The sights and sounds of Jerusalem are like no other in the world. This is the place where it all comes together. It is this place where we long to be each year we conclude the Passover Seder. Since arriving here on Wednesday we have viewed the city from an array of vantage points. This is a great way to get a sense of how the city has evolved over the years, how the different parts co-exist and relate to one another, and how incredibly complex it all is.
We went to a church in the Moslem Quarter, one of the stops on the Via Delarosa. There, under a bench and in the floor was a circle containing intersecting lines. Soldiers carved these shapes into the rock roads all over the city and used them as game boards with piles of small colored stones they carried in their pockets as they stood around. I think there's an app for that game. $1.99
The Moslem Quarter was filled with children coming out of school. A small group of them was chasing and taunting an African women who got separated from her group. While she was running from them and laughing, it was clear that she was frightened until she got safely back to her group. It made me feel sad that there is, from such an early age, so little understanding or kindness. Their schools teach them that there is no Israel, and Tel Aviv does not even appear on their maps. One little boy stopped and was enchanted with Barak's iPad.
Visiting the Western Wall is always a special experience. We all approached and had our own personal moments. The plaza was filled with thousand of people, including groups of soldiers. I have not even started the book I downloaded, "Jerusalem A Biography.". But I am definitely committed to reading it when I get home.
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