Thursday, March 24, 2016

The Western Wall / Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Israel

Jerusalem, the Western Wall
Photography by S. Mendrea.

This postcard is postmarked in 2015 from Israel.

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The Western Wall, or Wailing Wall, is located in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is a small portion of the structure which originally was part of the western retaining wall of the Second Jewish Temple on top the hill known as the Temple Mount.
The Cyrus Declaration, 8.30
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The Cyrus Cylinder is an ancient clay cylinder, now broken into several fragments.

The text on the Cylinder praises Cyrus, sets out his genealogy and portrays him as a king from a line of kings. The Babylonian king Nabonidus, who was defeated and deposed by Cyrus, is denounced as a wicked oppressor of the people of Babylonia and his low-born origins are contrasted to Cyrus's kingly heritage. 

The Cylinder's text has traditionally been seen by biblical scholars as corroborative evidence of Cyrus' policy of the repatriation of the Jewish people following their Babylonian captivity (an act that the Book of Ezra attributes to Cyrus).
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Here is one more postcard of the Western Wall...
Prayer at the Wailing Wall

When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, We were like them that dream. (Psalm 26:11)

The sender writes:
I am on a science seminar at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.  The first part of my trip started by touring the northern part of the country for a few weeks.  Then I spent five days on a nature-study field school, which consisted of climbing mountains and studying the topology of the dead sea area.  I climbed Mt. Masada at 2:30 in the morning and watched the sun rise.  It was magnificent, the excavations there are very exciting.  

I love Israel.  It is a very beautiful country in many ways.  The people have a very strong identity and spirit and a strong sense of purpose to survive. Israel is a fascinating country. 

This is postmarked  with two Israel stamps. I can't make out the year but one of the stamps is from 1972.
Israel stamp 1972
Campaign for Jewish Immigration
Star and words:
Let My People Go, 0.55
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Israel stamp
Winged Deer

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