Well, I knew I would probably get a cold eventually but I was hoping I would escape it but on Friday I succumbed to a full-blown cold. Thankfully, with Mucinex and cough drops I am much improved. It managed to slow me down a bit but I was still able to go on the field trip on Sunday. However, before that event we participated in the Shabbat dinner on JUC's campus with everyone sitting outside and about half of the student body and staff seated under a Succah (shelter) that the students had built over the grape arbor that sits atop a stone platform. It's like an outdoor patio. The students had draped blue and white side panels and white sheets to partially enclose the Succah and hung fruit at different spots and laid down floor coverings. Many families sleep and eat in their Succah during Succoth (Feast of Tabernacles).
It was a lovely evening to be outside with grilled chicken for our dinner and special Shabbat bread called Challah--very tasty. We light the candles and have special prayers before the meal lead by Dr. Wright. Following dinner Larry spoke at Vespers. He wrote on his blog some of what he shared with the students. His message was very well received.
On Thursday I made my way to the old Super Sol--a market we used to shop at when we were students here years ago. With my backpack I can manage to carry back to campus items we needed--like more kleenex! It was a memorable walk for me as I passed Independence Park, the US Consulate office, and saw so many interesting people on the way. A young girl was walking with her father who was an ultra-orthodox Jewish man with the side curls, big fur hat, and black coat that comes to the knees with white shirt. He was carrying some items needed for their Succah and his daughter was a teen-ager carrying a silver box and she was dressed in a black skirt and silk white blouse with a shawl. I was very curious as to what was in the box. I passed the new Waldorf-Astoria Hotel under construction and it is huge with beautiful stone balconies in a Roman style for the rooms facing the street. Every walk seems like an adventure to me.
On Saturday evening I went to the art exhibition for our new friend, Annie, at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer inside the Old City and very close to the great Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This was the first time I actually went inside the Lutheran Church and behind the stone facade is a beautiful courtyard filled with plants, palm trees, and flowers. A bassoon quartet was rehearsing for the concert later that evening. Annie's exhibit was held in the Refectory and the Dean of the Church was there to welcome everyone and then Annie spoke about her art work and what it represented. Her accent is very heavy and sometimes difficult to understand. She was dressed in a beautiful white and gold pantsuit and welcomed each person. She gave me the traditional Middle Eastern kiss on both cheeks. She exhibited Chinese calligraphy with a peace theme, photographs she had taken of orchids, trees, and leaves that express to her our connection to the earth, and then she had some Japanese Ickebana flowers and explained how the shape of the vase is important for holding the origami flowers. People could come and go during the hour before the concert. We are hoping Annie will join us here at JUC for a Shabbat dinner in October.
The Lutheran Church houses three congregations--a German-speaking congregation, an Arab congregation, and an English-speaking congregation. According to tradition, the land on which the church stands today was given to the emperor Charlemagne as a gift at the beginning of the 9th century by Khalif Harun al-Rashid. Such history all around us!
On Sunday, Larry and I were back on the bus for another field trip. Packed with my box of kleenex I felt I could make it. On our way to the bus we passed a large number of police and some soldiers near the walls of the Old City who were getting their final instructions for the day. Because of Succoth and the recent difficulties near the Temple Mount area, there is extra security all around. The traffic is very heavy and lots of Israelis visiting Jerusalem for the holidays in addition to other tourists. We heard there is a Christian Festival here with over 5,000 expected. They are praying for peace, conducting a march for peace near Independence Park and holding special meetings. It's very crowded. As I was near Jaffa Gate on Friday, a group of Christians stopped near the gate and prayed in a circle before they entered the Old City.
