Holy Week for us began on Palm Sunday as we joined others from Tantur for the bus ride over to Bethphage and the walk down the Mt. of Olives. It was sunny and warm but not hot. We joined thousands of other pilgrims seeking to walk the path Jesus took with his disciples before he began the momentous events of what we call today "Holy Week." I waved and carried my Palm branch like many others. It was quite a festive time with pilgrims from all over the world singing, some playing musical instruments, some carrying banners and others praying. Luke 19:28-44 vividly describes the "first" Palm Sunday, and as I walked down the Mt. of Olives and saw the city of Jerusalem and where the Temple would have been, I reflected on these verses. I was moved as I thought of Jesus weeping as he saw the city of Jerusalem and knew the destruction that would be coming in 70 AD to this beloved place. They had rejected him and he was preparing himself for this last week of his earthly life. I, too, prayed for this city that the eyes of their hearts would be opened to Jesus, their Messiah.
Monday began with a bus ride to the King David Hotel to meet my artist friend, Annie, for coffee. Annie moved to Israel in 1965 from Belgium and I met her in 2010 during our semester at Jerusalem University College. When I arrived at the hotel they would not let me in at first because it was Passover week and they had a sign posted that only hotel guests could enter. I explained to the guard at the door that I was meeting a friend here and she said she was sorry but could not let me enter. I decided to wait in the walkway for Annie but after about 10 minutes I wondered if Annie was already inside the hotel terrace because she is so well known among the staff. I went back to the guard and asked if I could just go in to see if Annie was sitting on the terrace and she agreed to let me enter and "just look." Well, I was correct, and there was Annie with her coffee on the terrace. We were the only ones there at first with this wonderful view of the Hinnom Valley and looking east one can see the Mt. of Olives and in the distance the haze shrouded hills of Moab in Jordan. I noticed some smoke in the air and a strong odor and some of the staff were engaged in burning the "Chametz." At the start of Passover, every Jewish household (or most of them) clear their homes of any yeast because during Passover (Pesach) you only eat unleavened bread. In some homes it becomes a game as the "Papa" of the house goes on a search with a feather in his hand (to sweep up the small crumbs) and a wooden spoon (to hold the Chametz) and a paper bag to hold everything as you burn it all. The children love this part because the "Mama" of the household usually leaves some Chametz around for the "Papa" to find. There is a prayer that is said and it varies in households and businesses but then it is burned outside. The King David Hotel symbolically had searched and then burned the Chametz outside near the Terrace and that was what I was smelling. On the way to the hotel I walked by a group of men who had gathered together with their prayer books and their Chametz and were burning it in what I call a burn barrel on the sidewalk! Sooooo interesting to me.
I mentioned to the waiter that he must have had a very busy time with President Obama's visit last week. He said, "Oh it will really get busy this week because of Pesach." Some roads are closed at different times this week and traffic is limited in certain areas. I have seen crowds of ultra-orthodox Jewish families walking the streets and going to the Western Wall to pray in the Old City. The children are dressed in their new clothes and the baby carriages are out with everyone enjoying the good weather we are experiencing. Larry and I met our former tour guide, Pamela, for tea on Wednesday in Mamilla Mall and it was very crowded as we stood in a line to order at a very popular restaurant in the mall. As we sat there, we could see all the families walking by and others enjoying ice cream and being out of school and some businesses close during this week. Larry and I had a sandwich that was made without any leaven and it tasted great to us.
Last week we also had the privilege of going on a field study with the new Study Group here and we climbed the Herodion just out of Bethlehem. The Herodion is the location for one of King Herod's palaces and where his mausoleum was built. There is a wonderful exhibit at the Israel Museum of all of Herod's palaces with some of the items found there on display. The view from the top is amazing and it was wonderfully clear as we gazed towards the west at the Water Ridge and then south into the beginning of the desert before you get into the Negev and then east over into the Judean Wilderness area and looking across the Jordan River Valley into Jordan. His palace had been equipped with Roman baths, the "latest' in toilet facilities, and a lower pool where he even sailed small boats. This entire complex was built by slaves who, according to our guide, were usually killed after a short time because they knew where Herod's underground tunnels and secret places were located. When Sister Joseph heard this, (one of our Study Group members) she said, "But, they were still precious in God's sight." She has a heart for the poor and the downtrodden. Sister Joseph is Polish but has been teaching the Bible in Australia for 18 years and is thrilled to be here in the Holy Land for all the special services during Holy Week.
After touring the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and Shepherd's Field we finished our day with a visit to the Aida Refugee Camp on the north edge of Bethlehem and about a quarter of a mile from Tantur. We met in the Lajee Cultural Center first to hear about the living conditions in the camp and the history of the Palestinian conflict. Over Arab coffee and tea we were given the history of the camp and what life is like today. That would take me an entire blog post to explain, which I hope to do in the future. I have already written so much and we haven't even gotten to Easter as yet. That, too, will be a future posting. Larry and I will be saying good-bye to Israel and Tantur later this week. It has been an informative and inspirational time for us and personally enriching as we have made new friends. I will be posting again but may be delayed for awhile as we get back to life in Upland. I must tell you about our Triclinium dinner at Jerusalem University College and Easter at the Garden Tomb.
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