005 The Hind End of Jerusalem

“Sinister fanaticism and filth lie in your reeking streets” – that is how Theodor Herzl described Jerusalem in 1898. This tour with Roi Offenbacher will focus on earthly Jerusalem and talk about the history of its trash, sewage and everything else that the eternal city spewed out. During the tour, which will pass along the Old City wall, Offenbacher will discuss the significance of trash to the city’s history, examine where Jerusalemites of yesteryear would go when they had to relieve themselves, and explain why Theodor Herzl encountered such a foul-smelling city and why Jerusalem in the 19th century was considered one of the most dangerous places in the world.  He will also ask what present-day trash says about us, what archaeologists will infer from our trash when they sift through it a thousand years from now, and how we should deal with the global waste crisis.