Horowitz Travel- Israel-Jerusalem of
course- January 14, 2017
It's cold. I'm cold. David's cold. I'm layered. My favorite places are in the shower or in bed under a down comforter. We walk, I warm up. We come back, turn the wall heaters up, but I'm still cold. Turning on the central system is extravagant. As I write this I'm listening to an Al Jazeera report on the Syrian refugees. I think I'll shut up now.
We started Shabbat last night by walking to the synagogue, Kol Ha Neshamah, a progressive (Reform) congregation, where we were meeting our friends. We weren't alone. Most of the populace joined us each going to whatever synagogue met their needs.
Tour groups are not uncommon during services. Last night there were young people from Kentucky & Buffalo, NY. There were two nuns in attendance as well. I'm told they're there every week. They belong to an order that rotates nuns to Jerusalem yearly & they tend to like Jewish worship.
The service was primarily led by a guitar playing young man under the direction of the rabbi. I was told that there are 40 rabbis who belong to that congregation. Lots of American retirees. I thought it would be easy for me to participate, but, although the words were the same, the tunes were entirely different than I'm used to. It threw me to the point where I almost didn't recognize most of them. On the two occassions I could join in, I was relieved.
After services, the Stuart & Ellyn drove us to the Terri & Ron's. Their townhouse is multi-level with each tier overlooking the Old City. During a sumptuous dinner, we had time to exchange opinions and bring each other up to date. We didn't cheer each other up. Things here have gotten to the point where an option of a two-state solution is an old pipe dream, and a one state solution is seen as untenable by both right and left. Limbo isn't a comfortable place to be. Our friends were protesting the building of a new settlement when they asked about the Arab construction workers. The supervisor told them that politics aside, the men needed jobs. But our friends said that the most discussed topic among their peers is the economy, not terrorism or survival. For those who look forward to Netanyahu being indicted or stepping down, be careful what you wish for. We were told that his successor is likely to be worse. The Jerusalem Post thinks Trump is a savior, and David has taken to watching news on Al Jazeera, not CNN. I left there feeling that Israel was in danger of losing its moral compass. The terror attacks are real, but some types of retaliation can cross the line.
David was determined to start the day in the morning. He set the alarm for 9:00AM, & I actually woke up. We were on our way by foot to the Islamic Museum of Art in no time. Although streets in our immediate neighborhood are level, everywhere else is uphill. We followed a combination paper map (they still exist) and directions from Mapquest. The streets were crowded with people dressed in dark colors returning from worship. There were lots of strollers, children, & dads carrying brightly colored scooters. Because of the prohibition of driving on the Sabbath, there were few moving cars, no buses, few cabs, & cats. It was a city walker's paradise.
We spent 2 1/2-3 hours at the museum. One of my favorite things was that this museum of Islamic Art in Jerusalem was festooned with mezuzahs (look it up if you don't know) on every doorpost.
It is organized chronologically by room, but within each room there is confusion. Hebrew is written & read right to left as is Arabic. English is the reverse. Explanations were written in all three languages. In setting up the exhibits, the dilemma must have been whether to place the placards in alignment with English or the other languages. They did both. Sometimes we viewed objects first, then the information; sometimes not. We never figured out where to start in a room: to go right or left around the room. After dutifully following the cases around one area we realized the "beginning" was in the far right corner of the room.
Our knowledge of Islamic history is limited. We didn't know that the division of Suni/Shiite started soon after Muhammad's death in 632 CE/AD. It's a family feud. It's the story of many religions: expand; conquer to expand; conquer by intimidation/conversion; war worked best.
The lower level of the museum has an interesting clock exhibit starting with ancient timepieces & going to elaborate creations of French royalty. Muslims have time bound and directional requirements for prayer. They devised small, pocket-sized (did they had pockets?) combo sundial/compasses for that purpose. The ones on display were ornate gold pieces. It made me marvel once again that I was carrying a computer in my purse.
Lunch was back at the apt. A first. Just soup & tuna sandwiches. We took turns on line. David figured out the bus web site & is ready to tackle the public transportation system tomorrow. I found that if I pulled a chair up to a wall heater it was cozy. I closed my eyes and listened to strains of magnificent piano playing echoing in the hall. Shabbat was over. It sounds as if our neighbor is a professional pianist & listening to him/her practice is a bonus. Often the accompaniment is that of Stoney, a well-mannered elder golden type mix who barks & wags simultaneously. His people are responsible enough to keep him in during hours when his barking would be annoying.
We walked to dinner through a drizzle & wimped out. We chose an eatery based on proximity rather than cuisine. Bagel Cafe was a surprise. The minestrone soup was the best I've ever had. The bagels were just freshly made after Shabbat. David had whitefish on his bagel; I had fried halloumi cheese (Turkish), which I've yet to taste. The soup came with a bagel, the halloumi on bagel came with a salad. I ate the soup & salad & took the rest back to the apt.
We're invited to Stuart's birthday party next Saturday so went in search of a birthday card. We didn't have to go far, just to Steimatzki's, a book & office supply vendor. The cards were in plastic sleeves on the wall going up a flight of steps. They weren't in any particular order, but we did see lots of bar mitzvah cards. Taking care not to fall up or down the steps, we figured we'd just look for the familiar Hebrew phrase for "happy birthday to you." Wrong! What we wanted was anything saying " mazel tov." Then we had to read through "mazel tov" what? Our confusion was increased only by the fact that we initially tried to open the cards the "American" way. Hebrew is written opposite of English, & so the books & cards open "backwards" to what we're used to.
Another mission accomplished, another day is done. Tomorrow we'll tackle the infamous Egged (pronounced 'egg-ed') Bus Company & hopefully find our way.
