Israel Channel 2 News correspondent Ohad Chemo is not an overtly religious man. But watching his reactions as he descended into the “Jerusalem Below” demonstrated once again that there is a special burden on the heart of every Jew for this divinely-appointed city.
Chemo was visiting the caverns and tunnels under Jerusalem on the occasion of Passover. While most visitors were congregating at the Western Wall (Kotel), touring David’s Citadel, or visiting the city’s numerous other attractions, Chemo was truly getting closer to Jerusalem’s unique history.
Few are acquainted with the historical wonders that lie beneath this city. Springs, tunnels, quarries and more that attest not only to its incredible historical record, but also to the biblical narrative. Chemo sought to bring all that to average Israelis, to fan that flame for Jerusalem that rests within every Jewish man, woman and child.
“Anyone who spends enough time in Jerusalem is sure to discover the Divine Presence (shechinah) – He who dwells in the heavenly (upper) Jerusalem,” Chemo opened the segment.
Joining Chemo was researcher Ron Peled, a noted authority on Jerusalem’s history. Peled explained that their first stop was a cavern that, according to legend, “has no end. After 1967, people entering this cave first tied a string at the entrance so as not to lose their way.”
The cavern is today known as Zedekiah’s Cave, or Solomon’s Quarries, a five-acre underground limestone quarry that runs the length of five city blocks under the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was carved out over the course of thousands of years, and served as Jerusalem’s largest quarry for most of its history. It is widely believed this is the very same quarry referred to in I Kings 5:15, 17:
Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills… At the king’s command they removed from the quarry large blocks of quality stone to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple.
“One must remember that ancient Jerusalem was one of the largest and most famous cities in the world at the time,” explained Peled. “The stones to build it had to come from somewhere. This is the largest and closest quarry to Jerusalem. And being underground, it was always accessible, regardless of the season or weather conditions.”
Spirits of Jerusalem past
Chemo wondered if local residents, most of them Arabs, knew about what lies under them. Abu al-Abed, a local elder, said he was indeed familiar with the “entire city beneath us,” but was more concerned with what lurks there than with the stones. Many of the residents of Jerusalem’s Old City believe the ghosts of the city’s former residents continue to haunt its subterranean layers. “When the spirits come out, they don’t bother anyone, unless you bother them,” assured al-Abed. “Beneath us there is an entire city and civilization of spirits.”
Returning underground to the Western Wall Tunnel and the Hasmonean Canal below, Chemo didn’t find any ghosts, but did recall feeling an undeniable connection to his past as an Israeli and a Jew.
Chemo’s final stop took him to Christ Church near the Jaffa Gate. The entrance to an ancient underground canal there was certainly less “modern,” requiring advanced repelling equipment and great care. But what Chemo found was worth the effort. “It’s like a time tunnel,” he told viewers. “I have to say, from a personal perspective, it is very moving to be here. A canal that was dug 2,000 years ago by Herod to bring water from the area of Bethlehem to the Temple Mount. This place feels frozen in time.”
Putin Wants Ownership of Jerusalem Churches
Israel Vlog: Praying at the Western Wall
Without Unity, No Jerusalem
Jerusalem’s Windmill
Saudi Journalist Visits Israel, Implies Riyadh Wants Role in Jerusalem Holy Sites
Have the Jews Started Building the Third Temple?
