Jerusalem: Semester Abroad

The best experiences for me always occurred when I was relaxing and exploring in Jerusalem: the Old City shops (especially the Christain Quarter), Ben Yehuda Street, Kotel (Western Wall) and the Mount of Olives.

Quick Tips:

Depending on the time of year, it can be very hot in Israel, but if you are planning on spending any time in a holy site (church, synagogue, mosque, Western wall, etc) you should be prepared to "cover up". For men, always have a pair of pants that you can pull on quickly. For women, bring a pullover/wrap around skirt and a shirt (if you are wearing sleeveless). I always kept a wrap around skirt in my bag and then threw it on when I wanted to visit a holy site.

When making any kind of travel plans on your own, be very aware of the Israeli/Palestinian borders. For example, you cannot use an Israeli phone card in most PA Authority area. Also, PA areas and Israeli rental cars have different license plates. It is not allowed to drive an Israeli rental car in a PA area and vice versa. You can take a rental car to the border and take a taxi into the PA authority area.

If you are traveling with a tour guide, it is not something to be too concerned about. They are very in tune with the political situation and will typically know where is safe to travel and would not put you at risk.

Best Way To Get Around:

I used the bus system heavily; however, it is a decision that you have to make for yourself. I personally still use the bus station, but others do not.

You can also take sheruts (shared taxis) to other towns.

Taxis are available all over Jerusalem.

Falafal and Schwarma are the hamburgers and cheeseburgers of Israel. You can find them almost anywhere, for a variety of prices, and different toppings. Falafal is made of chick pea and ground up with bread filling and either fried or baked. Its an excellent vegetarian option as it contains no meat. The typical falafal or schwarma sandwich is wrapped in pita with salad (tomatoes and cucumbers) in it, and drizzled with hummus. I've also seen it with baba ganoush (eggplant dip), french fries, tomato and avacado salad, sweet peppers and all sorts of other toppings. A challange is to find the best price. Mine was 3 shekel (around 75 cents) and I didn't think that that was too bad.

Schwarma is made from lamb meat (although it is frequently turkey) and cooked on a spit (similar to giro meat. Both are excellent choices and you have to have them at least once or twice in your stay. The best that I ever had was in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City near the arch.

This is the date that Israel gained its independence. The year I was there was the 51st anniversary. It was unbelievable to spend time with people who had gained their independence so recently. People dance and drink well into the night. A large stage was set up with a DJ who played music and people went from bar to restaurant celebrating. It is a great experience and made me appreciate what I had.

The Western Wall is my favorite spot in all of Jerusalem, particularly at night. There is a lot of historical, religous, and cultural significance to this spot for the Jewish people. During the day, it is thronged with people. As you walk up to the wall there are metal boundaries which separate the men from the women. Women enter on the right and this side is usually less crowded then the men's side. Some people feel comfortable approaching the wall, others stay behind the metal bars. I would suggest that if you have never been to the Wall (particularly if you are not Jewish) that you watch others before approaching. Also, like many other parts of Jerusalem, this is a holy site and some dress code is required (no sleeveless shirts etc).

In the evening, there is a different feel. It is deserted and extremely quiet. I did not understand the concept of a holy site until I experienced the Wall at night. It was the very last place I visited before leaving Israel because it is truly an amazing experience.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcre is an extremely interesting spot. According to religous tradition, it is the site of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A lot of American Christians (particularly those unfamiliar with Orthodox churches) have trouble in this site because it is not at all what they expected, but it has a certain ambience. Part of the intrigue is that it is owned by 8 different churches and each church has its own section (some only made it to the roof) It is very dark, has amazing murals, and after visiting it I began asking a lot of questions about the Orthodox church. The biggest thing to remember is that this church has chosen this way to honor Jesus Christ even if it isn't the way you might.

One thing to consider- if you were told to memorialize a field somewhere in middle America, what would you do?

For anyone who is interested in Jewish history, biblical archeaology, or art, this is a must see. A lot of the artifacts and things that have been discovered throughout Israel are housed here. (Occasionally, you will see reproductions at the site that it was found, but the originals are here.)

The oldest piece of Scripture is here, as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Many people come just to see the scrolls and it is worth it. The Dead Sea Scrolls are a fascinating story and here you are able to see the entire scroll of Isiah, which I believe was found almost in its entirety.

While I was there, there was a display on the Jewish people of Yemen and it was fascinating to see the differences in culture and the various artifacts they had perserved there.

Yad Vashem is a museum dedicated to the Holocaust. This was an extremely powerful place to visit. I would be very careful in bringing children to the museum particularly in the historical museum section because there are some graphic pictures and disturbing images.

The entire area is made up of a number buildings and outdoor gardens and statues. A lot of art representing the Holocaust and art created by Holocaust survivors can be seen and it is incredibly moving. It is good idea to get a map because there are a number of buildings and areas and you want to make sure that you see all that is there to see. The Eternal Flame, the Children's Memorial, and the Righteous among Nations Gardens were particularly moving to me, especially if you know of a particular story.

The Mount of Olives rises in the Eastern part of the city. It is easily recognizable by the Seven Arches, which are lit up every. Dotting the Mountain are a variety of churches, including Dominus Flevit (The Lord Wept), the Church of the Nations, and Lord's Prayer Church.

The best way to experience these churches is to walk from the bottom to the top stopping in at each one. However, this is strenuous. Some people take a taxi to the top and then walk down. Others take tour buses, which stop at each individual church. I like to climb up because it gives you an appreciation for what it would be like to walk up to Jerusalem. On the other side of the Mount of Olives is Bethany and Bethphage. If you have the time, the hike to Lazarus's tomb is excellent.

My favorite church was Dominus Flavit. The view is spectacular and the mood was appropriate. Another interesting feature of the Mount of Olives is the hundreds of graves covering the side of the Mountain.

These windows are pretty neat. Each window is a symbolic representation of one of the 12 tribes of Judah. There are four sides to the roof of the synagogue and three windows on each side. Jewish tradition does not allow the use of the human figure in art so it is fascinating how Chagall tells the story without using the human figure (although he does cheat a bit).It is also interesting to hear the story of how people protected the windows during the war.The windows are truly inspiring, and the longer that you look at them the more symbolism of the different tribes you can pick out. It's awesome.

The Dome of the Rock is the central focus in all of Jerusalem. Every picture of the skyline features it prominently. There is no way of getting around it. Unfortunately, because of the situation in Israel, a lot of people don't get a chance to actually go up to the Temple Mount.The inside of the mosque is incredible. There is a lot of interesting tile work, and there is a lot of historical value in all of it.If you want to go, make sure that you do a little research before you go. The last time I went (2004), tourists could only go up to the Temple Mount during the morning time.

This is my favorite church in Jerusalem. It is about half way up the Mount of Olives, and was built to memorialize the traditional site of where Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. It has an amazing view of the Temple Mount. From inside the chapel you can take a great picture of all of Jerusalem through this cool window. There is a small garden which is a great place to walk and have some time to think.

This is a place of great historical value. If you are feeling very fit you should try to climb the Snake Path which is a difficult way to ascend the mountain. But remember to bring water. We didn't bring enough and you can easily get very dehydrated in the desert. Once you get to the top there are great views of the desert scenery. On most tours, this is the closest you get to the scenery of the Negeve so enjoy it.If you aren't feeling as fit, you can always walk down the Snake Path. If you are with the group just ask to leave about 15-20 minutes before they are going down the cable car and you shouldn't have any problems getting down in time. It is not difficult, but you should be pretty careful because it has loose rocks. People with bad knees shouldn't attempt this because there is a lot of slowing your speed. I've done both and would recommend them.