Sunday Adventure In Jerusalem

So, as I said in the last post, every Sunday is reserved for trips in and around Jerusalem and this Sunday the original plan was to go to the Dome of The Rock, but due to current tensions surrounding that location, we had to make other plans.

We started the day by going to the Mount of Olives, which had a gorgeous view of Jerusalem. For those who may not know, the Mount of Olives cemetery is one of the largest in Israel, because it is said that when the Messiah comes and all the righteous are resurrected, those buried at the Mount of Olives cemetery will be first because that's where the Messiah will appear.

Views from Mount of Olives

From there we went to King David's tomb, where this sort of crazy old Hebrew woman told us all of these tips about how to achieve a "successful" life. On her list was; find a husband, wear plastic bags around your white socks, because it will not only prevent warts but will keep your socks clean, thus making you more religious, as well as some other tips. We also went to the room where the supposed last supper took place, although it is purely speculation that the last supper occurred in that exact location.

It is agreed by historians that the last supper took place on the second story of a building, and most likely in the same neighborhood as the place that we visited. But the building we were at was only a thousand years old, not two thousand, which is what it would need to be if this was the exact location. Regardless, it was pretty cool.

View from outside of King David's Tomb

From there we went to the roof of a nearby Yeshiva. The Yeshiva was essentially at the Western Wall, and had a fantastic view of the Dome of the Rock. There, one of the people who worked for the Yeshiva talked to us, but pretty much all he had to say was pro-Israel, pro-Jewish propaganda about how the Dome of the Rock originally belonged to the Jewish people, and how much larger the second temple was originally and how all of these other factors and people have only left the Jewish people with a small remnant, and how the Western Wall isn't actually the most sacred spot, the Dome of the Rock is, due to it being where the inner sanctum of the second temple was. Anyways, it got a little ridiculous by the end. I mean, it was interesting to hear, but it was completely one sided, and biased.

Views From the Roof of The Yeshiva, Over looking the Dome of the Rock and the Kotel

Glass Sculpture inside the Yeshiva

After this we had lunch in the Jewish quarter and walked back to Beit Schmuel, and then we had a discussion with a man named Ghassan Mansara, who is an Arab Sufi Shikh
He talked to us about his efforts in resolving conflicts between Muslims and Jews. It was very interesting, he talked about talking to certain leaders, and trying to get them to see and understand the value of coexistence, and he shared some personal experiences. All in all it was a very interesting day.