Holy City
Trip Start
May 07, 2005
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62
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Trip End
Ongoing
Jerusalem,
Israel
Saturday, November 26, 2005
The Desert Religions (Kim)
Jerusalem is a city where the world's 3 great religions meet. We stayed in a quaint hostel called Citadel in the Christian quarter inside the old city walls. We picked a perfect place. The location inside the old city afforded us the best access to some history's greatest sites.
We walked the route marking the path that Jesus took as he carried his cross along Via Delarosa or Street of Sorrows. The walk culminates in the site of the crucifixtion which is now occupied by The Church of the Sepulchur. Many denominations help to administer the Church. Much bickering goes on which has impacted repairs and decor. Things like Jesus's Tomb, the slab where his body was cleansed and annointed, the spot where he was nailed to the cross, and other such moments in Christian history are split up for caretaking amongst the denomations. Inside the church you will find the exact spot where the cross stood. It is taken care of by the Greek Orthodox.
We circumnavigated Islam's 3rd most important holy site - a splendid mosque called The Dome of the Rock where Mohammed is said to have made his way to heaven in a dream. In times past this mosque had a solid gold roof. The roof was melted down to pay for debts. King Hussein of Jordan donated money from his personal funds to have it restored with a coating of 24 carat gold. This same site is also referred to as The Temple Mount by the Jews and is so revered because of the Holy of Holies. This was the inner sanctum of the temple that use to stand on the spot.
1. Citadel Hostel
Because no one is sure of the exact spot Jews choose not to enter the area for fear they may accidently walk on this spot. Near the Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock is the Western Wall also known as Ha-Kotel Ha-Ma'aravi in Hebrew. I learned it as the "Wailing Wall." This small piece of retaining wall from antiquity is all that is left after the destruction of the Jewish temple around the 6th century. This area has been classified as a Synagogue by the Israeli Supreme Court which means all rules of entering a Jewish temple apply here. Dave entered the men's entrance and donned a paper kippot provided at the entrance. I went to the women's side. I approached the throng of women at the wall and tried to be conscious and respectful of those praying as I spent some quiet time. I did not turn my back to the wall but I didn't exactly walk backward from it as I saw others do. The men's side has an additional tunnel entrance exposing more of the wall that runs underground. The men are privy to enter this area but it is off limits to the women. A woman's group in Israel is trying to petition for equal access. I understand at one time this tunnel was used by Jewish extremist to attempt to blow up the area under the Dome of the Rock. You can expect to see a half dozen or more machine gun toting Israeli soldiers keeping the area secure with all of the sites.
All three religions seem to have been born out of this harsh desert land and after thousands of years continue to vie for control. The tolerance and peace that is practiced in Jerusalem today feels like it could disappear at the slightest provocation.
3. Western Wall
With all the conflict between Israelis and the Palestinians I was wondering if there was anything the two shared at the core of their faiths. I decided to try to find as many similiarities as I could between the religions. Here are a few things I observed as applied to the some of the more orthodox or religious of the two groups: 1. Men and Women pray separately. Both Orthodox Synagogues and Mosques have separate entrances for the sexes.
2. For purposes of modesty women keep their head covered. Jewish women wrap the scarf around the head only and tie it off into a bun in the back. Muslim women cover their necks and their head. Additionally, both dress modestly and do not show legs and arms while worshipping
3. Men keep their head covered in places of worship. The most holy of men keep their head covered all of the time.
4. There is ritual surrounding prepartion of food in both religions. Pork is not eaten by either religion. To keep kosher dairy and meat are not eaten together or permitted to touch each other's plates in Judaism. In Islam only meat that has been killed observing Halal i.e. slitting of the animal's throat is permitted to be consumed.
5. In Judaism there are 3 prayers times per day and 4 on the Shabbat. The most pious Muslims pray five times per day.
6. Men in both religions are not permitted to hear the female voice under certain circumstances. For example Orthodox Jewish men must not permitted to hear female singing. At the Western Wall Women must keep their voices low.
4. Dome of the Rock
Muslim men are not permitted to hear a woman sing as it is deemed too seductive.7. Many in both religions believe religous doctrine should provide guidance to the government. In Israel over 90% of all land is owned by the government and/or the 'church.' In many Muslim countries the same is true. That is not to say there is not a secular sect of these societies but some of the founding laws find their roots in the religion.
8. Palestian Muslims and Zionist Jews believe fervantly in their claim to Israeli territories arguing it was the original homeland of their ancestors.
9. A sect of Jewish people living in Dimona (middle of Israel) practice polygamy. This sect originated from a community of African Americans from Detroit and doesn't reflect the same core values and practices as most Jews. All the same they claim to be Jewish and recieve the same protections as other Jews living in Israel. Muslims practice polygamy and are permitted up to four wives. The practice came about in Mohammed's time as a way to give war widows security and support. Like many things in religion the pragmatic approaches of the past have become intertwined with the faith of the present.
10. Both religions have a set of codified interpretations from their respective holy books. In Judaism this rabbincal code is referred to as halakha and in Islam it is called hadiths. Both set of laws are written with a great amount of detail and cover every aspect of life.
Visiting this part of the world has made me more thoughtful about religion in general and my regligious past. I was influenced Christian. I say influenced because I was only required to go to church during the time I lived with grandparents. I have not practiced this faith as an adult with the exception of the few times I have been back to my church due to nostalgia. I have studied the Desert religions, philosophies like agnosticism and Budhism and had a slight bit of exposure to Hinduism. Dave and I got married in a Church but we were careful to keep the ceremony more spirtual than religious. We exchanged words like 'god' for 'love.' I do believe spirtuality is extremely important to one as an individual and even more so to a society as a whole. Whether or not a higher power is involved I think people should find something to believe in. All of the major religions have a core set of principles that are pretty universal in prescribing how to treat others and how to conduct yourself as a human being. I think you find something that makes sense and appeals to your personal intellect and then become a student of your faith. What you read and study will reinforce a positive image of you personally as a human being and will spill over into how you treat others.
