Oh, Jerusalem.
How does the city sit solitary, that was full of people!
So begins Eicha, the Book of Lamentations read at night on Tisha B’Av.
We are in what is known as the Nine Days that end with Tisha B’Av, Wednesday night, and Thursday, August 29 – 30, 2020.
With the COVID-19 restrictions, the Old City will not be teeming with crowds as usual.
This view from the step toward Plaza of the Kotel, the Western Wall, is well known.
The area inside called Wilson’s Arch is not as familiar. This inside space had been closed much of the time due to coronavirus restrictions.
However, this week on the eve of Rosh Chodesh Av, leading Israeli rabbis attended a special afternoon service to pray for health and relief from the coronavirus pandemic.
Underneath the Jerusalem streets, excavations continue with new finds.
A significant administrative storage center from the days of Kings Hezekiah and Manasseh (8th century to the middle of the 7th century BCE) was recently been exposed in an archaeological excavation near the US Embassy in the Arnona neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Restoration work has progressed on the Pilgrims’ Path.
This is the road underground which runs from Shiloah Pool to the Old City, where the Jewish Temples once stood.
The actual old stones remain along what was the busy route on the holidays thousands of years ago.
Three years ago when it was first opened to media,
this video was recorded for an official explanation.
The Roman market place might have looked like this scene.
Under Pilgrim Road, the drainage system has also been excavated. This is where the last Jews hid until the Romans found and murdered them.
The earth removed was carefully searched for bits of history, last year we participated in the sifting project. The best we found were nice pieces of pottery.
However, discoveries include this Roman coin issued after the destruction of Jerusalem.
Five years ago, the exhibit “By the Rivers of Babylon” opened at the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem, see HERE, and is still a favorite.
With only limited attendance allowed in museums now due to coronavirus health restrictions, a new feature was a virtual tour of BLMJ.
The Romans destroyed the Temple and leveled Jerusalem.
The Jewish inhabitants were murdered or exiled.
Stones of destruction as they remain today.
For the first time in many years, I do not plan to walk around the walls of the Old City on Tisha B’Av.
Crowds will not pack into the Kotel, Western Wall plaza this year.
COVID-19 restrictions are limiting the annual walk to 50 people.
How does the city sit solitary, that was full of people!
Next year in Jerusalem, even for those of us in Jerusalem has taken on new meaning.
