Away in a Manger - Bethlehem

Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Bethlehem
We left the hotel after breakfast to head for Bethlehem. For the millions of pilgrims who descend on the Holy Land each year, the Church of the Nativity is the main reason for visiting Bethlehem. We did have to go through the massive wall (into Palestine territory) built since the 80’s, is about 80km long with checkpoints but has apparently stopped terrorism in Israel - according to our guide.
On arrival in Bethlehem, we entered through the tiny Ottoman-era door (apparently to stop people bringing horses etc in) and saw lights that reminded us of Christmas decorations. The Greek Orthodox Church was the first church built over the site and hence it is directly over the site of Jesus’ birth. 
As many religions have a presence in Jerusalem, the site is closed for prayer every morning. First for the Orthodox, then for Roman Catholics, and then for the Armenians. We were first in line after the prayer had finished, but to get our first place in line we had to wait for an hour. (Some days, the wait is 3 hours long). We filed in to go down the stairs to see the site of Jesus’ birth (the Grotto of the Nativity). A 14 point silver star marks the spot where Jesus is thought to have been born. We also saw the site of the manger. This was not a stable, but a cave. 
We then saw the adjacent Catholic Church (St Catherine’s Church) which sits over other caves from Old Bethlehem. Midnight Mass in this church is broadcast across the world in Christmas Eve.
We were then taken for some souvenir shopping before heading back to Jerusalem. There was a bit of traffic to head back over the border into Israel, and they wanted to see only one passport. We were then through. 
Our next places to visit included the Israel Museum where we saw the (Second Temple model (recreates Jerusalem as it was in 66CE) and visited the Shrine of the Book which contains the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls (also the Qumran Caves Scrolls) are ancient Jewish religious manuscripts discovered between 1946 and 1956. The Dead Sea Scrolls are considered to be a keystone in the history of archaeology with great historical, religious, and linguistic significance because they include the oldest surviving manuscripts of entire books.
We then visited the Holocaust Museum. This is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the survivors; honoring Jews who fought against their Nazi oppressors and gentiles who selflessly aided Jews in need; and researching the phenomenon of the Holocaust in particular and genocide in general, with the aim of avoiding such events in the future.
We had less than a couple of hours to rest and we were on the move again. This time, to dinner in a vibey area near our hotel. The meal was fabulous - so many dishes (and hommus) and the beef and chicken was so tender, served on skewers. We then went on a walk through the shopping pedestrian street and Jerusalem (a bit dusty and gritty by day) becomes a beautiful, vibey and modern city. The walls of Jerusalem need to be seen to be believed! 
And finally, we headed to the Western (often called Wailing) Wall. This was an experience in itself. Lots of security here, and we had to go through scanners before men and women are separated into different sections. There’s a lot of emotion near the wall, some chanting, and even some wailing. We all wrote messages/prayers on small bits of paper to put into the gaps between the stones. Men had to wear a kippah on their head. 
It was late by the time we returned - time for a drink at the bar and then bed.
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