Bethlehem

I had been wanting to see Bethlehem (literally House of Bread) for a long time but it is not so easy to get to. It is in a part of the West Bank that is entirely Palestinian controlled. Israeli citizens are not allowed to go there because they are not protected by the government or the IDF. None of my pals who have made Aaliyah would be able to get in with their Israeli IDs, nor would my Israeli friends who have cars. Mom and I had no trouble with our American passports and our rental car.

We headed straight to the Church of the Nativity where we quickly, and reluctantly, acquired a guide. We soon realized that it was great to have him showing us around. The Church is divided between Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Armenian. It is the oldest continuously operating church, from the mid 300's C.E. Our guide helped us bypass the crowds on large tours and took us straight down to the Grotto of the Nativity. It consists of the supposed place where Mary gave birth to Jesus, as well as the manger she then placed him in, and the spot the three wise men put their gifts. We stood down there alone for quite a while before the groups joined us. It was absolutely amazing. It is so powerful to visit such holy sites, regardless of the religion they belong to. There is an energy that people pour into them that I can't help being moved by, even if it is not my religion.

I am really happy that Mom was up for going on this adventure. I know I say it a lot, but it was one of the most interesting experiences I've had. We drove 10 minutes south of Jerusalem and it was like we were in a totally different country. As soon as you make it through the check point, which feels like entering a high security prison, all the signs switch from being in Hebrew, Arabic and English, to just being in Arabic and English. The inside of the wall itself was awesome. It is covered in really beautiful graffiti. It was pretty foreign to have Arab police everywhere. The only ones we interacted with were very welcoming and friendly. Getting back into Jerusalem took longer than entering the West Bank. Everyone has to get out of the car and approach a soldier at a booth who checks their documents. You then drive your car up to another soldier who checks it if he feels the need. We got through this easily too. Two cars in front of us was an Arab family who were not permitted and had to turn around.

Pictures:

1st: Warning on the Jerusalem side

2nd: The wall from the Jerusalem side

3rd: Manger square, Mosque of Omar in the center

4th: The star that marks the birth site of Jesus

5th: Some of the art on the West Bank side