Mount Zion | The Jerusalem Intercultural Center

Special Jerusalem Day Tour of Mount Zion, by Window on Mount Zion

What is a more typical way to commemorate Jerusalem Day than a day on Mount Zion?

Learning about Mt. Zion

The Window to Mount Zion project was fortunate to be a part of A Different Day in Jerusalem, an alternative way to celebrate and re-claim Jerusalem Day. The activity featured a tour of Mount Zion and its major sites, with an emphasis on the status quo agreements and tolerance. The tour surveyed historic events that have fashioned the approaches of various residents of and visitors to Mount Zion. During the tour the participants heard about the delicate relations and coexistence that have been forged among the different residents. Participants met with two – Deputy Director of the Diaspora Yeshiva, Eli Dan, and a monk from the Dormition community, Father Daniel. Each presented Mount Zion from his viewpoint, and told of the challenges and opportunities in inter-religious relations.

Meeting with Father Daniel

“The tour was fascinating as far as I was concerned,” said one participant. “It began with the diverse group who participated – young and old, Jerusalemites and not, who came to hear about the complexities and the successes in living together in such a volatile place. As the tour progressed, we heard little anecdotes that described the unique texture of the Mount, such as the broken nose on King David’s statue that has intentionally not been fixed. The timing of the tour, together with the many (and varied) groups that passed us throughout, strengthened the experience and the understandings that I came away with from the tour.”

Meeting with Eli Dan, Diaspora Yeshiva

Naomi Roff2016-07-09T12:42:18+00:00June 9th, 2016|Blog, Christians, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Mount Zion, Palestinians/Arabs, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

Window to Mt. Zion – Documenting the Mount

We see a lot of different people here on Mt. Zion – Jews, Christians, Muslims, all groups, all ages.

Opera singers on Mt. Zion

But we don’t often see opera singers.

Until this past Saturday night, on May 28, as part of the Jerusalem Municipality’s Festival of Light.

Festival of Light

At the same time, nearby at David’s Tomb, a musical experience from an entirely different world was taking place – and traditional Saturday night Melave Malkah feast – Hassidic songs and dancing into the night.

Melave Malka

Opera and Hassidic songs, both on one Mount. Only in Jerusalem!

Singing and dancing into the night

Thanks to Window on Mt. Zion for the documentation.

Here’s the Facebook post in Hebrew:

And a few videos.

Naomi Roff2017-05-02T07:12:18+00:00June 3rd, 2016|Blog, Christians, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Mount Zion, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem|

Pentecost on Mt. Zion from “Window to Mt. Zion”

This past Sunday, May 15, at the height of a typical May heat wave, was the Pentecost holiday on the Catholic calendar. Mt. Zion also felt the heat.

The Pentecost is one of the five times during the year when prayers are allowed in the Cenacle, or the Room of the Last Supper. According to Christian tradition, the Pentecost prayers commemorate the Holy Spirit entering Jesus’ apostles, and the birth of the first church.

Tradition claims that this event occurred in the Cenacle. On the Catholic calendar, that day was last Sunday. (Other Christian denominations have other dates for the holiday.)

Our volunteers from Window to Mt. Zion were there to help the police, and to speak with the large number of visitors, from different religions, who visited the area of David’s Tomb (and the Cenacle) on that day.

Window on Mt. Zion volunteers making sure events run smoothly

“Window to Mt. Zion” volunteers making sure events run smoothly

Alongside the Christian pilgrims was a group of Jewish protesters, who came to protest the Christian ceremony.

Most of the protesters did not disturb the ceremony, but one did try to disrupt the ceremony with a P/A system.

This person was arrested by the police, and the prayer ceremony was beautiful and impressive.

Making sure order is kept

In the end what really bothered the pilgrims was the heat. Thanks again to the Window to Mt. Zion volunteers for helping to keep tensions from flaring along with the heat!

More about it on the Hebrew internet site of “Window to Mt. Zion”.

Here’s the Facebook post in Hebrew:

Naomi Roff2017-05-02T08:03:23+00:00May 22nd, 2016|Blog, Mount Zion, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem|

Window to Mt. Zion – Remembering Jerusalem’s Poor on Mount Zion

The Window to Mount Zion project, which we’re implementing together with the Search for Common Ground Jerusalem Office thanks to a grant from the USIP, seeks to document important events from all three monotheistic faiths.

The 7th of Adar – March 17, 2016 – Moses’ date of birth and death – was the memorial service for Jerusalem’s poor. Because Moses’ place of death is not known, this date was chosen for the memorial service at the Sambusky Cemetery on the slopes of Mount Zion. The Sambusky Cemetery contains the graves of thousands of Jerusalem’s poor, who have been buried there over the past several centuries. These were Jews who could not afford to be buried at the Mount of Olives Cemetery. Thus, the poor from a variety of ethnicities were buried one alongside the other, in a place that has all but been forgotten. This is the second year in a row that the Reishit Jerusalem organization has been organizing a memorial service for Jerusalem’s poor each year on the 7th of Adar. It is also working to renew the cemetery.

