A Romp in the Old City

 After our extensive tour of the Old City, our guide Ali led us to Al Quds University to meet with a few of its students. Nanara and (name) treated us to a lunch of falafel sandwiches (which, after trudging around the Old City all morning, was a welcome sight) and discussed with us the life of a Palestinian student in Jerusalem. While their studies go quite well, the social disparity between the Israelis and Palestinians still touches other aspects of their lives. The check points, for example, make it very difficult for them to visit their families, and impossible for their families to visit them. What was a fifteen-minute trip turns into an hour-long wait to pass through the wall.

We also were treated to a tour of the ancient baths located under the university. Our guide showed us the clever mechanisms that provided for steam baths, hot and cold-water treatment, and ventilation systems. Though they have long been out of use, the impressive designs still speak to the genius of the city’s ancestors.

We then departed Al Quds, and enjoyed a few hours of roaming around the Old City, taking pictures, perusing the countless shop, and enjoying (hopefully!) the wild experience of negotiation prices with fanatic salespeople. Everything one could imagine was no more than a few steps away; souvenirs, jewelry, clothing, pharmacies, meat, spices, candy, electronics – there was even a shop devoted to t-shirts with Hebrew logos of American sports teams.

 Spices

By MacLean Cadman

There was also the opportunity to more closely inspect some of the Old City’s religious sites. One of these is the Wailing Wall, a towering behemoth that stands as the last remains of the Old Temple and a major prayer site for Jews. There are two parts; a smaller wall, tucked away in the recesses of the Old City’s catacombs, and the larger wall that stands nearby Ibrahimi Mosque. We visited the smaller wall, which was much less crowded than its counterpart. Between the stones and crumbling mortar are countless pieces of folded paper. 

 Prayers in the Wailing Wall

By MacLean Cadman

Jews traditionally write prayers or messages to God and insert them into cracks in the Wall, like tiny messages in a bottle that might somehow float their way up to God. We later saw the larger part of the Wailing Wall from a nearby viewpoint. Its location provides a picturesque scene that includes the Wall, the Dome of the Rock, and the Mount of Olives in the distance.

The Wailing Wall, Dome of the Rock, & Mount of Olives

 By MacLean Cadman

With bags stuffed full of souvenirs and wallets near empty of shekels, we meandered back to St. George’s to prepare for that night’s service. I’ll pass the baton onto Paulina for a description of that.

Well, tomorrow it’s to Nazareth and the tail end of our pilgrimage. We’ll all be seeing you before long!

MacLean Cadman

Communication, 2012

Boston College