The Old City, Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Bethlehem

On our first full day in Jerusalem, we spent the morning with a visit to the Mount of Olives followed by a journey to the Old City.  We entered through the Jaffa Gate, one of eight that lead into the city. Upon entering, a visitor must make an immediate left turn, a construction that probably was a measure of protection from marauders.

Jaffa Gate

We continued along King David Street toward the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, called the holiest site in Christianity. This is the place where Christ is said to have been crucified and buried and from where He rose from the dead.

The church is very large, dark and filled with visitors and worshippers.

Entrance to Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Golgotha, the site of the Crucifixion

After we made our way through the church’s alcoves, we exited down the Via Dolorosa, stopping at a fruit stand along the route for a glass of fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice, delicious and healthy. We threaded our way through the narrow streets filled with shops and merchants offering all sorts of wares. Gila kept reminding us that we had a time schedule, so there was no opportunity at present to shop. I promised myself to come back when we had a free afternoon because I’d seen some items that might make great gifts.

After negotiating the narrow streets with a very large bus, we headed for lunch at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, overlooking the city of Bethlehem and Rachel’s Tomb.

The grounds of Ramat Rachel are lovely and lush with greenery and flowers. Agriculture, especially the cultivation of organic cherry orchards, is a mainstay of the kibbutz economy, along with other crops such as citrus, persimmons and olives. The kibbutz also operates a factory producing packaging solutions.

Our next destination would be Bethlehem, a site within the Palestinian West Bank, governed by the Palestinian Authority. Gila would not be accompanying us to Bethlehem. Instead our very capable driver, Mazen, would transport us to the city, where he would pick up our guide, a Christian Arab who lives in Bethlehem. We’d pick Gila up at Ramat Rachel on our way back.

Bethlehem is no longer a tiny provincial town. Its narrow streets are crowded with both citizens and visitors to the holy sites. The church at Manger Square teemed with sightseers and worshippers. We visited the site where Jesus is said to have been born as well as the place where Mary tended to him.

The fourteen-point star is said to mark the exact place where Christ was born

Our knowledgeable guide gave us the history of the church and led us through its rooms, describing the renovation underway in the Church of the Nativity.

One fact became clear very quickly both in our visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchur as well as the Church of the Nativity. The steps we take today are not those of antiquity. Virtually all structures have been torn down and rebuilt, some multiple times. Within a single building, one can observe remnants of ancient Judaica, Bysantine, Crusader, Ottoman and more.

The history contained in each single step is mind-altering.

This is a mosaic in the Church of the Nativity.
We saw so many fine examples of Christian
art during our tour--from mosaics to frescos to
sculptures.

Church of St Catherine in Manger Square, Bethlehem,
with a statue of St Jerome in front. There's that
blue sky again.

We had our eyes opened, too, to the political situation between Israel and Palestine. Such small countries that they have to live practically in each other's laps. I refuse to engage in the right or wrong of each position but will say that both sides have valid points, and we often don't hear the Palestinian side (other than the violent acts committed). We were fortunate to meet two very articulate and engaging Palestinian men who opened our eyes to their side of the debate.

The symbol known as the Jerusalem Cross, in
Manger Square, Bethlehem