It’s Time to Take Back Jerusalem for God’s Sake
Russia to Open “Small Embassy” in Jerusalem
Tachles With Aviel – Jerusalem Needs a Bit of Rest
Biden Removed Israeli Flag During East Jerusalem Visit
The 70 Names of Jerusalem – Kee’seh Adonai – The Seat of the LORD
Jerusalem’s Pool of Siloam to be excavated, opened to the public
Straddling ‘The Place of His Throne’
Jerusalem Building On Hold After American Request
Tachles With Aviel – ‘Prisoners of a Wrong Idea’
Christian-Israel Relations in Danger? Oh, Please…
ANALYSIS: Why Biden is Wrong on Jerusalem Consulate Move
Jerusalem or Kabul? Jihadists Squabble Over Islam’s ‘Third Holiest Site’
Report: Israel Rebuffs Biden Admin Over Jerusalem Riots
The Real Story Behind Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah Neighborhood
Jerusalem’s Tower of David is Being Restored
Arson Now Suspected as Cause of Massive Jerusalem Wildfire
ANALYSIS: What’s Behind Latest Wave of Violence in Jerusalem
2,000-Year-Old Financial Record Unearthed on Jerusalem’s Pilgrimage Road
“Jerusalem is Ours!” What’s Behind Turkey’s Astonishing Claim
The Double Sorrow on the Via Dolorosa
Israel Investing Billions in Jerusalem’s Arab Neighborhoods
Secret Plans Revealed: The Jordanian Prince & the Temple Mount
Rare Palace Remains From Time of Biblical Kings Found in Jerusalem
My Encounters With Eccentric Neighbors in Jerusalem
Foreign Tourism Bounces Back in Jerusalem
Member of Knesset Incites Against Israel
Jerusalem Day: Celebrating the Unification of a Dream
Uniting Yerushalayim – Jerusalem of Gold and Silicon?!
Iran, Biden and the Unrest in Jerusalem and Gaza
Why Is Russia Really Opening a Consulate in Jerusalem?
At the End of the Day, It’s All About Jerusalem
Time to Build Third Temple, Says Israeli Lawmaker
IN PHOTOS: Temple Mount as a Battleground
Israel Shelves Plan for Park on Mount of Olives After Christians Protest
We’ve Been Here Before, and Will Be Again
Sheikh Jarrah: What’s All the Hubbub?
Hamas and Its Empty Threats
IN PHOTOS: 56 Years Ago Today, the Six-Day War Broke Out
“O Jerusalem”
ANALYSIS: Is the Current Chaos in Israel Related to Iran?
The Temple Mount, Ben-Gvir and World War III
Trump: There are No Palestinians in Jerusalem
Macron Kicks Israelis Out of French Church
“As Christians, we had to make this move”
The 2,000-Year Jewish Love Affair With Jerusalem
Effective Jewish Group Resumes Campaign to Expand Jerusalem
“The Temple Mount Must Be a Top Priority for Israel”
Court Orders Church to Honor Sale of Jerusalem Properties to Israeli ‘Settlers’
Turkish Aid Agency Returns to Jerusalem to Undermine Israeli Sovereignty
Arabs Look to Create Earthquake in Jerusalem City Hall
Jerusalem Aflame: Police Arrest 23 Arab Rioters as Violence Mounts
A Closer Look at Jerusalem Today
Israeli Lawmaker Tries to Block Biden Admin From Opening New Jerusalem Consulate
Namaste Jerusalem
The Bible Comes to Life in Jerusalem!
Bennett, Lapid Say ‘NO’ to American Consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem
Surprise! Jordanian Ammunition Found Near the Western Wall
Exclusive: “Third World War Could Erupt From Temple Mount,” Warns Jerusalem Expert
A New Light Shines on Jerusalem
Israel to Biden: Delay Opening Jerusalem Consulate for Palestinians
“You’ll go down in history as someone who did right by Israel”
What’s Up With Jerusalem’s Golden Gate?
Jerusalem: 2 Israelis Stabbed; Terrorist Shot
Palestinians Help Israel Fight Unprecedented Jerusalem Wildfire
Church Helps Palestinian Authority Further Entrench in Jerusalem
Shimon the Just or Saladin’s Healer Sheikh Jarrah?
Jerusalem Offers Itself as “City of Peace” Amidst Russia-Ukraine War
Gallery: Jerusalem as a Ghost Town
Move to Jerusalem, or Else!
Western Wall Cable Car Approved
Do the Jews Have Sovereignty in Jerusalem?