Rabbi Ya’akov Nana

This year, alongside Israel’s Chief Rabbi and Jerusalem’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Ya’akov Nana, the gabbai of the Sephardic synagogue on Mount Zion and a guard for the President’s Room there, also said a memorial prayer. His grandfather is buried in this cemetery, but he was there for the first time in his life in October 2015, as part of a tour of Mount Zion that the Window on Mount Zion project held as part of the Open House Jerusalem festival. Because this area was for years considered no-mans land, and in a dangerous area, his family was never able to say Kaddish, the memorial prayer. This year, Rabbi Nana was able to say Kaddish not only for his grandfather, but for all of Jerusalem’s poor.

Here’s a video of part of the tour (in Hebrew):

Naomi Roff2017-05-02T07:40:21+00:00March 29th, 2016|Blog, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Mount Zion, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

Window to Mt. Zion – Service in the Room of the Last Supper, in Preparation for Easter

Combine one of the holiest and solemn times in the Christian calendar (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter) with one of the happiest and noisiest holidays on the Jewish calendar (Purim), at the only place holy to Christians, Jews, and Muslims (the area around David’s Tomb on Mt. Zion), and it could be a recipe for trouble.

But there was hardly any, thanks to the Israeli Police and volunteers from the Window on Mount Zion project.

Room of the Last Supper

Instead, hundreds of Christian pilgrims gathered in the Room of the Last Supper in the David’s Tomb complex to watch Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, ofm, Franciscan, Custos of the Holy Land for the Vatican, perform a traditional foot-washing ceremony for 12 outstanding students from the Arabic-speaking Catholic community in Jerusalem. This is one of the five prayers that Christians are allowed to say in the Room of the Last Supper according to current agreements. The ceremony re-enacts Jesus’ actions before the Last Supper, when he is said to have washed the feet of his twelve disciples, which took place on the Thursday before Easter. The ceremony symbolizes modesty.

This year, Holy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter, in the Catholic and Protestant calendars fell on the Jewish holiday of Purim. (Holy Thursday and Easter come much later on the Christian Orthodox calendars.). Purim in Jerusalem is celebrated a day after most others (called Shushan Purim), so the traditional reading of the Scroll of Esther (Megilat Esther) at the synagogue in the David’s Tomb complex was scheduled to take place shortly after the foot-washing ceremony. Since Purim is often accompanied by loud and joyous celebrations, there was indeed great potential for inter-religious tensions and clashes.

Police briefing Window on Mt. Zion Volunteers

Because both were important events for each religion, Window on Mt. Zion volunteers were on hand to help the pilgrims and tourists who had come to Jerusalem from all over Jerusalem, Israel and throughout the world, giving them explanations and helping the police make sure that order was kept.

Traditional procession

The ceremony began with a traditional procession that began at the New Gate, through Zion Gate and ended at the Room of the Last Supper. The procession was accompanied by Kavasses, ceremonial guards that have been accompanying religious processionals since Ottoman times.

There were a few challenges, but the police, assisted by “Window” volunteers, did a superb job of keeping order. A small number of Jews demonstrated against having the ceremony next to David’s Tomb. In addition, demonstrators played shofarot (traditional ram’s horns) through speakers in order to disrupt the ceremony. The police worked quickly to regain quiet. In the video below you can hear the shofarot outside, but inside the ceremony continued as planned.

The ceremony ended after about an hour, and that same speaker system this time blasted lively Purim songs. These songs actually created a lighter atmosphere and reminded us all that Jews and Christians were celebrating important holidays at the same location. A number of Jewish residents expressed regret that attempts were made to disrupt the Christian service, further adding to this atmosphere of peaceful coexistence. Shortly after the end of the foot-washing ceremony, Jews gathered in the synagogue at David’s Tomb for the reading of Megilat Esther.

Here’s a few minutes of the ceremony:

Naomi Roff2017-05-02T07:45:16+00:00March 27th, 2016|Blog, Christians, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Mount Zion|

Window to Mt. Zion – New Torah Scroll at David’s Tomb – Documenting Events for Jews as well as Christians and Muslims

Window to Mt. Zion seeks to document all groups’ activities on Mt. Zion – Jewish, Christian, Muslim – and to help make sure they take place safely. Thus, they were present on March 16, 7 Adar (acknowledged as Moses’ birthday), when a new Torah scroll was placed in the synagogue at David’s Tomb. It was the first Ashkenazi Torah Scroll to be place at David’s Tomb.

