Jerusalem, if I forget you...

5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. 6 Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I remember thee not; if I set not Jerusalem above my chiefest joy. –Psalms 137

Quite awhile ago Kelsey and I spent a really wonderful day exploring the Old City in Jerusalem. Our hostel was just a brief walk away from the Jaffa Gate, so it was easy to get there. On Birthright you are always rushing around so much and both of us were eager to return and truly explore the wonders of the Old City.

We took a walk through the Christian Quarter. It is full of these winding, tunnel-like areas, all filled with shops. The Arabs there sell all kinds of colorful, wonderful goods. The aisles are lined with scarves, art, trinkets, jewelry, etc. I had quite the time doing my best to be funny and charming in order to bargain for some good prices. I think those shopkeepers underestimated this little American girl! 

After weaving our way through, we headed for the Jewish Quarter, and more specifically the Kotel. The Kotel, also called the Western or Wailing Wall, is one of the retaining walls from the 2nd Jewish Temple, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. It is the holiest place in the world for the Jewish people. I have to say, being at the Kotel is a truly divine experience. It is this thing that I've seen pictures of and spoken about so much, but being there is something unexplainable. You are there with all of these other people and you feel something very powerful, knowing that these people are also feeling something very powerful. Touching the stones, praying, and being in the center of the Jewish people literally brought me to tears. It is honestly like no other feeling. This is a special place I hope to have the opportunity to return to many more times in my life. 

Overall, the Old City of Jerusalem is a really unique and interesting place. Ancient and modern, and literally 3 religions, all converge in this one place on Earth. Where else can you see ultra-religious Jews, Muslims, and Christians walking the same cobblestoned streets as a girl like me, all while cars weave through the narrow buildings? The answer is nowhere. 

        

Bahá'í in Haifa!

About a week ago I spent a few days exploring Haifa by myself. Haifa is a coastal city located towards the northern region of Israel. It is probably most known for it's port and for being the world center to the Baha'i faith. Of course I went there to see the beautiful Baha'i Gardens. I honestly had no idea what the Baha'i faith was or why their faith center was in Israel, but I learned all of this on the great tour I took!

The Baha'i faith is a monotheistic religion of Persian origin. In 1844 a man they refer to as The Bab announced that the coming of a new messenger of God was coming. This messenger was Baha'u'llah, who is recognized as the official founder of the Baha'i faith. The Baha'is believe that he is the next prophet in the line of ancient prophets of the people of the book (Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad) and they recognize the previous prophets. They have a lot of interesting views on humanity, it's progress in  modernity, and global togetherness. Just google it and see for yourself! 

The Baha'i Gardens themselves are built around the tomb of The Bab. According to my tour guide, he was executed for heretic activity in Iran and was not permitted any formal burial. His followers kept his remains for many years and he was buried in Haifa because Baha'u'llah was eventually exiled to Acre (עכו) in 1868, thus the amazingly beautiful gardens. The tour I took began at the top, taking us down over 700 steps to just outside the sanctuary of Bab's tomb. You are not allowed to enter the temple unless you are of the Baha'i faith.