. 4.10
sr...:*... 1":.:•"?"'—'
•
T14: DETROIT JEWISH NE493
26—Friday, November 22, 19:1
Red Sea at Eilat
a Buoyant Blue
Once you catch a glimpse of what
goes on below the surface of the
Red Sea at Eilat you're sunk!
Metaphorically speaking, of course,
for the high salt content makes it
a very buoyant sea.
According to the meteorological
service the rainy season is from
November to March, meaning that
in those months we're supposed to
have one day of rain a month, but
usually the rain does not last more
than half an hour. This still leaves
plenty of time for the statistical
average of eight hours of sunshine.
The Israel government has in-
vested S3 OCO 000 in extending the
shoreline of the North beach by
digging a lagoon, providing addi-
tional waterfront locations for new
hotels and anchorage for sail and
speed boats. Several first-class
hotels, a motel, bungalow villages
and camping site already line the
newly- built palm-lined promenade,
and others are going up.
Brochlir.- on U.S. Jewry
The Golden Dome of Jerusalem Has Meaning for Many Faiths
The city walls of old Jerusalem clear the site, on which he had determine exactly to which period
the "Stables of Solomon" belong.
embrace a jumble of alleys and a small mosque built.
! Some of its parts may even reach
towers, but the most distinctive! Half a century later, the
back
k t to the First Temple, some
element of the skyline, visible from may ad Khalif Abd El Malik ibn I
rhaps to the rebuilding of the
a ti o n
any direction when approaching Marwan began the implementation
p
Second Temple. Certainly Herod,
the c city, is the golden cupola known of the plans that were to glorify Hadrian and the Ommayad khalifs
as the Dome of the Rock.
I Jerusalem with jeweled splendor, restored and renewed them. Many
"Glory be to Him who carried centering in the Dome of the Rock
th ash-
tbe
s are built with
and the Mosque which later be- 1 of the pillar huge Her odian
His servant by night from the came known simply as the Aqsa r characteristic
Sacred
Place of we
Worship
to the Far
surroundings
have blessed
... Mosque. For centuries to come it lays, but obviously used at a later
Distant Place of Worship whose ,, became the pride of the
th Princes of date, since they are used perpen-
Islam to preserve, restore and en- dicularlv, which is never the case
Thus begins the 17th &Taff of the ' dow the buildings on the vast pla- i n Herod's reign. The Knights
Templars stabled their horses
rney of Mo-
Koran, the Night Journey
hammed during which the Prophet teau that became known as the here, and a number of pillars show
t th "Haram e Sherif" the august and perforations for tethering near
o e
was carried from M
Temple Mount in Jerusalem on a sacred precinct. They gloried in their base.
heavenly sted, there to ascend to the humility of sweeping the sane-
Scattered around the Haram e
Ileaven and stand before the tuaries with tbeir own bands, wash-
ing them down with rose-water Sherif are many small buildings;
Throne of Allah.
prior to distributing alms at the memorial domes, mihrabs (prayer
Temple Mount is one instance portals.
niches giving the direction towards
The Dome of the Rock is quite
of many where different faiths
air pulpits, sabeels
venerate the same site, either unlike any building anywhere, even , Mecca), open
fountains) and well-
(drinking -
for the same reason, or each at- though its elements can be traced !houses.
The most famous is the
tributing to the same site its own and classified. The late Byzantine
significance without any connec- style is fused with the exuberant ; tiny Dome of the Chain that stands
of the Rock, to
ties between them. Mount Mo- art of the Arab conquerors, incor- just near the Dome
a strong "family
which it bears
_ riab, the Biblical name of the porating the influence of Sassanie likeness."
A playful, jeweled fan-
area, was the place where Abra- Iran. Originally, it was entirely tasy, it repeats
the motif of the
ham prepared to sacrifice his son faced with marble in geometrical double circle. Also near the Dome
Isaac at the Lord's command. designs, as can still be seen in the of the Rock, an elegant 13th Cen-
Centuries latir, King David pur- background of Raphael's "Betro- tury monument, the "Dome of the
chased the site from the Jebu- I that of the Virgin" in Milan. The Ascension," marks the spot where
sites, and erected an altar there- building can also be recognized in according to tradition the Prophet
King Solomon built the Temple j "Merles at the Sepulchre" by Hu- prayed before his heavenward
here, a compound of legendary i bent van Eyck.
Inevitably, the impact of the
splendor, and until the Roman i
NEW YORK (JTA)—A 30-page
brochure on the American Jewish
Community, written by S. P. Gold-
berg. a staff expert of the Council
conquest of Jerusalem the Mount
of the Rock influenced an
of Jewish Federations and Welfare
as the central sanctuary of
was
admiring world for centuries.
of
Funds, has been published by the
Judaism.