Celebrating Worldwide Shema-Saying at the Tomb of David

The event started at Jaffa Gate, as a parade of people made their way to the foot of Mt. Zion. There, hundreds of people joined in joyous “Worldwide Shema-Saying” ceremony, even in the pouring rain. Rabbi Dov Lior, the Rabbi of Kiryat Arba, and Rabbi Reuven Elbaz, a member of the Torah Scholars’ Council (Shas leadership) and the Rabbi of the Or haim Yeshiva, both spoke and led the prayers. Here’s a video from that ceremony:

The crowd then proceeded to accompany the Torah scroll to David’s Tomb. There, the police and the organizers went to great lengths to keep the festivities orderly, to prevent overcrowding and to make sure the keep the participants safe. The scroll was placed in the ark in David’s Tomb, amongst a great deal of dancing and singing. ‘Window on Mount Zion’ volunteers were there to document it:

Naomi Roff2017-05-02T07:45:07+00:00March 20th, 2016|Blog, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Mount Zion, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

Window to Mt. Zion – Keeping the Mountain Clean of Hateful Language

It all began with this Facebook post:

Post about stickers on a tourist sign

A January 7 Facebook post about a number of stickers that covered Arabic writing on a Mt. Zion vista.

Later in January, hateful graffiti was sprayed on the Dormition Abbey, the Armenian Cemetery and the Greek Seminary. The Municipality cleaned up that graffiti immediately, but left other racist graffiti and stickers that had been placed there at different periods. Some of them even covered up signs to important Christian or Muslim tourist sites or routes.

Vandalized sign

Windows to Mt. Zion volunteers (this is our project, together with Search for Common Ground and support from USIP – read more about it here) rose to the task, and since then has been reporting these nuisances to the Municipality. Thanks to these reports and the dedicated work of our regional supervisor, the stickers and graffiti were cleaned up.

Clean signs

Mt. Zion is now sticker-free! But our volunteers are still around, in case more hateful stickers are being seen on this lovely and sensitive site!

Naomi Roff2016-12-21T13:11:51+00:00March 9th, 2016|Blog, Christians, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab, Mount Zion, New Immigrants, Palestinians/Arabs, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

Window to Mt. Zion – Fostering Interreligious Agreement?

The diversity in the room was striking – Franciscan monks, policemen in uniform, Orthodox, Armenian and Catholic monks, Ashkenazi and Sephardi Rabbis, men and women, “Window to Mt. Zion” organizers from the Jerusalem Intercultural Center (JICC) and Search for Common Ground. On Wednesday, February 17, the entire diversity of residents of Mt. Zion gathered at the JICC offices to discuss and listen to a presentation by officials from the Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA) on their plans to develop parts of the Mountain.

Meeting with all Mt. Zion’s residents in one room

The JDA officials described their plans to develop the area of the Greek Garden during 2017, on the southern slopes of Mt. Zion. This corner is particularly loved by all of us, since it is the only open space on Mt. Zion. The plans seek to create a pleasant and safe space for residents and visitors, and will include paving walkways, new lighting, garbage cans and security cameras.

Listening to Jerusalem Development Authority

Such cooperation on Mt. Zion is not to be taken for granted. We’ve worked very hard to be able to get everyone into one room. Read more about “Window to Mount Zion” on our blog category and at the dedicated site on it (in Hebrew). We hope for much future cooperation between and among all the residents of Mt. Zion. May our cooperation be an example for inter-religious cooperation in Jerusalem, and throughout the region.

Thanks to the USIP for their support to this project!

The JDA presentation

Naomi Roff2016-10-21T09:08:34+00:00March 4th, 2016|Blog, Christians, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab, Mount Zion, Palestinians/Arabs, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

Continuing Pope Paul VI’s Tradition Peacefully on Mount Zion

“Veni, Sancte Spiritus/ tui amoris in eis ignem accende,” – Come Holy Spirit, hug your believers in the fire of your love

Last week our Window to Mount Zion volunteers were part of an extraordinary joint prayer service that took place in the Room of the Last Supper (read here in Hebrew about it) on Mount Zion. Held every year during the last week of January, this was an extremely diverse gathering – Ethiopians and Copts, Catholics and Orthodox, Romanian, Armenian, Lutheran and other communities; Priests, nuns, students of theology and many laymen, shoulder to shoulder to pray for the unity of the Christian church. All 150 of them praying for Christian unity. This is no small feat, given the centuries-old history of rivalry and worse between the different divisions of the Christian church.

