Comments on: Jerusalem Syndrome

By: Katie

Katie — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:38:12 +0000

Yep, I totally get Jerusalem Syndrome. It’s an amazing but oppressive place. You can almost feel the sense of “other worldliness” in the air.

I can completely understand why it sends some people a little loopy!

By: jen laceda

jen laceda — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:45:14 +0000

I love Jerusalem! We were fortunate to be there last month, I’m guessing, before all the tour buses unload for Easter / Pesach. I’m currently writing an article about Jerusalem & the surrounds, “In the Footsteps of Fathers and Kings”, and had found it hard to consolidate all the information/history on the sights. It’s that feeling of being inconsequential in the face of history. Anyway, I truly enjoyed Jerusalem. With the exception, perhaps, of the Room of the Last Supper. Not even sure what we were looking at with the crowds all herded like cattle in that room. I did enjoy the stained glass windows and Arabic inscirptions, though.

By: Karim

Karim — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:56:11 +0000

suztours

I decline to comment, I respect Garys website too much to drag it into this, point taken though.

By: suztours

suztours — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:52:10 +0000

Karim – you are mostly right – here are a couple of corrections – the Al-Aksa Mosque is NOT above the Western Wall; it’s above the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount. The Western Wall is only recently called the “Buraq Wall” by Muslims – only since Arafat started calling it that for the obvious political reasons (he also denied the existence of the Temples there as well as any Jewish right to the pray there). Traditionally, it was the Eastern Wall of the Temple Mount that was also called the “Buraq Wall”.

And again, the Dome of the Rock is not now, nor has it ever been a mosque. No prayers are offered officially in the Dome of the Rock, though sometimes Muslim women will pray there.

You are right that Jerusalem was the first Qibla for Muslims – but it was not because the Al-Aksa mosque was there. It was because that was the location of the Beit HaMikdash (the Temple) – even referred to in 638CE by Caliph Omar ibn Al-Khuttab, the first Muslim official to enter Jerusalem. When Jewish tribes living in Mecca refused to follow Islam, the Qibla was changed to Mecca. Which is why now, Muslims in Jerusalem turn their backs on the Temple Mount when they pray… which signals (to me, anyway), their lack of respect for the place they insist is important to them.

For more about the Muslim claim to Jerusalem, see http://tinyurl.com/cl5568

By: Karim

Karim — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:56:57 +0000

Gary

The dome of the rock is not the first mosque in Islam, the first mosque is Qibaa in Madina in Saudi Arabia.

Many people confuse the dome of the rock and the Aqsa Mosque, the 2 are different entities, the Aqsa Mosque is just above the Buraq wall (Wailing Wall), and the Aqsa Mosque is the first Qibla (Directior of Prayers) for Muslims. The Qibla is now towards Mecca.

The Dome of the rock is the better known landmark of Jerousalem.

Wish you a happy easter in the holly land.

By: Wonderwilm

Wonderwilm — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:43:53 +0000

Good piece Gary. you capture the chaos and randomness and archaic feeling really well.

By: suztours

suztours — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:45:19 +0000

Gary – ADM is correct concerning the border between Israel & Jordan 1949-1967. In fact, you have probably been to Jaffa Gate? That gate and all of the Old City were in Jordanian hands after the Israeli War of Independence in 1948 (Armistice signed 1949) and until the Six Day War of June 1967. Just across the road from Jaffa Gate is Israel – and that area was called “no man’s land” during those years since Jordanian soldiers on the walls of the Old City would shoot at anything that moved in the valley below.

Oh – and no Jews were allowed into the Old City at all when it was under Jordanian rule, even though the treaty with Jordan specified that Jews would be allowed to pray at the Western Wall. In practice, it never happened!

Also – the Dome of the Rock is NOT a mosque but a shrine containing the Foundation Stone and one hair of Muhammed’s beard. Opened in 691 CE, it is NOT the oldest mosque in the world and didn’t have a golden dome unti the 1960s! The Al-Aksa Mosque (that’s the smaller dome at the southern end of the Temple Mount) was completed in 715 CE, though the original was larger than the current building. And no, non-Muslims are NOT allowed just now into the Dome of the Rock or into the Al-Aksa Mosque.

Prior to 1948, as ADM mentions, there were neighborhoods inside and outside the Old City, but no borders. The Four Quarters of the Old City were designated as such only in 1920, and from 1920 until about 1936, the area called today the Muslim Quarter was called the Mixed Quarter since Jews & Christians also lived there. Jews have returned to the Muslim Quarter and live in houses that were previously Jewish-owned prior to 1948.

About “border police” – we have them everywhere, not just manning border posts, so don’t be concerned about that.

Gary – it’s great you are in Jerusalem – I’m a local tour guide and have a little bit of time next week if you would like a walk-around tour at some point – either inside the Old City or outside, in some of the neighborhoods of modern Jerusalem! Just let me know… I’ll give you a special price for Passover/Holy Week!

suzanne

By: Gary

Gary — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:14:03 +0000

I don’t know the name of the gate, I’ll have to go back and check, that says “Border Police”. It is just to the left of the entrance from the Western Wall when you enter. As border police would require a border, and the sign looked old, i assumed it was pre-1967.

Were there guard posts between the Dome or between the various quarters in the city?

I’m going to go and take a photo of the sign now :)

By: Adam Daniel Mezei

Adam Daniel Mezei — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:56:57 +0000

Gary, masterful post — I’m crossposting to Facebook. One small thing from your copy though that doesn’t square:

“Prior to 1967, going from the Western Wall to the Dome was crossing the border from Israel to Jordan. There are still signs that say “Border Police”.”

This is not correct: the crossing was at the UN-manned Mandelbaum Gate from 1949-1967. Prior to that, Jerusalem was an open city. There were neighbourhoods to be sure, but no borders, per se.

–ADM

By: Gary

Gary — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 04:01:11 +0000

Clearly the “entirety” of Judaism does not believe that. Most might, but there are groups who want to build a third temple. There are lots of examples starting with the very day the temple mount was taken over in the 1967 war:

- Sholmo Goren, former Chief Rabbi of the Israeli Defense Force and Chief Rabbi for Israel entered the Temple Mount with a Torah during the Six Day War and made comments about how he wished it to be destroyed. He advocated the creation of a third temple. There is an engraved stoned commemorating him at the Western Wall.

- The Temple Mount and Eretz Yisrael Faithful Movement want to rebuild the temple now.

- The Temple Institute wants to build a third temple has already created several items for use in the temple and is working on developing a priest class.

- In 1983 45 Jews were arrested in a plan to storm and take over the Temple Mount.

- In 1984 there was an attempt to blow up the mosque using 250 pounds of explosives.

By: Diana

Diana — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:17:29 +0000

Thanks for sharing your experience. It was nice to read about all the different subtleties and intricacies of the area.