I am approaching the final sections of my weekly blog posts about Israel. Lucky for me, I will be back in Israel in exactly a month and look forward to continuing to document the unique country. I have saved the area of Jerusalem to be the final parts of this series of blog posts. Jerusalem, as many people know, is an area of heightened controversy in terms of Israel having peace with her neighbors. Unlike any other place, Jerusalem is home to three major religions and many historically significant spots which sometimes leads to clashing cultures and opposing opinions. Please keep an open mind while viewing the upcoming entries (which will be mon-wed-fri) and remember that I am only showing what I have seen and witnessed. There will always be pieces to a culture that are not being presented and it is important to remember that.
The first entry in the Jerusalem series are photos of Har Herzl (“Har” meaning “Mount” in Hebrew). Named after Theodore Herzl, the father of modern political Zionism, the national cemetery lies on the west side of Jerusalem. Yad Vashem, which commemorates the Holocaust, sits next to the cemetery. Har Herzl has served as Israel’s national cemetery since 1951 when a government decision was made to establish a cemetery for Israeli leaders and fallen soldiers. Three of Israel’s prime ministers are buried there — Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, and Yitzhak Rabin — as well as many other prominent Jewish and Zionist leaders.
The reflection of the cemetery is seen in a pair of sunglasses
Stones are traditionally placed on top of Jewish graves
A soldiers grave
An Israeli soldier walks through the cemetery
A grave illuminated by the sun
Next Post: May 9. Rally against Racism
Thank you for these photos and I look forward to upcoming entries.