Wednesday 15 October 2014 Western Wall at Sukkot and Al Aqsha

We left from the lower gate at 5:45 a.m.to go to the Western Wall for the last day of Sukkot. Jews lived or at least ate their meals in their booths for a week .  Now they will pray for rain and beat their willows.  The Jewish teacher Ophir Yarden, described it as throwing a temper tantrum for rain.

Traffic was heavy with the crowds coming into the city.

The Church of All Nations next to the Garden of Gethsemane was beautiful with a hint of sunrise behind.

 Original steps to the Temple Mount have been excavated on the South side of the wall near Dung Gate.

Overlooking Robinson Archeology site

Groups gathered at the Western Wall to sing and chant cries for rain.

They had their willows, palm fronds, citroens, and myrtle.

The shofar (ram's horn) would blow and they would raise their fronds. 

A few beat their willows on the ground.

Security was heavy this morning.

Looking down on the Western Wall from the walk way to the Dome of the Rock.

We must have come at the right time because there was no line to the Dome of the Rock (Temple Mount) and we got right up.  There was heavy security on the ramp.



The Western Wall area was packed with worshippers.

On the mount, things were quiet.  There was a lot of IDF security but not many people on the mount.

Al Aqsa Mosque is calm while the Western Wall is teeming with people just  hundreds of feet away.

Groups of Muslim men near the mosque would shout and chant at the Jewish group visiting (in the front of the picture.)  They would shout "Allah is Great" and I don't know what else.  Jewish groups are allowed on the Temple Mount but Jewish security surrounds them while they are there.

Golden Gate from inside the city.  The Golden Gate is blocked off.

There is a Muslim school for boys along the north wall of the mount. The man on the left side of the picture is a doctor at the clinic on the mount.  We met him and started a conversation about the Palestinian plight..  He told us about the school and invited us in to see a classroom.

Before we left the Temple Mount, there were guns fired to stop a group of Muslims under the age of 50 from entering.  This is the blockade at one of the entrances.  Days  like today where there is a lot of activity in the city. There is a current Israeli-imposed restriction - only Muslim men over the age of 50 can enter the mount.

As we left Lions Gate, there was a demonstration of Muslims protesting peacefully.  When we got back to the center, we learned they weren't allowing the students to go into the city.

Security was tight.