I was sitting on the sofa in my home in Jerusalem, staring into space, when the phone rang. It was my good friend Uriela, calling from Los Angeles. She told me that her boss, Kirk Douglas, wanted to hire me to guide him through the Western Wall Tunnel on his upcoming trip to Jerusalem, where he would be dedicating two playgrounds that he donated.
Her voice had a sly smile as she said, “Here he is,” and handed the phone to – gulp! – one of the greatest movie icons of all time.
I managed to remain coherent for the minute it took to agree to a date and time for the tour.
I spent the next two days slowly reading his autobiography, The Ragman's Son, to find clues for what to highlight, what to toss, and what communication style to use. These gleanings proved helpful before and during the tour:
- Mr. Douglas gets straight to a colorful point, and moves on to the next. Note: Keep things constantly moving forward.
- Whenever expressing his most personal feelings, he refers to himself by his Yiddish name, "Issur."
- He did not click with John Wayne.
- He felt distant from and unappreciated by his father. He recalled “staring at a picture in my Hebrew book – Abraham with his long beard bent over a frightened little boy, in his hand a long knife. That boy looked a lot like me.” This image shattered him, driving a wedge between him and Judaism. (For years, the only Jewish ritual he did was to fast on Yom Kippur, even when filming a Western on horseback with his friend Burt Lancaster.)
If Mr. Douglas’ jarring encounter with the near-sacrifice of Isaac was a seminal point of his young life, equally striking was the fact that he would soon be able to touch the bedrock upon which this very story took place. For at the end of the tunnel, the Western Wall’s massive 2,000-year-old hewn blocks of stone suddenly give way to the rising bedrock of Mount Moriah – the site of the binding of Isaac.
I decided to save the high point of the tunnel tour until the end where – at the actual “scene of the crime” – I would re-introduce Kirk Douglas to that Hebrew book picture. But this time it was to be cast in a positive light.
The Tour
Mr. Douglas arrived on a Friday and called me to cancel the tour. "The Jerusalem Foundation is keeping me so busy with a packed schedule."
I immediately faxed him at the King David Hotel: "Issur has been waiting a very long time for this, and I am one of the few guides who can make the tour meaningful for him. As John Wayne once said: 'No brag – just fact!'"
Moments before Shabbat began, his driver called to say, "Mr. Douglas will meet you in the King David lobby at 10 o'clock Sunday morning for the tour."
That morning, Mr. Douglas and I settled into the plush silence of his driver's Mercedes. The pure white exterior, upholstery and carpeting shut out the cacophony of Jerusalem. At first I felt quite anxious, but as soon as Mr. Douglas began talking in his friendly down-to-earth way, I was at ease.
Most of the 500 meter-long Western Wall is hidden, due to the fact that the Muslim Quarter is built right against it. Dozens of these buildings actually include the Wall in their own structures, such as a family’s living room or a Crusader-era market. Therefore, to reveal the Wall’s entire length, the Western Wall Tunnel was carved out underneath the Muslim Quarter. The tunnel exposes awe-inspiring archeology and is an enormously popular touring site.
Before entering the tunnel, there is a large elaborate model of the Temple Mount area. There, I spoke with Mr. Douglas about how this spot is permeated with a sense of Jewish unity. I pointed out the huge stone in the Western Wall; weighing about 570 tons, it is said to be the heaviest object ever lifted by human beings without power machinery. We then moved along to the part of the tunnel that is the closest to the Temple’s Holy of Holies, which I pointed out as a special place of prayer. We continued traversing the long, narrow space, walking on the actual street that existed in Temple times.
We reached the end of the tunnel, and paused in front of the revealed bedrock which is said to be the spot where Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac.
I explained that this is the bedrock of the mountain where Abraham took his son Isaac to be sacrificed, and that the story shows that God does not want human sacrifices, Mr. Douglas didn't say a word, but as he touched the bedrock, he was suddenly deep in thought.
