It isn't war or grandiose ideals, but a series of
small miracles that define daily life in Israel.
mikvah. One former
residence reveals an in-
tricate ceiling pattern,
reconstructed with the use
of a computer.
A haunting discovery on
exhibit is the ashes of a
home burned by the
Romans. When found, it
contained the charred hand
and arm of a woman
reaching to escape to the
top of the stairs.
Archaeologists, using the
works of Josephus Flavius,
have traced the ashes to a
massive fire on the 8th of
Elul in 70 C.E. One month
earlier, the Romans burned
the Temple; they continued
their course of destruction
by setting afire homes in
the area and slaughtering
any Jews they met.
The result of the killings,
Josephus Flavius wrote,
was that "the sheer volume
of the blood and gore quen-
ched the flames."
Just around the corner
are the excavations behind
the Kotel, the Western
Wall, that lead deep into
the heart of the earth. In-
side, the floor is damp and
the air is oppressive, like a
cave. The pathways
wander deep and dark and
around and around, like
the mirror mazes in an
amusement park.
Sometimes they reveal
small coves converted into
synagogues with elegant,
fragile chandeliers.
The water on the floor
carries an unusual history:
it came pouring out when
excavations revealed
cisterns created by the
Moslem invaders. Such ex-
cavations were stopped
when archaeologists
neared the mosque on the
Temple Mount, also the
site of the Jewish Temple,
the holy of holies.
Israeli officials promised
the Arabs they would
never destroy the mosque.
Stones weigh 1 ton each
in the excavations, where
the path is lighted by
yahrtzeit candles that drip
silver and gold onto the
cold stones.
In one room, a bird
flutters back and forth in a
wild attempt to escape.
Finally, it finds its way to
freedom.
And down the corner: a
massive stone structure
that was part of Herod's
tribute to Marc Antony,
who accorded him the
dubious title of "King of
the Jews."
Just a bus ride away is
Mahane Yehudah, the
Jewish open-air market,
where one can buy oversiz-
ed dates and fresh cheese
and sweet grapes. The air
here is filled with the
smells of spices and fish
and the sounds of bargain-
ing; surely, that kilo of ba-
nanas is worth half a
shekel less.
Not as well known is a
house one block down the
street from Mahane
Yehudah, a house that
carries a legend about
which even few Israelis are
aware.
The house, on the corner
of Yehudit Street, is said to
be haunted. According to
the legend, a young man
who lived in the home died
the day before he was to
wed. His zealous mother
insisted the marriage
be conducted anyway.
After much convincing,
the bride agreed. Ever
since, the groom's ghost
has been seen roaming the
small home.
Few sites in the country
are more popular than the
Israel Museum, which
offers an eclectic collection
of archaeology, modern and
ancient art, and Judaica.
For the modern art lover,
there's Andy Warhol's por-
trait of Golda Meir and a
new acquisition, Passport
Control, by British artist
Julian Opie, featuring
large figures of a map, a
pencil, gum and a cigarette
package.
The traditionalist may be
more pleased by Chaim
Soutine's Calf and Red
. Curtain, painted with
thick, dramatic strokes of
blood red and forest green;
a Rodin sculpture called
Eve, with a gentle figure of
a woman folding her arms
protectively over her face;
or a dramatic Edward
Steichen photo of Greta
Garbo and John Gilbert.
One whole section of the
museum was created with
funds from a group of
Detroiters, Eugene Ap-
plebaum, Marlene and
Paul Borman, Morley and
Rita Cohen, Linda and
Martin Goldman, Bethea
and Irwin Green, Doreen
and David Hermelin, Dan
Honigman, Susan and
Robert Sosnick, Shoshana
and David Wingate, and
Mrs. Charles Wrightsman.
A new exhibit in the mu-
seum's Judaica depart-
ment is a sukkah, smuggl-
ed out of Nazi Germany. It
is decorated inside with
paintings of a hunting
scene, the Jewish holidays
and a Jewish street scene
from Fischach, Germany,
where the sukkah original-
ly stood.
The museum's gift shop
offers the traditional col-
lection of art books and a
vast array of postcards, but
the discerning shopper
may prefer to turn to a one-
The view
overlooking
Tel Aviv.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
25