Weep over Bethlehem. (Bethlehem)

Member Name: garyse16

Product:	Bethlehem
Date:	26/03/01 (63 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Moving spiritual experience.

Disadvantages: Not safe to travel to, or visit.

Where do you begin when trying to give a flavour of Bethlehem? It’s difficult to know where to start with a place that most of us were told about from an early age.

My first visit was almost 15 years ago. It was my first visit to Israel and I wanted to see the main Christian sights that I had heard so much about. I knew very little of the political situation and did not want to get involved with any of that side of things and wasn’t even sure of the distinction between the occupied territories.

Bethlehem is quite a large town situated about 4 or 5 miles from Jerusalem so can easily be visited in a day.

On my first visit it was a simple matter of catching the local bus. This was the first surprise – this was not one of the new fleet of Israeli buses. It was on old, uncomfortable and dusty Arab bus. Bethlehem is clearly part of the occupied territories.

The bus arrives in the main centre of Bethlehem, Manger Square. This may conj our a romantic image, but Manger Square is a large square with a car and bus park in the centre. Around three sides are souvenir shops and cafes. On the third side is the Church of the Nativity and this has to be the place to head for.

The Church of the Nativity is a large plain building entered through a very small doorway. You have to duck your head to get in – I’m told this door is deliberately low so that the Crusaders couldn’t ride their horses inside! The interior of the church is bare – it doesn’t look like one of our churches – for a start there are no seats. No matter, everyone heads for an underground section behind the altar – the site of the birth of Jesus? Down some steps and there’s a small dimly lit room. On one side there’s an object resembling a large fireplace in the middle of which is a metal star on the floor – the actual site of the birth.

I arrived early in the morning before
the tour buses arrived and in the early stillness even cynical me was thinking …. Maybe … just maybe.

Back outside and time to look at all the souvenirs on offer. Olive wood aplenty. Then came one of the memories that will live with me forever. There were two of us in a shop where the trader was trying to sell us a rather nice wooden, musical, nativity scene. Suddenly there is gunfire outside and a street battle began. Calmly the shopkeeper lowered the shutters of his shop until the commotion was over.

The memory is of having this spiritual experience in the Church of the Nativity, then coming out to be caught up in a gunfight, while a nativity scene played “Silent Night”.

The last time I visited Bethlehem was a couple of years ago and it was against everyone’s advice as the Israelis and closed the area, so travel was difficult.

Bethlehem has become a ghost town. I was the only tourist I saw. All the shops and café’s were open, but there were no visitors.

I’ve read that the Palestinians have invested heavily in facilities in the area, but that it’s still recognised as a dangerous place to visit. A great pity.

Although I ignored everyone’s advice and visited – my advice would be reluctantly to say take heed of the advice and certainly do not visit alone. I am not a religious person myself but it really saddens me that Bethlehem is such an unsafe town to visit.

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