I checked the Tomb, and yes--it's empty!

Happy Easter from Jerusalem! So as not to miss any of the Easter awesomeness, I "doubled dipped" and attended two services--a non-denominational Protestant service in the Garden Tomb at sunrise, and a mid-morning Roman Catholic Easter Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Protestant service was unlike anything I had ever experienced before--compared to the typical Catholic Mass, the celebration was a lot more joyful and interactive, with plenty "amens" of hand-waving. It consisted entirely of (very modern) Christian songs with readings and an excellent sermon. I was confused--why were these people so happy? Where was the Latin? Despite the initial culture-shock, however, I enjoyed the service immensely.

Here are a few pictures from the Garden Tomb. The first picture shows the crowd gathering outside; the second and third were taken during the service. The last picture shows the band, which was set up near the entrance to the tomb . For purposes of crowd control, the tomb was not open to visitors on Easter (ergo, the closed door).

We made our way to the Old City into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where we waited for several hours for Mass to begin. Luckily, we caught the end of the preceding Greek Orthodox service, which concluded with a number of beautiful chants. One is captured in the video below.

When the Catholic Mass finally began, it was sheer chaos. In addition to the fact that we had to guess (ultimately incorrectly) in which part of the church the Mass would take place (In front of the Tomb? In the chapel beside the Tomb?), we were also being harassed by the church caretakers--a family of Arabs who shouted "Sorry! Sorry!" as they rammed people out of their way while moving the portable pews. Against all odds, we found some prime standing room.

The Mass was led by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, but he was accompanied by several dozen other priests and a whole host of Franciscan brothers. A picture of the service--conducted in Latin, although booklets were provided in English and other languages--are below.

The Mass concluded with a solemn procession around the Tomb (three times, counter-clockwise). [In preparation for the procession, the Arab caretakers had to remove the pews, nearly causing a riot.] Candles were provided to all attendees and the Easter light was shared. Several pictures and a video (of the conclusion of the procession) appear below.

This last picture requires some explanation: the doors of the Holy Sepulchre were locked during the Catholic Mass. At the end of the service when they finally opened, the mass of visitors queuing in the courtyard outside began pouring in, blocking the path of the procession heading out. What ensued was a small mosh pit of Christian love--or Christian rage.

My apologies for the video--my camera has the very useful ability to take pictures WHILE recording video, however, this causes the video to freeze for a moment.



As the title indicates--I checked both tombs, and they were empty! Happy Easter!

Holy Hell! It's Holy Saturday!

Last night, my newly-acquired flu virus really sank in, and I was genuinely concerned I wouldn't be able to make it to Holy Saturday's biggest event: the Miracle of the Holy Fire. In one of my very firsts posts on this blog, I mentioned the Holy Fire in a list of things I was most excited to see in Jerusalem. The Miracle of the Holy Fire takes place every year on the Saturday preceding Orthodox Easter. In the mid-afternoon, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem enters the Tomb in the Holy Sepulchre alone (having been checked by IDF soldiers, who confirm that he is not carrying a lighter). He emerges a few minutes later with two candles lit by fire from heaven. Some people claim to be able to see fire descending like mist over the Tomb; other spectators claim that when the fire is finally passed to them, it does not burn.

We arrived to the Old City several hours early hoping to beat the crowds, but nonetheless, all roads leading to the Christian Quarter we blocked by police barricades. After wading through the packed Old City and trying every possible route (all were blocked), we finally asked a police guard, who explained that only those with special passes (of which 30,000 were made available) were permitted to cross into the Christian Quarter. Nobody ever mentioned passes to us (even the non-denominational Christian Information Center neglected to mention it)! Furthermore, because the Holy Fire is an Orthodox ceremony, the passes were not distributed to Roman Catholic visitors... you've got to love the Christian unity during Holy Week.

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Disappointingly, no Holy Fire for me.

Good Grief! It's Good Friday!

Despite my contracting what may be the flu, I was lucky enough to walk the ACTUAL Stations of the Cross on Good Friday--a journey down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem led by Franciscan brothers. As promised in an earlier post, here are pictures from all the Stations, so you can (virtually) experience Jesus' journey. (Note that I am mostly using older pictures--today's Stations of the Cross were so packed with people that it was impossible to capture the whole thing on camera.)

The Via Dolorosa begins at a Franciscan monastery in the Muslim Quarter; the monastery contains both the Church of the Condemnation (this is the church that contains the etchings of a Roman game on the floor) and the Church of the Flagellation. Both are pictured below. Note that photography is not allowed in the Church of the Flagellation, thus, I've posted an exterior shot only.

