Today was our first day in Jerusalem and it was exciting to
get to see some more of the city. We had an early morning, making trips to the bank
and then the local marketplace to get some food for the week. We had our first
real Israeli falafel, and then headed over to the Old City for a two-hour tour.
The tour brought us through the four quarters of Jerusalem
and highlighted the holy sites for each of the represented religions (Christians,
Muslims, Jews and Armenians). What struck me the most as we wandered the pathways
of the Old City was how much of a long and complex history Jerusalem possesses.
Despite all of the issues of conflict, it was interesting to see how different
religions and factions manage to coexist in the city.
Rivka, the Cornell liaison in Israel, then took us for
dinner at the Jerusalem Theatre. After some delicious food and much need
rehydration, we spend a couple of hours driving around with Rivka, who gave us
a fantastic tour of Jerusalem; some of the highlights included viewing the
Knesset, the President’s house, a Kibbutz, Hebrew University, and the
promenade. Seeing these sites provided
us with a taste for the city and a better idea of the various places to visit
more in depth in the future.
While Lawrence and I are still a bit jet-lagged, we are
greatly looking forward to our first day at the Commission tomorrow!
Laila Tov (goodnight),
Laura
