March 17 - Jerusalem

I forgot to share a photo from last night.  This was on our way in to the light show.  It is Jerusalem's version of Starbucks!

We started our day by visiting the Knesset (the government of Israel). The modern Knesset is based on the Great Assembly of Ezra's time that consisted of 120 members.

We spent the rest of the morning at Yad Vashem - the Holocaust Memorial Museum and world center for documentation, research, and education.  Susanna Kokkonen, Director of Christian Friends of Yad Vashem, gave us an overview of the museum and spoke to us about how there are many Christians who love the land of Israel but do not love the people of the land.  We walked through the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations.  Over 2,000 trees have been planted for those gentiles who saved the lives of Jews during the Holocaust.  Oscar Schindler and Corey ten Boom are among them.  The Mishnah says "Whoever saves a single life, saves an entire universe." And we spent the majority of our time in the museum which documents the rise of Hitler to the liberation of the camps. The last room of the museum holds the millions of names of Jews who perished in the Holocaust and testimonies of those who survived.

The afternoon was spent in the Jewish Quarter of the old city.  When Ben Gurion declared Israel an independent state in 1948 Jerusalem was under Jordanian control.  It wasn't until 19 years later, in the six day war of 1967, that Jerusalem was liberated.  What they found was that the Jewish Quarter had been leveled.  Archeologists were thrilled and the treasures that were uncovered including the home of Katros.  This home (more like a mansion with 3 floors and 7,000 square feet) was from the time of Jesus.  Beautiful mosaic floors were found.

The new Jewish Quarter has been built over these homes and they have been preserved. Below is a picture of the recently rebuilt synagogue - the arch you see was the only thing left of the synagogue in 1967.

We then spent a few minutes praying at the Western Wall.  Jews pray at this wall because it is the closest they can get to where the Temple once stood (Jews are not allowed on the Temple Mount).   The picture below shows the Western Wall below the Dome of the Rock.

Here is a picture of Steve praying at the Wall.

We then went underground below the street level wall to the wall of Jesus time.  Excavation of these tunnels were started 30 years ago. We actually stood on roads that Jesus may have walked. I found a beautiful painting of a menorah in the tunnels near where the women pray.

It's hard to believe we have only one more day of touring and then our free day - and then heading home.  I love it here but I'm missing my dog!