Are y’all ready for this?

We had a 5:30 wake up call to get an early start for today’s tour.  Obviously, this tour is the hottest ticket in town.  We started at Temple Mount, then went to the Jewish Quarter (including the Wailing Wall) followed by a lunch/tour in the Christian Quarter with a climatic finish to the day - Hezekiah’s tunnel in the City of. David!  An overview of today’s exciting tour:

Here are some the highlights:

Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock
Under the Dome of the Rock is the foundation stone of Mount Moriah, where Abraham built the altar for his son’s sacrifice.  The dome is covered in pure gold made possible with a $15 million donation from a Jordanian king.  Orthodox Jews would never visit Temple Mount for fear of being too close to the Holy of Holies where only the High Priest enters once a year on Atonement Day.  For Muslims, this is the place to be during Ramadan - upwards of 150,000 flock here to worship.

They clear out the plaza when dignitaries want to get a picture!

Western/Wailing Wall and Burnt House:
In the Jewish Quarter, there is the Wailing Wall.  This has become a very special place for Jews as it is the closest they can get to the former temple to pray.  Today, people of all walks of faith are allowed to say and/or tuck a prayer into the small wall openings.  However, men and women must do so from separate locations.  And it is called the Wailing Wall because Jews often weep at the site over the destruction of the temple in 70 CE.

While we were there we heard some wailing and even some singing

The Burnt House is believed to have been set afire during Roman’s destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E.  It was part of the Upper City of wealthy priestly families who likely felt untouchable.

We also saw a Geneva which is a special receptacle to discard documents containing God’s personal name.  Once it is full, these documents are buried (not put out with trash).  These could be letters to/from family members that have at times provided valuable historical references.

Avi demonstrates dumpster diving

THIS POST IS GETTING TOO LONG. . .  TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT ONE!