Jerusalem! Friday

After concluding this season's excavation, most of the volunteers headed south in our rented vans towards Jerusalem. 

We spent our final three days in The Holy City. I was very, very happy and excited to be back. I had lived there for a couple of months as a BYU student at the Jerusalem Center and later for a semester at Hebrew University. 

 

 I was surprised how much Jerusalem felt like another home, probably because I had explored so much of it on foot and been so eager. 

Our time was mostly unstructured, with informal smaller groups making their way in various directions. I had been drawing up mental lists of everything I wanted to see and was only too happy to be unencumbered and mostly on my own.

 

We arrived on Friday afternoon and headed over to the Western Wall of the temple. This is where Jews assemble to welcome the approaching Shabbat. 

Men and women worship in separate areas, like in an orthodox synagogue. 

Dinner with new friends Liz and John, in a little alcove in the Old City near the Wall. I was being very frugal and proud that I was able to get a decent dinner for about three dollars (just ask for "half of a falafel"), while theirs cost thirty each.

Luckily the owner still got paid very decently so I didn't have to feel bad about being cheap.

Now that the sun had set I persuaded my comrades to return to the Wall which was swelled with worshipers. Many were singing and dancing with locked arms forming circles and circles within circles. 

As always it was an unforgettable experience, and I didn't want to leave.