Up To Jerusalem!

Today was a day of heights.  We left the desert floor along the Dead Sea (1280 feet below sea level) and made the climb by cable car to Masada.  This ancient fortress of King Herod was the location over seventy years after his death of a fierce battle between the tenth Roman Legion and some zealous Jewish rebels.  In the end, 960 of them entered into kaddish, or death on behalf of God.  Masada is therefore a symbol of Israeli courage and determination.  We then stopped by En Gedi where David hid from Saul.  We then went "up to Jerusalem" and followed the Palm Sunday trail from the Mt. of Olives down to the Church of All Nations in Gethsemane.  What a powerful time.  We stopped part way down the hill at Dominus Flevit where Jesus wept over Jerusalem.  We also learned about the three hills and three valleys that make up the area of Jerusalem.  The hills are Mount of Olives, Mount Moriah and Mount Zion.  the three valleys are the Kidron Valley; the Cheesemaker Valley and the Hinnom Valley.  We ended with a view from a southern promenade.  It was a spectacular day.