I stood high on the Mount of Olives and looked across the Kidron Valley to the Old City of Jerusalem, its broad walls glistening in the sunlight. Three major holy sites are enclosed within those walls in the heart of the Holy Land. On this fine December day, it was a time to reflect on the importance of faith in my life.
My mattress travels have taken me around the world over the years. I’ve visited more than a dozen countries on business trips, usually managing to squeeze in quick stops at famous landmarks — Stonehenge, Westminster Abbey, Notre-Dame and the Sydney Opera House, to name just a few.
This week, as we move deeper into the holiday season, I find myself remembering that bedding trip that I made to Israel several years ago. It was my first and only trip to Israel, and it opened a window to three religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — that each feature holy sites inside Jerusalem’s old walls.
After a few days of meetings with bedding producers and retailers across the country, I had a free weekend day. My religious pilgrimage that day started in Bethlehem, where I visited the Church of the Nativity, celebrated by Christians as the birthplace of Christ. I had a few moments alone in the Grotto of the Nativity, where tradition holds that Jesus was born. You must enter that low room on your knees, a sign of reverence. A silver star on the floor marks the birthplace of Christ.
Then, after a quick trip down the highway to nearby Jerusalem, I visited the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism. Visitors are greeted by a sign that says: “You are approaching the holy site of the Western Wall, where the Divine Presence always rests.”
I wrote a prayer on a scrap of paper and tucked it into a crevice in the towering wall, the last remnant of the Second Temple. The Romans destroyed that temple in 70 AD after laying siege to Jerusalem.
From there my guide left Jerusalem and headed uphill, taking me to a scenic overlook on the Mount of Olives, where King David and Jesus walked thousands of years ago. The view from that spot, as you can see in my photo, is spectacular.
Looking past a vast Jewish cemetery, one that has existed for more than 3,000 years and holds about 150,000 graves, I gazed at Jerusalem, one of the world’s oldest cities. The walls built by Suleiman the Magnificent almost 500 years ago still enclose the Old City, home to sacred Jewish, Christian and Islamic sites. The most visible of those sites from the Mount of Olives is Islam’s Dome of the Rock, its magnificent crown sheathed in 180 pounds of gold.
The histories of Judaism, Christianity and Islam are deeply embedded in the Old City.
The Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock stands today is the traditional site of Solomon’s Temple and later housed the Second Temple, enlarged by Herod the Great. After the Romans destroyed the temple and razed the city, the temple area lay in ruins for more than half a century. It became an Islamic shrine in AD 691 when the Dome of the Rock was built. It is a sacred Islamic site and a symbol of Jerusalem.
The Western Wall is part of the retaining wall of the Temple Mount. Judaism and Islam are linked at that 2,000-year-old wall.
Nearby is the Christian Quarter, where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is located. It was built over the traditional site of Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified and buried. Christ’s Tomb is located in the Rotunda, part of that grand church.
Men and women of faith have been traveling to Jerusalem for centuries, drawn by the history in the Old City’s sacred stone blocks. I’m thankful that I could make that pilgrimage and explore the foundations of my faith.
In this, my last column of the year, I wish all of you a happy holiday season. May your faith guide you in the new year.
