City of David, The Old City and The Kotel
A magical tour of historic sites: From the days of King David, via the magnificent Temples to the days of the Return to Zion, ending at the Western Praying Wall which was and remains the object of multitudes’ longing. Stops along the way bring home the point that the stones of Jerusalem are more than pieces of cold rock. Today’s Jerusalem, that’s full of life just as in the past, is filled as well with places that have deep meaning and significance. We’ll pass through the Old City’s stone-paved streets, visiting places that Jews have come to generation after generation
King David’s Tomb
The structure on Mt. Zion is, according to Jewish, Muslim, and Christian traditions, where King David is buried. Inside the structure is the site of a grave, above which, evidently, was an ancient synagogue. During the period immediately after the establishment of the State of Israel, when the Kotel and Temple Mount were in Jordanian hands, the Tomb of David was considered the holiest site of the Jewish people within the borders of the State of Israel.
Mt. Zion
Overlook on the Galicia Rooves
This is an overlook in the middle of the Old City from which one can clearly see the area’s various quarters, the Temple Mount, the Dome of the Rock and the Mt. Scopus-Mt. of Olives ridge. The overlook is located on the roof of the Galicia Kollel (Jewish studies center) that was founded in the middle of the 19th century and abandoned during the riots of 1926-1929.
Rabbi Yehudah Halevi Overlook
This is an overlook from the steps leading to the Kotel (Western Wall) Plaza, from which one can see the Kotel fully revealed in all its glory. The outlook is named after the Spanish man of letters, Rabbi Yehudah Halevi, who wrote, among others, the poem, “My heart is in the east but I am in the uttermost west. How can I find taste what I eat and how can it be sweet to me?” From the outlook one can clearly see the Dome of the Rock, the site of the Foundation stone (where, tradition has it, the earth was created), the southern wall excavations, and the Mt. of Olives.
The Golden Menorah
This copy of the gold menorah that stood in the Holy Temple was built by the Temple Institute. It is covered in gold and displayed in a glass display case at the overlook above the Rabbi Yehudah Halevi
