Jerusalem Judds: Ramadan 2023

Like I was saying in the previous post, this year Ramadan, Easter, and Passover are all overlapping. That's a lot of logistics to think about for one small, traffic-clogged city!

How can you tell it's Ramadan in Jerusalem?

1) Lights! They are draped across Damascus Gate, twinkling on roofs in Silwan, blinking across storefronts and in apartment windows throughout East Jerusalem

2) Longer Call to Prayer, because chapters from the Quran are added

3) The cannon blast at sunset, fired from somewhere beyond the Rockefeller Museum. We watch for the puff of smoke, followed a second later by a boom.

4) Ramadan Pancakes! These are 4' in diameter, cooked on one side. People fill them with cheese, fold them in half, then fry them and soak them in honey syrup. My favorite Falafel stand inside Damascus Gate has been converted into a pancake factory, where you can buy packages of these pancakes ready to fill. Other Ramadan delicacies include almond juice and tamarind juice.

4) Everyone walks a tiny bit slower. If people are fasting during daylight hours, they are usually a little bit more subdued, metering their energy. Many Christians also fast for lent during the month before Easter.

5) Extra traffic on Fridays. Over 130,000 people gathered on the Haram-Es Sharif (Temple Mount) for the most recent Friday noon prayers. There were a few incidents earlier in the month that flared up, but for most of the month the only side effect has been traffic on Fridays and just before sunset. The streets get clogged with people trying to get home to break their fast when the sun goes down.

Imagine this plaza covered with people praying in lines, shoulder to shoulder.

Interior of the Dome of the Rock. We were able to visit last November, a once-in-a lifetime experience! Typically non-Muslims are not allowed inside. Notice the indicators on the floor for worshippers to pray in lines.

There is just so much eye candy in here! The enclosed space is huge, and so much of the structure is covered with lush ornamentation, clearly intended to set this apart as holy space.

Unrest always makes the news, but considering the number of people flowing into the city this month, it's a miracle that most of the worship is peaceful. Netanyahu made the unpopular but brave decision to not allow Jewish worshippers up on the temple mount during the end of Ramadan. He was criticized by some coalition members, but in my opinion this was a sensible move by him and his cabinet.

I respect the devotion of my Muslim friends who celebrate Ramadan. Many wake up early to eat breakfast before dawn, then fast from food and water all day, then gather with family to eat after sunset. The family meals are huge at the beginning and end of the month and then may be smaller in the middle of the month, but there is still a huge amount of cooking for the women of the families. I can't imaging shopping and cooking for a huge feast while fasting-- what a sacrifice! Most people still work at their jobs while fasting, but there is a definite air of contemplation, for instance I saw the store clerk reading the Quran while waiting to ring up my groceries, and I've seen people praying in unexpected places, like in the grocery store or on the side of the road.

My friend Raghad invited me and a few students over to eat dinner with her family, and it was magical! Her dad had set up tables, chairs, and twinkling lights along the patio. We sat and chatted, then as the sun sank, Raghad and her sister brought out dozens of platters of food, salads, rice, chicken, meet dumplings called kubbe, crisp savory pastries with zatar or cheese, plus french friends, pickles, and yogurt. She kept saying, "I hope you're not too full because there's more!"

Her mom made an appearance, then disappeared again, probably to prepare more courses! We talked, ate, and laughed, and then more food came: fresh fruit, then chocolates and pastries filled with cream, then watermelon and Sahlab, which is a warm drink made from orchid flour. When I've had it before, Sahlab was something like a warm horchata, but we ate it thick like pudding. It was incredible! We played dominoes together, and finally, we had to excuse ourselves even though our hostess was sad to let us go.