Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives

Shabbat Shalom!

Like others on this trip, this is not my first time in Israel. I was last here in December on Birthright, a ten day free program for young Jewish adults. Although we explored many amazing places on my trip, we did not go to either the Temple Mount or the Mount of Olives. Both of these places offered me a different perspective on life and politics in Israel when our study abroad group went to them this past Thursday.  

Visiting the Temple Mount was very difficult for me. Another student instructed me to take off my kippa and Star of David while we stood in line to enter the complex. Entering the security checkpoint, my kippa in my pocket and Star of David in my backpack, I was instructed by a security guard that I could not take my tallis (a Jewish prayer shawl) into the complex even though it was concealed in my backpack so I could use it at the Western Wall later that day. While Danny, our tour guide, searched for a place to keep the tallis while we were in the Islamic complex, I felt for the first time ever marginalized in Israel solely because I was Jewish.  Latter Danny explained that riots and protests had occurred in the past when Jewish individuals began to pray at the Temple Mount. After I learned of this, the sour taste in mouth started to subside and I began to think about how other groups in Israel are marginalized. While I was deprived of wearing any religious items for the hour tour, others are deprived of much more in Israel.  Non-Jews in Jerusalem are forced to be stagnant as everything in the city, from the train to bakeries, is closed on Shabbat. But unlike the Temple Mount, the restrictions on businesses being open in Jerusalem are not due to security concerns; they are done to please religious groups in the city.  Some businesses, such as Aroma, are open on the Sabbath, and there are no mass riots outside of these establishments or security concerns because of these businesses. Moreover, these restrictions occur every week and every Jewish holiday. Although I can only imagine the anger and frustration that non-Jews have while living in Jerusalem, my experience at the Temple Mount has given me a better notion of their anger. Nonetheless, near the end of that day, Danny had clarified that I am able to wear both my Star of David and my kippa, although we would have had a security escort accompany us while touring the Temple Mount. And in the future, if I ever return to the Temple Mount, I will wear both of those items so I do not feel stripped from a part of my identity, and so I can experience the complex while having a babysitter—which is an interesting experience all by itself.

Our last stop before dinner and the Jerusalem film festival (which was awesome) was the Mount of Olives.  We discussed the ruins of Jewish tombstones before 1967 by Arab residents and the civilians turned into soldiers who fought for the State of Israel. An interesting question that came up was could you give up the Mount of Olives for peace knowing that more likely than not the tombstones of Jewish ancestors would be defaced again. Personally, I would not be able to give up the land of the Mount of Olives for modern day peace because I would feel that I was betraying my Jewish community’s ancestors. All of these ancestors’ efforts and their lives would be forgotten, and people who have ancestors buried there would have a hole in their heart because they would never be able to visit their ancestors and pay their respects. Nonetheless, others disagree and say that the past is the past and sometimes you need to forgo it to have a better future. But can you really have a better future if you are disrespecting your ancestors in order to achieve that bright light in the future?

Both of these places brought excellent self-reflection and an exciting start to the study abroad program!  Overall, a great first week in Jerusalem; with more fun, thought-provoking experiences to come!