Inside the Dome of the Rock

قبة الصخرة

The location of the Dome of the Rock is holy for all three Abrahamic religions. Historically it is symbolic of a dozen things, but it exists daily as an ever present component of life in Jerusalem. Walking to campus every morning from the student village on Mount Scopus offers amazing views of this building. On the best day it gleams as a reminder of God and what people have done in this place but it can also stand as a reminder of how much there is still left to fight about.

Yet, despite being easy to observe, visiting the site itself is less obtainable. Although awe-inspiring, being a holy location for three major religions makes it a hot spot for politics and tension. Because of this tourism is limited to 7:30am-10:30am and 12:30pm-1:30pm but with no predictability on whether it will actually be open (except weekends are predictable, because it's not open for tourists on weekend). Additionally there will be long lines, lots of people, and intense security. Oh, and tourists can't actually enter the Dome of the Rock. 

Thankfully, I've never been one to really take well to the phrase "tourist". When in Rome, do as the Romans do.... So, when in Muslim holy places, well, go as a Muslim. It was something I had considered early on in the semester. I've studied Islam pretty extensively and in a variety of concepts. I know my shahada, can reference the Qur'an, and speak a far bit of Arabic. But could I pass as a Muslim in one of their holiest sites filled with security? 

It only took a Jewish holiday for me to build up the courage to find out. At a friend's Hannukah party I started a conversation with Elham, a local Arab student from East Jerusalem. I mentioned the idea of going and for some reason instead of calling me on my insanity she offered to accompany me! Only days later she showed up at my apartment, extra hijab in hand, and we took off to Al-Aqsa. 

The adventure started early. Within moments of stepping out of my apartment complex we managed to miss the bus. A random Arab man with a van pulled over not even a minute later and offered us a ride. Elham looked at me, said "you don't care for your organs, do you?", and climbed in the back. Arabic music filled the air as we headed toward Damascus gate.

The most nerve wracking part came next. First we had to walk past all the Israeli Defense Forces and then the local Arab security at the gate. Somehow, probably due to Elham's chatter in Arabic and my extensive attention going toward keeping my face as inconspicuously turned from people as possible, we managed to get into the area without questioning.

The Dome of the Rock was breathtaking. The golden dome that is so striking from even a distance was suddenly outdone by the complex as a whole. Everything about the place was beautiful. It was also nearly empty. Elham and I wandered the courtyard on our own as I just tried to take in as much as possible from the overwhelming experience. 

We eventually approached the entrance to the actual building. As we removed our shoes a guard approached us and questioned my legitimately by looking at Elham and asking her in Arabic whether I was a Muslim. I immediately answered yes in unfazed Arabic as Elham stumbled over her words in English and we entered the Dome giggling over the absurdity of the situation. Leave it to the legitimate Arab Muslim to panic. 

Elham and I taking a selfie outside the Dome.

Inside was just as impressive as the facade. We circled the rock or foundation stone that is the core of the Temple Mount. Dozens of stories from all the faiths circled my head as we walked around. Despite my understanding of what significant events supposedly took place here I somehow had no idea that you can actually enter the stone. A staircase near one side provides an entrance into a cavity within the rock that post visiting I discovered is sometimes referred to as the Well of Souls. Within the cavity I could hardly grasp the immensity of everything around me; I traveled across the world to study in Jerusalem and here I was literally encaved within this holy epicenter. There is not a doubt in my mind that I was living what was literally a once in a lifetime experience. 

A picture depicting the inside of the Dome of the Rock. There was scaffolding up when I visited so none of my pictures came close to doing it justice.

Standing in the Well of Souls.

The trip wasn't entirely mind boggling spiritual experiences however. We still just took time to enjoy the trip. Elham showed me around the Temple Mount complex trying to remember different pieces of historical significance from her childhood field trips to the sight. The second (and final) time we were approached in question of our identity Elham came through with flying colors reciting the Qur'an so fluently they never felt the need to move on to asking me to do it (الحمد لله). 

As we wandered around for the rest of our visit we stopped for a few photo ops and enjoyed catching bits of other visitors' conversations. We found quite a bit of enjoyment from Elham overhearing a group of older women say "masha'allah such cuties" as we walked by. We made sure to ask the next group of people to walk by to stop and help us take a photo.

Elham and I walking around outside the Dome of the Rock.

A shift in perception.... every day I see the Dome of the Rock from my walk to campus, now I could look out at my campus from the Temple Mount. (The Rothberg Building where I take classes is the building with the tower just above my hand.)

