Day 9 – Monday, March 28: Pools of Bethesda & St. Anne’s Church, David’s Citadel & Herod’s Palace, Herodian Mansion, Shorashim, Yad Vashem
Today was another sunny day here in Jerusalem, with temps in the low to mid 60s. Once again, our experiences connected us with the Bible through archaeology and ancient history as well as connections with modern history. We left the hotel at 7:30 once again, reading Psalm 137 as we started the day.
Pools of Bethesda & St. Anne’s Church
We drove to the north side of the Old City and entered Herod’s Gate. The narrow streets led us to the Pools of Bethesda and St. Anne’s Church. In this church built in the Crusader Period, we sang a few songs, enjoying an seven second echo. Just 50 yards away are the Pools of Bethesda. The lower ruins (e.g. the steps of the pool) date to there 1st century, whereas the other structures date from the Byzantine through Crusader periods. We read John 5 about the healing that took place here.
Jewish Quarter / Shorashim
Boarding the bus outside St. Stephen’s Gate, we were dropped off at Zion’s Gate. Entering the Old City from here, we saw the Cardo (2nd century AD) before meeting Moshe and Dov, two Orthodox Jews who own a shop called Shorashim. Moshe shared about his Jewish faith and answered questions about Christian beliefs. We enjoyed some shopping and lunch in this area.
David’s Citadel & Herod’s Palace
We walked to the area of Jaffa Gate where we entered David’s Citadel, the location of Herod’s Palace. This is most likely where Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate. We read from Luke 23 and John 19 (that mentions the lithostrotos, or “stone pavement”). We humbly realized this was where Jesus suffered ridicule and mockery, and where he was sentenced to crucifixion. Leaving this area we walked to an area outside the Old City walls where there was once a 1st century gate leading into the palace.
“We spent the entire day in Jerusalem. We encountered more biblical connections in the morning through archaeology and history. Listening to Moshe in the Jewish Quarter was wonderful. To end the day, our visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Museum & Memorial was heart-gripping, especially in hearing about Shlomo losing 12 family members in Vilna.”
Yad Vashem
Our last visit took us to Yad Vashem, Israel’s Museum and Memorial. First, we walked through the Valley of the Communities where we heard Shlomo’s family story. He lost 12 family members in Vilna, Poland (now Lithuania). We then visited the Children’s Memorial (1.5 children died during the Holocaust), the Avenue of the Righteous (where trees are planted honoring Gentiles who saved Jews (e.g. Oscar Schindler and Corrie ten Boom, etc…). Lastly, we walked through the museum on our own.
We returned to the hotel for dinner and a free evening.
Day 10 – Tuesday, March 29: Southern Steps, Western Wall/Tunnels, City of David: Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Pool of Siloam, Garden Tomb, Israel Museum
