VIEW FROM ATOP MT. ARBEL
Taken 5th October 2011
The view of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and the surrounding area from the top of Mount Arbel was stunning. An incredible climb up, well worth it for this. I found myself in awe of the beauty of nature and contemplating the existence of God as a result. Surely such beautiful nature can’t just be a consequence of random chance - there must be a designer of some sort! Damn good designer, I say.
Hebron is the largest city in the West Bank and one of the most controversial too. It is considered a holy city for both Jews and Muslims (a remarkably common theme in Israel), usually ranking second holiest to Jews and fourth holiest to Muslims. In this case though, it’s because of a shared association with Abraham (Avraham, Ibrahim, etc. - all the same guy). The Cave of Machpelah (Jewish name), or the Ibrahimi Mosque (Muslim name), is the burial site of the 3 patriarchs and 3 of the 4 matriarchs of Judaism, as well as Adam & Eve (and possibly the head of Esav). Abraham’s first two sons were Ishmael and Isaac. The Muslims descended from Ishmael and the Jews from Isaac. Hence the joint connection to Abraham.
There is a great deal of tension between the majority Palestinian population in Hebron and the minority of Jewish settlers. There is therefore a huge IDF presence in the area. I found that the resulting unpleasant atmosphere somewhat ruins the beauty and spirituality of the city. On the one hand, the numbers and geography make Hebron a Palestinian city. On the other, why shouldn’t Jews be able to live somewhere that holds such significance to their religious lives?
Taken 12th September 2011, Yeshivat Shavei Hevron
Regardless of what should be, there are many Jews that do live in Hebron. Some of them are radically right-wing and stir up a lot of trouble, some just want to study and live their Jewish lives in this holy city. Here are some photos of Jews studying in Yeshivat Shavei Hevron, a Jewish learning institution in Hebron.
HOLY NOSE-PICKING
Taken 28th August 2011
A Muslim on the Haram Ash-Sharif (near the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, third holiest site for Muslims) and a Jew at the Kotel (Western Wall, the holiest site for Jews other than the Temple Mount itself, which is the same spot as the Haram Ash-Sharif) both caught in the act - picking their noses!
Taken 31st August 2011, Nazareth
Nazareth is an Arab city, made up almost entirely of Arab Muslims and Christians, which has a great deal of religious significance. Nazareth was where Jesus spent a lot of his life and is home to the biggest church in the Middle East, the Basilica of Annunciation (where the Angel Gabriel told Mary that she was pregnant with the son of God).
In this beautiful city, full of great food and a plethora of churches and mosques, there is very little for children to do. They wonder the streets and most (although mainly boys) are involved in some sort of BB gun warfare. It’s a weird, if not scary, sight. I’m not sure to what extent a parallel can be drawn from the violence that exists in some Arab communities and the kind of childhood games they grew up playing, but it’s certainly an interesting thought.
MEOW
Taken 30th August 2011, a Dead Sea beach
Stray cat with her kittens. There’s loads of strays in Israel. Now a few more.
Taken 25th August 2011
The holy Muslim month of Ramadan, in which Muslims fast every day between sunrise and sunset, is an incredible time to go to the Muslim Quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem. Once the sun has gone down and they’ve broken the fast, the narrow streets quickly become packed with men, women and children until the wee hours. There’s a great atmosphere and the hustle and bustle of the market stalls, the food, the nargillah smokers, the coffee drinkers and the playing children makes it a beautiful place to explore, bursting with culture.
Being at the Kotel in the final moments of Tisha B’Av is fascinating. It’s packed with hungry religious Jews and there’s a mad rush to get to the front of the mob that is all reaching out to be handed some food to break their 25-hour fast.
Whilst I appreciate the importance of this day to the Jewish people, I personally struggle to fully connect to it. It’s hard to commemorate (in a meaningful way I mean) something that is so far removed from what it means to be Jewish today. Temple times are so central to Jewish history, yet so irrelevant to modern Judaism.
What was so interesting to see though, and this is true of most visits to the Kotel, was the diversity there. That’s one theme I think the photograph really symbolises. The Kotel today is such an Orthodox place - separate men and women (women section significantly smaller), predominantly Charedi visitors, etc. - yet all kinds of Jews, from all over the world and from more progressive backgrounds too, come to the Kotel, have a little pray or a think, touch the wall and maybe leave a note (to God?). All at a wall that was totally insignificant back in the day… just a structural wall of the Temple Mount. Yet there’s a definite spiritual feel to the place (maybe a totally man-made spirituality?) and as an attraction it’s as popular as ever.
Taken on 9th August 2011 at the Kotel (Western Wall) shortly after the end of the fast of Tisha B’Av.
Tisha B’Av is an important fast day in Judaism which commemorates the destruction of both the first and second temples, both of which occurred on the same date in the Hebrew calendar.
The Kotel is considered to be the holiest place for Jews. The Western Wall is all that remains of the second temple, which was destroyed in 70 CE.
So I’m hoping to update this blog at least weekly with my own photographs and thoughts about various things Israel-related. The culture and scenery in and around Israel is beautiful and I hope to capture some of it and share it with you, considering current debates, issues, history and thoughts along the way.
B’shalom (with peace)
