Israel: The Bucket List

In my penultimate post of the semester, I thought I would list off the remaining items on my to-do list, which, suffice it to say, will remain unvisited. I see it as a good thing: now, I have to come back to Israel to finish them off!

THE (OUTSTANDING) BUCKET LIST
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1. Herod's Family Tomb--the burial place of Herod's family, but not Herod himself (see Herodion), located in downtown Jeruslaem
2. The Jerusalem Time Elevator--a roller-coaster ride which reenacts the history of the city
3. Mea She'arim--the ultra-orthodox neighborhood located downtown; I've driven through here in buses, but never explored it on foot
4. King's Tomb--in the Sheik Jarrah neighborhood outside the Damascus Gate, I always drove past this but never knew what it was (how mysterious!)
5. Rockefeller Museum--at the foot of the Mt. of Olives, the Rockefeller Museum contains a number of cool archaeological artifacts, plus a few Dead Sea Scrolls
6. The Bible Lands Museum--another biblical-archaeological museum
7. Knesset--Israel's version of Congress; the building (from a distance, at least) looks like a contemporary version of the Third Temple
8. Supreme Court--essentially the same as above
9. Herzl Museum--on Mt. Herzel, the museum discusses the history of Zionism, and ends with the outdoor memorial to Theodore Herzl, the founder of the Zionist movement
10. The Biblical Zoo--a zoo containing only the animals mentioned in the bible, that is, a lot of goats
11. Tombs of the Prophets--an elusive shrine on the Mt. of Olives that is very rarely open; the tombs are said to contain the bones of multiple Old Testament prophets
12. Church of St. Mary Magdalene--also on the Mt. of Olives, the Russian Orthodox church has strange visiting hours, but is supposed to be BEAUTIFUL inside
13. The Wohl Archaeological Museum--located in the Jewish Quarter, the Wohl Museum shows the excavated remains of the Second Temple Period Herodian Quarter, much like the Burnt House
14. Rachel's Tomb--located at the checkpoint to Bethlehem, Rachel's Tomb is said to contain the bones of Isaac's beloved wife; the Tomb was also the site of anti-Palestinian violence about a decade ago... I tried to get in here, but couldn't figure out my way around the checkpoint
15. The Golan Heights--Israel's north-eastern territory, which is, of course, disputed; the Golan contains beautiful hiking trails and natural springs
16. Nablus--the now-Palestinian city in the West Bank, Nablus was the biblical Schechem, located between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal, the site of Joshua's blessings and curses; the city is home to the largest group of Samaritan Jews, who believe that Mt. Gerizim, and not the Temple Mount, was God's chosen spot for the Temple.
17. Hebron--the biblical home of Abraham and his descendents, also the original seat of David; the city is sharply divided between Palestinians and Israelis, who both venerate the Tombs of the Patriarchs; I tried to go, but our Breaking the Silence Tour was turned away