In fact Kirk Douglas was so moved that he later wrote:
The picture from my Hebrew school book flashed into my mind. But, to my surprise, it no longer frightened me. I wasn’t sure why. Something had happened to me here that I didn’t quite understand… This place represented the beginning of my doubts. And, at long last, the end of them…
Tracing our steps back to the beginning of the tunnel, the lights suddenly went out. Everything was pitch black. We felt our way along, eventually reaching the spot of the Holy of Holies where some candles had been lit. Mr. Douglas put his forearm against the Wall and leaned his forehead against it. The instant his lips moved in prayer, the lights came on.
Epilogue
Once outside, Mr. Douglas and I sat across from the Western Wall and spoke about the day in 1967 when Israeli soldiers liberated the Western Wall. I then played for him a recording of the newscast from that momentous day. We heard the triumphant blasts of the shofar by Rabbi Goren, the chief army chaplain; General Motte Gur’s announcement that “the Temple Mount is in our hands”; the young soldiers spontaneously singing “Jerusalem of Gold” and Hatikva.
Amidst the rumbling of jeeps and Jordanian sniper fire, a news reporter says in a quavering voice: "I'm going down at this moment... I'm not a religious man, [but] my hands are touching the stones of the Western Wall!" Rabbi Goren recited the prayer for the dead while soldiers could be heard weeping in the background.
At this point, Mr. Douglas' tears overran their banks, and he used the hem of his Polo shirt to dry his face. He sat in silence, perhaps perplexed at what caused him to feel this way.
Kirk Douglas returned to Beverly Hills, and before long he told Uriela of his decision to construct a giant-screen theater at the new Aish HaTorah building across from the Western Wall so that everyone could have the emotional experience he had. He wanted to ensure that when people are inspired to ask life’s most important questions, something is there to provide the answers and inspire them with the Jewish vision of tikkun olam and morality.
I’ve been a tour guide for over 20 years, and I’ve been witness to many moments of epiphany. But I’d like to think that my journey with Kirk Douglas into the Western Wall Tunnel was the catalyst for something grander. As Mr. Douglas later wrote of his experience that day:
Here in the dark tunnel, touching the rock of Mount Moriah, I grew up… I had come full circle. Little did I know that this was just the beginning.
View Aish.com’s virtual tour of the Western Wall Tunnel.
(24) debby eisner pittsburgh, July 18, 2013 3:55 PM
great article
what a great story to tell. i felt it every step of the way and i cried too like i was there . hank you for letting us in onyour famous guest. Always liked him as an actor and a generous humanitarian . He is a real mench> May you be blessed to continue your good work of inspiring people in all walks of life. I still remember you inviting us to your apartment many years ago .
(23) Anonymous, May 17, 2010 7:26 AM
Touching Bedrock well written ; palpable and soulful !!!
(22) Ben Matti and wife, May 16, 2010 1:20 PM
Thanks for the interesting article!
We have for decades admired Mr. Douglas as a very talented actor.It has been really interesting to read about his spiritual journey. We like his great films "Lust for Life" and "Spartacus" and many others. We think Mr. Douglas is "better" than Mr. John Wayne, even though we like some of his films, too,such as "The Yellow Ribbon", "The Searchers", "Shepherd of the Hills" and "Green berets". G-d bless Mr. Douglas and his family!
(21) Melissa Groman, May 14, 2010 10:32 PM
How Lovely
So beautifully vivid...I felt like I was with you.
(20) Anonymous, May 14, 2010 3:06 PM
Thank you Tova for this wonderful article about an actor I have long admired. This was a very poignant piece about the magical wall and Israel. I too felt moved to tears when I visited Israel and the Wall. There is a magic in it. Thank you again for sharing.
