While most of our people slept in, our Muslims colleagues arose early to pray at the Haram a Sherif. Others used the morning to visit the Israel Museum or to walk in the neighborhood. I joined an early Sefardic prayer service at the hotel and then a led a group to Congregation Moreshet Yisrael, a Conservative/Masorti synagogue, a walk of about 40 minutes from the hotel.

The synagogue was marking International Women’s Day by honouring women from the congregation who led the worship and read from the Torah. Anat Hoffman, one of the leaders of Women of the Wall, delivered the sermon, a robust account of the challenges and successes of WOW and other organizations in gaining access to religious sites (such as the Western Wall) and funding for non-Orthodox rabbis. Following services, I met a Canadian who had been working as a volunteer in Ukraine and had just been flown out to ensure his safety.

Our group reconvened on Shabbat afternoon at the Jaffa Gate for a walking tour of the Christian Quarter of the Old City.  Jonathan Lipnick brought us to the Armenian Quarter, where we watched the Armenian priests begin their Saturday afternoon procession to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The Armenians do not use bells to announce their presence, instead continuing a tradition of wooden boards called semantrons(dating from when Christians were prohibited from sounding bells). The Orthodox Christians refer to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher as the Church of the Resurrection, with a central ritual being the Easter fire.

There is struggle between Christian churches over control of time and space within the Church. To minimize this disagreement, entry to the Church is determined by two Muslim families that have control of the keys. We went to the roof of the Church, learning about the conflict between the Coptic and Ethiopian churches. In the main area of the Church, we witnessed the Armenian procession followed by the sonorous Gregorian chanting of the Roman Catholics who were circling the site designated as the place of Jesus’ ascension. The Latins, Greek Orthodox and Armenians control the main areas and times, while the Copt, Ethiopians and Syriac have smaller sections. There is a status quo agreement that minimizes skirmishing by prohibiting any change- even the moving of a ladder – but there is jostling for access to sacred space particularly during sacred times of the year.

Saturday night, after Shabbat, some of the group went to the outdoor Sound and Light show, a stunning depiction of the history of Jerusalem. Most went to the Temple tunnels, to explore the underground archeological history of the Western Wall, including a massive stone that amazes everyone who considers the construction of the ancient Temple. A few went through the Mamilla Mall, adjacent to the Jaffa Gate, to window shop in a high-class mall where Jews and Arabs come to see and be seen.

What a day! Tomorrow, after a service at St George’s Anglican cathedral, we he’ll head north to the Galilee.

Rav Baruch