Day 6 First night in Jerusalem

Grueling day yesterday.

Mark got up at 4 am for a sunrise hike up to Masada, with some of our group. I meant to go, because a couple of us were going to do some yoga sun salutations up on the top there as the sun peeked over the mountains. But I couldn't make myself sleep early enough, so I "slept in" until 6, had breakfast with the rest of the group, and we took a tram to the top.

Masada was impressive. Built originally by Herod, in later centuries a group of religious Jews retreated there as their rebellion against the Roman Empire failed. The Romans laid seige to Masada and pretty much everyone inside died. Apparently they killed themselves (or the men did, after killing their wives and children.) rather than become slaves to the Romans. A noble story, and a huge point of pride not just in the Israeli psyche but for Jews all over the world. But in light of current issues, the story does not bode well in my heart for peace in the region. In fact I became rather distressed.

Even so, there are some nice Romanesque frescoes, a Roman style bath, the remains of an early church (built much later, maybe closer to 300 AD). The view was incredible.

From Masada, on to a refreshing dip at the oasis of Ein Gedi. Lovely spot! Cool refreshing water. Reminds me that even though I like heat, I also love water. (Why I adore the tropics!)

From Ein Gedi to Qumran, the site of the community of Essenes that existed up to 68 AD. John the Baptist may well have been an Essene, or lived with them for some time. This is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, and an extremely important archeological site. However, at more than 110 degrees with no shade, it was a site I could maybe have missed, there wasn't much to look at really.

So exhausted and dusty, we went from Qumran and entered at last into Jerusalem. Very emotional moment. People cried. The rabbi led a little ceremony of celebration on a hilltop overlooking the Old City. Jerusalem is beautiful. Really stunning.

The group had dinner with the founder of Jerusalem Open House, the GLBT center here. They are completely ecumenical, serving secular Jews, as well as ultra-Orthodox Jews and Palestinians from the West Bank. In fact they run the only program in Israel that benefits Palestinians...not just the only gay/lesbian program, really the only program of any kind in Israel. Also present was David Ehrlich, whom our friend Alwyn Walley said we should get in touch with while we're here, so there's a nice coincidence.



Mark and I took a long nap after dinner. Got up around midnight to search for the one and only gay bar in Jerusalem. It took us a couple of hours, literally, to find it, even when it was a ten-minute walk from the hotel...but the finding was very fun! There were lots of young people running around, we hung out with some for a while. We came out to them (after a bit), they were curious but still mostly focused on getting drunk. (I think three of them threw up in the few minutes we were talking. Ah, youth!)

We finally found the bar, and it was hoppin'. It's a dark, smokey little dance club, but everyone was super friendly. I think any one with any means to do so parties in Tel Aviv on the weekend, so this bar gets an unpretentious, not monied kind of crowd. A young crowd, but more mixed, ethnically and age-wise, than the bar we saw in Tel Aviv. The crowd was very friendly and talkative. We met an Armenian boy who belly danced, and a young Israeli woman who actually lives near Haifa but her building was destroyed in the bombing. At some point an ultra-Orthodox Israeli came in, wearing the black hat and coat. It was hard to read what was going on, but we thought some of the queens were teasing him; on the other hand, he didn't respond when people were just trying to talk, either. Poor guy will not have an easy life.

Tomorrow we get to sleep in, and take a walk on the walls of the Old City.