Although I acknowledge it may be a bit heretical, it was also an amazing experience being able to personally visit such a historic and significant site. I am so incredibly lucky to be one of few outsiders in the current era to be able to truly visit the Dome of the Rock.

Hebron: A Palestinian City with a Whole Lot of Politics

Welcome to Palestine!

Although the sign certainly appears ominous, I have only one reaction upon passing these signs: excitement. These are a fancy little addition Israel has added along the streets of Palestine warning when the streets enter "Area A" territory. Sorry for the quick history lesson, but it's important. After the Oslo II Accords Palestine was separated into 3 types of territories: Area A (only 3% of the West Bank) is under full military and civil control by the Palestinian Authority. Area B contains land which is under Palestinian civil control but under joint control by both the Israeli and Palestinian militaries. Area C, which is a majority of Palestine, is under full Israeli civil and military control. Passing those red signs warn that I'm leaving the jurisdiction of Israel. Frightening for my university, parents, and government, but by all personal accounts it's one of my favorite parts of "Israel".

This past Saturday was my second time entering into such territory. However despite going with a tour guide (for my own safety) this was much less tourist oriented than my first time crossing into Bethlehem. I was off to Hebron.

I went through an alternative tourism group who pairs travelers with locals who show you around the city. I was joined by a 30-something Austrian embassy worker from Tel Aviv and his mother. The three of us walked around the Old City of Hebron, through the market, and just enjoyed spending the day in Palestine along with our local guide who is a school teacher outside of Bethlehem during the week.

This is a picture of myself, the woman traveling to Hebron with me, a local shopkeeper, and our guide for the day.

The main site in Hebron is the Abraham mosque/church/synagogue. It's the city where Abraham lived and the mosque/church/synagogue is located on his tomb. Locally Hebron is called الخليل which means "friend" in Arabic because Abraham is considered the 'friend of God'. The building has gone through different phases historically between being a church, mosque, and synagogue. Now it is split between the Muslim and Jewish communities in Hebron.

The Muslim part of the site. Israel has created a checkpoint which you can see on the left where Muslims have to get checked before they can go into the mosque to pray. For "safety reasons" I'm told.

The synagogue side of the structure. On the left you see two IDF soldiers who stopped us from going any closer since we aren't Jewish.

Inside the Abraham mosque. Behind me is the mihrab and to my right is the minbar where the imam talks from on Fridays. It was originally Saladin's minbar.

After the mosque our guide briefly left us on our own so we could enter the kilometer or so of street that Israel had seized from the Palestinians. They welded all the shops shut and threw out the locals so that a few Israeli's could move into a settlement there. It was one of the most surreal moments I've had while traveling. The streets were deserted and there was Israeli propaganda posted everywhere amongst the few remaining signs and buildings that hinted toward the Arab life that used to exist there.

The empty Israeli controlled street in Hebron.

Standing in the deserted streets.

One of the shops the soldiers welded shut with Jewish graffiti next door.

What was even stranger is when a Jew did decide to walk outside they were accompanied by flocks of soldiers. In the photo below there are at least 13 soldiers just to accompany two Jews who were walking in the street. It's just a really weird thing to observe and wrap your head around. Also, Hebron is supposed to be Area A where it's illegal for Israelis to be, but yet they're controlling certain parts quite significantly.

I'm aware that settlers are not representatives of all of Israel or of the entire Jewish population. That would be like saying the Westboro Baptist Church represents Christianity or Americans. I don't mean to point fingers at anyone in this post, merely express what a strange situation I observed while in Hebron. What was even harder for me personally is that most of these extremist settlers in Hebron are actually Americans. Hearing a Palestinian tell me that I'd get to meet my fellow people while walking around was such a painful thing to hear. The fact that a part of my identity overlaps with these people despite feeling so polar opposite from them made it harder to accept their behavior.

The soldiers accompanying the two men walking around.

For lunch we visited a local Palestinian family who cooked homemade Arabic food for us. They had been living on a specific piece of property for years when a settlement decided to set up right on the edge of their property just uphill of them. The settlers blocked off access to their house, blocked their water supply, and in general tried to make life as tough as possible for the family living there. There was no shortage of horror stories of violence toward the family.