(19) Diane, May 12, 2010 9:00 PM
Shalom, I stood in the same spot touching the same stone feeling the same spiritual up lifting desire and never wanting to leave. Blessings
(18) lisa sarett berger, May 12, 2010 7:26 PM
from your old friend
dearest tova, what a great article!! very moving! I have often thought about you and had tried to reach you while you were in America. My nephew Eli is at Aish and my son Rafi is at Brisk yeshiva . Love to Gila . Hugs Lisa
(17) Anonymous, May 12, 2010 6:33 PM
Akeidas Yitzchak
Thank you so much to the author for a well-written, interesting, and inspiring article. And thank you, also, to Mr. Douglas, for allowing it (I assume) to be printed. Just a clarification - the misrepresentation of Akeidas Yitzchak (the binding of Isaac) was written about a lot, but no one actually clarified the story. For those who don't know and are interested: AVRAHAM WAS NOT HAPPY TO KILL HIS SON; it would not be a test if he did not care about his son. However, HE WAS HAPPY TO DO THE WILL OF HIS CREATOR. Yitzchak was NOT a little boy - he was 37 years old at the time of the akeida. He knew what was happening, and, like his father, desired to do the will of Hashem (G-d). It was HE who requested to be bound, so that he would not run away if he were to become afraid. May the Jewish people continue to grow ever higher, and to learn more Torah.
(16) Laya, May 12, 2010 6:44 AM
What a great story
I loved this story, about Kirk Douglas' journey, and also about Tova Saul's courage to let him know that he needed this tour with *her*! It was a deeply touching story. Thank you to Aish for publishing it, and to Tova and Issur for sharing it. <3
(15) anita, May 11, 2010 11:10 PM
What a wonderful story about Kirk Douglas and the tour guide.
It fills me with great pride that I am a Jew. We are truly a blessed people. I hope generations from now can read these wonderful words and feelings.
(14) Anonymous, May 10, 2010 5:45 PM
Our Judaism gets warped when seen through the eyes of non-Jews
The one reason we are not to make graven images is because they so influence us, just the way it influenced a little boy to be afraid of his roots, the same way today's visual society influences even observant Jews. By the way when I was coming back to Judaism I went to visit the tunnels and when I touched the stone which is closest to the Kodesh haKodashim, the Holy of Holies, a rush of very strong emotions flooded me. I tried it a year later, but it didn't work, the first time is the first real feeling.
(13) Anonymous, May 10, 2010 3:42 PM
Thank you. I, too, got very emotional reading this story, and I do understand the way Mr Douglas reacted. Jerusalem has that effect on me too. Wendy(Rivka)
(12) Anonymous, May 10, 2010 2:47 PM
great story-0ne possible error
It was walter brennan who said "no brag-just fact" in a western tv show that was on friday nights, but I dont recall the name. He (a gunslinger) and his grandson are looking for his son/father also a grandson. walter states they are both "fast" but I am better than both of them," no brag just fact." I enjoy the articles.
Tova Saul, June 19, 2012 1:32 PM
Thanks!
Thanks! I can imagine Walter Brennan saying that. Good thing, though, that at that time, I thought it was John Wayne, or it would have been not been as good as a fax.
(11) Josephine Coyne, May 10, 2010 8:51 AM
Interesting
I have been through the tunnel and have some memorable photosof it. Walking through it ahead of us was a man with a light flashing over the ceilings looking for I guess explosives. A special experience, but I don't like the idea of an external giant screen, it sounds so Hollywood.
(10) Anonymous, May 10, 2010 7:41 AM
THANK U FOR SHARING THE HUMAN WITH THE NESHAMAH.
YOM YERUSHLAYIM SAMEACH. MAY WE DANCE THE COMING OF THE MASHIACH
(9) Robert E. Goodman, May 10, 2010 2:38 AM
Touching walls, stones, hearts, and souls.
A wonderfully written article. I hope someday to take the Tunner Tour too so I can feel as fortunate and connected as Mr. Kirk Douglas feels. May he live to 120 in excellent health and convey his love of Judaism to all he encounters.
