March 12... a little belated...

March 12, 2008 - 19:48

Today was a REALLY full day... emotionally AND time-wise (you'll see why farther down). In fact, I'm a day behind in actually posting this because I've been trying to figure out how to frame some of it.

First stop... the Shrine of the Book, next to the Israel Museum. The Shrine of the Book is dedicated to the Qumran scrolls... and they have a replica of the largest piece found from the Book of Isaiah in the center of the Shrine. Yet another portion—albeit smaller—of the Holy Land where what you know by reading comes crashing together in your head with what you now see. Jesus said "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" (John 20:29), but that is certainly not to say there is no power in seeing as well!

Anyway, there are also a ton of ancient books and manuscripts on display—some of them real—though unfortunately there are no photographs allowed once you get inside the building. But the intricacy and the ornate, handwritten text speak volumes about the loving care and reverence that went into preserving the Word of God. If you think of it, ask Fred for details on the process the ancient Hebrews had for scroll transcription; it's absolutely mind-boggling. There is a lot of information online about the Shrine of the Book and it wasn't the most significant place we went today, so I won't waste too much time recounting it.

Gethsemane, Church of All Nations. The Church of All Nations adjoins the Garden of Gethsemane. It is, I believe, originally a Franciscan monastery (and may still be), but the church was funded by many different nations. The official seals of several nations appear on the ceiling on the inside of the church. I think I got a picture of the United States seal.

I don't think Gethsemane—nor its significance—needs much explanation. It is not exactly the same place as it was when Jesus prayed (and was betrayed) there... but I don't think it's possible for a believer to remain wholly unaffected when walking into that garden. It is different now, of course. The olive trees, though incredibly old (one of them is apparently more than fifteen HUNDRED years old), do not date back to Jesus' time. But it is there nonetheless where that final, terrible drama all started.

Southwestern Corner of the Wall, through the Dung Gate. Some of the stones used to build the wall weigh up to 400 tons... and they are not just at the bottom where it would be less difficult to move them. I I wish I could tell you more about this place, because it was fascinating; but our guide knows SO much information about every place we've gone, I'm operating on overload. I can say that the southwestern corner of the wall shows a lot more than you might see otherwise of just how many transmogrifications Jerusalem has gone through. As our guide said, you could dig anywhere in the city—anywhere—house, restaurant, whatever—and find something. The city is incredibly old, and each successive civilization living there builds on what was there before. I've been other places in the world where that is also the case, but nowhere have I seen it as plainly as in Jerusalem. You can see the different eras even in the buildings standing now.

There was a guy with a camel who showed up where our bus stopped, offering rides to whoever wanted one (for a small fee, of course). The highlight (I thought)... Mark Kendall and his mom hopped on the camel and away they went. As they came back, my attention was turned elsewhere, and I felt a nudge in my shoulder... it was Mark's foot from up on high, telling me to look out. Not quite quickly enough, though, I guess... I think I can now say I'm the only one in our group who came to Jerusalem and got stepped on by a camel! :) (To the medical and mom sorts... don't worry. Camels have very wide hooves which distribute their weight. I was much more amused than pained by the encounter.)

Holocaust Museum. I think this entry is what kept me from even wanting to finish this post earlier; the last thing I wanted to do was relive what I saw in the process of recounting it. If Gethsemane was the highlight of the day, this was probably the lowlight. Not that it wasn't spectacularly well-done—it is and then some—but it's hard to see room after room of the evidence of absolutely incomprehensible evil.

And it is chronological. The Nazis were nothing if not patient. They didn't just jump into power and commence killing Jews. They laid the national-pride groundwork first, then slowly started their diabolical program of blame and "punishment." The display starts off with the nationalistic slogans and posters the Third Reich put out long before the Nazis started to show their true colors. They carefully gauged local public sentiment before starting in on the Jewish populations of each locale. Where there was already resentment or hostility, the Jews suffered earlier persecution. In areas where they were still largely held in esteem, the Nazis took it easy on the restrictions they were putting on them elsewhere.

If I may indulge myself a soapbox here about a pet incredulity of mine, I would love to know how Christians of any stripe justify harsh treatment of Jews. Are they not just as in need of the Gospel as anyone else? Of course. I really hope there's some loophole I'm missing because they're still God's chosen people, but why else would Peter have gone to preach to the Jews, while Paul went to preach to the Gentiles? Anyway, one of the displays in the museum described how Christianity in antiquity started blaming Jews as a whole for having killed Jesus. Did these people (or their modern counterparts) not have a clue how asinine that is?? Even if the Jews as a whole were totally for killing Jesus, there are two gigantic holes in that logic. #1: It can't be because they're Jews, because Jesus Himself was a Jew. So were all His disciples. That seems like a REALLY obvious point to me. #2: If you have the slightest doubts that anyone could kill the Son of God unless the Son of God specifically planned to be killed, read John 10:18. Obviously a lot of Christians haven't.

The museum is set up in such a way that you cannot just rush through it; you have to go from room to room to exit... there is no straight path through. And in each massive room are combinations of video interviews of survivors playing in a loop, archival footage from the camps, and hundreds upon hundreds of personal effects of the people who perished there. Several Jewish groups, having heard that it was possible to buy freedom from the Nazis, even arranged to buy the freedom of several of their friends and relatives... only to find out that it was yet another deception of the SS.

As you exit the museum itself, the trail takes you to the memorial for children... in honor of over 1 million children who were murdered by the Nazis. There is a memorial of columns, incompletely built, and a massive room that is quite disorienting... seemingly thousands of candles (it's hard to tell for sure) behind tinted glass and mirrors. No other light. The entire time you are walking through, a voice is slowly reading the name, age, and country of a child, one after another. If they really recorded the recitation of 1.2 million names, I suppose it's impossible to hear the tiniest fraction of the true number... but I'm glad they did it. Even if the vast majority of those children did not achieve the fame of the likes of Anne Frank, they each had a story, and a life.

There was a huge group of young people in the Israeli Army, a lot of them kids from the U.S. who moved here to join up, at the Holocaust Museum... it is apparently part of their training for military service. I can't imagine a more effective display of the danger of complacency, and I imagine that's the intent.

I probably do not need (and definitely have no wish) to chronicle all that I saw there. The movie The Pianist horrified me... I have never even seen Schindler's List, nor do I ever intend to, so this was definitely over the top as far as I'm concerned. But then, I suppose that is the intent. If the compilation they have worked so hard to create there helps prevent another such Holocaust from ever happening because people buy into the lies of the likes of Ahmadinejad who love to claim it never happened (or at least on the scale it did), it will have been worth their efforts.

I think that's enough for now. I'm exhausted inside and out, and I know that's probably a lot to read. Thanks for reading.