The IDF stopped us and interrogated us when we tried to walk near the settlement to get to the Arab man's house for lunch. A soldier collected our passports, asked us a bunch of questions, and just seemed obscenely suspicious of our desire to eat a home cooked meal. On our way out of the neighborhood the same solider had the audacity (knowing I was an American due to obtaining my passport) to tell me he'd be interested in a green card. 

The Palestinian family who provided us lunch is in the house on the lower left. The bright orange building is the settlers' apartments.

Despite the hardships and the tension in Hebron the locals are incredibly friendly and welcoming. It's hard to walk around without being welcomed into a shop for tea or coffee and the locals are bilingually chatty. They were amazingly good about putting up with my basic Arabic speaking skills and both encouraged and corrected me along the way. The driver who took us through the separation barrier checkpoint was so pleased with my conversational skills he even offered to drop me off in my neighborhood so I wouldn't have to catch a cab on Shabbat!

One of the most interesting locals I met was Abed Abu Muhammad. He is one of the few shop owners left near the Abraham mosque and near the Jewish settlement. Despite being offered lots of money he refused to leave his shop and home. He was literally born inside those walls and over Arabic coffee and conversation he was keen to tell me to look at the stone beneath our chairs. "See that rock?" he'd knock on the ground, "The stone is tough. Palestinians are tougher." He has been there so long Israel refuses to grant him permission to leave Palestine for travel because he attracts so many visitors. The locals refer to the Israeli checkpoint near his shop as "Abed's checkpoint".

Sitting with Abed, one of the few shop owners left after he invited us in for coffee.

Hebron is clearly a city of polarities. As much as my post swings bipolarly between paragraphs so too did my entire day. It was an exhausting trip full of emotional stories and experiences but also really amazing locations and people. Maybe it's not where the adverage person would spend their free time, but I'm glad I got the chance to.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Considering I came to Jerusalem to study Arabic, I'd been looking forward to officially crossing the wall and checking out life in the Occupied Territories. However, due to safety concerns it really hadn't happened yet. With Christmas approaching though there was one place I really wanted to get a chance to visit: Bethlehem.

So this past Saturday Noah and I walked down to the Arab bus station in Jerusalem and I dragged him onto the bus headed to Bethlehem. Despite being only a few miles away it's actually difficult to get to considering the whole border and checkpoint phenomenon. Still, before long we were getting off the bus in Palestine. Only a short taxi ride stood between us and the epicenter of Bethlehem.

And what a taxi ride that was. Within a minute of climbing in the cab Noah leaned forward and sternly told the cab driver, "you're not allowed to speak in English; she needs to practice her Arabic", which launched into one of the most fun and stressful conversations I've had in colloquial Arabic yet.

There's not a whole lot in Bethlehem, but it was a fun place to experience. Obviously the big tourist attraction is the Church of the Nativity where Jesus was supposedly born. I'm really a terrible religious tourist when it comes to places like these. Thousands of pilgrims show up to squeeze in these places and become overwhelmed with emotion and have these spiritual moments of meaning. When I enter these locations I feel overcrowded and annoyed. Furthermore with most of the important Christian locations in Israel/Palestine being owned by different Catholic denominations, I really can't explain a lot of what's going on any better than my favorite Jewish travel buddy can.

Still, making an unusual team to take on the Arab city, we spent our day checking out the sights in Bethlehem.

Outside the Church of the Nativity.

Standing inside the church.

Noah inside the church questioning what he's doing there.

Noah and I outside the church.

At one point we ducked into a little falafel place for a bite to eat and accidentally ran into a bunch of Noah's friends from his university. It's crazy how small this place can be sometimes; we spent our afternoon enjoying good food and chatting in a mix of English, German, and Arabic. I was in my element.

Lunch candid.

My favorite part of Bethlehem was how it finally felt like Christmas season. Walking around Jerusalem there's absolutely nothing that points to it being the holidays. I miss the Christmas music, lights, and festivities. Bethlehem had it all and then some. Granted, you would expect the birthplace of Jesus to have a decent amount of Christmas spirit.

Finally a Christmas tree!

Overall, it was a really fun day trip and a nice break from the usual culture of Israel. Plus when we left it was dark enough I got to enjoy Christmas lights on our drive back. A little Christmas wonderland in the middle of a country that's perceived to be anything but.

Sitting on a ledge overlooking Bethlehem.

Life in Israel

I apologize for not updating the blog regularly this week. I normally try to update every other day at the very least, but as I'm learning this experience is anything but a normal trip abroad. My classes are hard enough, but there's a tension in the air in Jerusalem that has been a whole different level of stressful recently.

