Back in Jerusalem (so soon!!)

Had you asked me in May whether I expected to return to Israel after my June visit, I would probably have said ‘No’, but then I found a project to work on and decided that, to get the bee out of my bonnet, I needed to return sooner rather than later. Fares were reasonably priced and there were a few clear days in the diary, so here I am enjoying the delights of the Holy City again.

I decided to stay in the Jewish Quarter and that’s one decision I have not regretted. Within a couple of hours of surfacing after a five hour middle-of-the-night flight I met Udi, the first boy to arrive in the Old City after the ’67 war. He is now an artist who trained in Edinburgh and runs the ‘Blue and White’ Gallery in the Cardo: I recommend a visit if ever you’re here for both the art and the chat. You can find out more about the gallery at http://www.blueandwhiteart.com/wp/

And then there was the young man named Josepe who was taking down the sign for his specialist weaving shop because he didn’t like it! His shop held a wide range of tallith made to traditional designs but would also work to order.

Walking through to the Christian Quarter and David Street I was not surprised to find myself outside the place where I seem to have eaten falafel every day I was in Jerusalem in June: so did so again! Because I had been able to get into my room very early it was almost lunchtime anyway and I was ready for something: overnight flights to Israel, whether BA or El Al come with dinner at 11pm but no breakfast! Not even a wake-up coffee.

I could tell I wasn’t going to manage much more but did make my back to the Sephardic House where I am staying via the Western Wall – it’s such a magnet to me! There I had another interesting conversation with a black American lady who asked me to take her photograph. She said that, as a Christian, she believes we are called to pray at the Wall as it is the most sacred place in the world. ‘To Jews’, I said. ‘No, to Christians, too’ was her response. I DO find it has an attraction but really only because of what it has witnessed, not because of what it is. She wanted me to take a photo of her hand writing a prayer which she would then place in the Wall.

Families were arriving with the ubiquitous buggy and rather more children than might be considered the norm in the UK these days -but it’s always good to see how often it’s the Jewish father pushing the buggy and controlling the little ones.

Then it was up the steps past the Wohl Museum to the hotel and another rest!

There’s always something to see along the way. On this occasion it was beggars, a busker, a crazy Australian trying to convert everyone to his weird ideas and not wanting me to sap his energy by taking his photo and a couple of budding Rabbis having a seemingly intent conversation at the end of the school day.