Outside the monastery lies station number two: Jesus takes up his Cross (this picture is from Good Friday). The Via Dolorosa passes the Ecce Homo Arch, where Pilate presents the scourged Jesus to the crowd, then continues past stations three and four: Jesus falls for the first time, and Jesus meets his mother. All three stations are pictured below.

The Via Dolorosa continues with station five (Simon the Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross), station six (Veronica wipes the face of Jesus), and station seven (Jesus falls the second time).

The plaque commemorating station eight (Jesus meets the weeping women) is to be found on a side-street off the Via Dolorosa proper. To proceed to station nine (Jesus falls for the third time), which lies on the roof of the Holy Sepulchre, one must retrace his steps slightly. Apparently, therefore, the layout of the streets of Jerusalem has changed slightly since Jesus' time.

Stations ten through twelve (Jesus is stripped, Jesus is crucified, Jesus dies) are found in the Holy Sepulchre at the site of Golgatha. A single picture will suffice.

Station thirteen (Jesus' body is removed from the cross) is also properly at Golgatha, but I have posted instead a picture of the Stone of Unction (blocked off on Good Friday), on which Jesus' body was prepared for burial.

The final station is the fourteenth (Jesus' body is laid in the tomb).

Here is a picture of me in the crowd in front of the Sepulchre, as well as another short video (the Franciscans processing out at the end of the Stations of the Cross).

Though we had originally planned on attending the Good Friday memorial service in the Sepulchre, we opted instead to go home--we had had enough of the crowds, and plus, I was feeling ill.

Holy Crap! It's Holy Thursday!

My Easter marathon begins! Today is Holy Thursday, traditionally the evening on which the Last Supper was celebrated. Following Jesus' final Passover meal, he and his disciples proceeded to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives for prayer. It was here that Judas betrayed Jesus, and Jesus became a prisoner of the Roman authorities. Bible fast-fact of the day: the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke all specify that the Last Supper was a Passover meal, but the Gospel of John fixes Jesus' crucifixion the day BEFORE Passover. The Church favors the synoptic tradition.

Ironically, my Holy Thursday began at the Western Wall, where a unique bi-annual ceremony was taking place--the priestly blessing. Led by the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, the kohanim (Jews who trace their lineage back to Aaron, Moses' brother and the first High Priest) recite a blessing over the Wall and the people of Israel. The Western Wall plaza was absolutely packed with people--I had to stand in the women's section just to be able to take pictures. On the plus side, I discovered that my camera can take pretty good videos. I've embedded a video of the kohanim benediction below.

After the benediction service ended, we returned to the Coenaculum (the Hall of the Last Supper) on Mt. Zion. It was already thronged with tourists, which explains why the man-in-yellow walked into my picture, below (but look at his face!).

We attended Holy Thursday mass in English at the Ecce Homo convent (for the Sisters of Our Lady of Zion), built under the arch at which Pontious Pilate presented Jesus to the people ("ecce homo" = "behold the man"). I have already photographed the church from the other side of a glass window, but it was very cool to finally be inside. What's more, before mass we wandered through the convent's museum, which is constructed in the Herodian water system used to bring water to the Temple Mount. The first picture below show me standing in the huge cistern. A picture of the church follows. Mass included, in addition to the regular foot-washing, a special hand-washing ceremony that was made available to all the attendees.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we proceed on foot (= Jesus style!) to the base of the Mount of Olives, where the Church of All Nations (also called the Basilica of the Agony) is found in the Garden of Gethsemane. I've been to the beautiful church twice before, but I had never seen it this packed! The first picture below shows the huge crowd of pilgrims gathering out front of the church over an hour before the Franciscan prayer service began. The service itself was conducted in multiple languages--Latin, English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, and Arabic. The third item is a video of one of the hymns during the service. Note that it may take a while for these videos to load.

Tune in tomorrow for Good Friday updates, including the REAL Stations of the Cross with Franciscan brothers, and the Good Friday memorial service in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Ein Kerem and Abu Gosh

Due to the Passover holiday, the car rental place was not open on Tuesday; not, therefore, being able to return the car, Santi stayed with us for an extra day. Dana and I took the opportunity to cross two more entries off our Israel bucket list, the villages of Ein Kerem and Abu Gosh.

Abu Gosh lies only a few miles to the west of Jerusalem. Guidebooks recommend Abu Gosh for its famous chummus, a contender for the title of Israel's finest. Dana and I ate at one of three restaurants claiming to be the original Chummus Shukri (first picture below), but the chummus was disappointing. Abu Gosh is also the home of two important churches.

