1. Having an address on Mount Zion with a view of Gehenna out my front door. I mean who doesn’t like to give people those directions: “Start at the Holy Sepulcher, walk past Shabaans shop, turn right at the oldest protestant church in Jerusalem, walk out Jaffa gate, pass David’s citadel, and follow the Old City wall to the southwest corner.”
2. Olives! Olive pizza, olive fettuccini, olive lasagna, olive salad, whole olives, olive you, olive oil, olive trees.
3. A better understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. I learned so much about Zionism, pacifism, just war, and how to identify with the oppressed.
4. Church of the Holy Sepulcher! This traditional spot of the crucifixion and resurrection was one of my favorite and most frequented spots. Five denominations have peacefully worshipped here for hundreds of years and I loved taking part in each aspect of the diverse body of Christ. I was challenged by traditions so very different from my own. I was encouraged to see followers of Christ whose understanding of Him was very different.
5. National identity. It’s impossible to have a sense of national identity by just travelling to Canada. You have to see the people that are fighting every day for their land and their freedom to understand how blessed we are. I have a greater gratitude and pride. The righteousness of the government is worth fighting for, especially in a nation where we have the opportunity to fight for it!
6. Passover/Passion Week! Only once in a while do Passover and Passion Week line up together. Walking through the old city one could observe the celebrations of the Jewish people, the Orthodox, and the Western church. It was also the first time that I have so closely followed the events of the last week and of course walked the turf in appropriate time.
7. Holy Fire Tradition. This orthodox tradition packed the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with people anxious to see a fire that begins in the sepulcher and is spread by torches and bundles of candles. A friend and I got up at an hour which would have been called ungodly if it were anywhere but Jerusalem. Within hours the place was packed tighter than I could imagine. Since I was close to the sepulcher, people pushed so hard that it was literally difficult to breath if you extend your hands to hold space in front of your chest for air. Multiple people fainted around me and had to be body surfed over the crowd to the door. Then the fire took off from person to person and it was no wonder why every police officer had a fire extinguisher strapped to his/her back.
8. Palestinian Taxi Drivers! Not only are they crazy drivers, but they have crazy stories. It is good to hear about their lives as arab believers or Muslims, and the heritage of their families and land.
9. Sleeping on Mount Sinai! One of my favorite adventures was travelling into Egypt to climb Mount Sinai. We found a nice cave filled with blankets where we huddled out of the cold after a beautiful sunrise. I wouldn’t want to climb that mountain as many times as Moses did!
10. Friday morning classes with Gabi Barkai! Although his lectures were often monotone, this leading archeologist for Jerusalem was a walking encyclopedia of ancient Israel.
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