Israel - Holy Cultures Day 11
Israel - Holy Cultures
Day 11 - Monday, October 25, 2010 - Discussion with a Palestinian Woman /Optional Herodion and Ein Karem Tour
We had breakfast at the hotel, and then met at 8:30 to have a discussion with a local Palestinian woman. She called Ran to tell him she was delayed at a check point.
Ran began our discussion by drawing a map of Israel and we were able to label the cities of the Promised Land. We are certainly getting better at knowing the geography of the area!
At 9:15 Ashira Ramadan, a 26 year old Palestinian journalist and film maker gave us an abbreviated history of “The Land” from the Palestinian point of view. There were many statements that were a bit contradictory to what we have been hearing; it is always good to hear both sides of the story.
After thanking Ashira we walked to the bus and found another very pleasant day. It was 71º and the humidity was 62%. Firas was waiting to take 13 of the group on an optional trip to Ein Karem and Herodion.
After about twenty minutes driving out of Jerusalem, we visited the city of Ein Karem, the home of Elizabeth & Zachariah, the parents of John the Baptist and second cousin of Jesus.
We began with a visit to the Church of the Visitation where Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth and the site of a pre-medieval Crusaders Church built on the site. Our discovery was the actual church build on the place of John’s birth.
Walking down the hill from the Visitation Church we followed stone walkways to the Church of St. John the Baptist, where an earlier Byzantine Church was replaced by a Crusader Church, and then since 1674, the Franciscan Order has preserved the holy site.
While we took a 20 minute ride to our lunch, Ran passed around a copy of The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel present by David Ben Gurion in 1948.
Our lunch was at the Mar Elias Monastery, a Greek Orthodox monastery built in the 6th century AD, then rebuilt in the 12th century. We were very fortunate because the church was open and we were able to view the beautiful icons and alter screens.
The views from the top of this hill, Mount Elias, named after the prophet were incredible and you could see both Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
After a very delicious lunch in the monastery’s restaurant, we had a 20 minute ride to Herodion. We brought our passports as we had to pass back into the Palestinian Territory, but no one checked us on the way.
Ran could accompany us today as we entered a B Zone, not as sensitive as the Zone A in Bethlehem where we were yesterday. We passed the huge Israeli Settlements and high rise apartment buildings towering over the Palestinians farms and compounds.
Our quest was to hike to the top of the hill where Herod built a fortress that is now included in the Herodian National Park. Firas could drive the bus about 1/3 of the way up the hill but we walked the steep limestone path to the summit.
The day was so clear; from the top we could see Bethlehem, Jerusalem, the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea, and Jordan on the horizon. The afternoon prayer call floated in the wind from all directions.
We went down into Herod’s castle to see the Roman Baths, then down into the aqueducts, and we finally made our way to the cisterns and then to the excavations of the tomb of Herod.
Making our way back to Jerusalem, there was a brief stop at the border but no identification was needed. We made one stop at the Tolerance Park Overlook for a photo stop.
We were back at the hotel by 4:30. We worked on the photos and the journal for a bit and then joined our OAT group for Happy Hour and a continued lively discussion of our adventures.
Accommodations: Harmony Hotel, Jerusalem, IL- - - Meal: B, L
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Comments
Nice picture of the two of you at Tolerance Park. enjoying your narrative and pictures.
Post a Comment!loved the holy cat! also, great shot of you guys at tolerance point. sounds like you had lots of happy hours on this trip!
Ashira Ramadan
Birthplace of John the Baptist
Holy Cat!
King Herod’s Mountain Fortress
Tolerance Park Overlook
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