Adventures of Brendon: Jerusalem: New and Old

It's Not Very Welcoming

I woke up Easter Sunday in Amman, and after politely refusing the invitation from three cute women I had met in Jordan to spend Easter with them (perhaps, in retrospect, a mistake?), I decided to trek on to what I've been euphemistically calling in the Muslim world "the place that shall not be named" or "the land to the west of the River Jordan." Although Jerusalem and Amman are only 45 miles apart (the distance between my work and San Francisco), I knew the journey would take longer than expected, especially as I planned to take the King Hussein/Allenby Bridge border crossing. The King Hussein crossing is exclusively for Palestinians, and, although not widely advertised, other foreigners. It is illegal for Israelis, under Israeli law, to cross there.

Guard Tower Crossing the Jordan River, facing Jordan

I had been warned the day before from two Israelis that crossing the border here would not be possible, however I decided to have a go anyways. I said goodbye to everyone I had come to know in Amman and caught a taxi to the border. After waiting an hour just to get out of Jordan, all the foreigners were loaded on a bus and we began the 4 km ride across the no-mans land (still housing a mine field?) to the Israeli occupied West Bank. We drove over the Allenby bridge and were dropped off to complete chaos. Now I've never organized a border crossing, especially one for Palestinians, but it couldn't have been the most efficient way to do things (or given the best impression of Israel): crowds of people shouting and yelling in Arabic around a wide open but roped off wearhouse door, throwing their luggage at Israeli border guards who take away it away to an unseen back room; metal detectors and chemical sniffing machines; Israeli women in their early 20s all in charge; soldiers; no one telling you where to go or what line to get in next; luggage, after screening, tossed all about the ground next to groups of devout Muslims performing the mid-day prayer. Despite the chaos, for me it was an experience and quite easy getting through. Only an hour!

Road Signs in the Israeli-occupied West Bank

By 2 pm I caught a Palestinian shared taxi to Jerusalem. Climbing the mountains in a wide, nicely maintained road, you'd have no idea that you weren't in Israel proper. You could see Jewish settlements topping some the hills (with California-like houses). Before entering Jerusalem we were stopped and soldiers checked everyone's ID (I was the only foreigner), which after they left, launched my taxi driver in a long and angry Arabic tirade as we ringed the hill in view of the Old City. It was all good fun!

Old City of Jerusalem, facing the Dome of the Rock and the Mount of Olives

I had made it to Jerusalem on Easter. I was dropped off right outside the Damascus Gate, and quickly realized that arriving for Passover and Easter meant tons of people crowding the narrow, confusing streets of the Old City. My first impression of the Holy City was actually really negative: it felt like a shopping mall. So many vendors selling cheap toys, tacky souvenirs, touristy food, clothes, bras, jewelery, trying to get you into their shop with the ferocity of Egyptians (and that's a high standard) within a stones throw of the holiest sites of Judiasim, Christianity, and Islam! Jerusalem from the ground felt the opposite of reverent or awe-inspiring.

Western Wall of the Temple Mount

However, when I got to the roof-top of my hostel above the fray of the bustling markets, my opinion changed. The Old City was calm and serene, overwhelming peaceful. It looked and sounded like you think it would in the movies, with the bells of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre ringing, the call to pray from the many minarets dotting the skyline, and the sun glinting off the Dome of the Rock. At sunset, the bells of the city rang for half an hour! And the markets have probably existed for centuries, another fabric of Jerusalem.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The Old City is so compact that the three religions are basically colliding into each other here. Synagogues, mosques and cathedrals compete with each other on the crowded streets. Hasidic Jews pass Ethiopian Orthodox worshippers next to Muslim storefronts.

Hasidic Jews

For Jews, the Temple Mount is the most sacred spot on Earth. They pray at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, believing it is the closest wall to the Holy of Holies. Many Christian denominations believe that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is built on the hill upon which Jesus Christ was crucified. The Church is unique in that it occupied by several different and competing denominations of Christianity: the Greek Orthodox often fight the Latins (Catholics) over who has control of what part of the Church, the Armenian and Syrian and Coptic (from Egypt) churches all have chapels, and the Ethiopians have transformed a nearby section of rooftop into an Ethiopian village.

Ethiopian Orthodox Priest

And for Muslims, the Dome of the Rock is the spot from which the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven to commune with God.

Mount Zion in Spring

While in Jerusalem, my friend Keira (who I had met in Egypt and Jordan) by chance stayed at my hostel. We spent a few hours trying to find Oscar Schindler's grave (to spoil the surprise, it was closed when we finally found it) around Mount Zion. The Mount affords great views over the dramatic rocky valleys and mountains of Jerusalem. The city is very green in spring, with pine and cypress forests all around. I've never been to a spot before that has looked exactly like Jerusalem.

From Mount Zion, you could all see the security barrier ("the Wall") that separates many Palestinian communities from Israel. The wall does not represent a political boundary, and even the Israelis admit that. I'll write more about that another time...

Security Barrier as Seen from Mount Zion

Jerusalem is more than ancient ruins and crusader cathedrals. The Old City occupies a very small portion of Jerusalem, and most Israelis live in what's called the New City.

Ben Yehuda Street, New City

In the New City, you'll find highways, nondescript modern buildings, bars, cafes, and everything else you'd expect. The New City feels like a marriage between a typical American and typical European city. It's where the vast majority of Israelis in Jerusalem live (the Palestinians in Jerusalem live in East Jerusalem). I stayed a few nights near Ben Yehuda street (the scene of some terrorist attacks in the past), and found it very cosmopolitan. I ate Ethiopian food one night and Japanese food on shabbat (I even tried ordering pork! Not surprisingly, they didn't have any... ). Basically, the New City is just a city.