A visit to Jerusalem

[Balanbam00]

The significance of the Mount of Olives cannot be understated, both in terms of its history – it has been a Jewish cemetery since biblical times – and conversely, in terms of the crucial role it is predicted to play in the end of days.

Seen in full sunlight from the direction of the Temple Mount, directly to the west, the most striking feature of the Mount of Olives is the gleaming, dense array of gravestones – some 150,000, in fact – splayed seemingly haphazardly across its western slope. Jews have been interred in the Mount of Olives for thousands of years, although, more recently, fewer and fewer have been buried there. Among the reasons for this is the fact that the cemetery is simply overcrowded. Also, between 1948 and 1967, the Mount of Olives was controlled by Jordan (which, besides forbidding Jewish burials, systematically desecrated many of the graves), and by the time it was captured by Israel in 1967, residents of western Jerusalem had already established other cemeteries.

The graves of countless prominent Jewish figures dot the mountainside, among them King David’s son Absalom, and from more recent times, Rav Kook and Menachem Begin. The Mount of Olives is mentioned in the Bible several times, the first in connection with King David, who climbed the Mount during his flight from Absalom. However, the most famous mention is in the Book of Zecharia, which states that at the End of Days,

God will stand on the Mount of Olives as the mountain splits in two, signalling the beginning of the Resurrection of the Dead.

In the photo Absalom’s Tomb. Although traditionally ascribed to Absalom, the rebellious son of King David of Israel (circa 1000 BC), recent scholarship has dated it to the 1st century AD.

[Balanbam00]

The Churches of the Mount of Olives

The Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene, Jerusalem.





The Mount of Olives overlooks Jerusalem’s Old City it is home to some of the most beautiful and historic churches in the city.
Russian Orthodox Convent and Church of the Ascension
The 64 meter tall tower of this site stands out from its location in the village of A-Tur located on the Mount of Olives. According to Russian Orthodox tradition this was the site of Jesus’ ascension. The church and convent were built in 1870-1887 and there is also a chapel dedicated to John the Baptist.

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[Balanbam00]

The Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene, Jerusalem.

[wanderlust]

What's the covid situation re visiting Israel Balan?

[Balanbam00]

Wanderlust : Shalom.

Its not good, we seemed to be defeating it slowly but now another wave has come. We can go out without a mask ,where is open spaces ,but if store ,shops etc we must wear a mask.
Todays Jerusalem post,
COVID: Entrance of vaccinated to Israel postponed again amid outbreak
Amid concerns over the rising number of coronavirus cases, police to employ an SMS-based system to verify location of those quarantining.

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/...ositive-674215

Vaccinated tourists will not be allowed to enter Israel on August 1, as had been previously planned, Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Nachman Ash said Sunday, also announcing that the authorities will discuss measures to restrict all travel.
“We are postponing the date for the entry of tourists; it is not going to happen on August 1,” he said, adding that a new date has not been set. “Unfortunately, the current situation does not permit us to allow tourists to enter.”

Earlier in the day, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said the possibility of another lockdown exists, but the government is not considering it as of now and the goal is to avoid it.
“Of course it is possible that there will be another lockdown, but we are not discussing it now,” Horowitz told Army Radio. “Everyone can understand that if there is a huge outbreak here, including in serious morbidity, we will get there. We are taking measures so that we are not going to need it.”

Some 430 new virus carriers were identified on Saturday, with 1.47% of the 33,000 tests processed returning a positive result. The previous day, there were 1,120 cases out of 76,000 tests – the highest since March.

On Friday, Bennett said the Pfizer vaccine is less effective against the Delta variant, which currently represents the vast majority of cases in Israel.
“We do not know exactly to what degree the vaccine helps, but it is significantly less,” he noted.
Israel might decide to give elderly people a third coronavirus vaccine without waiting for authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration, as the number of serious patients – while still limited – started to climb at a significant pace in the past few days, reaching 125 on Monday night, 24 more than in the morning.

The decision might be made in the coming weeks, but some details remain open – for example whether to give the booster to people over 60 or over 70.

[sinkov]

Wanderlust : Shalom.

Its not good, we seemed to be defeating it slowly but now another wave has come. We can go out without a mask ,where is open spaces ,but if store ,shops etc we must wear a mask.
Todays Jerusalem post,
COVID: Entrance of vaccinated to Israel postponed again amid outbreak
Amid concerns over the rising number of coronavirus cases, police to employ an SMS-based system to verify location of those quarantining.

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/...ositive-674215

Vaccinated tourists will not be allowed to enter Israel on August 1, as had been previously planned, Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Nachman Ash said Sunday, also announcing that the authorities will discuss measures to restrict all travel.
“We are postponing the date for the entry of tourists; it is not going to happen on August 1,” he said, adding that a new date has not been set. “Unfortunately, the current situation does not permit us to allow tourists to enter.”

Earlier in the day, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said the possibility of another lockdown exists, but the government is not considering it as of now and the goal is to avoid it.
“Of course it is possible that there will be another lockdown, but we are not discussing it now,” Horowitz told Army Radio. “Everyone can understand that if there is a huge outbreak here, including in serious morbidity, we will get there. We are taking measures so that we are not going to need it.”

Some 430 new virus carriers were identified on Saturday, with 1.47% of the 33,000 tests processed returning a positive result. The previous day, there were 1,120 cases out of 76,000 tests – the highest since March.

On Friday, Bennett said the Pfizer vaccine is less effective against the Delta variant, which currently represents the vast majority of cases in Israel.
“We do not know exactly to what degree the vaccine helps, but it is significantly less,” he noted.
Israel might decide to give elderly people a third coronavirus vaccine without waiting for authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration, as the number of serious patients – while still limited – started to climb at a significant pace in the past few days, reaching 125 on Monday night, 24 more than in the morning.

The decision might be made in the coming weeks, but some details remain open – for example whether to give the booster to people over 60 or over 70.

Even Israel still operates under the illusion that they can 'control' the virus, while all along the reality is that the virus 'controls' them.

[sinkov]

Just looking at your excellent photos of the Russian Orthodox church Balan, when Mrs S walked past, looked over my shoulder and asked, 'Is that Brighton' ?

What can you say ?

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Just looking at your excellent photos of the Russian Orthodox church Balan, when Mrs S walked past, looked over my shoulder and asked, 'Is that Brighton' ?

What can you say ?

Mrs BT sits next to me on her laptop and after seeing Balan's photos said, "We need to visit Moscow, the Kremlin looks lovely!"

[Balanbam00]

I have to work it out how she can see such a church, looks like she is peeking at what u r looking at? While she ''sits next to me on her laptop''?

[Balanbam00]

sinkov :Actually, Its copied from a postcard of Hove, she was close. :-)