Jerusalem – the first two days
After a night flight from Madrid we landed at Ben Gurion airport at 5AM, and traveled to Mt Scopus in east Jerusalem. We stopped at a view point on the old city of Jerusalem. The view was overwhelming, the old city in the east touching the new city in the west,
We also saw the separation wall in the north and the hanging bridge in the center of the city. After saying "seheheyano" the traditional Jewish blessing thanking God that we live and enjoy this moment we blessed the bread salt and wine we ate there for our breakfast. A conversation started about our feelings and everyone told their feelings and self identity there, that morning in Jerusalem.
We stayed at the in Ein Karem school, in the residential school lodging, we rested a little bit and then Neil Lazaros spoke with us about the situation in the Middle East today: Iran, Iraq, the Palestinians problems, and Israel. It was a very interesting lecture and the teenagers asked questions and spoke their opinions.
In the evening we met the parents that came to Ein Karem to meet their children after two weeks abroad. It was very exciting meeting and we were all so happy. After some greetings and festive dinner there was a music performance in Ladino Hebrew and Arabic . The singers were Jewish and Arabs.
The next day we had a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. We were divided to three groups, each group represented one religion : Jewish, Christianity, Islam. Each group had a different way to reach the old city of Jerusalem. at the end of this activity each participant visited the Kottel - The Wailing Wall, Temple Mount – Omar Mosque and El-aksa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I was surprised how easy it was to enter the Temple Mount.
I asked one of the participants of the Jitli summer trip, from the states, a first time visiter in Jerusalem about her feeling after visiting the holy places and she said that that visit reminded her very much a visit in Disney land park, very crowded every where, waiting in line but in the end of the visit it was a great experience. I liked her answer very much because there was another point of view very local point of view. I realized that it was matter of proportions.
We returned to Ein Karem school and there we heard a panel of three lecturers about the three religions and their attitude to daily problems. I was impressed by the Sufi attitudes. Sufe is a group in the Islam, that talk about the feelings in the heart as the most important reason to man behavior.
After dinner we met again and analyzed texts from the bible and holy Koran with the help of Martin Sesler, we analyzed the similarity and the differences between the texts.
We dealt with Cain and Abel story, and Isaac or Ishmael sacrificed and the story of Abraham and Sodom destroyed. After analyzing textswe understood the Islamic attitude not to argue with god and to accept him, and the opposite in the Judaism to ask and to argue and even to rebel against god.
Before going to sleep the group from Shaar Hanegev read a letter to all participants that its main subject was more sensitivity to one another in the groups. Questions:
A. What makes Jerusalem so especial? The holiest city in the world?
B. What gives the feeling of holiness? Why did I, a Jew, feel the holiness at the Temple Mount near the mosques? In the Church of the Holy Sephlucre? in the Kotel tunnels? And less holiness near the Kotel Wall?
C. What is different or similar between the old city of Jerusalem and Disney Land?
D. Why the, moderate approaches in the different religions have less influence on our lives?
E. Does deeper knowledge about a religion change someone's opinion about its?
F. I feel that there is more similarity between Judaism and Islam then with Christianity. Is it true?
We arrived to Jerusalem
We also saw the separation wall in the north and the hanging bridge in the center of the city. After saying "seheheyano" the traditional Jewish blessing thanking God that we live and enjoy this moment we blessed the bread salt and wine we ate there for our breakfast. A conversation started about our feelings and everyone told their feelings and self identity there, that morning in Jerusalem.
We stayed at the in Ein Karem school, in the residential school lodging, we rested a little bit and then Neil Lazaros spoke with us about the situation in the Middle East today: Iran, Iraq, the Palestinians problems, and Israel. It was a very interesting lecture and the teenagers asked questions and spoke their opinions.
In the evening we met the parents that came to Ein Karem to meet their children after two weeks abroad. It was very exciting meeting and we were all so happy. After some greetings and festive dinner there was a music performance in Ladino Hebrew and Arabic . The singers were Jewish and Arabs.
The next day we had a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. We were divided to three groups, each group represented one religion : Jewish, Christianity, Islam. Each group had a different way to reach the old city of Jerusalem. at the end of this activity each participant visited the Kottel - The Wailing Wall, Temple Mount – Omar Mosque and El-aksa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I was surprised how easy it was to enter the Temple Mount.
I asked one of the participants of the Jitli summer trip, from the states, a first time visiter in Jerusalem about her feeling after visiting the holy places and she said that that visit reminded her very much a visit in Disney land park, very crowded every where, waiting in line but in the end of the visit it was a great experience. I liked her answer very much because there was another point of view very local point of view. I realized that it was matter of proportions.
We returned to Ein Karem school and there we heard a panel of three lecturers about the three religions and their attitude to daily problems. I was impressed by the Sufi attitudes. Sufe is a group in the Islam, that talk about the feelings in the heart as the most important reason to man behavior.
After dinner we met again and analyzed texts from the bible and holy Koran with the help of Martin Sesler, we analyzed the similarity and the differences between the texts.
We dealt with Cain and Abel story, and Isaac or Ishmael sacrificed and the story of Abraham and Sodom destroyed. After analyzing textswe understood the Islamic attitude not to argue with god and to accept him, and the opposite in the Judaism to ask and to argue and even to rebel against god.
Before going to sleep the group from Shaar Hanegev read a letter to all participants that its main subject was more sensitivity to one another in the groups. Questions:
A. What makes Jerusalem so especial? The holiest city in the world?
B. What gives the feeling of holiness? Why did I, a Jew, feel the holiness at the Temple Mount near the mosques? In the Church of the Holy Sephlucre? in the Kotel tunnels? And less holiness near the Kotel Wall?
C. What is different or similar between the old city of Jerusalem and Disney Land?
D. Why the, moderate approaches in the different religions have less influence on our lives?
E. Does deeper knowledge about a religion change someone's opinion about its?
F. I feel that there is more similarity between Judaism and Islam then with Christianity. Is it true?
We arrived to Jerusalem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1Oj4hQScz8
Middle East Today - Neil Lazaros
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tK7AdhT-As
Meeting the Parents
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVWFyb4QXv4
pilgrimage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aG3jiyTPnw
The Three Religions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn8-FMXpqzU
ANAYLAZING TEXTS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6a3nYG6vbs
ENJOY
ITZIK
