Jerusalem November 7, 2014 Our little group of 6 started before 8AM to beat the Friday "volcano" as Dror has described it. It seems since tensions have mounted again due to the Gaza trouble several months ago every Friday has had the potential for serious violence between the Moslem Palestinians and the Israeli police. All night I heard police cars and army trucks massing along the streets. As we drove to the Garden of Gethsemane we had to pass several checkpoints designed to deter the Moslems. Friday is their holy day and at 11:30 each week thousands gather at the Temple Mount ,their holy place ,to pray and chant. It is at this time that trouble can happen from some of the hot heads. the Temple Mount which is the golden dome you see in the pictures, is right next to the wailing wall. In the past agitators have thrown rocks down on the heads of the praying Jews .  Anyway we got early to the church which now covers the rock that Jesus prayed at and where Judas betrayed him. Outside are ancient olive trees , some so old they witnessed this incident. Inside a Mass was being celebrated and I was able to receive communion right at the rock. It was very special. We then drove around the city and parked near the Jaffa gate to begin our 6 hour tour on foot of this holy city where apparently none of the major religions seem to be able to get along. Much of the time was spent in the church of the holy sepulcher which is where Christ was crucified and buried. It is a mammoth structure which is subdivided into innumerable smaller churches each assigned to different Christian sects , none of which are Protestant. There were Armenian, Roman, Coptic, Ethiopian, and predominately Greek Orthodox chapels. they have worked out schedules for each of their daily rituals. we saw the spot of Jesus' tomb and where the cross was hung. We were able to light candles for our loved ones and touch the stone upon which His body was laid after he died. It was crowded with Asians,Russians and East Indian women in their beautiful colorful finest saris. So many unrecognizable languages in the air.  We also toured the Arab, Christian, Jewish and Armenian quarters . these are mainly along the Via Dolorosa, where Christ carried the cross and several spots commemorated in the stations of the cross are signposted. I left messages in the women's side of the wailing wall being careful to back away after paying respects. Everywhere we turned was history , all contained within a square mile. Also everywhere were the police and army,armed to the teeth with tear gas grenades, huge firearms and riot gear. When 12:30 came and there was no eruption from the Temple Mount you could see they stood down a little and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Now the Jews began to get ready for Shabat, their sabbath, which means everyone has to be home and have all work done by 5 PM. All public transportation stops , stores close and even no cooking allowed. We ate a late lunch of falafels and started the 100 mile drive back to Haifa to the mother ship.  I really felt I have gotten a much better idea of the issues of Israel and Palestine. I can see both sides but have to wonder how this will all go in the future.