter where we went down narrow streets filled with shops. Hookahs, backgammon boards, hand-made leather sandals, and other trinkets caught my eye. We then entered the Christian quarter and went to the roof of the Austrian Hospice. There, we saw a breathtaking view of prominent Jerusalem landmarks. It was a grand vantage point overlooking the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock, and the Church of Mary Magdalene. Afterwards, we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is an important pilgrimage among all sects of Christians. We ended the tour at the Monument to the Defenders of the Jewish Quarter, a memorial dedicated to the defenders who fell in the Independence War. I spend a great amount of time in the Jewish Quarter so it was interesting to visit the other quarters and understand why one location is considered to be the holiest place among all three religions.

 Arab Schuk

 Church of the Holy Sepulchre

To me, the most meaningful sites in the Old City are the Western Wall and the Hurva Synagogue. These two places share a commonality of a history of destruction and thus, are sites that embody the strength of the Jewish nation. 

The Western Wall, or Kotel, is a remnant of the ancient wall that surrounded The First Temple that stood on the Temple Mount. The First Temple was constructed in 19 BCE and some 400 years later was destroyed by the Babylonians. The temple was later rebuilt in 516 BCE, but was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Now, the remnants of the wall from the Second Temple is seen as the most sacred site for Jews and a place for prayer and Jewish pilgrimage. From 1948 until 1967, when the wall was under Jordanian control, Jews were not allowed at their holy site. Once Israel captured the Old City in 1967, Jews were once again able to return to the Western Wall and to this day, it remains a sacred Jewish site. I'm so grateful that I can go to the kotel whenever I please, because these events show how hard Jews had to fight for their religion and  to defend their history.

 The Western Wall

The Hurva Synagogue was first destroyed by Muslims in 1721. In 1864, the synagogue was rebuilt only to face the same fate when it was destroyed again in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Finally in 2008, the Hurva was rebuilt and it remains a place of prayer and stands as a symbol of Israel's resilience.

 The Hurva Synagogue

  To finish this post, I'll leave you with a poem written by Yehuda Amichai about Jerusalem.

“Songs of Zion the Beautiful #21”
Jerusalem’s a place where everyone remembers he’s forgotten something
but doesn’t remember what it is.
And for the sake of remembering I wear my father’s face over mine.
This is the city where my dream-containers fill up like a diver’s oxygen tanks.
Its holiness sometimes turns into love.
And the questions that are asked in these hills
are the same as they’ve always been: “Have you
seen my sheep?” “Have you seen my shepherd?”
And the door of my house stands open
like a tomb where someone was resurrected.

Shalom for now!

-Camille Pilar Phillips