Sunday was another amazing day as we had the opportunity to explore the land given to the sons of Joseph--the Ephraim and Manassah territory north of Jerusalem. There is so much one can see in a day because the country is not that large--about the size of Rhode Island. As we wound our way up to a look-out point we discovered that it was very hazy and almost like a fog settled over the valleys. Nevertheless, we persevered . I continue to be amazed at how hilly the land is and how much energy and stamina it takes to walk this land. We visited Shechem and stopped at the Greek Orthodox Church that was built over Jacob's Well where Jesus met the Samaritan woman. The church and grounds are beautiful and a service was going on as we entered but the priest directed us down the stairs below the church to the well which is around 90 feet deep. People were pulling up the bucket filled with water and washing their face in it. A nun was busy hoisting up the bucket for her group. Larry and I had to at least get our hands wet since we were there! After admiring the art work and chapel, we were off to Mt. Gerizim where the Samaritans live. At the top of the mountain, still hazy, one of the students read out the blessings that Joshua recited years ago. We didn't go to Mt. Ebal where the curses were read out to the children of Israel but we could get a vague glimpse of it through the haze. We met the son of the Samaritan High Priest who explained to us a little about their history and allowed us into the museum there. The remaining Samaritans in the world total 746 with half of them living on Mt. Gerizim and half in the community of Holon near Tel Aviv. They follow the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and at Passover they slaughter about 50 goats for sacrifice for their families and around 10,000 people come to observe. This is a small place so I wondered how everyone gets around. We were allowed to eat our lunch on the porch of a restaurant and store and the owners brought us tea--very hospitable. Again it was hot but not as hot as Jericho.
I was so impressed with our visit to Shiloh where the Tabernacle of the Lord was during the days of Eli and Samuel. Close to the Tel is a West Bank Israeli settlement that is highly developed. It is now a city called Shiloh and a Yeshiva (like a seminary) is being built on top of the mountain. We were told that the housing in the settlements is much cheaper than other places and that is appealing to Israelis who want to get out of apartments and have some land around them. We observed young families with their children enjoying family picnics and exploring the Tel together. The loookout point was fantastic and we read from the Bible the story of Hannah when she came to the Tabernacle to pray for a son and God gave her Samuel the prophet. So many biblical events occurred at Shiloh and around that area. As we gathered on the bus for our trip back to campus we noticed two men in an arena that looked like a training area for horses but instead they were training attack dogs. It was really interesting observing how each dog was brought out and one man hid in a small enclosure and how the dog would search for him and then attack his arm that was encased with a huge amount of padding and how they directed the dog to hold on until they gave the command to release. I had never seen training like this before. It saddened me because I knew this training was for protection of this West Bank settlement and the dogs probably patrol at night. As we left one of the buildings, I saw a father and son walking by. The father was in Western dress with a yarmulke on his head and the son, about 20 years old, dressed in shorts, with long side curls, a yarmulke on his head and a huge rifle slung over his shoulder. I'm not used to seeing this even though it is everywhere here. All reminders to me of how intense security is and that for these Israeli families they are determined to protect their homes and land. On the other hand, I see the Palestinians who feel their land has been stolen from them and want to do all they can to try to get back the land. Many of them live under difficult circumstances. As we go through the checkpoints, we see the Palestinians having to go through a separate line because of their license plate indicating they are from the administered territories, and we get to go through a different line. They usually just pass us through, but at one stop the soldiers did come on the bus and ask to see everyone's passport. They were friendly to us and one of the soldiers was from Maryland and spoke with an American accent. Another interesting story I am sure.
As I am learning more and more about the political issues here, I realize how difficult it is for both sides. The history and culture Israelis and Palestinians bring to the table shapes their views and makes resolution of the issues even more difficult. There is such a lack of trust. It will only be by God's grace that this land and people will be able to experience true peace. There are individuals on both sides who can work together but there are hurdles that seem intractable.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
On Monday evenings the Wrights host a Forum Table in their apartment over dinner. Students who choose can bring their trays and ask questions about statements their professors make, discuss the Middle East situation or any theological question they have. It makes for some fascinating conversations.
Joyce Helyer's Blog
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Recent Photos from Field Trips
Here's a photo of my excursion into the "souk" or the Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem. Note the vegetables for sale.
This is the ancient site of Tekoa--the prophet Amos' hometown. We are looking east and in the distance you can see the hills of Moab.
Larry is in the center of this photo talking about the prophet Amos and Tekoa. He's under the carob tree with the hat and sunglasses wearing a blue shirt. Wonderful shade!
Here's a photo of the little girl that followed us around NT Jericho at the remains of Herod's Palace. She's the one who asked for "Baksheesh" (money) as we were leaving. Some of the students gave her the snacks they had with them.
