10-06-2022: Jerusalem (1)

Christine and Carol started the day with a swim in the beautiful pool at the kibbutz. The facilities are really fantastic!

After a late breakfast, we started getting organized for a trip to Jerusalem. David and Carol’s daughter Danit lives in an apartment on a kibbutz in the hills on the outskirts of Jerusalem. She and her 2 children are currently in Crete vacationing during the holidays and so we have use of her apartment. The drive to her apartment is about 90 minutes. After lunch in the dining hall, we set off for Jerusalem.

After dropping off our stuff at Danit’s our first visitation was to Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. The center is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against their Nazi oppressors and Gentiles who selflessly aided Jews in need; and researching the phenomenon of the Holocaust in particular and genocide in general, with the aim of avoiding such events in the future. It is an amazing center and the museum portion is quite overwhelming.

The Holocaust History Museum occupies over 4,200 square meters, mainly underground. Both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary, it presents the story of the Shoah from a unique Jewish perspective, emphasizing the experiences of the individual victims through original artifacts, survivor testimonies and personal possessions. This was very emotional, seeing the personal possessions, reading the stories of individuals and families, and reading and seeing displays of life in the ghettos, the increasing Nazi abuse of Jews, and then the implementation of the Nazi’s “final solution,” the concentration camps and death chambers. It was a very deep, emotional, and overwhelming experience.

Each of the exhibits, rooms off each side of the long triangle above, walked through early Jewish persecution and marched through the history of increasing Nazi barbarism and ending with liberation and the challenges of Israel’s establishment.

One of the goals of the center is to find out the name of every single person killed in the holocaust At the end of the museum is the Hall of Names. There the photos of many victims are displayed around the inside of a large dome., but all around the the perimeter of this large dome hall are boxes containing information about victims. It is a very powerful display.

A core goal of Yad Vashem’s founders was to recognize non-Jews who, at personal risk and without a financial or evangelistic motive, chose to save Jews from the ongoing genocide during the Holocaust. Those recognized by Israel as Righteous Among Nations are honored in a section of Yad Vashem known as the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations. We stopped for pictures at one of the sculptures.

After this compelling visit to the Remembrance Center we headed towards the Old City. As is expected during evening rush hour, the traffic was awful in Jerusalem. It took us quite a while to get to where we were going, but it gave us a chance to see some of downtown Jerusalem. We were near the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, so David drove in the entrance for Knesset members and guests. Naturally we were stopped by a guard, but with a little talking, the guard let us jump out of the car to take a couple of photos. Carol and I did just that.

Right by an entrance to the Old City is a very swanky mall where we parked and went in search of dinner. We ate at Cafe Rimon and had a nice meal, but some of us ate too much (me, for one).

Then it was in to the Old City. The city walls are illuminated with changing colors and are really a sight to see.

We entered the Old City through the Jaffa Gate which enters the Old City on the border between the Christian and Armenian quarters. The other two quarters are the Jewish and Muslim Quarters.

The Jaffa Gate is one of seven gates into the Old City. There is actually a breach in the wall near the Jaffa Gate where the Ottomans made an opening. There is an Ottoman tomb near the gate. Just inside the gate is an Ottoman structure that was built just for show and became an art school.

As it was getting late, we didn’t stay long, but we did wander down some of the market alleys where all manner of goods are being hawked. As you wander down the alley, each shopkeeper tries to lure you into his shop. As it was 8:00 p.m. and closing time, one guy closing up said to Carol, “come into my shop, you get 90% off.” We thought that was pretty funny. The colors in all the shops are amazing and the people walking up and down the passageways adds to the color of the place.

Below is one of my favorite photos so far. It says Old City Jerusalem to me.

Christine and I will be taking an excursion to the Old City from our cruise ship later this month, so expect to read more about what we learn and see.

After the Old City, we drove back to Danit’s apartment. I’ll mention more about her kibbutz later, as it is quite different from Mishmar HaEmek where Carol and David live. Danit’s kibbutz is high atop a hill in the Judean Mountains outside of Jerusalem. She gets a spectacular view.

It was a very long, but wonderful day, driving to and touring around Jerusalem. David and Carol have been so giving of their time and knowledge. We are learning lots and having great fun in the process. More of Jerusalem tomorrow.