Dome of the Rock and Western Wall

We left the hotel at 7 am Monday morning to arrive early at the entrance for the Dome of the Rock and Western Wall of the Temple (Wailing wall).  It was a beautiful morning.  We were thankful to get to see these historical sacred sites.

 Some of our group took a special trip to see Masadah, while the rest stayed in Jerusalem.  At Lutheran Church of the Redeemer we climbed the 178 steps to the top of the tower and then visited the archaeological site beneath the church. 

After lunch we walked the Old City Wall. 

Sunday Worship in Jerusalem (twice) to Parent's Circle

The story goes that Omar fell in love with the reverent worship and sanctity of The Holy Sepulchre and declared that Christians be permitted to use it freely, however the key was to be kept by an Islamic family so no one Christian sect could claim it. We met the keeper of the key!

The last stations of the cross are in the Holy Sepulchre.  Some of us got up at 6am on Sunday to go there to experience these in a more peaceful setting.  We joined a Greek Orthodox service which resulted in us being circled three times by a procession culminating in the Kyrie.  Following this we entered the shrine of the empty tomb. 

 The Holy Sepulchre is built on Golgotha.

Worship at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer 

A Palestinian man from Bethlehem showing his special authorization to travel to Jerusalem on Sunday.  He has this permission because he is over 60.  He must leave by 10pm.

We visited the area where Zechariah and Elizabeth lived and John the Baptist was born.  I hadn't realized the distance Mary traveled when she visited Elizabeth who lived near the temple where  Zechariah served. 

The Holocaust Museum Yad Vashem was very moving.  

Personally, I kept recalling details of a book I read before this trip by Hajo G. Meyer, an Auschwitz survivor and Dutch National.  His book is The End of Judaism: An Ethical Tradition Betrayed 

The Shrine of the Book contains the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as a full model of ancient Jerusalem.  This link gives a great view of what we saw; no photos are allowed, so this video is a gem!

Parents Circle

A Palestinian, Moria Ziad and an Israeli, Rami Elhanan, members of The Parents Circle shared their stories as bereaved people who have lost an immediate family member to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and through this horror became committed to work for peace and reconciliation.  Their message is very powerful.  Rami lost his teenage daughter when a suicide bomber targeted her and a small group of friends one afternoon.  Moria lost her husband when he was shot execution style by an Israeli border patrol officer. They shared their view that both peoples are raising the next generation to be prepared to sacrifice themselves, and the conflict will only stop when both sides realize the price is too high.  They urged us to "not be accomplices" to this tragedy but to actively oppose it; to be pro-peace.  Rami's story is told in the film Within the Eye of the Storm, and Moria's on the website Killing Without Consequences. 

Jericho and the Dead Sea

 Many Bedouin were waiting for us in this drive through the Judean wilderness.  The scarf was fully wrapped on my head before I agreed to buy it.

 The Judean Wilderness is where Jesus was tempted by Satan, this active monastery commemorates the first temptation.  There were pilgrims walking to it.

A Sycamore tree in Jericho, like the one Zaccheus sat in.

Mother and young camel along the roadside

Jericho is the oldest city in the world.  We toured the extensive archaeological site.  Then we drove further south to the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

A refreshing stop at the Dead Sea.

LWR Hospital and Stop the Wall

 We visited Marty and Angela Zimmann in their new home on the Lutheran World Federation Campus on the Mount of Olives.

Then we met Rev. Mark Brown who shared the history of Augusta Victoria Hospital in caring for the Palestinians, first as refugees and now as the only tertiary care cancer facility available to them.  He shared his perspective on the Occupation and recommended Peace Now as a well documented, respected source of information and policy.

We delivered gift bags with pencils, small notebooks and activities for the children.  The director of nursing said they will be a blessing to the children when they are undergoing dialysis or chemotherapy.  These gift bags were given in honor of the third grade children at Central Lutheran School who are our prayer partners.  

Then we visited the Church of the Ascension (Acts 1).  

St Thomas depicted with Kaiser Wilhem's face.

St Paul depicted with Martin Luther's face.

Stop the Wall 

We had a tour and information session with Palestinian Anti-Apartheid activists from Stop the Wall.  They took us on a tour of the areas which were historically and recently part of Jerusalem but now due to the wall have been cut off from the city.  Not only are they cut off from their neighbors and families, they have been encircled by new roads, creating complete isolation.  No building permits have been issued in years.  When a family undertakes a renovation or expansion, their house is demolished because they built without a permit.  They are sent a bill for the demolition.  We went for a walk in the neighborhood of Silwan and visited a family with a beautiful home which will be demolished because of a bus transportation center that is being built.  The family will be sent a bill for the demolition!  The oppression is well documented; we were given a report published by The Civic Coalition-Jerusalem