Shabbat in Jerusalem

July 12, 2008
Shabbat is a day of rest and leisure. This might not have been the case for our group. Some opted to sleep late, stay at the hotel and sit at the pool. Others visited the Italian Synagogue, the Great Synagogue and the Synagogue of the Masorti (Conservative) movement. Still other went out exploring on their own. At 12:30 a bunch of us gathered in the lobby and headed to the Old City. After a short stop at the Jaffa Gate for money changing, drink purchases and facilities we headed straight down David St (or the Street of the Chain), turned left on Christian Quarter Rd went to the end and turned right on Al Khanka St to visit the shop of our dear friend of 38 years George Kahvedjian. George’s father Elia survived the Armenian Genocide and made his way to Israel (then Palestine) as an orphan. He apprenticed as a photographer and became one himself. That has been the family business for decades. A few years ago in the mid 90’s George discovered not only his father’s negatives as early as the late 20’s but also some older ones that Elia had collected, some even made of glass. George started selling prints and compiled a book of his father’s photos with the help of his son Eli. The group then split up on their separate ways. Some bought photos, others shopped elsewhere in the shuk (market), some went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and some went to our favorite hummus shop, Abu Shukri which is a tiny hole in the wall place but has some of the best hummus and falafel in Israel. Once again the local economy had a boost.
It is so nice to see so many people in the Old City, both tour groups, Israelis and of course Palestinians filling the streets. Being Shabbat you also see many Hasidim and others making their ways to and from the Wall. Some of us met near the Jaffa Gate to return to the hotel while others continued their Old city exploration and shopping.
Again we had a free evening. Jan, Ben and I went to our friend George’s home with Alan’s brother Bob who had come for the day from his kibbutz. We had a wonderful banquet with George, his wife Hasmiq and two of their children and three grandchildren. We were sorry to leave when we had to return to the hotel for a 10:30 havdalah.
About 2/3 of the group gathered to bid farewell to a delightful Jerusalem Shabbat. Sarah, Josh and Helen assisted me for the ceremony. Afterwards we shared some reflections on our wonderful experiences. Many of the people spoke of the interpersonal experiences both within the group and with those they have met as a very significant part of this trip. We went to bed knowing that we only had 2 more days before heading home.