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+Israel © MEA 20171213 (C79) Historical Sites in Israel -City of David
Historical Sites in Israel – City of David, Jerusalem
About three thousand years ago, King David left Hebron for Jerusalem, in his vision, a large central and important goal – the unification of Israel around one capital city. David`s son, Solomon, established the first Temple on Mount Moriah, which rises slightly north of the City of David. Here in fact, was created the first deep connection to Jerusalem by King David, which is embedded deeply into the history of Israel.
Jerusalem is situated on an eastern hill, towering to a height of 743 meters above sea level. The hill lies on the southern slopes of Mount Moriah, surrounded by mountains (as written in Psalms – Jerusalem surrounded by mountains), Temple Mount to the North, Mount of Olives to the East, Mount Zion to the West and to the South – Armon Hanatsiv (High Commissioner’s Palace) ridge. It had fresh water from the Gihon Spring gushing at its foot. Besides David and his son Solomon, this would have been the stamping ground of kings Hezekiah and Josiah and the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah.
With the death of King Solomon, the kingdom was split into the Kingdom of Judah and Israel, and Jerusalem remained only the capital of the Kingdom of Judah. After the Assyrian conquest of the Kingdom of Israel and the exile of the ten tribes, a large flow of refugees came to Jerusalem.
The city expanded and encompassed the entire western hill, apparently including the areas today known as the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter and Mount Zion outside the walls of the Old City of today. During the reign of Hezekiah, the city was surrounded by a wall, and the Gihon Spring was directed into and under the city.
The City of David is actually the ancient core of Jerusalem, from which the city grew and developed throughout history. A collection of archaeological finds is a testimony and to a lifetime of activities that took place here before, during the first Temple era around 1000 BCE.
Today the City of David is a small magical hill located near the Western Wall. It covers an area of about 60 acres, from where one can enjoy a variety of tours and activities that take visitors to a fascinating historical journey, to the days of the First Temple, a period of ancient Jerusalem.
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Israel-©-MEA-20171206-(577)-Historical-Landmarks-Hessed Ve-Rahamim Sephardi Synagogue in Jerusalem
Mazkeret Moshe (Hebrew: מזכרת משה) is a former courtyard in Jerusalem. Today it is part of the Nachlaot neighborhood. Mazkeret Moshe was founded in 1882 from the ardent financial support of British Jewish financier and banker, Moses Montefiore. The name “Mazkeret Moshe” means “memorial to Moses.” This neighbourhood was intended for Ashkenazi Jews, while the adjacent neighbourhood Ohel Moshe, also funded by Montefiore’s foundation, was intended for Sephardi Jews.
Hessed Verahamim Synagogue is a Sephardi synagogue in Mazkeret Moshe that was once a PUB. In the late 1920’s, the neighborhood butcher convinced the pub owner to turn the building into a synagogue. The doors are covered with silver plates illustrating the Twelve Tribes.
Jerusalem is estimated to possess some 200 churches, 40 mosques, and well over 1,000 synagogues. Most Jewish places of worship in the city are small, easy to miss, and reflect the character of their immediate neighbourhoods. Most of the synagogues are also Sephardi.
Whereas centrally-located Ashkenazi synagogues tend to be large in size and doughty in presence, their Sephardi counterparts tend to be more restrained in decor, with a warm, relaxed intimacy, and a deep-seated pride in their cultural identity and traditions. They are also more ubiquitous: choose at random a Jerusalem synagogue and it is most likely to be Sephardi.
Their numbers rose exponentially during the Selichot period in the 40-day penitential period preceding Yom Kippur, and the rising inflows of visitors and tourists pack out their sanctuaries in the pre-dawn hours. These pilgrims happily trade a good night’s sleep for the unforgettable Sephardi prayer-fervor and traditional melodies. There is also the sense of being a latter-day hanger-on to the tradition of the beadles of yesteryears’ pre-dawn watch knocking on the doors to round up the locals to prayer
But if you’ve only one to choose from, consider the richly-decorated Hessed Ve-Rahamim (“kindness and mercy”) Synagogue on HaCarmel Street, in central Jerusalem.
Like most places of worship in the neighborhood, it follows the authentic Sephardi Jerusalem liturgy and full-throated singing. Its Iraqi-accented origin is best tasted on Simchat Torah – with the kubbeh metugan (fried cracked-wheat dish) stuffed with mincemeat, hard-boiled eggs, and pickled cucumbers, served after the morning service.
In the gathering dusk and from a little distance, its iron-hammered logos of the Twelve Tribes and the Eshet Chayil (Woman of Valour) prayer evoke the facade of the house of the Gingerbread Man – an impression that is not entirely misleading, as some 90 years ago the building was a pub.
According to local lore, Jewish butcher Isaac Emosa changed all that by buttonholing the owner with £10 sterling in exchange for an instant quit.
Like all Orthodox synagogues, Hessed Ve-Rachamim is gender-segregated, with the women upstairs in the gallery. They do, however, fully participate from above in the time-honored Sephardi tradition in calling out bids during the auctioning of aliyot and other mitzvot – though they pass these on to the men of their choosing.
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Israel-©-MEA-20171129-(N81)-Historical-Landmarks-Jerusalem-Station
Historical Places in Israel -Jerusalem Railway Station
A must visit is the beautiful historic Jerusalem Railway Station. Construction was completed in 1892, and was built along the donkeys’ trail, an ancient route ascending to Jerusalem. Among those present at the inauguration ceremony was Eliezer Ben Yahuda, the reviver of the Hebrew language. He named the train ‘Horse of the steel’ in Hebrew, as the word Rakevet had not yet been created.
The station operated until 1948, when traffic stopped due to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Over time, the number of passengers decreased after the opening of Highway One and due to poor maintenance it was decided to close the section. On 14 August 1998, the last train service left the station and the station was officially closed the next day. It lay neglected for many years, although the railway yard was used for annual events such as Hebrew Book Week. After undergoing an extensive restoration, it reopened as a cultural and entertainment centre in May 2013.
Today, also being called The First Station, it is a vibrant place which combines culture, leisure and lifestyle, connected by its heart to the lively and renewed urban life in a modern Jerusalem. Its values stem from an approach of rich culture, with space for dining, entertainment, sports and leisure. The management’s vision is an open, living, breathing space, vibrant with places of entertainment and live music, which turns the public space into a centre of street culture, exhibitions, fairs and colourful markets. It is a means to enrich the quality of life of city residents and its many visitors, like an engine pulling wagons, of entrepreneurship and creation in the city, and is a source of pride for the capital of Israel, and an attraction for visitors and tourists from all over the world.
Copyright exists in all the material on this website and is owned by Messianic Education Australia Ltd. unless otherwise explicitly stated. This copyright extends to the images, logos, layout and presentation styles as well as the text material.
