Photo essay by Justin Rose

Shabbos (or shabbat, in Hebrew ) in one of the holiest cities in the world is much as you would expect it: quiet and peaceful. Yet if you wander around, you’ll find small nooks alive and bustling with tourists, merchants, non-Jews and Jews of all sects. The streets of Jerusalem generally lack visible life on Shabbat but the religious and cultural diversity of the Old City, peppered with an extensive and historically rich past, draw even religious Jews to wander its complex corridors  of visually stunning facades.

It’s difficult to explain the feeling of Shabbat in a place that has completely adapted its existence and societal functions around this very important day of rest. Small communities in America may mimic Israel’s unwavering focus on this day, but this replication is hardly to scale. Instead of trying to describe this feeling, I offer a few pictures which I hope will tell a story of life in Jerusalem (and Israel) on this holiest of days.

But before I can tell this story, I have to recognize the story of someone who used to call Jerusalem home. His departure from this place left "a hole in his heart," he says.

Ariel Goldstein, a colleague who is very passionate about teaching and travel, indulged a few members of our group wih a tour of his former neighborhood.

Here, Ariel stands in front of his previous residence located just down the street from an area full of upscale homes abandoned by an Arab population which refuses to return while Israel remains a predominately Jewish state.

Located nearby is the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seamlessly blended into the surrounding homes, with the addition of a dedicated security team of course. 

While walking through this neighborhood I notice some political graffiti highlighting the questions surrounding the outcome of the Prime Minister’s election. Of course at this point, many of those questions have been answered.

Fellow cohort Chris Howell took a moment on Ariel’s tour to pet one of the many stray cats wandering the streets of Jerusalem. Cats were brought to Jerusalem by the British to deal with a growing rodent problem in a derelict city that only vaguely resembled the bustling metropolis of today.

After the wonderful and informative tour given by Ariel, I ventured out on my own to experience Shabbat in the Old City.  The population of non-Jews living in Jerusalem truly stands out today and may seem unusual to someone only aware of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 

Above, work continues in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. How was this vehicle able to squeeze through the narrow streets of the Old City, I wonder?

You might expect a complete absence of Jews in the Old City on Shabbat, but many are still seen weaving in and out of the stone-lined corridors, perhaps debating the complexities of Israel and Judaism, or maybe reciting passages of the Torah in an attempt to comprehend a small piece of its meaning or history.

A soccer game takes place at a field just at the base of one of the Old City gates. A day of rest for some is a day of friendly gathering and some competitive sport for others.

A vendor in the Muslim Quarter displays an assortment of goods for sale in an alley perpendicular to a main passage crowded with tourists. Shops like this are seen all over the Old City with the exception of the Jewish Quarter, which is closed on Shabbat.

Shabbat completes another cycle on Saturday night with an uplifting Havdallah service filled with reflection and powerful song as only Jhos could organize. The entire group is well rested and ready to face the onslaught of emotions and learning in the coming days of the trip.