09 Nov Exploring the holy city of jerusalem

Walking the Old City of Jerusalem with Isaac –

Gary Schneider and I are so grateful to Isaac for his personal tour of the Old City of Jerusalem. Isaac does amazing work through HaTikva Families and our time together was memorable.
I wish that time allowed a more detailed accounting of the experiences depicted in these photographs but for now, here is our day in The Old City of Jerusalem in pictures.

The photographs below are from mine and Gary’s arrival Thursday night to the Nachlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem. Nachlaot was such a colorful vibrant neighborhood, making our Airbnb the perfect location from which to explore the Old City area of Jerusalem and attend the Orphan Shabbat events.

Our airbnb was within walking distance of the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem… no place like it in the world

The following photographs are from our time with Isaac and Evangeline at Givat Ha’radar (Hebrew name)

Location: Har Adar, Jerusalem mountains
Radar Hill is the memorial site for the Harel Brigade. The hill rises well above its surroundings. The observation tower on top of the hill, designed by architect Aryeh Sharon and his son Eldad, offers one of the most spectacular views of the Jerusalem mountains. During the War of Independence, the Harel Brigade tried but failed to capture this site. The hill was captured during the Six Day War (1967). Combat vehicles and tanks that took part in the battles for Jerusalem are located at the foot of the tower. From Radar Hill, the KKL-JNF 1948 Trail descends into the Maale HaHamisha Forest and ends at the Kiryat Anavim Military Cemetery. The path is two kilometers long. The local Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim was established in 1920, and at the beginning of the War of Independence it served as the base of the Harel Brigade soldiers. In January of 1948, members of the Palmach who fell in the battles on the road to Jerusalem were buried along the side of the Kibbutz cemetery. Most of these fallen soldiers were from the Harel Brigade and some from the Etzioni Brigade, which defended the city of Jerusal

Such a memorable evening with new friends, exploring Radar Hill and observing Shabbat with new friends. Thank you Rachel and Isaac and little Evangeline for taking us into your home and making us feel like family. Observing Shabbat together is a memory I will always cherish. After showing Evangeline all of my little dog Inchy’s photographs I hope I get too introduce the two of in person on their net trip to the US.

Our time with new family in Israel made it hard to say goodbye but Gary and I look forward to returning.

The next day Gary and I crossed the border into Jordan to be at three Orphan Sunday services, I look forward to sharing that experience in my next post.