FEBRUARY 24 - JERUSALEM and BETHLEHEM

Another very busy day ahead, but, first, breakfast in the dining room of the King David Hotel.

First stop: Yad Vashem - the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. Looking back on my emotional moments that stand out during this trip to the Middle East, I can honestly say that this visit was the most gut-wrenching of all. I remember walking in and standing in the lobby and the overpowering sense of sadness I felt. I didn't even have to take another step into the Museum, when I began to cry. Moody, the very kind soul that he is, asked me if I was alright and whether I felt that I could go on. Tears still fill my eyes as I'm thinking and writing about this. My whispered voice asked Moody how, as a Jew, he is able to escort people through this building without crying. He said to me, "The first ten times I cried."

My emotions were in overdrive that day, February 24th, because that was also the day the murdering thug Putin invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine. I have a dear friend who is Ukraine, who has decided to remain in Kiev, while his family fled to the Czech Republic. I think of him every day and it is a good day when I receive an email from him that he's doing the best he can under the circumstances.

Despite the overwhelming emotion I felt walking through these halls and rooms, I'd have to say it was the most beautiful Museum I've ever been in. Well, maybe "beautiful" is not the right word. The architecture of the long hallway and the individual exhibition halls were ingeniously designed to evoke all types of feelings as you walk through them. I've been through many of the world's museums and galleries and I've never felt the feelings, either negative or positive, in any of them like the feelings I felt immediately upon entering Yad Vashem. I would encourage anyone to click on the link in the previous paragraph and read more about this incredible memorial to the six million souls that were murdered. Another link is here. More about its architecture here.

When you read the records kept by the Nazis of how many people were slaughtered on any given day that are exhibited, it is truly overwhelming to imagine the numbers. It is also unimaginable that there were people who actually volunteered to kill their fellow human beings. No one was forced to do it.

Michael, who is a man of very few words, simply said to me when I asked him for his feelings and thoughts about this visit, "It was brutal."

After seeing the overwhelming amount of evidence on display of Hitler's horrific crimes, it is impossible for me to think there are people who don't believe there is evil in this world. It is incomprehensible to me that there are actually Holocaust deniers. But, Yad Vashem is also an important reminder that, despite all this evil, there were countless people, like Raoul Wallenberg and Oskar Schindler, who risked their own lives to save Jews, and, in some cases, only one child.

The visit to Yad Vashem only confirmed my disdain for those who, today, throw around the word, "Nazi," to describe, for example, politicians with whom they disagree. With the exception of Pol Pot and Joseph Stalin and a few others in recent memory, the comparison of any modern day politician to the likes of Hitler does a grave injustice to the six millions Jews who were murdered under his command.

We must never forget.......

While driving, however, I was able to "interrogate" Moody and acquire all sorts of information about the current state of affairs in Israel.

Israel is located in Western Asia and its population is 9.5 million and is the fastest growing developed country. There is no rent control in Israel and, therefore, rents are getting sky high. There is a light rail, public buses and four subway stations in Haifa for transportation.

The tech segment is very huge in Israel; lots of money goes into security, which takes away needed funds for the infrastructure sometimes. The media is very patriotic and most people are very supportive of Israel's security measures and the money it takes to maintain them.

There is mandatory military service: two years for women and two years, eight months for men. The emphasis in the military is tech and cyber security. Arabs are not in these fields because Arabs do not serve in the Israeli military and most people transition into those fields after they leave the military.

There are about 40,000 people living in the "Old City" of Jerusalem - 30,000 Muslim and 10,000 Jews and some Christians. Jerusalem, as a whole, has a population of about 1 million people - 40% Arabs (of which 90% are Muslim and 10% who are Christian); 30% ultra-Orthodox Jews; and 30% secular Jews.

We talked about finding "Luis Tacos" the other night and he said that walking around Jerusalem is very safe. We saw old men and women, single women, women with babies and families walking. Moody told us a remarkable story: he lost his wallet three times on the bus and, each time, it was returned to him with his money and credit cards still there. He even lost his phone and it was returned to him. We noticed cars stopped for pedestrians and people walked with the light. There's a very vital night life and there are lots of bars and restaurants.

Unwed mothers is a rarity. There is no civil marriage in Israel which is a clerical state. You're either married by a rabbi, priest or other Christian cleric or an imam may be present in a Muslim marriage ceremony. An interesting story about getting around the "clerical" marriage restrictions and it's called a "Cypress wedding." So, lots of people just go to Cypress, an hour away, get married civilly and return for the wedding party in Israel. Partners can also get civil agreements in Cypress. Israel recognizes all legal marriages, including gay marriages, that are legally conducted elsewhere.

While traveling, a friend of mine emailed me and hadn't realized Israel was such an international country. As I would confirm with Moody, Jews come from all over the world, like Luis, who emigrated from Mexico. Jerusalem, for example, is home to Christian, Muslim and Jewish holy sites. Everyone comes here; there are even French and German hotels scattered around the city.

Our next stop was the Israel Museum, with its fascinating Second Temple model, the Shrine of the Book and a portion of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Walking towards the Museum, this is what we saw and hadn't realized at that time what it was.