The Church of Notre Dame de l'Alliance (and the adjacent convent for the sister of St. Joseph) is built on the remains of a Byzantine church (some of the original mosaic floor is still visible), originally erected on the spot where the Ark of the Covenant rested before it was brought to Jerusalem (the pictured icon visually depicts this unique history). The top of the church sports a giant statue of Mary, as seen in the picture below.

Abu Gosh also contains an impressive Crusader church, pictured below.

A few miles down the road, the village of Ein Kerem lies deep in the hills surrounding Jerusalem. The beauty of the area is absolutely breathtaking (see first picture below). Ein Kerem is the biblical birthplace and home of John the Baptist, and the location where Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth when the two women were both pregnant--an event commemorated by the Church of the Visitation (second picture below; the fourth picture below shows the interior of the church). According to tradition, the two woman touched stomachs (see third picture below), and the unborn infants jumped for joy. The crypt of the church preserves an ancient well associated with John the Baptist (see fifth picture below).

The Church of St. John the Baptist lies across town. The impressive gate leads to a large courtyard. Inside the Franciscan church, a tunnel beside the altar leads to a marker in the floor, said to be the space where John the Baptist was born (see third picture below).

And now... Holy Week begins!

Chag Sameach (= Happy Passover!) from Kibbutz Hatzerim

Before I came to Israel, a number of people told me that I must go visit a kibbutz. I was lucky enough to be invited to a Passover seder with Shiri's Israeli family--many of whom lived (or still live) on Kibbutz Hatzerim near Be'er Sheva in the Negev desert. (Shiri's grandfather was an instrumental figure in founding Kibbutz Hatzerim, and he happily gave us a tour of Hatzerim.)

A kibbutz is a collective community in which residents (hundreds of families) share goods and work together for the benefit of the community. Historically, early kibbutzim were much more socialistic/utopian--there has since been a major move towards modernization and privatization. Kibbutz Hatzerim is centered around the Netafim factory (second picture below), which produces drip irrigation systems. Many of the kibbutz residents work in the factory, which is within walking distance from the many Hatzerim neighborhoods (third picture below). Residents do not pay for their houses--these are assigned one based on family size when newcomers adopt the kibbutz lifestyle. In addition to factory work, Hatzerim also raises cows (fourth picture below) and exports the milk which is not consumed by the kibbutz residents. The kibbutz also contains, among other things, a nursery school, swimming pool and sports facilities, laundry services, a health and dentistry clinic, a dance studio, a barber shop, and even a small zoo. Most of the employees at these institutions are kibbutz residents, making the kibbutz a kind of self-sustaining community. Money is not used on the kibbutz--the above services are provided to kibbutz residents for free in exchange for their contributions to the factory, farm, or other area of kibbutz life.

Kibbutz residents eat every meal together in a central dining room (fifth picture below), though the houses are equipped with modest kitchens. Cars are available to borrow if residents have business off-site. Though Kibbutz Hatzerim is mostly secular, many kibbutzim have strong religious identities.

A major perk of living on the kibbutz is that when a child reaches the age of 16, he is assigned his own room in a sort of dormitory, rather than remaining with his parents. Should the teenager choose to go to college after service in the army, the kibbutz pays for his education in full. Members may freely leave the kibbutz if they no longer accept the kibbutz lifestyle (Shiri's aunt and uncle, who hosted the Passover seder, recently did so).

After our tour, we left the kibbutz and headed for Shiri's aunt and uncle's house to celebrate Passover. Passover is a Jewish high holiday which takes place in the spring. It commemorates the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Passover is traditionally celebrated by a large kosher seder meal in which extended families partake together. A number of special foods (first picture below) are present at the meal--matzo (unleavened bread), bitter herbs, charoset (an nut and apple paste which symbolizes the mortar with which the Israelite slaves erected buildings in Egypt), and a roasted egg and lamb bone. To celebrate properly, a seder attendee must consume four glasses of wine!

The meal itself (fourth picture below) is preceded by the reading of the haggadah (third picture below), an interactive book which tells the story of the Exodus. I was asked to read part of a page, and was actually able to do so (yay, Hebrew skills!). After dinner and dessert, the family celebrates by singing traditional songs (fifth picture below).

The seder meal was absolutely delicious and an amazing cultural experience. I am very grateful to Shiri and her family for allowing me to join them in their celebration of this holiday. Chag sameach!