After more than two years of pandemic, we were finally able to visit family in Israel.

In the dense visit program of the many relatives, we had planned half a day for Jerusalem.

A few hours sightseeing, then it should go further north.

However, God or fate had something else planned for us.

When we got to the car park in the early evening, we found the gates locked.

The second night of Passover had just begun, and the parking garage was to remain closed for the next three days.

Buses and trains did not run either, and the rental car stations could not be reached.

Now we stood there – without a car, without accommodation, in the middle of Jerusalem.

The supply of diapers was almost completely used up.

We looked for a hotel in Arab East Jerusalem, where everyday life continued, and resigned ourselves to our fate.

After all, we had fallen victim to an extremely rare interreligious constellation.

Because Ramadan, Passover and Easter at the same time - that only happens every 33 years.

And where else can this best be experienced if not in the holy city of the three monotheistic religions?

Another benefit of being stranded in East Jerusalem was the chance to escape the ubiquitous Passover meal.

For a whole week, almost every visit from Jewish friends and relatives has been followed by dry matzoh, unleavened bread, Kneidlach soup – chicken soup with matzo dumplings – and the cold and sweet fish dish “Gefilte Fisch”.

The traditional dishes that originated in Eastern Europe hundreds of years ago

felt heavy in our stomachs.

We were able to compensate for the withdrawal of bread and pasta in the Muslim part of Jerusalem.

Bagels and qatayef

How refreshing to eat the traditional Jerusalem sesame bagels fresh from the oven with the spice mixture za'tar at the Damascus Gate!

The countless stalls with mountains of sweets, the unmistakable smell of fried food in the air: Qatayef, sweetened pancakes filled with custard cream or walnuts and folded into little bags.

The Arabic sweet is especially eaten during the fasting month of Ramadan.

Shortly before breaking the fast, young people gave away dates and water in the streets to end the fast in the traditional way.

Strolling through the old town, the special atmosphere could be felt everywhere.

There are several holy places for Muslims, Jews and Christians in just one square kilometer.

We met ultra-Orthodox men in their traditional costumes talking loudly in Yiddish on the way to the Kotel, the Wailing Wall;

groups of pilgrims dressed in white on the Via Dolorosa towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre;

Veiled women shopping for the iftar meal after prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque at the Dome of the Rock.

Everywhere believers, tourists, police officers

After two years of closed places of worship, there is no longer any sign of the pandemic in Israel.

Again and again we walked past overcrowded mosques, synagogues and churches.

We joined the stream of people to the Wailing Wall, walking alongside Orthodox Jews, tourists and Israeli border guards.

At the wall itself there is a strict separation between men and women.

We asked a steward about the common prayer area at the Western Wall - this was decided by the Israeli cabinet in 2016.

"Well, if you ask me, it won't exist in the next 2000 years either," came the prompt answer.

Men are only allowed to enter the holy place with a hat, non-Jews can borrow a kippa.

It was different at the entrance to the Dome of the Rock,

which is overseen by the Islamic authority called Waqf.

As a non-Muslim you will be rejected with a shrug.

“First I had to prove that I am Muslim.

After the guards complained about my missing headgear, they asked me to quote the first sura of the Koran.

As a child, I probably never would have guessed that learning verses from the Koran by heart could sometimes bring me an advantage.

After the guards let me through, a youth jumped in front of me and offered me to borrow different colored abayas, a long, loose robe to wear for the visit.

I was only allowed to enter when I was sufficiently covered.”