Jerusalem, holy city
The Western Wall and it’s prayer plaza. Beyond the wall the Dome of the Rock glitters in the sunset. Photo: VanderWolf-Images
Gathering at the Western Wall Getting invited on an adventure trip to Israel was a dream come true, and it turned out to be one of the most magical trips I’ve ever taken. Israel amazed me to the nth degree. by Guðrún Vaka Helgadottir Photos: iStockphoto.com
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he flight from Keflavik to Tel Aviv takes almost 7 hours but as we were heading eastward it wasn’t too hard. For flights between North America and Israel, I’d recommend taking a stopover in Iceland when heading west; it’s a great way to even out the jet lag and time difference. JERUSALEM CALLING After landing at Ben Gurion Airport we were whisked away to the fabled city of Jerusalem, only about an hour and a half’s drive. The city was shrouded in darkness when we arrived and we were assigned to our rooms at the famous King David Hotel (where almost every leader of the world plus a legion of rock, pop and movie stars have stayed when visiting Israel).
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WOW Power to the people
Having been raised in a Christian en vironment one imagines the tales of Christianity to have happened almost in a fairytale world that mere mortals can’t visit. I never expected to see Jerusalem with my own eyes, nor did I think Golgotha really existed, or Jesus’ empty tomb for that matter. All these places mentioned in the Bible I found in Jerusalem and I think that even if you’re not a believer, visiting Jerusalem is like visiting an ancient movie set; you can’t help but feel star-struck even if you didn’t like the film. During our exploration of Jerusalem, we also learned a lot about Jewish history and religion, for instance why Jews gather at the Western Wall. The walls role in Judaism had remained a mystery to me since I was a kid and never did
The flight from Keflavik to Tel Aviv takes almost 7 hours but as we were heading eastward it wasn’t too hard. For flights between North America and Israel, I’d recommend taking a stopover in Iceland when heading west; it’s a great way to even out the jet lag and time difference.
the news anchors of my youth explain its importance or the reason it was called The Wailing Wall. Coming over here and finally gaining insight into this part of Jewish history and culture was eye-opening. THE MOST HOLY OF HOLIES In the Old City of Jerusalem, inside the ruins of what was once the Second Jewish Temple, on a hill called the Temple Mount there is an octagonal Muslim shrine with a golden dome, known as The Dome of the Rock. The shrine is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city and among the best-recognized landmarks of Jerusalem. The site is considered the third holiest place in the Islamic religion but it is built on the holiest site in the world according to Judaism, as the site is believed to hold the rock from which God created the Universe. On this site, God gathered the dust used to create the first human, and this is also the place where God’s divine presence is manifested more than in any other and toward which Jews turn during prayer. Muslims believe in the site’s significance connected to the creation of the Earth but also in connection to Muhammed’s ascension to Heaven and return back to the Earth with the order to pray 5 times a day. ONCE UPON A TIME … The First (Jewish) Temple, known as the Temple of Solomon, stood on the Temple Mount according to the Bible. It was built
