Anshai Goes to Israel!

We start our first day in Jerusalem!  Our day began with an act of Hesed at Yad LaKasish, Lifeline for the Elderly.  Having begun in 1962 by Miriam Mendelow, this organization cares for 200 older people every day.  The average age is 80.  All are below the poverty line and receive a daily hot meal and assistance from governmental social workers. Many are Holocaust survivors while some are from Ethiopia, the former Soviet Union, the Ukraine, and other locations.  

Each individual goes to work and is productive in one of nine different workshops, ranging from paper mache, weaving, metal working, etc.  Most everyone of us purchased one or many items in the gift shop, acknowledging the outstanding artwork of these older citizens who are making a very special contribution to Israeli society.  The gift shop is one of the main sources of income for the center, enabling it to do such important work.

We then walked across the street for our entry into the Old City of Jerusalem via the Jaffa gate.  We began in the first of four quarters- the Christian quarter- on our way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  This amazing church represents so much history and is cared for by many different Christian sects.  It was a very special stop reminding everyone of the deep roots that connect Christianity to Judaism. 

We then walked through the Jewish quarter, observing mostly new construction since the quarter was destroyed by the Jordanians and rebuilt by the Israelis after it was conquered in 1967.  Standing in the Hurva synagogue square was an exciting scene, seeing the crowds of locals weaving about the many tourists.  We all had lunch in the Jewish quarter and enjoyed the first opportunity to do some serious shopping in the Cardo and vicinity.

  

We continued to walk down toward the Kotel, seeing magnificent views of the ancient city of David, the cemetery of 300,000 graves on the Mount of Olives, and the surrounding landscape.  As we approached the Davidson Center our spectacular guide, Josh Evan Chen began to retell the story of the Temple and its many different phases of construction and destruction.  We stood before the massive remains of Robinson’s Arch and tried to imagine life as it was 2200 years ago on the streets of Jerusalem.

Josh then led us through the Western Tunnel Sites as we walked the entire length of the Western Wall, the Kotel.  It was a breathtaking monumental effort to excavate and reconstruct after thousands of years of destruction and neglect.  The entire length of the Western Wall has been cleared and become a major attraction with paths spanning the length. 

If only I or anyone could begin to record/recollect even a fraction of what our stellar guide Josh provides for us- that would be an extra Hanukkah miracle!  Being in the Old City, the Jewish Quarter, the Temple Mount area, and the Kotel was the ultimate powerful experience for us Jews visiting Israel.  It was impactful on every level. 

I know I haven’t come close to giving this day of our trip what attention and description it deserves.  Hopefully, the memories and photo sharing will help keep it alive.