If you are looking for privacy; you know, a kind of private prayer closet, the Western Wall probably isn’t the most logical choice.
Baptist House Jerusalem Vandalized
February 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment
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| JPost – Reuters |
The Jerusalem Post is reporting that the Baptist House in Jerusalem has been vandalized again. The story offers a good historical recap of the various acts of vandalism that have happened there over the years, including the arson that led to the rebuilt sanctuary that appears in the accompanying photo.
For those that don’t/can’t read Hebrew, the graffiti says, ” Jesus the son of a whore. Price tag. We will crucify you.” The article explains a bit about the first two phrases, but totally disregards the latter. I’ll add a few more thoughts about these phrases.
1. Israelis commonly refer to Jesus as Yeshu, rather than Yeshua. Because this usage/identification is so common, many Israelis honestly believe his name to be Yeshu, which is an acronym for “May his name and memory be erased.” Some counter that the acronym explanation is simply a Christian attempt to gain sympathy. If that’s the case, what’s the explanation for the use of Yeshu, rather than the common Hebrew name Yeshua?
2. “Price tag” is the call phrase for a group of West Bank Jews who are vandalizing mosques and other buildings in a similar (or sometimes more severe) way.
3. The JPost completely disregards the phrase, “We will crucify you.” That coupled with “price tag” might be intimidating for those who are left to wonder who did this, and whether it may have future implications. Because the perpetrators are unknown, those questions remain unanswered. I wonder why the JPost didn’t mention the most threatening graffiti? Update: The JPost did mention this phrase in a previous article.
Jewish Wedding
February 9, 2010 by 3 Comments
While waiting for someone at a hotel in Jerusalem, I happened upon this beautiful wedding. In the end, I was at the wrong hotel because the person I was waiting for had been moved to another hotel without his knowledge. Seeing this wedding eased the sting of being at the wrong place for a couple of hours.
Checking I.D.
January 16, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Admittedly, I was surprised to see the police asking Jews for their identification cards at Damascus Gate. The first time I saw this, I had arrived on the scene after the event was already in motion, so I thought I was reading something into the officers’ actions. I decided to hang around for a few minutes to see if the police would ask another Jew to present his identification card. After a couple of minutes, they did exactly that.
Here’s a photo of the police doing to a Jew what many people think is reserved only for Arabs.
Crucifixion Friday in the Old City
Many Christians from around the world were expected to flood the city for Good Friday, and they did. In fact, since Passover and Eastern and Western Easter falls on the same weekend this year, the city seemed particularly crowded. In expectation of the large crowds the Israeli government implemented new access procedures at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which created a lot of tensions. Flags like the one below could be seen throughout the Christian Quarter.
The flag is aimed at the Israeli authority’s efforts to control the crowds, which at times ended up communicating to those wanting to be near or inside the church that they were not allowed to worship. Obviously, once the new arrangements were announced, someone(s) went into action to highlight the Israeli actions and paint them as negatively as possible. However, being in the area today, I must admit, one could easily get a very negative impression without the presence of the flags.
Here are the police controlling access to the church:
The police were standing behind barricades, allowing people to enter in very small numbers. At one point, tensions were so high that the riot police were called in:
I was told that things escalated to the point of blows being exchanged. I did not see that, but I have no reason to doubt it.
It seems to me that the Israelis are in a no win situation here: If they don’t control the crowds, there is a real possibility of a stampede or worse, and they will be accused of shirking their responsibility for public safety. If they do control the crowds, they are accused of preventing pilgrims from worshiping.
History indicates that during times like these, the various Christian groups that have authority within the church facility can’t manage to get along without violence, so I’m not sure what I would advise them to do.
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