The
Crusaders,
who called it the
Women's American ORT as the
When Mohammed's second sue- "Templum Domini" the Temple
first of a series to meet the needs
of
the
Lord,
spread
its image, and
of the organization's membership cessor, the Khalif Omar ibn el
octagonal churches sprang up all
and for the American Jewish com- Khattab visited Jerusalem in 637,
over Europe, from England to
munity at large. The brochure the Far Distant Place of Worship
Italy.
outlines the historical background "El Masjid el Aqsa" lay desolate,
In the middle of the 16th Cen-
of Jewish communal organization heaped with rubble and decay.
With his own hands he helped tury, the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman
in the United States.
the Magnificent ordered the city
walls rebuilt. He invited craftsmen
from Turkey, Armenia and Iran to
come to Jerusalem to execute the
precious tilework that imparts its
unearthly glitter to the Dome of
the Rock. It is a melancholy
thought that Sultan Suleiman, who
knew Hungary and Austria, never
came to Jerusalem to see with his
Presents
own eyes the new strength and
loveliness he had bestowed upon
the city.
Inside, the visitor finds the pro-
fusion of design and color over-
powering but for the perfection of
the interplay of architecture and
ornamentation. Though the rich
decorative elements belong to dif-
ferent periods, they are always
made to harmonize. Thus, the fa-
I
e kalt-
ISRAEL
TRAVEL
PROGRAMS
10 DAY ISRAEL PACKAGE
Dan Chain Deluxe Hotels. Full
sightseeing. Continental Break-
' fasts. Departing from-New York
2 WEEK ISRAEL - LONDON TOUR
Dan Chain Deluxe Hotels. First
class hotels London. Continen-
tal Breakfast only. Departing
from New York
r " $689
f
f
DON'T WAIT, LIMITED SPACE AVAILAILE
Ask for singer •Can or jeer was is for ilssonseisos.
Brodourea
talisman:al
Boo or Harold
4626 N WOODWARD .
ROYAL OAK
LI 9-6733
mans mosaics of the Ommayad
period that grace the drum of the
dome are surmounted by magnifi-
cent stuccoed arabesques donated
by Saladin at the end of the 12th
Century. The ceiling decorations of
the outer octagon are believed to
be the work of the 16th Century.
Moslem artists from India. Those
of the inner one were made a cen-
tury later.
The double windows - of stained
glass set in stuccoed frames, sep-
arated by the thickness of the wall
and different at the outside from
the inside, admit half light, ' clear
enough to bring out the full beauty
of the endless details to the diligent
onlooker, while never disturbing
the visitor who would give himself
to quiet and meditation.
The Aqsa Mosque faces the Dome
of the Rock from the south. In con-
trast to the Dome of the Rock, the
Mosque's long history of alterations
and restorations is much evident.
Visiting only the central sanctu-
aries would never do justice to the
Haram e Sherif which covers one
sixth of the Old City's area. Its
wealth of sights and the time spent
on its 34 acres need, however, not
be unduly tiring, since one can
always rest in the shade of the
pinegroves.
To the south and east, the Haram
is enclosed by the city wall. On the
western and northern sides it is
flanked by noble buildings of the
Mameluke period. Tall minarets,
likewise of excellent Mameluke de-
sign, rise on the four corners of
the plateau.
It would- be almost impossible to
.
journey. Not far from it stands the
lovely ornate 15th Century sabeel
of the Sultan Qait Bai.
These and the little mosque
"Throne of Solomon," the "Dome
of the Spirits," the "Dome of El
Khidr" and the "Well of the
Leaves" are only a few of the de-
lightful little sites that introduce a
note of friendly intimacy into the
awe-inspiring grandeur of the Ha-
ram. Each of them has its own
pious and colorful legendary tale.
The special guides, who are avail-
able at a very reasonable fee, will
be happy to act as story tellers to
those interested.
`Jordan Army, Terrorists
Will Cooperate on Tactics'
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Jordanian
newspaper accounts and reports
by travelers arriving here from
Amman indicate that the Jordan-
ian army has reached an under-
standing with various anti-Israel
guerrilla groups based on Jordan-
ian soil.
According to the reports, Jor-
danian officers are discussing
plans for cooperation with terror-
ist leaders and have agreed to
aid their activities against Israel
provided that responsibility for
Jordanian internal affairs rests
solely with Jordanian authorities.
ELKIN TRAVEL
In Conjunction with
FOREIGN TOURS
Presents
14 DAYS IN ISRAEL
*DEPARTING MARCH 9, 1969
'669
per person
dble. occ.
* DELUXE HOTELS *
OM MI Ell
•IIMI
MI
21-DAY TOUR
DEPARTING MARCH 9, 1969
Including:
SRAEL • ROME. LONDON
$795
per person
dble. occ.
.
Room Available for Only
16 Persons. Reserve Now!
Other Tours Available From $444.00
WE ALSO HAVE A COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF
SPRING & SUMMER ('69) ISRAELI AND EUROPEAN
TOURS
FOR RESERVATIONS & INFORMATION
ELKIN TRAVEL
25950 Greenfield - Lincoln Shopping Plaza
548-7802
•Departing from New York