Day 15 – Friday, November 21: Yad Vashem, City of David, Southern Excavations, Western Wall, Holy Sepulcher Church
Today was our second full day here in Jerusalem. The day included an emotional visit to Yad Vashem and some adventure (Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Rampart Walls), plus a few other experiences! We had perfect weather day, with full sun and warmer temps around 75. We read from Psalm 137 as we left the hotel. Shlomo also sang this psalm in Hebrew!
Yad Vashem
Our first stop in the morning required us to drive to West Jerusalem. Here we visited the Israel’s Holocaust Museum & Memorial. It is called Yad Vashem, named after a verse in Isaiah 56:5 that mentions the “memorial and a name.” We first entered and walked through the start of the Avenue of the Righteous. About 28,000 “Righteous Gentiles” are recognized as saving the lives of Jews. We saw trees dedicated to Oscar Schindler and Corrie ten Boom. We also heard the personal story from Shlomo about his family during this tragic event. He lost 12 family members in Vilna, Poland (pictured). We then walked through the Children’s Memorial and the museum itself. On our own, we ended our visit by walking through the museum. It was a somber experience recalling the horrors of the Holocaust and the loss of six million Jews.
City of David/Hezekiah Tunnel
Next, we drove back towards the Old City and specifically to the City of David. After gathering on the observation tower and learning about the surrounding area, we walked down through the excavations (“Area G”). We saw David’s palace, city walls, and 7th-6th BC house structures (one of them was excavated/uncovered by Dr. John in June-July, 1982). We all continued through Warren’s Shaft (2 Samuel 5). The upper part of this discovery was probably used by David but not the vertical 52 foot shaft. Finally, we descended down to the Canaanite/Jebusite pool to the Gihon Spring. We then saw a newer movie about how Hezekiah’s Tunnel was chiseled out of stone before most in the group braved the waters of the 1,710 foot-long tunnel (2 Kings 20, 2 Chronicles 32). Others took the “dry” Jebusite tunnel built 100s of years earlier.
Both groups met at the Pool of Siloam where we recalled the story of John 9 (blind man being healed by Jesus). More of the pool (or or was it a reservoir pool?) as been exposed, but without finding any more of the steps of the pool. It could be that the smaller pool (found in the clearly 1900s) outside the end of Hezekiah’s Tunnel may have been the “ritual pool” in the John 9 story (?). Time will tell with how things will be interpreted. 🙂
Southern Steps
From the Pool of Siloam some in the group walked up the “Drainage Channel” while others bussed north (and up) to the “Davidson Center.” Here, we walked on the Herodian pavement used no doubt by Jesus. The SW corner of the Temple may have been the pinnacle where Jesus was tempted (Mt. 4). We then walked over to the southern steps used by commoners. Jesus Himself (and His disciples, and Paul) would have used these steps to enter the Temple. We recalled the many mentioned in the NT who used these steps (Luke 2, 18; John 2; Mark 13; and Acts 2, etc…). Before leaving the steps, we considered how God wants us to be His spiritual temple (2 Corinthians 3).
“Jerusalem is a remarkable city. It is filled with ancient history and archaeology! It also connects us to the present as well. Our first site was Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Museum. Our experience here served as a solemn reminder of what Antisemitism can lead to. To hear Shlomo’s personal story added to the reality of it!”
Western Wall
Following our time on the southern steps of the Temple, we walked to the Kotel and the Western Wall. Seeing this massive retaining wall (one of four on each side) of Herod’s Temple was impressive. Herod built these walls in order to double the size of the Temple platform.
Holy Sepulcher Church
From the Western Wall we walked part of the traditional Via Dolorosa. This led us to the Christian Quarter where we visited the Holy Sepulcher Church. Built in 325 AD, this is the traditional location for the death and burial place of Jesus. The archaeological and historical records favor this site. We saw the Ediculae that has enclosed the suggested tomb of Christ for now nearly 1600 years. While parts of the church were being renovated and excavated, we were still able to go inside the suggested tomb of Jesus. While we waited we listened to the singing and praying of about 100 Franciscan priests.
We walked back to the Jaffa Gate where David picked us up to take us back to the hotel. We enjoyed dinner and a free evening (with a few visiting the famous King David Hotel to see the “signature floor.” It was another great day here in Jerusalem! One more day to go!
Day 16 – Saturday, November 22: Eastern/Golden Gate, St. Anne’s Church/Pools of Bethesda, Israel Museum, Garden Tomb, Free Afternoon in the Old City
