Languages
Because of the gathering of nations, all
kinds of languages can be heard. But the main languages are Hebrew, Arabic, and
English. And in fact all the street signs are in those three languages. Which
is helpful for trying to pick up again my reading of Hebrew script, for a
start. So far I have only a handful of words in Hebrew or Arabic that I can
speak.
Mary
What I said in the previous post about feeling closer
to Jesus can mostly apply also to Mary. And her imprint on Jerusalem is more
marked than I expected, with shrines marking the (reputed) places where she was
born, died, and was buried. She’s no bit-player. Even the imam who gave me a
copy of the Qur’an encouraged me to start with the chapter headed ‘Mary’.Muslims
Islam is also no bit-player in Jerusalem. After all, the city was under Muslim control for most of the last 14 centuries. There is still a large Muslim population in the Old City, and pilgrims come to the Dome of the Rock from all over the world. Other sites, like the place of Christ’s ascension, remain in Muslim hands.
Olive
There are olive trees all over the
place, although there isn’t much room for them in the more crowded parts of the
Old City, as well as olive oil, olives themselves, and items made of olive
wood. I’m here at the end of the olive season, and I was sad to see that the
olive trees in the parks are just left to shed their fruit on the ground.
‘Jerusalem’ means ‘tower of peace’; but for much of its history it has not lived up to its name. The shadow of war still looms over the city. I didn’t at first see many soldiers around, but that changed over the last couple of days (I’m not sure why), and there is always a strong police presence. From little monuments around the place, and overheard commentary from tour guides, I also gather that the recent military history of Jerusalem is very significant for the Jews. They (or many of them, anyway) see the current situation as the result of a war of independence and liberation. But, like everyone else, they realise that war isn’t quite over yet. The day-to-day reality in Jerusalem itself is people living side-by-side in peace, and that holds out a hope of what might be possible. But it’s a wary peace.
Sabbath
I thought that Sabbath would be a very quiet day. But while most businesses would be closed, there were plenty of people out and about. It seems the Sabbath is a day for families to go out walking together. And in the Old City most of the shops were still open, run as they were by Muslims or Christians. With each religion having a different day off, the city never really stops.
Sparrows
Plenty of sparrows around, which keeps
bringing to my mind the words, “Even the sparrow herself finds a home…” So it
was especially delightful to see some of them chirruping and flying in and out
of the bushes that grow on the Western Wall, all that remains of the Temple.
Sunday
Because of Muslim Friday prayers and the
Sabbath on Saturday, Sunday is like Monday – the beginning of the working week.
Warmth
Daily temperatures have been
consistently around 20C, and it doesn’t get particularly cold at night.
Apparently some sort of winter will get here eventually, but right now it isn’t
much different from summer for me.
Water
Although we have water on tap, and there
is a lot of greenery around, there are reminders that water is a scarce
resource. Like the general dryness of non-irrigated land (even the cacti are
looking rather sorry for themselves) and signs warning us that the parks are
irrigated with effluents. Along with the knowledge that the Dead Sea and the
Sea of Galilee are shrinking due to irrigation, and that Palestinians don’t get
their fair share of this resource, I feel quite conscious of all the water I
use.
Western Wall
I enjoyed my visit to the Western Wall,
although I was slightly disappointed that it didn’t live up to its popular
name, ‘the Wailing Wall’. It was intriguing to see some structure that I could
be certain Jesus had also seen and maybe even touched. But I wasn’t inclined to
go up and touch it myself, still less to leave a prayer in the crevices of the
wall, as is the custom. I just felt that that is for the Jews. Our Temple is
something other. And again a verse of Scripture came to my mind: “You see all
these buildings? I tell you that not one stone will be left standing on
another.”UPDATE: After two months in Jerusalem I have done a post correcting some of the above first impressions. You can read it here.
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