IN JERUSALEM

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 51, Issue 3151, 3 August 1942, Page 6

IN JERUSALEM

SOLDIER’S SIGHT-SEEING

VISITED THE LORD’S TOMB DESCRIBES THE WAILING WALL Following is an interesting letter received from Private C. D. Denize., of the New Zealand Advanced Base in the Middle East, by his family at Matatoki. Private Denize writes under date of 11/5/42: — “I have had nothing to do at present, so I thought the best thing I could do was to get in touch with old New Zealand again, as it is a place far beyond comparison with any of the wonders I have so far been lucky enough to have seen. The reason I am writing this letter to you all is to tell you of my trip to Jerusalem. How I enjoyed my wanderings! This is how my journey started:

“We left the base in a truck. The day was fine and a>s we had the sides of the old bus rolled up we could see everything. As we travelled along we saw some grand sights. The best of all I think was a great monastery building up on a huge mountain, with a. giant statue of an angel in front of it. We reached our destination at a. height of about 2500 ft. In Jerusalem there is an old city and .a new city. The old city is surrounded by a high wall, in which is the entrance —the great Jaffa Gate. The wall is in wonderful condition considering its age.

“The first biblical place we visited was the Wailing Wall, where worshippers go to ery and pray that the Lord

may* return to the earth. Some old priests were praying as we entered. This wall is about 22 yards long and about 14 feet high. It also is in -a good state of preservation. We went through all the old streets, which were all every interesting in their construction. The inlaidi stones are smooth and worn with age, and one has to be careful not to slip.

“Then came the most wonderful experience of all. We were shown through the Holy Sceptre. This church —if I may call it so —covers about 10 acres of ground. We saw Christ’s Tomb and in front of it was the great stone which the angels rolled away. We visited many other holy tombs, and from these made our way to the Place of Trial, the palace of Pilate, the Roman emperor. From here we went to the place of the Lord’s crucifixion and to different parts where Jesus carried the Cross. At last we reached the place where the Cross liad stood. The location is beautifully decorated and the hole in which the upright of the Cross stood is stilf to be seen. They still have pieces of the Cross. “This hill is called Calvary Ridge. In the rock, the huge gap caused by lightning can still be seen. As we entered the church we heard some Polish soldiers singing and their voices were beautiful, believe me. I could have roamed about all day. On our way back we passed a big German church, which was closed. This is known in all Palestine as the Church of the Demon.”