Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday, the day Christians remember Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, sitting on a donkey colt. People spread palm branches on the ground before them, crying out "Hosanna" - or "Please Save Us."

Living in West Jerusalem, I was never really aware of palm trees. I don't remember seeing any in my neighborhood.

There were none around the school where I taught either.

Did Jerusalem have palm trees 2000 years ago? I often wondered. Is Jerusalem warm enough to have palm trees? I knew that Jericho, an oasis in the Judean desert had palm trees... Jericho is sometimes referred to as the city of palms.

On my trip to Israel in 2008, I stood taking a picture of the historic old city of Jerusalem, in the eastern section of the city... I wanted a picture to contrast the old walled city and modern day traffic.

Then I noticed... next to the outer city wall ... palm trees!

They grew in Jerusalem 2000 years ago and they grow there still!