Jerusalem is the heart of the Jewish people, the navel of the universe in Jewish mystical tradition, and home to Jews for 3,000 years, since the days of King David and King Solomon. So, one can find hundreds of meaningful Jewish sites in Jerusalem. Here are the top 10 must sees for Jewish Jerusalem:
Western Wall
The Western Wall, the kotel in Hebrew, and the Wailing Wall of antiquity, is the number one Jewish site in Jerusalem. Jews have been praying at this spot for 2,000 years or have been yearning for it in those eras when it was out of reach. It is the last remnant of the Second Temple of Herod's Day, and is in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City.
Visit the Western Wall 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You will always find someone if not thousands there, pouring out their hearts and souls, putting notes in the cracks in the wall, or just leaning their heads again the wall's cool, massive stones. The Western Wall is remarkable on Friday evenings, as thousands come to ring in the Sabbath, on the three Jewish pilgrimage holidays (Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot) and on Mondays and Thursdays in the morning, when bar mitzvahs are held by the dozen. Tip: Men cover your heads with a hat or kippah; women cover your shoulders and legs, even if you don't wear a skirt. The Western Wall is technically an Orthodox synagogue, and rules of that type of locale apply.
Yad Vashem
The newly renovated memorial to the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, the Shoah in Hebrew, is a moving, even shattering experience. The new museum is both striking and chilling. Particularly intense is the children's memorial, where images of candles and names of dead children linger in your mind long after you leave.
Jewish Quarter, Old City
The restored Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem is a site worth seeing for itself, separate from the Western Wall. Completely rebuilt since 1967, when Jerusalem was reunified in the wake of the Six Day War, it is today a warren of stone streets, shops, cafes, million-dollar apartments and ultra-Orthodox denizens (most of them, it seems, children). Best visited on Shabbat, when tons of people are out (but not if you want to shop). If you go there seeking souvenirs, art and Judaica, go during the week.
Western Wall Tunnels
Separate from the wall itself, these tunnels travel under the Old City and run alongside unexposed portions of the Temple retaining wall. Multimedia exhibit with a model of the Temple Mount is available inside. Usually available only through organized tours, but there are many groups that run tours there.
Robinson's Arch (also known as the Masorti Kotel)
This part of the Old City Walls is excavated down to the original street at the time the Temple stood. Giant stones, with black ash still on them, thrown down by the Romans when they burned Jerusalem in 70 CE, litter the ground. It is the only place at the Old City for mixed-gender prayer; Conservative and Reform Jewish groups use it for bar and bat mitzvahs, as well as holiday prayers (particularly on Shavuot dawn). Nearby find the Southern Wall of the Temple and the multimedia Davidson Center museum.
City of David
The site of Jerusalem in the era of King David. Walk in the tunnel that provided water to the city and marvel at the ancient construction and engineering. Excavations have found a massive fortressed compound built in the Middle Bronze Period, close to 3,800 years ago, whose function was to protect a large pool that collected the diverted waters of the Gihon Spring.
Shrine of the Book
This unique building, shaped, some say, like the clay pots in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, houses these remarkable and still controversial documents. The Dead Sea scrolls contain some of the earliest writing of the Torah and Prophets. Sometimes the wording differs, and therein lies the core of the controversy. The Shrine is located at the Israel Museum.
Mea Shearim
This ultra-Orthodox neighborhood isn't always friendly to outsiders, but it provides a living museum view of Jerusalem about 100 years ago, with narrow streets, old-fashioned shops and religious practices relatively unchanged in decades. Best times to go: Hanukkah, when hundreds of oil-fired Hanukka lamps are burning on doorsteps, and Sukkot, when hundreds of sukkot, temporary dwelling are perched everywhere, from narrow patios to the streets themselves. As with the Western Wall, modest dress is strongly recommended. The neighborhood isn't officially an Orthodox synagogue, but it might as well be.
Chagall Windows
These beautiful stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall adorn a lovely synagogue at Hadassah-University Hospital in Ein Kerem. There are 12, each representing one of the tribes of Israel. Open for prayer, contemplation and tours.
Mishkenot Shananim
This area of restored homes was one of the first Jewish settlements outside the Old City walls about 100 years ago. It was endowed by philanthropist Moses Montefiore, and is marked by the windmill he had built (and which is newly restored). It is near major hotels and affords remarkable views of the Old City.
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