Freemasonry in Israel
Freemasonry in Israel
Freemasonry in Israel > Articles > Featured > Jerusalem - Symbolic Cradle of Freemasonry
Jerusalem - Symbolic Cradle of Freemasonry
Leon Zeldis, FPS, 33°
PSGC, Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite for the State of Israel
Honorary Adjunct Grand Master
Jerusalem, the "City of Peace," is the city of David, King of Israel, who, in the 10th century BCE, unified the Holy Land under his rule and established Jerusalem as his capital. His son, Solomon, King of Israel, built a Temple to the G-d of Israel which became the archetypal Temple in Western thought and a central subject in Masonic tradition. King Solomon's Temple already appears in the Old Charges of Operative Masons used by medieval Lodges and many legendary and ritual features of various Masonic degrees are related to its construction and architecture.
For both Christians and Jews, Jerusalem is the focal point of the world, the place where heaven and earth touch each other (Heavenly and Earthly Jerusalem). In the middle ages, some maps show Jerusalem as the center of the world, with Europe, Asia, and Africa radiating from it like the petals of a flower. Jerusalem is mentioned in the Old Testament no less than 656 times, in addition to other appelations such as "The Holy City," "The City of Truth," "The City of G-d," "The City of Peace," etc.
In 586 BCE, King Solomon's Temple was razed by Nebuchadnezzar. A second Temple was erected by Jews returning from the Babylonian exile in the 5th century BCE and was rebuilt and greatly enlarged by King Herod around the time of Jesus. The Western Wall (formerly known as the "Wailing Wall") is a striking remnant of the Herodian temple. After the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, the whole area has been opened up and now a large section of the wall has been exposed, part of which can be followed through underground passages. Some of the huge Herodian ashlars are among the largest construction stones in the world.
Beneath the wall encircling the Old City, there is a deep cavern known as King Solomon's Quarries. This was used in old times to quarry the characteristic yellow Jerusalem stone. In this cave took place, on May 13, 1868, the first recorded Masonic ceremony in the Holy Land. A group of Freemasons led by Robert Morris (Past Grand Master of Kentucky) held a meeting in the Secret Monitor Degree. At present, the cave is used to hold a Mark Master degree once or twice a year, usually conducted in English and attended by numerous Brethren from abroad.
The newly opened Museum of the History of Jerusalem, at King David's Tower, near the Old City's Jaffa Gate, gives a fascinating account of the city's 3000-year history. Other places in Israel with strong masonic connections, such as Jaffa (Joppa) and Acre (Templars), are within driving distance of Jerusalem.
There are eight Lodges working in Jerusalem, all of them under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the State of Israel. Most work in Hebrew, but there is one working in English (Holy City Lodge #4). The Masonic Temple is located at 13 Ezrat Israel Street, off the main thoroughfare of the New City, Jaffa Road. Other attractions in Jerusalem include the Israel Museum, where the original Dead Sea Scrolls are in exhibition, among many fascinating archeological discoveries, some of them thousands of years old. The world-famous Yad Vashem memorial perpetuates the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The recently-opened Bible Lands Museum explores the history, art, and architecture of the Holy Land throughout the ages.
Celestial Jerusalem, Israel