Day 11: Jerusalem - Church and Museums

At 8:30 AM we took the bus to the old city and entered via the Jaffa gate to Christchurch for their 9:30 AM Holy Communion service. We were seated at 9 AM which was fortunate as the church was full by 9:30 AM. It was very peaceful listening to the guitar, piano and song under the beautiful arches of the church. See Ps 122 and pray for Jerusalem. The service was traditional Anglican and the message was of the new identity, new security and new community that comes with a full relationship with Jesus and not putting other things first such as money or works.
It was a wonderful experience, with people from many places all worshipping as one. The hymns were joyful and the acoustics amazing, particularly "Beautiful saviour glorious counsellor". 

Usama, our guide,waiting for us outside said it was a long service, but we did not think so. We then travelled by bus to the Holocaust Museum. It has a high pointed concrete-tent type of structure in which we cross-crossed a strange zig-zag trail  through many areas with a myriad of displays, movies and personal relics. But the peculiar layout could not distract you from the statistics and family accounts of unbelievable suffering and genocide of innocent Jews, Communists, mentally ill, gypsies and others. More so as it was coldly premeditated and ruthlessly inflicted by horribly efficient Nazi perpetrators and collaborators like the terrible Vichy in Southern France. One quote there says: "It is not only what the country does but what it tolerates." We know that evil appears in people like Hitler. This museum makes you face key questions - why did Hindenberg make Hitler Chancellor and why did most other "good" people allow him to continue? There was precious little resistance early on until it was too late, with Dietrich Bonhoffer one of the notable exceptions. It was a time when people needed the Lord more than ever.

Next we visited the Israel Museum complex. Here is to be found the shrine of the book which is the display of the Dead Sea scrolls (found inside stone jars in caves at Qumran that we visited en route). The scrolls are carefully maintained at particular temperature and humidity settings. We walked down the broad passage with scroll fragments displayed behind glass with the scroll of Isaiah on a circular raised platform at the end (too precious to display the original). 

Then we viewed with Usama the fantastic model of the old city and Temple as at 66 AD, and also with the current city walls built by Suleiman the magnificent.

Lastly we had a lightning visit to the Israel Museum. There we saw the stone which proves Pontius Pilate was governor in Jerusalem at the time of Christ, an ankle bone with crucifixion nail through it and a very fragile emulate with the Aaronic blessing from the 6th century BC, centuries earlier than the Dead Sea scrolls. 

Photos: Group outside the Holocaust Museum; Garden of the Righteous in memory of those who helped the Jews; Plaque for Oskar Schindler; Entering the Israel Museum; Model of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus; Model of the original Temple; OK Jim, now you've finished the apple, find a bin! Michelle from WA; Michael has his shoes cleaned.