Page 291 - ירושלים: גיליון רפואי

Temple’s purification since it had become a subject of idolatry (Kings 2, 17:4). The idea of
the snake, whose venom and very nature are destructive yet can also symbolize peace
and healing, reappears in Isaiah’s vision of the Garden of Eden in Jerusalem the Holy, the
idealized image of the city of peace.

The form of the snake, which symbolizes the two opposing forces creating balance and
harmony, was the unifying theme in planning the exhibition’s conceptual approach. A
winding wall snakes though the two main galleries, and a display cabinet at the end
resembles the gaping snake’s mouth, leading towards the rest of the exhibit in the same
gallery. The exhibition is divided into four main parts. The section ‘The Miracle and the
Plague’ displays key events in the city’s history. The chronological part, ‘The Apothecary’s
Art,’ displays medicines and remedies along Jerusalem’s timeline. ‘The Physicians’Wisdom’
provides a glimpse into the world of Jerusalem’s doctors, and their religious and moral
dilemmas regarding medical science. ‘Islands of Benevolence’ displays both the disputes
and the partnerships between the new hospitals in the modern era.

The Miracle and the Plague:
Milestones in the History of Jerusalem

Recurrent epidemics and miracles are milestones in the history of Jerusalem; they are both
punishment and mercy, affecting believers and unbelievers alike. The founding years of
Jerusalem begin with a plague that decimated the population as punishment for a census
ordered by King David. A miraculous cure only arrives when David purchases the threshing-
floor of Araunah the Jebusite on Mount Moriah and erects an altar there, on the exact spot
where the Temple will later be built. The recognition of Jerusalem’s supremacy also led to
a miraculous event that, according to the Bible, led to the Angel of God annihilating the
Assyrian army besieging the city. Some chroniclers have attributed the event to a plague.
The city inside the walls did not remain unscathed in modern times, either, when a cholera
epidemic struck in 1865. The walled city of Jerusalem, formerly considered safe and secure,
now turned out to be a death trap. The cholera outbreak changed ways of thinking among
the city’s residents, since in its aftermath they realized that the open spaces outside the
walls were actually far less dangerous than the walled confines, and would enable the city
to develop and keep up with the challenges of modern times. In recounting the history of
Jerusalem, its kings must also be remembered; while they ruled over the land, they were
also mere mortals who sometimes committed the sin of arrogance, and were duly punished
with diseases. Particularly striking in this respect are the miraculous cures attributed to
King Solomon and Jesus.

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