Shabbat and the Kotel

I woke up yesterday morning on Israeli time--I had stayed up way past comfort until 8:30 pm local time Friday night so that I would sleep a full night (and then some!) and wake up on local time, and that's exactly what happened, thank goodness! After a leisurely breakfast, I made my way to Michelle's for Shabbat lunch. It was lovely--along with Michelle were her husband, kids, and a friend and her daughter. Not surprisingly, there was some "Jewish geography." Her husband taught in day schools in the US and has family in Baltimore, so we knew about a dozen people in common. It's a small, small Jewish world!



After lunch, I returned to the apartment and changed to comfortable shoes, and armed with a street map, set off for the Old City. I think if you are moving at a fairly brisk pace and know where you are going, the walk should take about forty minutes. With a few detours and confusions and a few rest stops, about an hour and a half later, I found the Kotel (Western Wall).



It was quite an experience. First, I came through to the entrance to the Wall plaza by way of a bunch of alleys that included lots of open stalls full of stuff, including lots of Judaica. It was odd to see them open and to be approached pretty aggressively on Shabbat, especially because pretty much everything else in the city is closed down. There aren't too many signs for anything in the part of the city I was walking in (I actually found my way into the Old City, through the Zion Gate, pretty much by accident), so I was really kind of wandering when I finally found one of the entrances to the plaza.



When you enter the plaza, it's a large flat area with a bunch of people milling around. Almost everyone there was "frum," or Orthodox. I'm guessing that there might be a bit more diversity on days other than Shabbat, but who knows? Anyway, the plaza is open and people are milling around, chatting, kids running, etc. Then, in front of that, is the wall, with two closed off sections, one for men, one for women. Of course, I knew this ahead of time, but I guess I am pretty used to my egalitarian Jewish life in the US; it actually kind of freaked me out. I entered the women's section and made my way to the wall. I had brought a note to put in the cracks, which I did, and I said "shehechiyanu." It was very emotional for me to be there--hard to imagine that it had taken me 42 years to get to that exact spot. It also felt odd, though, to be alone. Good in a way, but also strange not to be sharing the experience. I was also sad to see all the women praying alone, when just over the mechitza, I could hear a mincha service being publicly prayed by groups of men.



As I backed away from the wall, I noticed that there was a very large bookshelf of siddurim. I took one and davened mincha quickly and then left the women's area. I have to admit, it was a different visit than I had anticipated. I think I was expecting an unambivalent spiritual experience, but coming up against the ingrained patriarchal slant of Judaism, a part of the tradition I reject/ignore/deny/work against, was troubling. As much as I wanted to be a pilgrim, how can this Wall really belong to me if I can't pray publicly in front of it? It wasn't what I expected to feel. I am hoping to go back before I leave Jerusalem--perhaps bringing with me some particular psalms and prayers and perhaps going on a weekday so that I can write while I'm there. I think there may be more for me there than I experienced yesterday.



After the Wall, I wandered out of the Old City on a slightly different path and headed back to the apartment. The route to and from the Old City that I took was Emek Refaim, one of the main streets in my area. It is a happening sort of street, with lots of restaurants, salons, and shops--sort of like Charles Street in B'more. One of the things I really like so far about Jerusalem is that it is a walking city. There were many people out and about, even though everything was closed. I got a kick out of seeing a McDonald's made all out of Jerusalem stone.

I've been really struck by the architecture and buildings here. The Jerusalem stone is everywhere--it gives the city the feel of permanence, and also of consistency, like everything belongs here and belongs together. I am also impressed by the way things are put together--there are gardens and courtyards for almost every house and apartment, and there's public seating, benches, parks, all around. I love the book "A Pattern Language," which is about design and planning, and it talks a lot about how patterns of design influence human behavior, and I can really see that here. It's a city designed for people to walk, talk, and be in conversation.

I should finish here now--my classes start tomorrow and I've puttered and napped part of the morning away and now need to make a grocery run. I'll be buying lots of bottled water, as it is quite hot here, and I got a little dehydrated yesterday. Looking forward to starting at Pardes tomorrow.