Exploring Jerusalem

At the end of January I began a currently-ongoing series of adventures with my friend Adam Ota. Being that we both like to explore, and that we are both on semester break, we decided to have some fun, starting with a Friday trip to Jerusalem. Having left early in the morning, we met up and boarded a bus under the rainbow-adorned skies of Bnei Brak. Disembarking in Jerusalem, we then boarded the light rail for the Old City of Jerusalem. Getting off near Damascus Gate, which we bypassed, we entered the walled Old City by way of the New Gate. I don’t recall ever using the New Gate so it was an experience in and of itself.

Within the Christian Quarter

Our goals were to simply explore, and we began right away. Keeping an eye out for interesting things, we passed the Latin Patriarchate and Santa’s House before making our way through the shuk (open market) of the Christian Quarter. Swinging north through the narrow stone alleys, we set out to find the site where the headquarters of the Crusader Hospitaller Order once stood. We passed a curious plaza of columns and arches, adorned with sculptures of white storks bearing fish instead of babies. Wandering around a bit, taking note of the various architectural intricacies, we found what we were looking for: a large white stone with an inscription about the medieval hospital that commanded the interior of a small fenced-off yard.

Commemoration of the Crusader Hospitaller Order

Continuing to explore, we stumbled upon the historical Aftimos Market and then the holiest Christian site in the world – the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Curious as to what there is to see, we ventured through the arched gateway to the plaza and were wowed at the amount of pilgrims and tourists who were waiting to enter the site. Looking about, Adam pointed out a small ladder leaning against the window frame on the second level of the structure, telling me that there’s a story about it.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

He was right – this ladder is called the Immovable Ladder and has been there nearly consecutively since the 1700s. Since the ownership and rights are a complicated issue, every little change to the site or its possessions must be agreed upon by all five church orders who jointly share guardianship of the holy site. This issue has basically enacted a status quo situation for the ladder that was left there, albeit unintentionally, forbidding its removal. In additional, due to this same concept, archaeological work done to the site take ages to get approved, but the results usually prove to be interesting to say the least.

Wall plaque of St George slaying a dragon

Heading out with a Turkish group, we made our way back out of the Old City via the New Gate, once again. The next site on our itinerary was the Museum of the Underground Prisoners in the Russian Compound, not far from City Hall. We entered and began to explore the quiet museum, a building restored to resemble the prison that it once was. Built in 1864 by the Russian Empire, the structure served as a hostel for Russian pilgrims to the Holy Land. Later, the site was converted into the Central Prison by the British in 1918. Used the hold both Arab and Jewish prisoners, the prison was well-guarded. However, escapes were attempted, often with help from the outside. Eventually, the prison served as a warehouse after being cleared out during the War for Independence and was transferred to the Ministry of Defense in 1991. The building was restored to how we see it today, a remembrance for the difficult formative years of the modern Jewish country.

Within the Museum of the Underground Prisoners

We began our tour of the building with the printing and wood workshops, working our way around in a counterclockwise manner from the central hallway. Next we viewed the showers and the kitchens, reflecting upon how life must have been for the prisoners here in the not-so distant past. Appropriate background noise played in the different workshop rooms which gave it a realistic ambiance.

Printing workshop

We moved on to Room 23, a group cell where an old escape tunnel still exists from the fateful day of February 20, 1948 when twelve members of both Lehi and Etzel groups attempted to escape via this tunnel. Another interesting feature of the room are floor stones carved with words, symbols, and illustrations by the prisoners as they idled away in their collective cell. From there we moved to the prayer room, making our way around the other courtyard. A visit to the solitary confinement cells and the local gallows, was certainly sobering and so we carried on.

The warden’s office

At the far end, just before the exit, we found the office of the prison warden which we found quite interesting. Beside the fireplace inside we noticed a vintage British fire extinguisher, an interesting antique. Outside, back in the cold winter air, we watched a pair of Syrian woodpeckers in a tree and then inspected the few outdoor exhibits before carrying on to the next site on our list.

The Ticho House

Up next was the Ticho House, just a few minutes away from the downtown area. Operated by the Israel Museum, the Ticho House is the restored house of Albert and Anna Ticho, who lived there in the early and mid-1900s. It was one of the first houses to be built outside the Old City walls way back in 1864, and had transferred hands several times in the past 150 years. Today it serves as a small gallery with a balcony café, perfect for dates or adventure seekers.

Hanukiyyah collection

Inside, we began with the room on contemporary art but, as that isn’t quite our cup of tea, we moved on to the next room where some of Albert Ticho’s hanukiyyah (or, menorah) collection, that he had amassed over the period of forty years, was on display. Those and a few other interesting items on display rounded off that room and we ventured back outside. Wandering about a little to examine neighbouring houses of similar age, we eventually headed for the Machane Yehuda shuk (open market) where we were to grab lunch before heading back.

Adventure is always calling

Choosing the cheap route, we got falafel and then popped over to the local taproom, Hatch, where I sampled some of the new brew offerings, and settled on a cold glass of oatmeal stout. We then headed for the bus and arrived back in Givat Shmuel with enough time to get ready for Shabbat and the feeling that more adventures were on the horizon.