This is the inside where the Dead Sea Scroll was displayed - this is a stock photo because we weren't allowed to take any photos ourselves.

Here's where things get tricky. We're now on the way to Bethlehem, in the Palestinian West Bank, about six miles south of Jerusalem. Access to and from Bethlehem is extremely complicated. Travel for Bethlehem's Palestinian residents from the West Bank into Jerusalem is regulated by a permit-system. Palestinians require a permit to enter the Jewish holy site of Rachel's Tomb, located at the northern entrance of Bethlehem, which is surrounded by a wall. Israeli citizens are barred from entering Bethlehem. Our guide, Moody, is a travel guide and is, therefore, allowed into Bethlehem despite the fact that he is a Jew. However, he was not allowed to "guide" us within Bethlehem.

For that, we relied upon our luncheon host, Kamal, who lives in the Beit Jala area of Bethlehem. First, we arrived at his home and was greeted by him and his beautiful children.

We engaged in a wonderful conversation with Kamal. In this area, there were 80% Christians and 20% Muslims. Kamal is a Christian. He told us a wonderful expression the people use when they really don't want to do something asked of them. "I'll do it in the apricot season." This means, in plain language, "fuggethaboutit." The apricot season is an extremely short season, so whatever is asked of someone, he or she probably won't do it! Bethlehen is comprised of approximately 60-70% Palestinians and 23% Christian. One-half of the Palestinians are under the age of 18.

We had a wonderful meal with, of course, lots of starters, and one of his little boys sang for us.

Following our very cordial meal, our gracious host escorted us to the Church of the Nativity, a sixth-century basilica that stands over a cave said to be the birthplace of Jesus. Very exciting indeed. "The main entrance to the Church of the Nativity was gradually made lower and narrower in order to protect it from invaders. Two sets of stairs lead down to the Grotto of the Nativity where a fourteen point silver star (star of Bethlehem) marks the exact spot of Jesus’s birth. An inscription on the star states: Hic de Virgin Maria Jesus Christus Natus Est – meaning “Here Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary.” The actual guardianship of the Church is shared by three Christian denominations: Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Armenian."

We were able to reach down into the Grotto of the Nativity and touch the cave below believed to be where Jesus was born. (You can also see part of the 14-point star that surrounds the hole.) One of the most important things we learned during this trip was about the birth of Jesus and why "there was no place at the inn." In Luke 2:7, we're told: "And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." What we often forget, first and foremost, is the fact that Mary was a Jewish woman. Giving birth was considered to be "unclean." Therefore, it was necessary for her to be alone in a cave. Joseph, angels, shepherds, Kings and animals were all outside. The only person that might have been with Mary in the cave was a mid-wife to assist in the birth.

Just afterwards, while other people were walking through the crypt, Kamal, Michael and I took the opportunity to quietly sing a couple of stanzas of "Silent Night." The experience was an extremely emotional event and singing was a very appropriate thing to do.

After bringing us back to Moody, who waited with George for our return from the Church of the Nativity, we said good-bye to Kamal, wished him well, and shopped for souvenirs at a wonderful place suggested to us.

We learned that if Kamal wanted to sell his house in Beit Jala, he could not move to, say, Haifa, Jerusalem or Tel Aviv because he is Palestinian; he is not an Israeli citizen. Likewise, Moody, a Jew, could not move to Beit Jala. As I've said, Israel is a very complicated place and I can't imagine things changing as far as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is concerned.

Moody then took us to "The Walled Off Hotel" co-owned by the street artist, Banksy. According to wikipedia: The Walled Off Hot el is a boutique hotel designed by anonymous London-based artist Banksy alongside other creatives and notable academic Dr.Gavin Grindon. It is located in Bethlehem, 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Ben Gurion Airport. Established in March 2017, and initially set out to only be a temporary exhibition, the hotel has since attracted nearly 140,000 visitors, thanks in part to its location opposite to the portion of the Israeli West Bank Barrier separating Bethlehem from the holy site of Rachel's Tomb. The hotel is considered to be a key piece of social commentary on the Palestinians affected by the Israeli-Palestine Conflict and billed as having "the worst view of any hotel in the world".

The "wall" was definitely a sore spot for Kamal who questioned and resented the existence of this (very unsightly) wall in the area. The wall is covered in all sorts of graffiti.

The hotel, on the other hand, was a funky little place where we enjoyed a little tour and a coffee. Unfortunately, I did not write down the name of the young woman who took us around but she, reluctantly, allowed us to take her photo.

After returning to the Hotel, the day wasn't over. We enjoyed dinner with Moody at a nearby restaurant. Plenty of starters, delicious challah bread, a toast, and, of course, dessert!

After dinner, we said good night to Moody and stopped in the King David Hotel's Oriental Bar for a night cap. We talked about the complicated situation in Israel and the Palestinian conflict, which continues and will probably continue and continue and continue. We couldn't help be reminded by the very naive song by John Lennon, "Imagine" - no countries, no borders, no religion. We couldn't help but think of Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises, "Isn't it pretty to think so."