Jerusalem

An awe-inspiring blend of the best of the spiritual and secular worlds

Image: businessinsider.com.au

I just returned from a three-day junket to the Holy Land, where I got a much-needed reinfusion of the ancient energy that pervades every tree and stone there. Disembarking from the New City’s light rail, the brief walk along the 400-year-old Ottoman walls of the Old City towards Jaffa Gate is a visual feast of traditions from Cassock-clad Greek Orthodox Priests, hijab-covered young women luxuriating in ice cream as they stroll, sundry tourists from every corner of the world, and Jews of all sorts, some with sidelocks, some with sidearms, some with arms inked up like Williamsburg hipsters. What is it that unites all of these people in this venerated place?

Jerusalem, conquered by King David from the Jebusites, is 2,776 years older than the United States. On the heels of the two Jewish commonwealths (1000 BCE – 586 BCE and then 530 BCE – 70 CE), it was captured and recaptured by a dizzying array of cultures, including the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Byzantines, the Umayyad and Fatimid empires, Crusaders, the Mamluks, and the British. The city is set in a valley with no easy access to water or natural resources. What explains the ardent and enduring attention it has always received?

There may be no easy answer to this question. Part of it is surely the pure weight of all that has transpired there. Part of it is the intensity of the significance of its holy sites (within a five-minute walk, you can visit some of the holiest places to all the Abrahamic Faiths: The Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher). But there is something more. I would describe it as a presence or a calling. In the same way as New York is pulsating with the energy of the generation of capital (Wall St) and the Arts (Broadway), Jerusalem has a similar fixation on the transcendent. Everything seems to support and nurture it, the music, the clothing, the architecture, the street signs, everything.

Image: timesofisrael.com (Noam Chen)

And yet, this engine of transcendence, its eyes always heavenward, constantly extending itself towards the ineffable, is couched in modernity. The restaurants are very good. There are film festivals, a marathon, excellent galleries, museums, and concerts. In the course of a day, you could hike, spelunk, take a pilates class, and then pray in your chosen fashion in what several religions consider the center of the Universe. For people who vibe with both lifestyles, it’s extremely satisfying.

It’s true that Jerusalem has long been a center of strife, with many peoples wanting a slice of the pie. Still, there’s an equilibrium. Anyone who has visited can attest to the remarkable diversity as well as the overall harmony. People are free to be what they are and to wear it proudly. Despite the siloed Old City with its four quarters (Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Armenian), there is also a blending and a sharing of space. Each has its own holy places and approach to the ineffable, but they all take the light rail, and everyone adores chumus. It’s a beautiful thing.

Image: timesofisrael.com (Noam Chen)

Jerusalem has meant a great deal to a great many people for a very long time. My visit has left me wondering aloud if it could serve as a model once again, for what is most significant in this life, scaffolded in a modern, convenient, and artful setting. William Blake endeavored (with his pen) to reproduce Jerusalem’s meaning and majesty in his native England. Maybe he had it right.

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the Holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!

And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In Englands green & pleasant Land.