That air of calm, of space, of serenity and intimacy. Around me, people are writing messages that you know come from deep within their soul. The experience is as emotional as it is spiritual. The impact of standing there at what is essentially the crossroads of all the continents and faiths is difficult to put into words.
I have an enormous affinity with the Jewish community because my upbringing โ with an Italian Swiss dad โ was also centred around the family. It felt as if a bit of Italian-Swiss blood helped me get through the queue at Ben Gurion airport. When it comes to the big issues involving Israel, I call it as I see it. But what I was so keen to see with my own eyes was this country that so many of my radio show callers have been telling me about with such great affection, for so many years.
I had planned to visit Israel twice before. The Intifada stopped me the first time. On the other occasion, Boris Johnson, who was then the Mayor of London, changed our travel plans. And my biblical education even continued in the shuk, where I was handed a fresh pomegranate juice despite ordering a Sea Breeze and learnt from the seller about the seeds, corresponding to the commandments of the Torah.
Following that encounter, I was keen to see what an ORT school looks like today. Having been educated in the UK and having had kids in schools here and the US, I was expecting a conventional school.
The campus is tremendously high tech. The idea is that the kids have a vocational training option that will guide them towards economic independence.
