My visit to Israel

I had the good fortune of visiting Bethlehem the holy city of the Christians during my just concluded visit to Israel.  In Bethlehem the cave is pointed out where Jesus was born, and the manger in the cave where He was wrapped in swaddling clothes. And the rumor is in those places, and among foreigners of the Faith, that indeed Jesus was born in this cave who is worshiped by the Christians.

The main Basilica of the Nativity is designed like a typical Roman basilica, with five aisles & in the eastern end where the sanctuary is. The church features golden mosaics covering the side walls, which are now largely decayed. The basilica is entered through a very low door, called the "Door of Humility." There is a trap door in the modern floor which opens up to reveal a portion of the original mosaic floor.

The Grotto of the Nativity, an underground cave located beneath the basilica, enshrines the site where Jesus is said to have been born. The exact spot is marked beneath an altar by a 14-pointed Silver Star set into the marble floor and surrounded by silver lamps. Another altar in the Grotto, which is maintained by the Roman Catholics, marks the site where traditionally Mary laid the newborn Baby in the manger.

I prayed for all my Christian friends there & bought rosaries for them. Bethleham was a spiritual experience & I came filled with peace.

Jerusalem is a holy city to the three major Abrahamic religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam

In Judaism, Jerusalem has been the holiest city since, according to the Torah, King David  of Israel first established it as the capital of the united Kingdom of Israel, and his son Solomon commissioned the building of the First Temple in the city. In Christianity, Jerusalem has been a holy city since, according to the New Testament, Jesus was crucified. In Sunni Islam, Jerusalem is the third-holiest city. It became the first Qibla, the focal point for Muslim prayer (Salah) and, according to Islamic tradition; Muhammad made his ascent to heaven from there ten years later.

I visited the Prison of Christ -Church of the Holy Sepulcher & walked the Via Dolorosa, the path along which Christ was taken for his crucifixion. I was transported back in time & felt profound grief.

I was fortunate to pray at the Wailing Wall. The sages state that anyone who prays in the Temple in Jerusalem, “it is as if he has prayed before the throne of glory because the gate of heaven is situated there and it is open to hear prayer. It is said that if water seeps through its rocks, a messiah is arriving. It is said to form a part of the holy Temple Mount built by King David.

Masada, is the name for a site of ancient palaces and fortifications  in the South District of Israel on top of an isolated rock plateau, on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. The sheer primitive beauty of this site with its imposing cliffs & the beautiful Dead Sea at a distance are awe inspiring. I was taken up by the cable car to the rhomboid shaped plateau on top. Many of the ancient buildings, bath houses, synagogues remain as do the elaborate water systems built by the Romans as they laid siege to the Jewish rebels. As I was admiring the raw beauty I was brought back to the present grim situation as I saw the Israeli war planes performing air exercises very close to Masada.

How can a visit to this area be complete without a float on the Dead Sea. Having read so much about it, I was well prepared for its sticky consistency & oppressive heat of the region. But I was totally unprepared for the stinging that the water could cause if it was brought in contact with my eyes! I also enjoyed a mud bath in the famed mud baths there. It made a school kid out of me once again!

My trip to Yad Vasheim, the Holocaust Museum left me pained & deeply disturbed. The terrible atrocities committed on the entire Jewish race for no apparent reason but the dictum of an insane megalomaniac has left such a deep & profound impact on the entire world. The wounds inflicted are still sore & simmering.

This has indeed been a memorable trip for me with mixed emotions of gratitude, joy, sorrow, pain & disbelief that I have felt for all the multi religious people who have traveled to this holy land