This morning we visited the Wailing Wall. The wall is divided into separate areas for men and women. This whole trip I have been noticing people and places that are entranced in their religion, and this was one of those moments. There was a sign on the entrance, from the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, that warned visitors not to enter the place dressed immodestly so as not to ‘cause harm’ to the holy site. There was a woman in front of me praying against the wall, covered in pigeon poo, who didn’t even care. She just kept praying.
Next we got in line for going up to the Dome of the Rock. There was a large sign, again from the rabbi, proclaiming that going up to the spot was forbidden by the Torah. I thought this was interesting because that same land used to be very holy for the Jews. We walked up the ramp and went through a metal detector. Our bags were checked for any Christian or Jewish items. There was a woman in front of us loudly arguing about how she should be allowed to bring in the cross she had just bought, but it wasn’t allowed. And once we were finally on the grounds of the Dome of the Rock, we all had to cover especially modestly. The buildings were beautiful.
The most interesting thing about this whole city is how every inch of land is fiercely fought over by so many groups of people. It seems, from listening to them, that anything worth remembering has only happened in Jerusalem, and all on top of one another, so that every bit of dirt here is holy to Christians, Jews, Muslims, and many groups within those religions. Even though their religions preach love and at the very least respect, the fight to be in control here drives those things away. Churches, controlled by many denominations at once, are too fought over to improve anything. The Jewish leaders still carry hate from the persecution of the Holocaust, and are blinded by this as they persecute the Palestinians. And the Palestinians can see no way other than violence as they are crowed into refugee camps and have their rights systematically taken away.
It’s a circle of misunderstanding and hate here and I find it hard to keep hoping if people don’t change.
Next we got in line for going up to the Dome of the Rock. There was a large sign, again from the rabbi, proclaiming that going up to the spot was forbidden by the Torah. I thought this was interesting because that same land used to be very holy for the Jews. We walked up the ramp and went through a metal detector. Our bags were checked for any Christian or Jewish items. There was a woman in front of us loudly arguing about how she should be allowed to bring in the cross she had just bought, but it wasn’t allowed. And once we were finally on the grounds of the Dome of the Rock, we all had to cover especially modestly. The buildings were beautiful.
The most interesting thing about this whole city is how every inch of land is fiercely fought over by so many groups of people. It seems, from listening to them, that anything worth remembering has only happened in Jerusalem, and all on top of one another, so that every bit of dirt here is holy to Christians, Jews, Muslims, and many groups within those religions. Even though their religions preach love and at the very least respect, the fight to be in control here drives those things away. Churches, controlled by many denominations at once, are too fought over to improve anything. The Jewish leaders still carry hate from the persecution of the Holocaust, and are blinded by this as they persecute the Palestinians. And the Palestinians can see no way other than violence as they are crowed into refugee camps and have their rights systematically taken away.
It’s a circle of misunderstanding and hate here and I find it hard to keep hoping if people don’t change.
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2 comments:
You all have probably noticed the blog hit count rising rapidly below. Lots of us at home are really enjoying following your pilgrimmage and hearing the thought processes you're going through as they're happening.
Thanks to all of you for the lengthy and well thought out posts.
Thanks, Sasha for a very interesting report. I think you are very fortunate you got to see the Dome of the Rock. All the earth is a holy place, created by God for our use. It is a shame that his creatures fight over it.
Praying for your safe return,
Missy Couch
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