Jerusalem Syndrome

The last two days have been so freaking busy it is unreal. Running on about 5 hours of sleep a night, we have covered the Old City like hummus on a pita. Every morning we wake up at 7 and have a delicious Middle Eastern breakfast.

Yesterday we met with Albert Aghazarian. He is one of the most amazing people I will probably ever meet. We met in his study in the morning, which in the Armenian quarter. We all talked, shared books and drank Arabic coffee, accompanied with cookies. Afterwards, he showed us around the entire Old City, and took us on a roof that overlooked everything. We visited the Church of Holy Sepulcher, which was insanely crowded with tourists that we could really enjoy it. Albert was an amazing guide to the city; he has been the most unbiased person I have heard speak about the city. "In the end, it is not abought having the promise land, but having a promising land..." And today we ran into him on the street, coincidentally, and he said "too much religion and not enough love." Brilliant man, I hope I get to see him again.
We had lunch with the Khattab Family Lunch in Beyt Tsaffa. WOW. The grandfather told us his story over the most delicious food I have ever had in my life. He brought everyone to tears, including himself. When he was 17 Jordan built a fence separating the village he lived in, and tearing his family apart. Him and his 10 year old sister we stuck on the Israeli side, while the rest of their family on the Jordan side. He spent 4o years struggling to regain his rites….
After lunch, we had another tour of the Old city. We take so many tours because it is impossible to find an unbiased guide. It is very interesting, and part of the ethnographic process, to analyze what each of them says while showing you the city. This particular guide was a little biased against Israel. I find the graffiti in the city to be most interesting, and the fact that the locals still use markets rather than grocery stores… I still haven’t really wrapped my head around that one. Once we got back to the hostel we met Naomi Chazan. She is another one of the most amazing people I will ever meet in my life. You should look her up, coolest lady ever. She grew up in Jerusalem, and now is a huge peace activist.

Today was absolutely mind blowing. We went to temple mount, and actually went INSIDE Dome of the Rock!!!! Seriously, non Muslims are not allowed in. Dr. H must know some very important people… The experience was beyond spiritual, this city is full of holiness, and we all officially have the “Jerusalem Syndrome.” This just means we are going crazy.