The Holy Land

After my trip to Oman I headed to Jerusalem for a couple days. Despite how close Jerusalem is, making your way there can be very time-consuming because of Israeli border control. My friend, Vanessa, and I went across the land border an hour from Amman. The border crossing is just about the biggest cluster I’ve ever seen in my life. We were greeted by well-armed IDF soldiers who spent most of their time yelling at elderly Palestinians who have clearly decided that bathing is overrated. There are ridiculously long lines of Palestinians waiting to cross into the West Bank but we were moved to the front of the line since we’re westerners. Our biggest concern was not getting Israeli stamps in our passports because that can make it very difficult (and sometimes impossible) to travel in the Middle East. You can ask to have a separate piece of paper stamped but there is no guarantee that they will do this. Most of my friends who traveled to Israel this summer were not able to avoid the dreaded stamp. I spun a lovely story for the IDF soldier that was half true and half not so true, and I breezed through with no stamp on my passport. Mumtaz (Excellent)!

I expected Jerusalem to be an amazing experience but I was sadly disappointed. It certainly wasn’t a bad trip, but it was not what I wanted my trip to be. It was amazing to walk amongst such amazing history, but it was also a lot like being at Disneyland- long lines and rude tourists. The local residents were very friendly, but my fellow tourists/pilgrims were quite rude. Sadly, most of the rude people were also Americans. We also encountered a disgustingly racist American during our travels. We overheard him saying how unsafe he felt when he unwittingly wandered into the ‘A-Rab’ quarter. My friend and I believe everyone who wants a passport should have to pass the Foreign Service Exam before they’re allowed to leave the country. That would certainly cut down on the number of ignorant people who leave the country. We also think all Senators and Congressmen should have to pass the FSO test- that would guarantee they have a basic understanding of the Constitution.

We spent most of our time within the walls of the Old City. The Old City is divided into four quarters- Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Armenian. The Muslim quarter felt very much like a typical Arab souq- full of energy and noise. We visited the Temple Mount which is where Muhammad ascended to heaven. The Jewish quarter was quieter, cleaner, and it was also full of much-welcomed directional signs! In the Jewish quarter we saw the Western Wall which is especially beautiful at night. We also spent a peaceful Shabbat afternoon there, watching Jewish families play games and talk in the park. The Christian quarter is dominated by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre- the site of Jesus’ crucifixion. The Armenian quarter is smaller and quieter than the rest. 

We also made a day trip to Bethlehem where we visited the Church of the Nativity and the site of Jesus’ birth. The most interesting part of our trip to Bethlehem was passing through the separation wall. The wall is covered with political graffiti and art, similar to the Berlin Wall. Living in the Middle East I am constantly exposed to strong and varying political believes. I try not to preach my political beliefs to others but seeing the separation wall was one of the most profound moments of my time here in the Middle East. Both sides have valid viewpoints but looking at that wall I found it impossible not to compare it to the Berlin Wall or the walls that surrounded the Jewish ghettos in WWII. Hopefully one day we can start seeing each other as fellow human beings, not animals to be caged or killed.

Even though my Jerusalem experience was not what I expected, I’m definitely glad I went. Big thanks to the lovely little Palestinian man who shared a cab back to Amman with us and got us an AMAZING deal on our cab ride!