The event was led by the Benedictine monks from the nearby Dormition Abbey (read here in Hebrew about it). They read from the Bible: Isaiah’s prophecy: “My House will be a house of prayer all peoples,” sang psalms, read from the New Testament as well. Sermons were given in Latin, German, French, English, Hebrew and Arabic, each one with a message of unity in faith, hope for a better world and a determination to stand together against difficulties along the way. Our Window on Mount Zion volunteers, in coordination with both the police and the monks leading the service, served as ushers and made sure the service proceeded smoothly. Both the police and monks were extremely grateful for our assistance.

The event ended with the Lord’s Prayer. As participants left, Jewish passersby, on their way to worship at David Tomb, greeted the Christians, creating an atmosphere of coexistence, mutual respect and cooperation. This is exactly the type of relations we are striving for in the Window on Mount Zion project.

How did this tradition come about? In 1964, Pope Paul VI made his first papal visit to the Middle East since the Middle Ages, during which he visited various Orthodox communities. In January 1964 he conducted an historic meeting with the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople, the first such meeting in 900 years! Since then, in an attempt to continue this improvement of relations, Christians around the world hold joint prayer services during the last week of January. In Jerusalem, this week was sealed with a joint prayer in the Room of the Last Supper, formally a neutral place, historically and religiously significant, and a sacred site to almost all the Christian communities in the city.

For a moment, it seemed as if Isaiah’s prophesy was coming true…

You can learn more about “Window to Mount Zion” in Hebrew at the site and at the Facebook Page .

Naomi Roff2020-02-02T04:02:48+00:00January 31st, 2016|Blog, Christians, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Mount Zion, Palestinians/Arabs, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

Window to Mount Zion – Solidarity in the Face of Adversity

We usually like to post positive news here, but in the Jerusalem everyday reality, not all is positive. This past weekend, in the middle of the night, the walls of our neighbors on Mount Zion, the Dormition Abbey and both the Armenian and Greek cemeteries, were littered with anti-Christian graffiti. (Click here for the news story from the Jerusalem Post.)

Graffiti on Dormition Abbey

In addition to across the board condemnation by both Jewish and Arab Israeli leaders, we, the residents of Mt. Zion, thanks to the Window on Mt. Zion project, released the following statement:

Dormition Abbey statement

“We, the institutions, organizations and individuals residing on Mount Zion, harshly condemn the writing of anti-Christian hate slogans on and around Christian sites on Mount Zion – Jerusalem, which took place tonight, January 17th 2016.
The vandalism included curses and violent threats. We, residents of Mount Zion, call on the public to preserve the security and mutual respect of the Holy Places to all religions on Mount Zion. When one of these places is desecrated, it affects not only the site itself, but also all other holy sites on Mount Zion. In addition, these repeated acts of desecration undermine the delicate fabric of coexistence in the Holy Land in general and in the Holy City of Jerusalem in particular.

On behalf of:

* The Diaspora Yeshiva on Mount Zion
* The Armenian Patriarchate, Armenian Cemetery on Mount Zion
* World Benei-Akiva on Mount Zion
* The Christian Department, the Ministry of Interior Affairs, the Room of the Last Supper on Mount Zion
* Arik Pelzig – Harp of David on Mount Zion
* The Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion
* Dr. Zigmond Zigler Cohen, Mount Zion resident
* The Jerusalem University College on Mount Zion
* Custodia Terra Sancta, Ed-Cenaculum Franciscan Monastery on Mount Zion
* The Jerusalem Intercultural Center on Mount Zion

This is probably the first time in the long history of Mt. Zion (at least 1000 years of inter-religious conflicts!) that a joint statement of the resident institutions of the mountain issued a shared condemnation against the desecration of a holy site on Mt. Zion! So, while we’re deeply saddened by this incident, as well as other tragedies that have happened in the past few days, we are proud of the Window on Mt. Zion program, which has enabled us to reach this unprecedented collaboration.

We’re operating the Window on Mt. Zion program in cooperation with Search for Common Ground’s Jerusalem office, thanks to a grant from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). This amazing program has raised, in a few months, awareness about the different and varied religious sites on Mt. Zion – Christian, Muslim as well as Jewish – to thousands of people, young and old, Israelis and tourists, Jews, Christians and Muslims. The goal – to make Mt. Zion a place that welcomes people of all backgrounds and faiths to the very special sites that are of utmost importance to people of all faiths throughout the world.

The next day, an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish leader, Nahum Shlezinger, came to Mount Zion just to apologize in the name of Judaism, and to tell the Christians that the anti-Christian graffiti is not the Jewish way. Helped by the excellent cooperation between the local police and the church – as a result of our efforts, the connection was made and the dialogue between the Jewish leader and the Christian representative happened. You can see it here and on a Facebook post on the Window on Mount Zion Facebook page:

May we continue to bring only good news.

Naomi Roff2016-10-21T09:08:50+00:00January 20th, 2016|Blog, Christians, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Mount Zion, Palestinians/Arabs, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|