Mounting Tensions
Athens or Jerusalem? Establishing the Spiritual Heritage of Jesus’ Followers
New Findings Suggest Israel Can Build Third Temple, Now
Have You Heard of Yom Yerushalayim?
IN PHOTOS: Christians and Jews Celebrate Jerusalem Together
Muslims Riot for Third Night in Jerusalem, 4 Arrested
Palestinian Agents Caught Operating in Jerusalem
Why No Gentile Tears on Tisha B’Av?
Palestinian ‘Governor’ of Jerusalem Arrested, Again
Your Guide to the Jerusalem’s New Pilgrims’ Path
Tachles with Aviel – The most original types live in Jerusalem
Did Biden Tell Israelis Where They Can and Can’t Go in Jerusalem?
Israel’s Eternal Connection to Jerusalem, the Holy City of King David
O Jerusalem, Will You Rise Again?
What Sparked the Trouble in Jerusalem?
Poll: Arab Residents of Jerusalem Don’t Want a Palestinian State
The City of God
Not Just Another Terror Attack
A High-Tech Upgrade for the Ancient Tower of David
Jerusalem Wrestles With Growing LGBT Community
Jerusalem and the War Between Two Kingdoms
Jews, Arabs Battle on the Streets of Jerusalem
Top Places to Eat in Jerusalem City Center
“They are trying to start the War of Gog and Magog”
Mysterious Handprint, Moat Discovered by Jerusalem’s Old City Walls
“Scared to Death!” Israeli Bus Drivers Say Something’s Gotta Change
Another Country to Move Embassy to Jerusalem
A Tour of an Ancient Jerusalem Neighborhood
Jerusalem Day Flag March Will Test Gaza Ceasefire
Happy Jerusalem Day, the Bomb Shelters Are Open!
Israel Insists: We Are Sovereign in Jerusalem!
Court Awards Jerusalem Church Properties to Jewish Organization
Kosovo Forges Ties With Israel, Recognizes Jerusalem as Capital
We Must Always Remember the Extraordinary Gift of Israel
A Nazi Comparison
Israeli NGO seeks prosecution of former Jerusalem mufti
Found: Missing Section of First Temple-Period Jerusalem City Wall
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
I Became a Jew in Jerusalem and Hebron
Jerusalem Heats Up Ahead of Ramadan
Jerusalem Day’s Flag March Held Without a Hitch Despite Threats and Warnings
Court Rules Jerusalem Can Have Its Cable Car
Terror in Jerusalem – 3 dead in bus stop shooting
Digging Into the Origins of Jerusalem
Why Germany and France Boycotted 4th of July Party in Jerusalem
A Wise Voice From History
Liberating Our Jerusalem
Palestinians Set Sights on Jerusalem Amid Corona Crisis
New Water System for Jerusalem
My Jerusalem Stone
Money Talks: The Story of the Gates of Jerusalem as Told on Banknotes
Arab Family Evicted From Jewish-Owned Property. World Loses Its Mind
VIDEO: This is Jerusalem
Israel Furious After UN Says ‘Invalid’ to Call Jerusalem Its Capital
PA Called for Religious War Against Jerusalem Day Flag March
Zedekiah Cave Reopens to Visitors
Gallery: Snow in Jerusalem
Jews Return to the Temple Mount
Ah, Jerusalem!
My 75-Year Story Is the Story of Israel
Jerusalem Must Be Raised Above Politics
Ukrainian Refugee Wins Jerusalem Marathon
Australia Revokes Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
A Culinary Journey Through Jerusalem’s Mahaneh Yehuda Market
Israel Faces an Explosive Week
Dramatic Footage Shows Muslims Try to Lynch Jews in Jerusalem
Israel Today Membership
Monthly Membership
Yearly Membership
Save 18% Per Month.
Six Months Membership
Save 9% Per Month.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Only members can read and write comments.