Yom Yerushalayim By Mark Mietkiewicz May 14, 2004 - On May 19 (which corresponds to the 28th of Iyar), Israelis will celebrate the 37th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem. Even if you won't be able to visit the city's holy sites this Yom Yerushalayim, you can visit its wonderful web sites. If you are only going to visit one Jerusalem web site, make it the Jerusalem Archeological Park. This site complements the real park which extends from the Temple Mount to the slope of the Mount of Olives in the south. The Park web site has an interactive timeline of the city, models of the Temple area that allow you swivel the view 360 degrees, videos, maps, biographies of some of the city's most famous archeologists and much more. [http://www.archpark.org.il/] I have a question for veteran visitors to Jerusalem who've seen the sites and think they've seen it all. Have you visited the Museum of the Seam? What about the Mt. Zion Cable Car? I found out about those sites at the Gems in Israel web site which highlights "Israel's lesser known tourist attractions and travel sites, the Gems". The Museum on the Seam was opened about a year ago to promote dialogue, coexistence and understanding between Israelis and Arabs - and among members of Israel's varied society. The Cable Car dates back to the War of Independence when it was used to secretly evacuate wounded soldiers from Mt. Zion over the Ben Hinnom Valley to safety at the St. John Hospital. [http://tinyurl.com/2pd49] If you've studied Torah, then you know that the emblem of Jerusalem is the lion, symbol of the tribe of Judah. A couple of years ago, the municipality of Jerusalem placed dozens of larger-than-life statues of lions throughout the city, each painted by a different artist. Each was painted often to Dror Bar-Natan has captured those lions - on film - and has put them on his web site. Take a tour of the city by lion. [http://tinyurl.com/39fxq] Although it may come as a bit of shock, residents of the Israeli capital don't spend their time commuting to work humming to Yerushalayim shel Zahav. They are much more likely to be listening to Galgalatz [mms://stream.msn.co.il/gglz] or if they like classical music, dropping by the Jerusalem Music Centre in the beautiful Mishkenot Sha'ananim neighborhood. You can listen to excerpts from some recent concerts at the site. [http://www.jmc.co.il/] (And if you would like to listen to Naomi Shemer's "Jerusalem of Gold" you can hear it [http://tinyurl.com/26724] and read about the history of the song that a member of Knesset wanted to make the country's national anthem. [http://www.jerusalemofgold.co.il/]) Looking for more on Jerusalem? Michael Zank has put together an annotated list of other Jerusalem-related sites. They range from apolitical to others which take a very opinionated view of the city's past and future. [http://www.bu.edu/mzank/Michael_Zank/jerusalem.html] Also check out the links that Jacob Richman has gathered. [http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/i-jer.htm] What would a visit to Jerusalem be without a visit to the Kotel? You can start off underground by taking Aish Hatorah's tunnel tour. The tunnel which was opened (after a great deal of controversy) in 1996 runs parallel to the Kotel and extends beneath the Arab Quarter of the Old City. This web site lets you follow through the labyrinths while reading up on the underground. (The site also promises an audio narration but that feature wasn't working - at least on the day that I visited.) [http://www.aish.com/seminars/tunneltour/] Once back on the surface, you can take a look at the Kotel - a live look. Thanks to a webcam, actually a "Kotelcam" trained on the holy wall, you can see what's doing in real time. The image is refreshed every minute or so. [http://www.aish.com/wallcam/] And what visit would be complete without putting a note in the Kotel? Jews traditionally leave notes "kvitelach" in the wall with requests for good health, prosperity or perhaps a shiduch. Now you can do it from anywhere in the world n via email. Several organizations will print out your petition, fold it and insert it into the Wall's crevices. Pirchei Shoshanim asks for a donation for delivering your note. [http://www.westernwall.org/prayer.htm] According to its web site, the David Citadel Hotel offers a complimentary service. [http://www.tdchotel.com/note_to_kotel.asp] What happens to your request after it's placed in the Kotel is anyone's guess. Mark Mietkiewicz is a Toronto-based Internet producer who writes, lectures and teaches about the Jewish Internet. He can be reached at highway@rogers.com.