(8) , May 10, 2010 1:38 AM
First point: Know what power there is in the word (spoken or written); and if a picture is worth a thousand of 'em, well - what powerful power in a picture! Thus, how unfortunate for the scene of Akeidat Yitzchak to have been depicted so frighteningly and so inaccurately. It is no wonder it had a negative long-term response in the very sensitive soul of "Issur." At least, if he had only been raised in the right kind of Torah environment he may have known that it is encouraged to question what one sees or learns, and some of the answers he may have received could have counterbalanced the sad effects the picture had on him. Be that as it may...Second point: I was profoundly affected by the close-up view we were allowed to glimpse in this article, of Mr. Douglas's emotional reaction to the Wall tour followed by the climax of the 1967 Kotel recordings. I am not a newcomer to Judaism, but this same reaction never fails to come to me as well, every time I hear/see these. If i may be so bold as to conjecture where these tears came from, and the epiphany they came with (since I relate), I would say that Mr. Douglas's very sensitive soul's stirrings really rose to the surface as these momentous pieces of time and place came together as reality. What drew this out? This overwhelming feeling of being one with klal Yisrael and therefore one with the historical collective experience of Klal Yisrael. Keeping in mind the dictum Yisroel ve'Oraisa Ve'Kudsha Brich Hu Chad Hu" (The Jewish People , The Torah and the Almighty are One) it makes sense that first there arose the feeling of being one with his people, then as a natural consequence came the desire to be one with the Torah and one's Creator as well. Our souls can do this for us, as we are really all ONE soul and we each possess but a fragment of that whole, that yearns to unite with the rest.
(7) Anonymous, May 10, 2010 12:26 AM
Wonderfully written!
I very much enjoyed reading this story. I felt I was even able to retrace my own steps there with the author's powerful descriptions. But more importantly, I was so happy that someone intelligent and CARING like Tova Saul stuck her neck out to help bridge a gap for a Jew reaching out to connect to his Yiddishkeit. We all can make a difference, and this was very inspiring.
(6) B.Abrahams, May 9, 2010 4:58 PM
the essence of the Western Wall surpasses human emotions.
When in 1964 as a student, hitchhiking to Israël, I came to the Western Wall in occupied Judea, standing there all by my self in a narrow alley with a small Jordanian boy selling picture postcards at the beginning of that lane, out of fear for being found out to be a Jew, I just stood there, unmoving, but my emotions were infinite. So I can understand Kirk Douglas and in a way I envy him that he could touch the wall, cry and show his emotions.
(5) Libby Davis, May 9, 2010 4:24 PM
TODAH
Todah: Kirk Douglas for taking the walk, seeing, hearing, and feeling your part in our home. The tunnel is my most cherished place. I'll visit the giant screen on my next trip 'home'. Todah: Tova Saul for doing your homework, going forward, and sharing. Your respect for K.D.'s privacy is evident and yet you showed his common ground with all of us.
(4) Sarah halevi, May 9, 2010 3:19 PM
I beleive I am one of the biggest fans of Mr. Kirk Douglas, ironically I haven't seen any of his movies but i read every book of his and my favorite one "climbing the mountain" I've read many times and through it he has helped me understand my parents, myself and also reminds me of the how much i love Israel. He is a great man and i feel as though i know him. i wish him a long and healthy life and all the best.
(3) Avraham HaMarivi, May 9, 2010 2:54 PM
Welome
The road in life is long and winding,welcome home Issur....welcome home.
(2) Roy Ginsburg, May 9, 2010 2:12 PM
To Mr. Kirk Douglas
You are a great actor and a great Jew and we all love you. And thank you to Tova for sharing this wonderful experience with us.
(1) zvi symons, May 9, 2010 9:42 AM
I also had tears.
I always saw Kirk.D as a good person ,and as sincere in all his works,TOVA SAUL writes about Feelings of others and makes one think of our own faults, and misled thoughts, in life,and living, and so with this we can change and be better for this,for us and others..