We had decided on Friday morning to go to Rachel's Tomb after all, but the question was how to get there. We wanted to take a bus there, and Shosh suggested I ask at the front desk about when the local bus would come, so we could get the bus at the Central Bus Station to Rachel's Tomb.
Then we were approached by Abraham.
He is a taxi driver for the hotel, and he suggested driving us there, plus driving us to a place nearby, the tomb of Shmuel HaNavi. His going rate was more than we were planning on spending - 120 shekalim per hour (about $38 an hour) - but we couldn't argue with the fact that it would be quicker, and we would get the opportunity to see more than we had planned. So we decided to go with him.
At this point, I should point out that passing through checkpoints is not quite the image you see on the news - though sometimes it is. The checkpoints to get through to Shmuel’s Tomb was a small one, and we were able to get through without a problem. We davened for a bit there, and took some photos, and got back in the car. Getting to Rachel's Tomb is something else. The cab driver had to wait outside while we took a bus through the next checkpoint - and it's here you also get an up close look at the security fence/the wall, which was probably about 30 feet high. The bus going back would be another hour, so we had plenty of time to pray there. While there, we also saw part of a Bas Mitzvah that was taking place over there. You're not likely to see such a bash on "My Super Sweet 16", but trust me - such a party would have to cost quite a bit of money, between the van going there and back and the photographer.
Once we were done, we had another choice to make. Abraham, our cab driver, offered to take us to Mearas Ha'Machpeila, the Tomb of the Patriarchs. My uncle Avraham has gone there many times in the past. According to him and my aunt Miriam, the shul they have there even accepted a Torah scroll from him (which can cost in excess of $50,000), which is not something they do lightly. My uncle would tell me that I should go there, to experience it. To experience it, though, would cost us another 500 Shekels.
The heck with it, we went.
Most of the ride there was without incident. Israel has set up a bunch of bypass roads, to allow people to get from one place to another without having to go through Palestinian territory (though we did, again, see more of the security wall on the way there). Once we got through the second to last checkpoint, though, is when things got really sketchy. For all the advances Israelis have put up in their communities, most of the Palestinian roads and houses look like they haven't been updated since the dawn of time. Most of the houses looked like they were bombed out, and although there was not too many people on the road (since it was Friday, when many Muslims are in the mosques), there was always the possibility of someone throwing rocks or shooting at our car - hence the high price to get there.
Once we got through the checkpoint to get to the area of the Tomb, though, then we all started to relax. There's not much in the way I can describe the feeling of passing through a place where our Biblical ancestors lived - and seeing a bunch of Muslim covers on the places where the tombs are supposed to be (half of the building is reserved for Muslims, and it's enforced with armed security guards). Still, we were able to say our prayers, and I got the feeling of openness that my uncle must have when he goes there. Yes, there are hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living right next to the 700 or so Jews in the area - but if it weren't for them, we wouldn't be able to see the Tomb at all.
On the way back, we decided to use Abraham for our day trip to Ein Gedi and Masada. Yes, it'll cost us plenty of money, but there's something supremely cool about getting a private tour in a taxi through a bunch of biblical areas.
Friday afternoon, we walked to the middle of the city. Shosh's friend Towa was spending the weekend in a hostel with some of her family, so we were going to go there to spend some time with her and have dinner (and lunch the next day) at the hostel. After we lit candles to start the Sabbath, we walked to the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem, which is a big building that has room for hundreds of people for prayers. It was nice being able to listen to a real choir as part of maariv. Dinner wasn't too bad - it was a buffet style with beef, chicken and a bunch of side dishes. The place was only a third full, so I didn't feel guilty of taking a second helping... until the other two thirds showed up almost an hour after we did. Oops! Then we found out that the 'lunch' we had already paid for was actually breakfast - from 7 AM to 9:30 AM. *sigh* oh, well...
Shabbos was pretty quiet. We got up late, around 9:30, and realized that we would be too late to walk to the Western Wall, so we opted to say shacharis downstairs. Though by the time we got downstairs, the minyan was already finishing. Oh, well. By the time we finished, though, I was just exhausted because I had a bad night's sleep, so we went upstairs and spent a good part of the day sleeping and reading in our hotel room. We did go out during the day for a walk in the area near our hotel, but we came back after an hour or so.
After shabbas was over, we decided to go to the Jerusalem Mall, which is the largest mall in Jerusalem. Getting there with a taxi was a bit of an adventure. A quick note - Israeli drivers have a notorious reputation as being a bit nutty on the road, and I can confirm this. It's a good thing we were wearing seat belts lol.
Once we got there, we were both struck by how big the mall is (it's not the world's biggest, but at three floors, it has plenty of room), but even more so by how many people were at the mall. It was like walking through Times Square in a big mall. Just thousands and thousands of people going all over the place, and hundreds of people lining up to see one of a bunch of movies at the movie theater there.
When we went to a bookshop to get some books for ourselves, we found four books we wanted to get. And then we were asked if we wanted to buy a jar of coffee. Or two. Because some bookstores here have a promotion that if you buy two books, buying a jar of coffee (which costs around 25 shekels, or about $7) will get you the second book (which can cost three times as much or more) for free. We had this also on Thursday, when we bought a couple of books on Jaffa Road, and since we'd be saving a total of more than 100 shekels, it just made sense. Except we now have three jars of coffee! Anyone want some?
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