Tracking the line of King David: from Rechov Ha-Rav Kook to Rav Chen Multiplex

When I woke up yesterday morning, I had no idea that I would spend the day tracing King David's blood line from one end of Jerusalem to the other.

As part of my journeys in Jerusalem this summer, I plan on visiting many of the popular (and not so popular) tourist destinations and museums. Yesterday morning, I continued my tour of museums that started with the Armenian Museum last week.

The destination: 9 Rechov Ha-Rav Kook.

Located one block away from Zion Square, this address serves as the host for three Jerusalem museums, and they could hardly be more different from one another.

I will start with the museum that started my BYU-like geneological journey - The Museum of Psalms.

After turning onto the sidewalk, the museum is located in the first entrance on the right side, in a courtyard with the David H. Baskin Law Offices (the only tenant at 9 Rav Kook that I didn't visit, but I know where to go if I need that type of assistance). The museum contains 150 paintings by Moshe Tzvi, each painting interprates one verse from every psalm (David is credited as the author of the Psalms).


We will return to my tracking of King David's blood line a little later in the afternoon. Next door to the Museum of Psalms is the Museum of Ha-Rav Kook. For those that don't know, Rav Kook was the cheif rabbi of Jerusalem for many years at the turn of the century (From nineteenth to twentieth). According to Prof. Lupovitch, Ha-Rav Kook was most influential in cooling tensions between the religious and anti-religious Zionist groups, such as in the shvita controversy (regarding the jubilee year). Ha-Rav Kook ruled that you don't have to leave the land fallow every seventh year because settling the land is a religious act. However, the museum made no reference to this point.


On the other hand, you could buy a commemorative Ha-Rav Kook poster to put on the wall of your dorm room, office, or telephone pole (if you wanted to advertise his greatness).

I also visited the Ticho Museum at rear of the walkway. Formerly the home of Anne and Avraham Ticho, the museum now serves lunch, host to concerts, and as a forum to display Anne's artwork. After settling in Jerusalem with her husband, Anne began sketching Jerusalem's plants and landscapes with pencil and charcoal. Over the years, she developed a reputation as an excellent artist. Her husband ran Jerusalem's only opthamolagist office and treated patients both rich and poor (according to the sign, he was a Jerusalem institution until 1960). Dr. Ticho also amassed a collection of hanukiot from throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. While most of the menorot are on display at the Ticho House, ten of them are at the Israel Museum.


After my stint at 9 Rechov Ha-Rav Kook, I went to a brief meeting at the SPNI Offices and got some work done on my assignment before heading to Mt. Zion to visit the original Holocaust memorial called the Chamber of the Holocaust. The inabiity of the staff to post a sign with the museums hours prevented me from learning when the memorial is open. I arrived at 4:20. A woman standing by the gate said that the museum closes at 4:30 (Note to self, reorient clock on phone)

I decided that I could continue my search of King David's line at the King David Museum next to the Chamber of the Holocaust. Unfortunately, this museum suffers from the same problem of not posting their hours the the Chamber does. I found it increasingly difficult to follow the line of King David. (I was now convinced that my phone's notion of 60 seconds was different than the atomic clock)

Later on in the evening, I decided that it was time to attend my first movie in Israel. While this might be worthy of its own blog post on any other day, the continuing theme of tracking King David's line was too good to pass up. Aside from the movie I chose to see Tsofen Da Vinci (Da Vinci Code), which tracks King David's line all the way to Audrey Tautou, most of this post will be unrelated to my King David quest.


I will go through my experience point by point.

Why did you choose this movie

I wanted to see X-Men 3, but the bus didn't arrive in time. The Da Vinci Code gave me more time (45 minutes) to get to the theater.

Cash issues and movie theater credit card issues.

When I arrived at the ticket office, I pulled out my credit card to pay for my ticket. Instead of the woman behind the glass accepting my card, she said that they don't accept credit cards (aka: cash only). Even more interesting was the advertisemennt next to the ticket booth. It read: Your card (picture of Amex card), Your ticket (picture of a movie ticket). I still don't understand.

She said that I should go find an ATM. I thought that shouldn't be a problem. I had five minutes until the movie started and, since the movie theater was in a mall, I shouldn't have an issue finding an ATM.

Au contrare. My conversation with the security guard revealed that there is no ATM machine within walking distance. Fortunately, the most generous person that I have met in my time in Israel lent me a few sheks to pay for my ticket.

Previews
The movie started 25 minutes after the scheduled starting time. The bulk of that time was filled with commercials. Among my favorite commercials was the Dannon commericial that showed both a hockey team and snowboarder (both things that Israelis can relate to). There was also a Toshiba commeerical that got repeated.

Assigned seat
Theater 3, Row 8, Seat 13

Intermission
This was a brand new concept for me. About halfway through the film, the lights go on, the curtain goes down, and people take a few minutes of break. I find this a great invention for a society like Israel's that is so connected to the mobile phone. It gives polite people that opportunity to listen to voice messages and return calls that they got in the first half. For impolite people, you simply answer your phone and listen to voice messages during the movie.

For a society that loves a good smoke, it allows people to step outside and get a smoke without missing any of the movie. That is, you won't miss anything as long as you come back in time. Like the woman sitting directly to my left who pulled off the ultimate no-no in attending movies in Israel. She returned from the intermission five minutes into the second half, forcing the entire row to lose focus of the plot so that she can get back to her seat.

As an overall, I don't really like how the intermission forces you to lose your focus. If you can't go to a movie and focus on the film for two hours without standing up to go get a smoke, then you should wait until it comes out on DVD where you can smoke and watch at the same time.

Did I read the book?

No

Now a few things from two days ago that deserve mentioning.

First up:

I saw my cousin Megan who was on the Colorado birthright trip. It was her last night in Israel, and she looked like she was having a great time.


There were also some Michigan kids on her bus. Somehow the conversation drifted to Michigan basketball, and I brought up Cheryl Burnett's name. I don't know the context (actually, it was comparing how she deserved more time while Tommy should be let go immediately).

Look at what I can do with the apricot seeds (This is what I do when the laundry runs). In terms of spitting them, I have great acccuracy but poor distance control.


This photo was taken at 1:30 a.m. at the corner of Bezalel and King George.


VENKMAN: (belligerent)
What the hell's it look like we're doing? We're bustin out asses over here 'cause some douchebag downtown ain't got nothin' better to do than make idiots like us work late on a Friday night, right? (looks to Spengler for agreement)

SPENGLER: (with a "right on" fist) Yo.

I believe that they were looking for a River of Slime running under the city to a central location under the Temple Mount.


Look at how they close the street for a parade.