Looking back on it, it really was a crazy week. I'm in classes for a majority of my day, but then my free time consists of a crazy spectrum of experiences. One hour I'm sitting in my room with the sound of gunpowder igniting in the distance and later in the same evening I'm enjoying live jazz downtown. The weirdest experience yet was on Wednesday evening. 

I was walking back from campus to my apartment building when my throat, mouth, and nose began searing with each breath I took. The NationalJournal describes tear gas and explains its effects saying, "the chemical compound reacts with moisture on the skin and in the eyes, causing searing pain, uncontrollable tearing, reflexive shutting of the eyelids, overproduction of mucus and difficulty breathing". I had already been on edge having spent the last hour trying to pay attention in class while gunfire and explosions were happening only a mile or so away outside my classroom window. Walking through tear gas was just the cherry on top of my day.

This is a video Noah took from on campus which overlooks part of the rioting happening near campus shortly after the tear gas was deployed. (I was walking home at this time.)

I know people were nervous about my choice of location to study abroad, but it really didn't hit me until that day just how truly unique my choice was. I could have practiced my German and spent my semester safe and celebrating Oktoberfest and eating baumkuchen in Europe. Instead, I cross the green line everyday commuting to Hebrew University of Jerusalem from my apartment complex in Palestine. 

I live where the yellow star is. My campus is off the corner of the map in the direction the blue arrow is pointing. That gray dotted line across the screen is literally the Israel/Palestine border.

What is even crazier is only hours after experiencing tear gas for the first time (and from experience, it definitely wasn't the last), I went out and enjoyed dinner and drinks with an Israeli friend. One minute my mouth felt like it was on fire and in what seemed like no time at all I had forgotten the earlier events in the day in the midst of good company and conversation. 

Everyday in Israel is this bizarre paradox. There's this constant beauty within this country, and yet a tension that is impossible to ignorable. Consistent to this unusual structure I ended my crazy week with a school trip to the Negev desert Thursday night. It was the perfect way to mentally conclude another week in Israel. 

We started with a brief tour of Ben Gurion's home in the desert. Ben Gurion was the first prime minister of Israel, and one of the founders of the country. He had such a unique vision and passion for the country and led a life seriously devoted to committing to this land and its people.

Ben Gurion's living room. A fun little anecdote: the windows were purposely built to be higher than he was tall so that if any sniper tried to assassinate him they wouldn't have a clear view of him in the house. He was barely five foot tall. The house and everything in it is proportioned to accommodate his short stature.

Part of his vision consisted of always pushing the people of Israel to take on the next challenge. First establishing the country, and then finding ways to develop the desert. He saw the value of positive stress amongst his people. It resonated with me just how strong these beliefs still play out day to day in this country. He saw the danger of becoming comfortable with the status quo. 

This was our desert guide while he was talking to us in front of Ben Gurion's resting place.

A night view of the desert from Ben Gurion's grave.

I'll be the first to admit it's not easy. I went from a college that still remembers the exact date that a fleeing convict with a gun ran through campus nearly four years ago (and still acknowledges the anniversary) to a college whose teachers reprimand you if you get distracted in class from gunfire out the window. However, Ben Gurion's right. How are we really growing if we stay in our comfort zone? With this new and refreshing perspective of Israel in mind, I excitedly embarked on the next part of my adventure: a night hike through the Negev desert.

Fellow students leading the way at the start of the hike.

All bundled up for my night in the desert.

The full moon literally felt as bright as the sun as it reflected off the desert rock. It almost hurt to look straight at it.

My favorite part of the hike was a little side trail that our guide offered to take a smaller group on. Our backpacks left on the main trail, we winded through rock crevices hardly wide enough to squeeze through and then started up a steep incline. What we found at the top was worth every ounce of stress I've experienced in Israel.

A gorgeous view of the desert under the night sky.

It was an insane feeling just standing above such expansive stretches of nothingness.

My feet dangling down the edge of the mountain as I sat on the peak overlooking the desert.

Sure, I could have gone to Germany. However there's no way I could have experienced something like this in Europe. Even if I could, it wouldn't have had the meaning and significance it now held before me. The beauty of the dark and still desert sprawling serenely only hours away from all the chaos of Jerusalem was breathtaking. There's perspective and a piece of mind to be found here that would be hard to experience anywhere else on earth. That's why, even through the tear gas, I walk out my door each day ready to experience Israel.