Once in a Lifetime 2010 - news - Intro & The begining

Filmed by Orly Dayan and edited by Yuval Levy
AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE RELIGIOUS INTRICACIES AND TENSIONS IN THE HOLY CITY, INCLUDING A VISIT TO THE TEMPLE MOUNT
Today Sun, Dan, Chas and Ryan began their day with a tour of the Temple Mount, and were taught about the dynamics of the relationship between the Israeli government and the Islamic Wakf controlling the site. The group was especially intrigued by the connection of the Bible to the ground upon which they stood. Afterwards, the bloggers were hosted by the Austrian hospice. Next, the group visited the Via Delarosa, where they were shown several stops made by Jesus on his way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The four ate traditional Middle Eastern hummus for lunch. After refueling on chickpeas, the bloggers were taken to the Jewish Quarter and entered the Hurva Synagogue, the Western Wall and its tunnels. Finally, Sun, Chas, Dan and Ryan sat through a wonderful sound and light show at the Tower of David, before eating a hearty meal at the Kedma restaurant in Mamilla.
Dan repeatedly voiced his impressions of the area, which holds personal significance to him as a Christian who grew up learning about it. "When I was younger in Sunday school, my mom taught me about Jesus in the market. I can't believe it was here... wow, wow... this is emotional, profound."
Some of the bloggers mentioned that they had been unaware that non-Muslims were permitted to visit the site. Reacting to the rule that Jews, while allowed to physically visit the site, are forbidden from practicing any Jewish ritual there, Dan said, "if it's holy for the Muslims and holy for the Jews, why are Jews not allowed [to pray there]?" He added that "coming from the West, you have very little knowledge of what's going on [in Israel] and there's so much misinformation. And then you come here and discover it's completely different."

Ryan said that the Western Wall was "so beautiful it will make you cry."
Sun shared with us that while she is not religious, "it is very touching to be here. I can understand why it's important for people to be here. A lot of people in China aren't religious and don't have a higher power to turn to. This is new and interesting to me," she said. Sun spoke of the connection of history and modernity that is personified by Jerusalem. "You have the great history of thousands of years and on the other hand you have modernism everywhere." She added that she could feel the power of all the places she had visited.

Chas admitted his addiction to Aroma (café), saying that he once drank four iced-coffees in one day. Dan, however, shared his love for another Middle Eastern delicacy, saying he can "eat shawarma no matter when."

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