This is the Al-Aqsa Mosque (toppish) and the Western Wall (bottomish)
The Al-Aqsa Mosque, along with the Dome of the Rock (or Qubbat, which is not pictured but you know what it looks like) is on what the Jews call the Temple Mount (Har Ha Bayit). It is where Abraham was supposed to have sacrificed Isaac. Later, the Israelites built their Temple on it. That Temple (the Bayit HaMiqdash). The Temple was destroyed, twice, once by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, and (after rebuilding) once by the Romans in 70 CE.
It is also the place where the Prophet Mohamed is said to have ascended to Heaven (where he received revelation). That's why there are two Muslim shrines there now, the Dome of the Rock is over the rock from which Mohamed ascended. For the record, the Christians also think it's a holy site, for having been the location of the Temple in Jesus' time, the location where is said to have prayed, and the "House of his Father".
According to Jewish tradition, when the Messiah (Moshiac) comes, the Temple will be rebuilt on the Temple Mount. But there is a problem, there are two Mosques in the way! Many Jews don't worry about Moshiac coming anytime soon (there are some exceptions to that). And there is a mainstream Jewish idea that it isn't even such a good idea to rebuild the Temple.
I went as close to the Temple Mount as an American Jew can get today, which is to say the Western Wall (sometimes called the Wailing Wall). The Western Wall supports the platform where the Mosques are (and originally the Temple was). The part of me that never got over my love (as an eight year old) of ancient civilizations was so excited and happy to be there. Some of the stones that make up the wall (which go back about 2000 years) are massive, bigger than I could have imagined. Bigger than most of the bedrooms I've ever inhabited.
My school led (Jewish) prayer services and the students looked in wonder at the Wall.
But I couldn't relate. I was too troubled by a conversation I overheard on the bus on the way to the Wall. A very zealous Zionist in the group spoke in terms that I can only describe as racist about one of the three Holiest sites in Islam. She stopped short of discussing the destruction of the Mosques in order to rebuild the Temple. But the way she described what "they" (the Muslims) did to "us" (the Jews) felt very much like the language used by every segregationist or apartheid regime. Other conversations, including what the tour guides said to us, used similar language as if the conflict between Israel and Palestine did not have equal participation in Hamurabi eye poking from both sides.
And, should this Kvetch fall upon ears that are more committed to Zionism that my own, let me Kvetch equally about the Hamurabi eye poking of the WAQF (the Arab/Muslim trust which administers the Temple Mount through agreement with the Israeli government). I'm not going to get too far into it (because this is already about three times longer than I intended it to be or wanted to ever post on my blog). But the WAQF does not respect the Jewish views of the sacredness of the site, nor the Israeli and or Western Archaeological interests in the site.
Oh Yeah, and Barack was at the Wailing Wall too, I tried to go back Wednesday night when he was supposed to have been there, but they rescheduled at the last minute out of security concerns. He ended up being there about three hours after I left (following in my footsteps I guess!) I hope he has more polished and processed thoughts than I do about it all.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque, along with the Dome of the Rock (or Qubbat, which is not pictured but you know what it looks like) is on what the Jews call the Temple Mount (Har Ha Bayit). It is where Abraham was supposed to have sacrificed Isaac. Later, the Israelites built their Temple on it. That Temple (the Bayit HaMiqdash). The Temple was destroyed, twice, once by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, and (after rebuilding) once by the Romans in 70 CE.
It is also the place where the Prophet Mohamed is said to have ascended to Heaven (where he received revelation). That's why there are two Muslim shrines there now, the Dome of the Rock is over the rock from which Mohamed ascended. For the record, the Christians also think it's a holy site, for having been the location of the Temple in Jesus' time, the location where is said to have prayed, and the "House of his Father".
According to Jewish tradition, when the Messiah (Moshiac) comes, the Temple will be rebuilt on the Temple Mount. But there is a problem, there are two Mosques in the way! Many Jews don't worry about Moshiac coming anytime soon (there are some exceptions to that). And there is a mainstream Jewish idea that it isn't even such a good idea to rebuild the Temple.
I went as close to the Temple Mount as an American Jew can get today, which is to say the Western Wall (sometimes called the Wailing Wall). The Western Wall supports the platform where the Mosques are (and originally the Temple was). The part of me that never got over my love (as an eight year old) of ancient civilizations was so excited and happy to be there. Some of the stones that make up the wall (which go back about 2000 years) are massive, bigger than I could have imagined. Bigger than most of the bedrooms I've ever inhabited.
My school led (Jewish) prayer services and the students looked in wonder at the Wall.
But I couldn't relate. I was too troubled by a conversation I overheard on the bus on the way to the Wall. A very zealous Zionist in the group spoke in terms that I can only describe as racist about one of the three Holiest sites in Islam. She stopped short of discussing the destruction of the Mosques in order to rebuild the Temple. But the way she described what "they" (the Muslims) did to "us" (the Jews) felt very much like the language used by every segregationist or apartheid regime. Other conversations, including what the tour guides said to us, used similar language as if the conflict between Israel and Palestine did not have equal participation in Hamurabi eye poking from both sides.
And, should this Kvetch fall upon ears that are more committed to Zionism that my own, let me Kvetch equally about the Hamurabi eye poking of the WAQF (the Arab/Muslim trust which administers the Temple Mount through agreement with the Israeli government). I'm not going to get too far into it (because this is already about three times longer than I intended it to be or wanted to ever post on my blog). But the WAQF does not respect the Jewish views of the sacredness of the site, nor the Israeli and or Western Archaeological interests in the site.
True to form for a WebLog, these are all unprocessed thoughts. I have a lot more of them, and will probably post more as I think about it more.
Oh Yeah, and Barack was at the Wailing Wall too, I tried to go back Wednesday night when he was supposed to have been there, but they rescheduled at the last minute out of security concerns. He ended up being there about three hours after I left (following in my footsteps I guess!) I hope he has more polished and processed thoughts than I do about it all.
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