Chapter 7 the Wailing Wall
The gang was riding in Michael's car down the streets of Jerusalem. Before long they reached the old city which surrounds the Wailing Wall.
"Why do these buildings look older than the rest of the city?" asked Ben
"This is the old city. Until the 1860 it consisted of the entire city of Jerusalem, circled by a wall. But that changed when they built the first neighborhood outside the walls. A neighborhood called 'Mishkenut Sha'ananim'. You must realize that back then building a neighborhood outside the safety of the walls surrounding the city was unheard of. Not to mention dangerous. But over the years more neighborhoods followed until Jerusalem became what it is today" said Michael
"I heard that until 1967 the old city was off limits for the Israeli people. Is that true?" asked Gwen
"Yes. During the war of independence in 1948 the old city was captured by Jordan. But during the six day war in 1967 we captured it back from them and people from all religions were able to enter it freely" said Michael as the group pulled into a parking lot and got ready to leave the car. Once Michael shut off the engine, they unbuckled their seatbelts and headed for the Wailing Wall. They walked up the hill, waiting to see the holiest religious Jewish site
"How old are your grandkids?" Michael asked Max
"Thirteen" he answered
"They seem to be pretty good friends" said Michael as he looked behind him to see the two kids laughing together
"Yeah. You should have seen them a few years ago. Back then they used to bicker a lot. Although they rarely showed it they still cared about each other even then. I'm glad they finally learned to get along"
"Yeah I can imagine" said Michael
The gang walked on for a few more minutes before they reached a line leading up to security check. Once it was their turn they emptied out their pockets and put their belongings on the guard's desk. Once cleared, they went through and entered a big plaza where the Wailing Wall stood. When they reached it they saw people stand before it in prayer
"This is the western wall; the holiest place in Judaism. It used to be part of the western wall that surrounded the second temple that was believed to have been constructed around 19 BCE by Herod the great but recent discoveries indicate that construction wasn't finished during his lifetime. While the first and second temple existed they were the holiest place in Judaism. But when the second temple was destroyed the western wall was all that was left and it became the holiest place in Judaism and it will remain that way until the third temple will be built according to some people's beliefs"
"And when will that be and what happened to the first two temples? Why were they destroyed?" asked Gwen
"It is said that the first two temples were destroyed because of unjustified hatred between Jews and because people said bad things about each other behind their backs. The Jewish religion doesn't like those kinds of things and encourages for acceptance of other people. Regarding the third temple, no one knows when it will be built. One thing that we probably know for sure is that when it will be built the third temple will stay forever and will not be destroyed. At least that's what the prophecies say. But there is an organization that dedicates itself to fulfill that prophecy. They even built one of the tools used in the previews temples so it can be used in the third one when the time is right"
"Where is it?" asked Ben
"Nearby. We'll get to it soon" said Michael as he approached the wall as the gang followed
"Another thing you should know is that there is a custom that people write prayers on pieces of paper and stick them between the cracks in the wall hoping they will be fulfilled"
"Interesting" said Max as Michael led them to where the temple tool was held. It was placed on a balcony not far from the wall down below
"This is the 'Menorah'" said Michael as he extended his arm at the object placed inside a bullet proof container
"The menorah is a seven lamp, six branch lampstand made of pure gold. Fresh olive oil of the purest quality was burned in it on a daily basis to light its lamps. The menorah has been a symbol of Judaism since ancient times and is the emblem on the coat of arms of the modern state of Israel" explained Michael as the crowd admired its beauty and took a few pictures with their cameras
"This is going straight to the scrapbook…" whispered Gwen to Ben and winked at him while Ben nodded with a small smile in return
By the time the gang returned to the hotel the sun was setting and dinner was about to start
"Well I hope you guys enjoyed this tour of Jerusalem. Tomorrow is a long day. We're gonna drive all the way down to Eilat to see the underwater observatory" said Michael
"Where's Eilat?" asked Ben slightly puzzled
"It's the most southern city in Israel; next to the Egyptian border. It's about a four hour drive from Jerusalem so we have to leave early…"
"Four hours?! Aww man…" moaned Ben as Michael walked towards the elevator
"I'm sorry but I couldn't afford to pay for extra flights so we'll have to drive" said Max
"Don't worry Ben you can take a nap while we're driving there…" said Gwen in an attempt to cheer him up as she put a hand on his shoulder
"Yeah there's an idea…" said Ben sarcastically as Gwen smiled at him
"Hey guys do you mind if I ask you something?" Max budded in breaking the kids' trance. They turned to look at him
"Why have you two been so affectionate lately?"
The two cousins exchanged nervous looks
"I don't know… I guess we just learned how to get along…" said Ben nervously as he scratched the back of his head and chuckled
"Uh huh… well it's nice to see you two have become friends; just don't become a couple on me…" said Max as he walked away. The two cousins exchanged nervous looks
"You think he knows?" asked Gwen
"He might. We better keep it low profile from now on…" said Ben
"I'll try; at least when he's around. But no bickering because that would look more suspicious" replied Gwen
"Agreed"
Gwen simply smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek
"Thanks Ben" she said as she headed for the spa. Ben simply stood there slightly shocked by the gesture of affection she just showed as his cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. He smiled as he took the elevator up to his room…
To be continued…
Well I hope you liked it. Sorry I took so long with this one…
Don't forget to review… נקךןקכ some people'sbee'sbeliefnd it will remain that way until the third temple will be built according to some people'sbelief