Day 12 – Thursday, March 30: Eastern Gate, Pools of Bethesda/St. Anne’s Church, Holy Sepulcher Church, Free Time/Lunch, Yad Vashem
Today was the coldest day of our trip so far. We had mostly cloudy skies, with temps in the mid 50s. The wind made it feel a bit colder though. It even rained a little this afternoon. Yet, we enjoyed more great sites and experiences here in Jerusalem. We began the day at 7:30 once again, reading Psalm 137 on the way to the Old City.
Eastern Gate
We began the day by bussing to the northwest corner of the Old City. Here we walked to the Eastern Gate. According to some, this gate has been closed since 810 AD, and perhaps a few times during the Crusader Period. We recalled the passage in Ezekiel 44 about how the Messiah will walk through the Easter Gate of the city one day. The view of the Mt. of Olives across the Kidron Valley included seeing the Church of All Nations and Dominus Flavet where we were a few days ago!
St. Anne’s Church/Pools of Bethesda
We then entered the Old City of Jerusalem (walls dates to the Turkish Period, 1537-1544) through the St. Stephen’s Gate (also called Lions and Jericho Gate). We enjoyed singing in St. Anne’s Church (we sounded like angels!) before seeing the archaeological ruins of the Pools of Bethesda (John 5). We saw the very steps used by the lame man healed by Jesus to enter the waters.
Holy Sepulcher Church
We walked from the Muslim Quarter to the Christian Quarter, walking the traditional Via Dolorosa route (although the real “Way of the Cross” was from the opposite direction). This led us to the Holy Sepulcher Church, the probable location for the crucifixion and burial site of Jesus. The church was built in 325 AD, but rebuilt over the centuries since then. Entering the church, we saw the rocky scarp where it suggested the cross was, as well as the Edicule that encloses the proposed tomb of Jesus. Following this visit, we had some free time on our own and/or lunch.
“Jerusalem is filled with so many things to see and experience! Today was another day of seeing archaeological sites with biblical connections. The afternoon at Yad Vashem was an important encounter that was emotional. Our guides each shared their own personal family stories. It was quite moving!”
Yad Vashem
Following lunch in the Christian Quarter, we walked out of the Jaffa Gate. Here, we met our busses that took us to western Jerusalem to visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Museum and Memorial. It is named after Isaiah 56:5 (“To them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name…”). We saw the Children’s Memorial (1.5 million of the 6 million Jews killed were children) and walked through the museum on our own. It was a somber experience.
We returned to our hotels for dinner and a free evening.
Day 13 – Friday, March 31: The “Shephelah” (Lowlands) of Judah: Gezer, Beth Shemesh, Socoh/Azekah, Beit Guvrin, Garden Tomb, Flights Home
