The third holiest site in Islam, where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammed ascended to heaven.
I am currently in the midst of the “Chag.” Simply, it translates in English to “holiday,” but for me, and the other 50 Otzma participants, it translates, more importantly, to weeks and weeks of vacation time.
The Chag starts with Rosh Hashanah (The Jewish New Year, apples, honey, rejoicing, family, mounds of food, etc.). It then skips into a more reflective holiday, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement, absolving our sins, not eating, attending synagogue, praying, etc.). Then, finally, the holiday for which I am currently on vacation, Sukkot, the welcoming of the harvest (a sukkah, lulav, etrog, Shlomi, family gatherings, and again, mounds of food).
For the two festive holidays, Sukkot and Rosh Hashanah, I spent with two different families of girls I know from summer camp. At both places, Modi’in and Ashdod, I dined with their extended families. The first holiday saw about 25 people at the table; the second, about 10. At my home in New Jersey — on the rare occasion we come together for a Jewish holiday — there may be, at most, 5 people. My observation, although admittedly perhaps a bit narrow-minded and unique, is that family ties in Israel are stronger and more important than in the States.
Now, I will touch briefly on the picture attached to this post. Last Sunday, our entire group toured the Temple Mount, home to the most important sites in the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. There is the Western Wall, which, for the Jews, symbolizes the closest proximity to the destroyed First and Second Temples, the holiest sites in the religion. It is the most sanctimonious place for Jews to pray. Next, you have, for the Muslims, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque. The Dome of the Rock is the oldest Islamic structure (691 AD) in the world and is thought to be the place where Muhammed ascended into the heavens. Lastly, you have the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Jesus is thought to be crucified and buried. (There is a tomb for him inside the church.)
Most Jews, even Israelis, do not go to this Temple Mount because it is a Muslim holy site and has been a dangerous place for Jews to go in the past. It is policed by Jews but monitored by an Muslim organization called the Waqf. Many Muslims ascend to the Temple Mount to pray, and it is considered the third holiest site in Islam, next to Mecca and Medina.
Speaking of holy sites, I saw a sunrise rock concert atop Masada, a mountain top in southern Israel. Awkward transition, I know. I took a mini, 3-day vacation with a few Israeli friends and Americans from my group. We saw the concert — and the sunrise — did three desert hikes, one of which was five hours, and toured Sde Boker, a kibbutz where masking tape is made!
That is all for now. For anyone who actually does read this, I apologize for not updating it more frequently and thus squeezing in so much information in this post. Thanks for reading!
