Too many thoughts, too much information

This morning started with some much needed sleep and a little later start to the day. I walked into the new city and found a coffee shop with a view, sat down, and started reading. It was a great way to start the day, especially after the last few days.

            We left for the Israel museum around mid-morning.  As we drove to the museum, we went past the main government and parliament building of Israel. On the street leading up to this building the Israeli as well as the Vatican Flags were flying; this was in honor of the Pope’s upcoming visit to Jerusalem. We first went to the full model of the Old City of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD. It was so amazing to see how the all the places we had seen in the past few days connected to each other and connected to the ancient city of Jerusalem. It was really amazing to put everything in perspective; to put myself in the ancient city with the memories I have from the past few days.  I was able to get a greater grasp on the city and ability to relate the city to scripture involving the city is becoming greater.

            The Israel Museum is also the home to the Dead Sea Scrolls.  I have heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but I had never thought that I would see them. I was and interesting feeling to walk around the dark circular room that housed the scroll and look at some of the oldest written recordings of Biblical texts. It was a very weird meeting of past and present. This connection to the past was furthered as we looked through the museums extensive archeological section. What struck me the most was the museums explanation of Jesus in the section of artifacts from His time. The description that this public institution gave of Jesus was one of a teacher in a historical time period that naturally lent itself the rise of His teaching. It was so strange to see the life of Jesus as this, reduced to product of historical conditions. This was a public instate, not religious so it makes since that this would be the portrayal,  but especially since these events took place here, to me it just seemed so out of place to reduce Jesus to a historical figure here in Jerusalem.

            We then traveled across town to Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust museum. We were lead on a tour through the museum, and had to move along rather quickly to accommodate other groups and an upcoming visit from the Pope.  I have been to the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C. but here at Yad Vashem, the focus was more on the Jewish people and some of their return to this land. I almost wish that we had had the time to go through the museum at our pace, I felt as though I was rushed through some sections and really could not process everything. There was way too much for me to fully process and I still need time to think about. However, the things that struck me the most, was the at the end of the museum was the hall of names, where a library of over three million names of the victims of the Holocaust around the walls, on the ceiling pictures of a a couple dozen victims, and in the middle of a floor, a pit to the bedrock of Jerusalem, with a pit of water in it.  As you looked into the pit the faces in the pictures were reflected in the water. The water symbolized life that could happen even through death. At the end of the museum, there was a memorial to the child victims. You entered a dark room where four candles were reflected many times in mirror all around the room, symbolizing the descendants of Abraham that number more than the stars in the sky. As you walked through the room the names of the child victims, their age and hometown were read over a speaker. This was an unbelievable moving. It is hard to think of such terrible things happening to children and there is really nothing you can do to make the situation better. But I think that this was one of the best ways to acknowledge what had happened and honor the lives that were lost.

            After going through the museum, we were able to talk to a Jewish woman, Rachel, who had parents who were Holocaust survivors. She told a bit of her story and her parent’s story, and the story of the response of this land to the events of the Holocaust. It was interesting to hear her thoughts on these events, and to hear some of the different responses the Jewish community has had. She said that over the years the Jewish and Israeli communities have shifted from honoring the Jews who resisted the Nazis, to honoring and remembering the people and their stories.

            As we walked back to campus, there was a protest going on right next to our campus, along the wall of the old city. In the Pope’s upcoming visit to Jerusalem, he will be holding mass in the room where the last supper was held. However, this is also the remember location of the tomb of David. At least part of the Jewish community is unhappy with mass being held in this holy location. It will be interesting to see how the events play out, especially since the David’s tomb is only a three minute walk from our campus.