The mountain side is covered graves. The Muslim graves are closest to the city wall and the Jewish ones are closer to the Mount of Olives and the Christian ones are I between the two. It is believed that when the Mount of Olives is where the Messiah will start to redeem the dead when he comes on Judgement Day. The tomb of Absalom, son of David was visible among the graves. We entered the Old City through Zion's Gate, placing us in the Armenian Quarter. We walked through the Jewish Quarter past the recently rebuilt synagogue to the Wailing Wall. After passing through the Wailing Wall Plaza, we made our way to Via Dolorosa and the Christian Quarter. Along to Via Dolorosa, or Way of the Tears, we saw a couple of the fifteen Stations of the Cross. We went to the Holy Church of the Sepulcher, where a few more of the Stations can also be found, including what some believe is the tomb of Jesus. I was troubled by the fact that the Church is divided in five ways: Coptic, Greek Orthdox, Ethiopian, Armenian, and Catholic.
After lunch, we headed to the New City, to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. On your way to the museum you walk by part of the complex's immense garden. When you first enter the museum, a slideshow of pictures runs while layers of recordings of people's plays, both of which are from before the Holocaust. The museum leads one through the Holocaust in chronological order. The story of the Holocaust is told through thousands of documents, pictures, and objects. These include diary entries, poems, music, jewelry, pocket watches, a cattle car, shoes, clothing, toys, propaganda items, and so much more. For many objects, writings, and pictures, there is a name and the museum provides the information about the individuals that they can, including what happened to them. The visitor can watch clips of Hitler speaking as well as survivors sharing their stories. At the end of the museum is the Hall of Names. The walls are lined with the books of the testimony forms filled out by the friends and families of victims. There is a hole dug out in the floor to honor those whose names will not be known because they, their families, and their friends, everyone who had known them was killed, leaving no one to testify for them. Exiting the complex one walks by the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations, honoring thousands of non-Jews who risked their lives to rescue Jews. Looking at the Yad Vashem strictly as a museum, I can say it is one of the most impressive museums I have been to. It was informative, powerful, and moving.
With a map in hand on Friday, mom and I made our way to the Old City on our own. We were able to find Shabban, Dr. Bouzard's friend's shop, where he graciously welcomed us. After making our purchases, we went back to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to look around inside more. Within the Church itself there are so many rooms and nooks and levels. We grabbed some lunch before leaving the Old City to go to the Garden Tomb. By some Christians, it is believed this is where Jesus was buried. I liked visiting the Garden Tomb because it did not say "This is where Jesus was buried," but shared evidence that supports the belief that that is where he was buried. This includes the fact that because he was being crucified by the Romans he would have been crucified outside the city, the "skull rock," and cracks they believe resulted from the earthquake when he rose. W called it a day early so we could rest for our next tour.
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