Michal David
Tour guide in Israel
&
Archaeologist
A Jewish oriented tour of Jerusalem
Jerusalem has been the Capital of the Jewish people at three Historical time periods: 3000 years ago, in the days of the bible, 2000 years ago, in the days of the second Jewish temple and 1948, at the establishment of the modern Jewish state of Israel.
and yet, throughout the ages, when Jerusalem was ruled by The Romans, Muslims, Crusaders and more, the Jews have always been around, or cried over the faith of the city from a far while
constantly promising to meet next year, in Jerusalem.
Let's go on a tour of the Old city that puts the Jewish narrative of Jerusalem in the center and discover why this city is the most important place in the world for all Jews.
We will start our day at the City of David, the place where it all began. King David conquered this Jebusite city over 3000 years ago, and made it the eternal capital of the Jewish people. Tour what some archaeologists believe are the foundations of King David’s palace, see evidence of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE, go underground into the Jebusite water system built in 1800 BCE, and then giggle and splash as you wade through the chilly waters of the pitch-black King Hezekiah’s Tunnel, dug out to supply spring water to Jerusalem in anticipation of the siege of the year 700 BCE. Don’t forget your water shoes and flashlights! We end at the Siloam Pool, where Jewish pilgrims, in Jerusalem for the three yearly Jewish festivals, congregated as they began their ascent to the Temple grounds.
From the Siloam pool we will ascend through an underground tunnel all the way up to The Davidson Center, an archaeological park located at the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount. Explore the Southern Wall Excavations, to see the market place where Jewish pilgrims purchased all the necessary items needed and the mikvehs (ritual baths) they used before entering Holy Temple grounds.
We will then visit The Kotel (Western Wall) , a relatively small section of the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, which in ancient times housed the First and Second Temples of the Jewish people. For almost 2,000 years, this wall was the closest Jews could get to the place where the Holy of Holies stood, and Jews have been praying there ever since. This enduring fragment of the Temple complex has come to symbolize the indestructible attachment of the Jewish people to the land of Israel.
We will explore the Jewish Quarter of the Old City including the Cardo (the ancient marketplace from Roman times), the Broad Wall and walk by the Hurva Synagogue – destroyed in the 1948 War of Independence by the Jordanian army and recently completely rebuilt.
Finish the day with a climb up the Tower of David, for the best viewpoint over the entire old city.