Toby
It's cold. I'm cold. David's cold. I'm layered. My favorite places are in the shower or in bed under a down comforter. We walk, I warm up. We come back, turn the wall heaters up, but I'm still cold. Turning on the central system is extravagant. As I write this I'm listening to an Al Jazeera report on the Syrian refugees. I think I'll shut up now.
We started Shabbat last night by walking to the synagogue, Kol Ha Neshamah, a progressive (Reform) congregation, where we were meeting our friends. We weren't alone. Most of the populace joined us each going to whatever synagogue met their needs.
Tour groups are not uncommon during services. Last night there were young people from Kentucky & Buffalo, NY. There were two nuns in attendance as well. I'm told they're there every week. They belong to an order that rotates nuns to Jerusalem yearly & they tend to like Jewish worship.
The service was primarily led by a guitar playing young man under the direction of the rabbi. I was told that there are 40 rabbis who belong to that congregation. Lots of American retirees. I thought it would be easy for me to participate, but, although the words were the same, the tunes were entirely different than I'm used to. It threw me to the point where I almost didn't recognize most of them. On the two occassions I could join in, I was relieved.
After services, the Stuart & Ellyn drove us to the Terri & Ron's. Their townhouse is multi-level with each tier overlooking the Old City. During a sumptuous dinner, we had time to exchange opinions and bring each other up to date. We didn't cheer each other up. Things here have gotten to the point where an option of a two-state solution is an old pipe dream, and a one state solution is seen as untenable by both right and left. Limbo isn't a comfortable place to be. Our friends were protesting the building of a new settlement when they asked about the Arab construction workers. The supervisor told them that politics aside, the men needed jobs. But our friends said that the most discussed topic among their peers is the economy, not terrorism or survival. For those who look forward to Netanyahu being indicted or stepping down, be careful what you wish for. We were told that his successor is likely to be worse. The Jerusalem Post thinks Trump is a savior, and David has taken to watching news on Al Jazeera, not CNN. I left there feeling that Israel was in danger of losing its moral compass. The terror attacks are real, but some types of retaliation can cross the line.
David was determined to start the day in the morning. He set the alarm for 9:00AM, & I actually woke up. We were on our way by foot to the Islamic Museum of Art in no time. Although streets in our immediate neighborhood are level, everywhere else is uphill. We followed a combination paper map (they still exist) and directions from Mapquest. The streets were crowded with people dressed in dark colors returning from worship. There were lots of strollers, children, & dads carrying brightly colored scooters. Because of the prohibition of driving on the Sabbath, there were few moving cars, no buses, few cabs, & cats. It was a city walker's paradise.
We spent 2 1/2-3 hours at the museum. One of my favorite things was that this museum of Islamic Art in Jerusalem was festooned with mezuzahs (look it up if you don't know) on every doorpost.
It is organized chronologically by room, but within each room there is confusion. Hebrew is written & read right to left as is Arabic. English is the reverse. Explanations were written in all three languages. In setting up the exhibits, the dilemma must have been whether to place the placards in alignment with English or the other languages. They did both. Sometimes we viewed objects first, then the information; sometimes not. We never figured out where to start in a room: to go right or left around the room. After dutifully following the cases around one area we realized the "beginning" was in the far right corner of the room.
Our knowledge of Islamic history is limited. We didn't know that the division of Suni/Shiite started soon after Muhammad's death in 632 CE/AD. It's a family feud. It's the story of many religions: expand; conquer to expand; conquer by intimidation/conversion; war worked best.
The lower level of the museum has an interesting clock exhibit starting with ancient timepieces & going to elaborate creations of French royalty. Muslims have time bound and directional requirements for prayer. They devised small, pocket-sized (did they had pockets?) combo sundial/compasses for that purpose. The ones on display were ornate gold pieces. It made me marvel once again that I was carrying a computer in my purse.
Lunch was back at the apt. A first. Just soup & tuna sandwiches. We took turns on line. David figured out the bus web site & is ready to tackle the public transportation system tomorrow. I found that if I pulled a chair up to a wall heater it was cozy. I closed my eyes and listened to strains of magnificent piano playing echoing in the hall. Shabbat was over. It sounds as if our neighbor is a professional pianist & listening to him/her practice is a bonus. Often the accompaniment is that of Stoney, a well-mannered elder golden type mix who barks & wags simultaneously. His people are responsible enough to keep him in during hours when his barking would be annoying.
We walked to dinner through a drizzle & wimped out. We chose an eatery based on proximity rather than cuisine. Bagel Cafe was a surprise. The minestrone soup was the best I've ever had. The bagels were just freshly made after Shabbat. David had whitefish on his bagel; I had fried halloumi cheese (Turkish), which I've yet to taste. The soup came with a bagel, the halloumi on bagel came with a salad. I ate the soup & salad & took the rest back to the apt.
We're invited to Stuart's birthday party next Saturday so went in search of a birthday card. We didn't have to go far, just to Steimatzki's, a book & office supply vendor. The cards were in plastic sleeves on the wall going up a flight of steps. They weren't in any particular order, but we did see lots of bar mitzvah cards. Taking care not to fall up or down the steps, we figured we'd just look for the familiar Hebrew phrase for "happy birthday to you." Wrong! What we wanted was anything saying " mazel tov." Then we had to read through "mazel tov" what? Our confusion was increased only by the fact that we initially tried to open the cards the "American" way. Hebrew is written opposite of English, & so the books & cards open "backwards" to what we're used to.
Another mission accomplished, another day is done. Tomorrow we'll tackle the infamous Egged (pronounced 'egg-ed') Bus Company & hopefully find our way.
Toby
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