I just spent over a week in Jerusalem. I have been to Israel several times, but this was the first time in many years that I didn’t have to run from place to place and could relax and just be in the community.
I spent the week in the Old City and traveled to a few very interesting historic sites, including the Jordan River where the Jewish people first crossed into Israel 3,300 years ago, the Ein Gedi oasis in the desert and the excavations around the Temple Mount that the U.N. claims are a figment of our imagination. I also spent time meeting and talking to friends who live here, and watched the community go about its daily life.
There is a special charm in the Old City. I probably heard close to 70 languages. People of every background imaginable, Jews and non-Jews, come to see the site of the Holy Temple and the place where Jews have lived since the beginning of our nation.
I spent hours walking the streets of Jerusalem, climbing hundreds of steps and walking over cobblestones and stone tiles, and I couldn’t help thinking of the divine providence that we read in the recent Torah portion about Abraham and his travels to and through Israel. Rashi points out that this land was actually the inheritance of Shem and his children, and therefore Abraham’s rightful property. It was stolen by the Canaanites, and HaShem promises to return it to Abraham’s descendants as an everlasting inheritance. The land was stolen again through the generations by various nations, but walking through these streets today we can feel our attachment to the land and our eternal bond with it.
At the same time, being in Jerusalem makes the yearning for Moshiach that much stronger. Our ownership of the land is challenged by almost every nation on earth — and on our Temple Mount, Jews are not allowed to pray. A few hours after I left Rachel’s Tomb, a car window was smashed by stones thrown by Palestinians. There is still the threat every day of terrorism, and most of the surrounding people would love to see us disappear. All is not champagne and roses. There is a lot of poverty and many other problems. We really feel the lack of the Holy Temple and the need for true peace throughout the world.
One of the things that strikes me is the difference between daily life and the perception we have outside the country. There is the idea that there is terrorism everywhere and people are afraid to be out in the streets. Yet I wrote these lines sitting on a bench in the streets of the Old City at 11:30 p.m. — the Wi-Fi didn’t work where I was staying because the walls of the ancient buildings were so thick.
The streets are teeming with life. Kids walk to school alone, and the streets and markets are packed with people. While certainly there is always the danger that some vicious anti-Semitic murderer may try to hurt people, day-to-day life in the city goes on.
The other thing that strikes me is the image that the press gives, of an apartheid country where Muslims are oppressed and where people are blocking efforts at peace. I know that for most of my readers this idea is ludicrous, but I feel that I need to say what I saw here in the streets. I met with a friend in a cafe in the Mamilla mall, which is adjacent to the Old City. About half the patrons were Arabs. The streets were full of Muslims walking around, shopping and exhibiting complete comfort in the surroundings. A friend told me that hundreds of Palestinians come into the Jewish area from the Palestinian territories every day to work. This is what I was seeing.
I could go on and on with my impressions, but I will conclude with one more thought. While there are certainly many problems and a lot of disunity, as well as corruption and other concerns, there is still something special about being in a Jewish country where we are not outsiders. The beauty, from a tourist’s perspective, of the diversity of the Jews — from every country of the world, every race and language you can imagine, all living together and doing their best to make a living and make the country work — is really a special thing. I know that there are many political and religious issues, some of them very serious, but in the big picture, as one who loves Jews from all backgrounds, it is a beautiful sight to see.
Rabbi Yosef Levin is executive director of Chabad of Greater South Bay, reaching out to Jews of all backgrounds and levels of observance.