One of the fascinating aspects of living in Israel is where modernity walks with the Bible, almost literally. Yesterday, I wrote about Christians, Jews and others using the annual Jerusalem march to recall pilgrimages to the Temple.

Last night, I attending an amazing sound and light show at the “Tower of David” museum. The citadel is located just inside the Jerusalem fabulous Old City and was built sometime in 2nd BCE. The walls and much of the complex remain intact, offering a phenomenal backdrop to a review of the history of the holy city. 

The show itself is new, exploiting much of the latest techniques in media screening; 4 advanced computer sytems, 20 projectors, 14 speakers, 10km of cables, 2 projection rooms. Over 30 minutes, the audience is treated to a 3D spectacular of the creation, King David, Roman conquest, Christianity and Mohammed, and much more.

The citadel’s walls seemed to vanish as they were replaced by human activity from the past. The age span of my party covered 70 years, and we all were speechless by the end.

It was another reminder how modern Jerusalem has successfully learned to merge with and to learn from its past. And as we watched, towering over the top of one of the ancient turrets were ……the red lights of a mobile telephone receiver! You had to laugh.