Foto Friday – Church Gates of Jerusalem

December 24, 2010 - 5:46 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Art, coexistence, Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Holidays, Life, Picture of the Week, Religion, Travel 

Today’s weather was sunny, crisp and clear — not your classic Christmas Eve weather but prefect for pilgrims to wander through Jerusalem’s Christian Quarter. As in all other parts of the Old City, the Quarter takes travelers on a winding trail from site to site to holy site. For those living far away, here is a virtual tour of the city’s church gates — all will be open tonight for worshipers to celebrate the Midnight Mass.

Entrance to the Christian Quarter

© RomKri

Church of the Holy Sepulcher
This historic church shelters the holiest site in the Christian faith: the tomb where Christ was buried and rose from the dead. It is shared by several denominations.

© Gennadi Zimmerman

Church of the Redeemer
The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is the only Protestant church in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was commissioned by Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, who was given the site by the Turkish Sultan upon his visit to Jerusalem.in 1869.

© RomKri

Notre Dame Pilgrim Center of Jerusalem
Dating back to 1885 when its cornerstone was first laid, the building was heavily damaged during Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, rendering it partially uninhabitable. For years it served as an Israeli guard post but in 1972 was restored to its original status and the chapel rededicated to public worship in 1978. The mission entrusted to it by Pope John Paul II: “Dedicated to Our Lady of Jerusalem, Queen of Peace… as a place of fruitful spiritual development.”

© RomKri

Church of the Pater Noster
Built on the place where tradition says Jesus instructed his disciples in prayer. The walls of this convent church are inscribed with the Lord’s Prayer in 44 languages.

© RomKri

Church of All Nations
Built in 1924 and funded by several nations, this church stands over the site where tradition has it that Jesus prayed on the night of his betrayal.

© pmos_nmos

Information about Jerusalem’s churches comes mainly from the Sacred Destinations website. All photos courtesy of Jerusalem Shots where there are hundreds more to enjoy.

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Holiday transitions

October 12, 2008 - 8:19 AM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: General, Holidays, Israeliness 

paperchains1.jpgHard to believe, but we are already in the middle of the chagim period, the month-long period of holidays that falls every autumn. We’re past Yom Kippur, a.k.a., the Festival of Bicycles, when a good chunk of the country spends the evening and following day in synagogue, while many kids take over the empty streets of all cities on the eve and day of Yom Kippur with bicycles – as well as skateboards, roller blades, skates and scooters. In fact, bicycle sales rise in the weeks prior to YK, with companies advertising Yom Kippur specials.

Then, it was straight into another Shabbat, as Yom Kippur ended on Thursday night, which meant a rush for the supermarket and butcher counter on Friday morning. Unlike the week before, when Rosh Hashanah ended and we went into another Shabbat, there wasn’t quite as much of a fresh chicken shortage, because the week before also coincided with the end of Ramadan, which meant a lot of chickens being eaten out there.

But the end of Shabbat this week brought the annual put-up-the-sukkah evening, when you gather your forces to snap together metal poles and string up the canvas walls. With Sukkot beginning Monday night, it’s another rush into the third holiday of the season, and the longest, at a full seven days. So now we’re thinking sukkah decorations of paper chains, plastic fruits and blinking lights, and one-dish meals that are easier to serve to the crowd.

I’ll let you know what I decide to make, as soon as I get started on the paper chains…

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