Tuesday: Early in the morning, we got on the bus with 34 other people (huge group this time) and visited the museum that held the Dead Sea Scrolls. Apparently, the actual scrolls were not on display (surprise, surprise), but the replicas could have fooled me! The museum was beautiful – it was underground, but t was shaped like one of the jars in which the scrolls were found. No pictures were allowed, but I took a picture of the dome covered the museum (a dome that is built to be like the top of the jar).
Afterward, we headed to the Holocaust Museum. It was a really powerful experience, walking through the experiences of the Jews. I’m still trying to process it all. One thing I did notice that really surprised me was how there was still a lot of bitterness towards America’s late involvement in the war, and that bitterness came out very strongly in the museum displays. There was a lot of bitterness against Christianity as well. In some ways, I think these world affairs are a Catch-22 for America. Countries get angry when the US get involved, but then they also get angry when the US doesn’t. There were a few people from Uganda on the trip and we heard them commiserating with our tour guide about how the US didn’t seem to care about their prospective plights. It made me a little bit angry, but at the same time it made me very aware of how sheltered I am in the states.
I mean, I can’t really imagine being an Israeli Jew. You get kicked out of your own land centuries ago and are forced to assimilate into other cultures. Then during World War II, those countries that you’ve assimilated with turn on you and treat you inhumanely and then murder those of your race. When you are finally liberated (albeit orphaned and humiliated), you have to fight tooth and nail to stay on your own land. Most of the world does not recognize you as a nation, and another people group has forbidden you to enter the most sacred place for your people – the only place you believe that God resides in.
I can’t even imagine.
On that sobering note, we drive to Bethlehem, which is actually Palestinean land. We pass through a heavily guarded security checkpoint and enter into the city in which Jesus was born. A church is built over the location, and the church is a source of great conflict between the Greek Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Armenian Church. The Greek Orthodox Church and the Armenian Church share an entrance to the church (a famous entrance, apparently), and the Roman Catholic Church has a separate entrance off to the side. The church was beautiful.
Tunnel leading to the Manger Cave:
The spot where Jesus was born:
Where the manger was located
This is also the church from which the Roman Catholic Church broadcasts their Mass every Christmas.
Old Bethlehem:
This used to be the shepherd's fields - likely where the host of angels appeared to the shepherds:
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