Israel: jerusalem
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The Tomb Of The Son’s Of Hezir In Jerusalem
The Tomb of The Son’s of Hezir, located in the Kidron Valley adjacent to Jerusalem’s Old City, is actually historically correct (unlike the Tomb of Absalom and the Tomb of Zechariah that are neither tombs nor for those attributed!) and was teh burial cave for an important family of Kohanim, priests in the Holy Temple. This hewn (meaning carved from the hill) burial cave is dated to the Hasmonean period (the second century BCE), and above the opening is an inscription identifying the deceased which says: “This is the tomb and the nefesh of Eliezer, Haniah, Joezer, Judah, Simeon, Johanan, sons of Joseph son of Obed. Joseph and Eliezer sons…
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The Tomb Of Zechariah In Jerusalem
The Tomb of Zechariah, which is located in the Kidron Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives is truly a stunning site. But please don’t be disappointed to learn that Zechariah is not buried here. It was constructed apparently for someone else, who for whatever reason did not merit to have their name associated with it thousands of years later. Such is life! Or rather such is history, things get mixed up a bit, sort of like the game of telephone, but over a long period of time. Will Americans understand in a thousand years why kleenex is called kleenex? Do you even know why is it called…
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The Tomb Of Absalom In Jerusalem
This past Passover holiday I finally had the chance to visit a spot previously only seen from the car, The Tomb of Absalom. Absolutely do include this in your next visit to Jerusalem’s Old City, it is truly interesting! Located in the Kidron Valley, or Valley of The Kings, at the bottom of the Mount of Olives Jewish cemetary, the Tomb of Absalom is not really a tomb as far as anyone knows, and if it it, not of Absalom, but so be it, history gets a bit mixed up sometimes over the course of thousands of years! Just as the Tower of David has nothing to do with David,…
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Fields Of Red Poppies In The Kidron Valley, Jerusalem
Okay dear readers, here is another WOW moment that happened to me and my 13 year old son during our adventures in the Old City of Jerusalem this past Passover. While these amazing fields of red poppies in bloom in the Kidron Valley, just below the walls of the Old City, was something publicized on a poster, I did not see that poster (fortunately) and completely by accident we stumbled upon one of the most stunning displays of wild flowers I have ever seen in Israel, any I really just couldn’t believe it. I also couldn’t believe that while this is something that occurs each Spring, it was new to…
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Lovely Weeds On The Old City Jerusalem Walls
During our 11 night stay in the Old City of Jerusalem, one of my favorite sites was the Ramparts Walk, NOT TO BE MISSED! And of course, as a lover of things botanical, I just had to photograph some of the weeds growing on the ancient walls. And guess what, my daughter (who had to speed ahead in order to catch a bus back up North and bring the rest of our Passover food from the freezer at home as we unexpectedly decided to stay in Jerusalem) took the very same picture of the very same weed. Such a proud parent moment! This weed looks very similar to a snap…
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What Is The Temple Mount? Can I Go There?
Entrance to The Temple Mount within the Muslim Quarter, Jewish Law forbids entrance by Jews, and in any case only Muslims are allowed entrance through this gate. The Temple Mount refers to the elevated plaza above the Kotel (Western Wall) in Jerusalem that was the site of both of The Jewish People’s ancient temples. The first temple, built by King Solomon, was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The second was built in the sixth century BCE and stood for nearly 600 years before it was destroyed and the Jewish people exiled in 70 CE by the Roman Empire. Jews continue to mourn the destruction on the fast day of…
