O Little Town Of Bethlehem
We started our day with a lecture by Assaf Gamzou, Director Of Jewish Education in Israel at ANU - Museum Of The Jewish People. Topic: The Israel/Palestine Conflict. This was super fascinating, and addressed an issue I've been studying and teaching for some time. I'm going do devote a separate blog post to it. For now I'll say that Assaf is writing a children's graphic novel about the history of the Jewish people. (Yes, it should be sold through Amazon in about two years!) He is writing about important places in Jewish history, which are a short drive from here, and he isn't allowed to go to these places, because he holds the passport of an Israeli Jew. An Israeli Christian can enter, and Arab Israelis can enter. We entered today, with our American and Australian passports, but Assaf couldn't come along.
After the lecture we went to the Mount of Olives. It's more of a hill than a mountain (or maybe I'm being a snob because I live in Colorado), but it does stand higher than everything else in the area, and it gives very impressive views of Jerusalem. This mountain used to be covered in olive trees. For over 3,000 years this hill has been used as a burial ground for Jews, and currently holds over 150,000 graves. About 2,000 years ago this was the last spot where Jesus stood, before he ascended into Heaven.
In the next photos, in the foreground you can see the above-ground tombs on the side of the Mount of Olives, and in the distance you can see the golden Dome Of The Rock, which orients you to where the Temple Mount is. (Immediately on the other side of the Dome of the Rock is the Wailing Wall.)
Next we boarded the bus and rode to Shepherds Field Chapel, near Bethlehem, in Palestine's West Bank. This is where the shepherds saw the star, and were led to the manger in Bethlehem on the night of Jesus's birth. It's a cave that has been turned into a chapel, with a church, fountain, restrooms, and outdoor chapels nearby. It was the most peaceful place on the trip so far. Our guide told us there's usually a queue extending all the way to the parking lot, but we were there by ourselves for awhile. Two other groups were at two separate spaces, and there was no overlap between us.
A note about the peacefulness of the site, and the incredibly easy access so far. Our guide, Nazeeh, who goes by Naz, is a full-time tour guide. Ninety percent of Israel's economy comes from tourism, so the industry is very sophisticated, and education for the tour guides requires a masters degree. Naz was originally a teacher, but wanted to get into tour guiding, so he earned his masters and has been doing it for ten years. The trip we are on is his first tour in TWO YEARS. Israel has been closed for business due to COVID, and this is literally the first time they're opening up for tours again. Some of the sites on our original itinerary (from two years ago) still aren't open. People seeing Naz for the first time in two years are greeting him like the prodigal son. He's greeted with joyous hugs and hand shakes from vendors and tour guides and chefs and other people on all our stops.
This is why we were able to see the tomb of Jesus, when all the guide books say it's too crowded to see. And this is why there was no one but us in the chapel where the shepherds saw the light of the star over Jesus's birthplace. We could hear birds, and the wind rustling through the trees, and little else.
Entrance to the cave chapel.
Naz, behind the table where communion is served to pilgrims every day.
There's a small church on the hill just west of the cave. There are a few porticos depicting the night the shepherds saw the star and followed it.
From there we rode the bus to a Palestinian refugee camp, where we enjoyed a home-cooked meal. The experience was led by a family who started an education and rehabilitation center for children with disabilities within the refugee camp. Again, I'll write a separate blog post about this experience.
After a delicious and informative lunch, we traveled to the Church of the Nativity, which is the site of Jesus's birth. Like the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, it is sacred to all Christians, and is controlled by multiple Christian denominations. The structure itself is from the Byzantine era, encouraged by Constantine, and launched by his mother, Helena. The main entrance is a very small doorway that forces one to crouch to enter. It's called "The Door Of Humility." Once in, you're standing at the back of a long nave with high columns, and above the columns are grand, ancient mosaics. The apse at the front of the church is decorated with Byzantine imagery and gold-plated wall to house the icons.
See the teeny tiny door?
The iconostasis at the front of the church.
Can you see me? Hi!
One of the mosaics above the side aisle columns.
Constantine's mother left a strong legacy.
The tomb of St. Jerome, a famous theologian who translated the Bible from Greek into Latin. His translation is known as "the Latin Vulgate". He died 1,600 years ago.
St. George slaying the dragon.
To get to the place of Jesus's birth, you descend marble stairs under the chancel.
The Greek Orthodox Church controls the site of Jesus's birth. The Catholic Church controls the site a few feet away, where Jesus was laid in the manger.
After the tour it was time to walk through Bethlehem, visit some shops, buy some souvenirs, and head back to the bus for the drive to the hotel. Naz asked us if we wanted to go out for dinner. We all elected to call it a day. I was asleep by 7:30.
