A religious pilgrimage to Jerusalem

Dreams and stories of Israel have saturated my life since childhood, and in February I got the chance to see, touch and explore Terra Sancta, the Holy Land.

I took a month-long leave from my job at the Daily Inter Lake to make my pilgrimage. I am so thankful to be home, but I returned feeling strongly convicted to encourage others to make the trek.

If you have dreamed of going to the Holy Land, do not let the rumors of danger stand in the way. Israel faces serious risks, but it felt far safer than many other places I have traveled. If you have it in your heart to see this place, which is considered sacred ground by so many, go.

As a religious pilgrim, Jerusalem was the pinnacle of the trip. There are five points within the city that I consider the “must do” locations. These are the Western Wall, the Tunnel Tour, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Garden Tomb and the Mount of Olives.

Upon my arrival, the Old City greeted me with an unexpected holiday — the Jewish month of Adar began Feb. 16. The Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles and the beginning of a new month is the festival of Rosh Hodesh. The dawn celebration was unlike anything I was prepared for. Proceeding through the security check point into the Western Wall Square, the first thing that struck me was the noise level. People were laughing, dancing, singing, praying, wailing, shouting and reading the Torah. It was not my definition of “minor.”

Entering the Western Wall Square, all eyes are immediately drawn to the famous limestone blocks. Men wearing kippah, tallit and tefillin lined up at the base of the massive wall for morning prayers. The Western Wall was not part of the Temple itself, but rather one of the retaining walls originally constructed to support the Temple Mount. A large sign declares, “The Divine Presence has never left the Western Wall.” It is the most sacred site in the Jewish faith.

In Judaism there are three pilgrimage festivals, when in the time of the Temple, Jews were required to travel to Jerusalem. These festivals include Pesah (Passover), which celebrates the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, Shavout (the Festival of Weeks) in the late spring harvest and Sukkoth (the Festival of Booths), which celebrates the 40 years the Jewish people spent wandering the desert and their reliance on God. Some pilgrims and residents, however, go to the Kotel (the Jewish word for wall) daily.

As a Christian pilgrim in the land of the Holy One, the Western Wall is not to be missed. The pale stones seem to gather in and reflect the light. For me, it was a powerful thing to share space with Jews saying their morning prayers, believing that those prayers travel through the Wall to God. In the presence of these ancient stones, surrounded by three major faiths of the world, it was impossible not to sense the sacredness of the space.

My host in Jerusalem was a gallery owner named Oded. He strongly advised me to take the Tunnel Tour as an opportunity to see some of the truly ancient sites. I will always be thankful for this suggestion because this tour allowed me to walk behind the Western Wall. From the Western Wall Square, access to the Wall is limited, especially to women.

On the tour, however, anyone can have the opportunity to pass along the length of the Wall and hear the area’s history. The sound from the square is muffled by the great stones, but is still present, so the prayers and cries of the people become a never-ending soundtrack to the history lessons from the tour guide.

Jerusalem is a feast of fascination for the history-buff as well as for the religious pilgrim. The guide to the Tunnel Tour explained how the Jews believe that Mount Moriah is more than the location of the Temple. It is the very foundation from which God created the world. Inside the tunnel, she pointed out a stone so large no one can explain how it got there. The stone weighs more than 1 million pounds. Modern technology would not be capable of moving it, yet there it sits near this mountaintop.

In the Old City, proximity takes on a new sense of scale. Less than half a mile separates the Western Wall from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which arguably contains two of the most sacred sites in Christianity — the site of the crucifixion and the remains of the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, the site of the resurrection of Jesus. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a beautiful space. I went in the morning when everything was cool and dark and less crowded.

The church is dominated by the Rotunda, which circles around what is believed to be the site of the resurrection. In the very center is the Aedicule, which contains the stone on which they believe Jesus was laid after the crucifixion. A sweeping spiral space reaches high above the chapel to the oculus of the dome. The church has been built and destroyed and burned and repaired and reconstructed again and again over the millennia, but under that dome the air feels thick with the weight of history. The connection to thousands of years and untold millions of pilgrims who have traveled from countries around the globe to be here was almost tangible.

In the church, near the Chapel of Saint Helena, the stairs lead past a wall carved up with graffiti from the Crusader era. I didn’t see it, but I read about a drawing of a boat that is between 1,600 and 1,900 years old, with a Latin inscription that simply reads, “Lord, we came.”

All of that longing seemed present while walking through the ancient church. It felt like I was standing as close to the miraculous as any person can get.

In stark contrast to the Holy Sepulchre is the Garden Tomb. The tour I heard was very careful not to claim that this was the “real” site of the resurrection and crucifixion, but simply presented the evidence that this may have been the site of Golgotha (Skull Hill) and the tomb. At the Garden Tomb, I unexpectedly met Ron Youde, former pastor of Central Bible Church here in Kalispell, and his wife, Cindy. Youde retired from the church several years ago and moved to Lewistown. This Kalispell connection seemed to defy odds and explanation for both of us.

To understand the difference between these two sites, think of it this way: the Holy Sepulchre has the weight of history, adding depth and meaning to the location. The Garden Tomb has more of a feel of what it might have been like to visit the site right after the historic events. While talking with Youde that morning, I told him the Garden Tomb felt more authentic, and he said that was a common response. I recommend seeing both. Each of them offers moments of beauty, connection and insight.

The final must-see site in Jerusalem is the Mount of Olives. I stayed in Jerusalem, just west of the Old City. One morning I decided to walk to the Damascus Gate, into the Old City and through it, down to the Lions Gate for sunrise. I continued down to the Garden of Gethsemane and then up to the summit of the Mount of Olives. This long walk through the city was a brush with history, taking me through the stone gates, into the maze of narrow streets, past the stalls of hundreds of merchants and finally down and out the other side.

The moment I cleared the Old City, the terrain opened up and I could see my goal. The Mount of Olives sat just east of the Old City and provided a famous viewpoint. In the first light of morning, the gold became a visual theme that tied together three significant points — the wall around the Old City, the Dome of the Rock and the Golden Gate. They all glow in the light of dawn. The Golden Gate was walled up and no longer an access point to the Old City. It is believed that the Messiah would one day appear here to enter the city, and it has been blocked since medieval times.

Seeing these places, making these climbs, touching the ancient stones, living out my faith, all of these made the pilgrimage to Israel an unforgettable experience. They added a depth of connection to the stories from the Bible as well as a chance to grow in understanding of the Hebrew roots of my faith. What I did not expect from my pilgrimage was the chance to connect with the other major Abrahamic faith — Islam. I was surprised how many of the Christian sites were guarded and cared for by Muslims.

Sitting inside the door of the Holy Sepulchre I met Wajeeh, the doorkeeper. He told me how his family has held the keys to the church since the 1200s. He is beginning to think of retiring, and when he does, he will pass that honor and position on to his son.

There is a great tradition of hospitality in Islam, and the Muslim caretakers take that seriously, especially when it comes to religious pilgrims in the Holy Land. They treat welcoming those who have come as a sacred responsibility.

Israel offers anyone a wealth of history and experience. It was worth every effort to go.