This photos shows us beginning our climb up into NT Jericho. We had already crossed a wadi. These are JUC students.
This is the spot where we stood looking down into the Wadi Qelt in the Judean Wilderness. There is a steep drop off just behind the gal with the pony tail.
The fearless hikers! We are in the Judean Wilderness overlooking the Wadi Qelt. The neck kerchief is to keep the sun off my neck. I often poured water on the kerchief and tied it around my neck. Very refreshing!
Another photo of the barren Judean Wilderness where our Lord was tempted. This is east of Jerusalem and on our way down into Jericho.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Life in Israel --September 23, 2010
I'm still on a learning curve for posting to my blog. Much to my disappointment, I could not find what I wrote yesterday and thought that I had saved it. I wonder if the heat in the computer lab wiped my brain clean as I sweltered in this inner "cave" and somehow did not follow the proper steps. We are into another heat wave in Jerusalem and we are finding it tough but it's great for drying our wash in JUC's garden. It dries very quickly--small delights!
We were surprised yesterday when we heard numerous police sirens and saw helicopters circling overhead. We "heard" that a private security guard who was hired to guard a Jewish settlement in the Silwan area, found himself threatened by some Palestinians so he pulled his gun and killed one of the men. The man was buried in the afternoon and that caused a riot in the Temple Mount area. We are less than a mile from this area and we were advised not to enter the Old City for the afternoon and evening. During my Palestinian Society and Politics class, Dr. Sabella felt things were under control and would not multiply into other actions. I'm finding this class very interesting and understanding better the complex issues facing Israel and the Palestinian Authority. My professor will be taking us to Ramallah, the headquarters for the Palestinian Authority in November. Things look a little differently here than from home.
Finally we connected with our artist friend, Annie. We met her for coffee on Saturday evening after Shabbat. We will be attending her art exhibition at the Lutheran Redeemer Church this Sat. night. She is a very interesting woman but very unhappy. She shared a litany of complaints and may be returning to Belgium after living in Israel for 38 years. She is a secular Jewess and very much into peace and environmental issues and feels persecuted by the ultra-orthodox Jews who live in the Old City. She is friendly and trying to decide whether to move to upper Galilee or to Belgium. Her three sons and families are here. We look forward to further contact with her.
On Sunday we left bright and early for an all-day field trip to the Benjamin Territory that included Jericho with stops at special viewpoints near Michmash, Bethel and Ai plus Gezer later in the day. It is amazing how quickly the terrain changes here. From the Mt. of Olives we headed east near the Wadi Qelt (a canyon) in the Judean Wilderness. Rainfall in Jerusalem is around 24 inches a year and we only have to travel 10 to 12 miles and rainfall drops to only four to five inches in a good year. What a barren wilderness. We climbed (as always) a ridge overlooking the Wadi Qelt and as I looked down I thought to myself, "My goodness, what if I slipped and fell." One had to be very careful. We were very close to the area believed to be where Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. Believe it or not, bedouin shepherds still manage to find something for their goats to eat. At the bottom of the canyon is water and a few trees but for the most part it is truy desolate. One would think no one can live here but they do. We thought we were alone but Dr. Wright said, "The bedouin already know we are here." Of course, he was correct and in just a short time here came a donkey with two men selling their scarves and necklaces. With Dr. Wright's help I decided to buy a white scarf to help protect my arms from the sun. I paid a reasonable amount but the bedouin man kept telling me I was "hurting him."
From there we made our way to New Testament Jericho where Herod kept a winter palace. We saw the remains and nearby was a goat barn and two little children soon came to watch us. We wandered around the site-no shade--and when Dr. Wright was finished speaking this little six year-old girl quietly held out her hand and said, "Baksheesh"? She was barefoot, had on a very dirty t-shirt and what I call sweat pants. She was lovely! Really a sweet little girl. She was surrounded by egg plants that were thrown on the site as fodder for the goats. Larry and I made our way back to the bus as quickly as we could because of the sun. Jericho sometimes sees temps of 120 degrees. It wasn't that hot for us but I am so thankful for a good hat, water, sunscreen and sun glasses!
We later visited OT Jericho and found ourselves at this amazing rest stop that I remembered from years ago except now it is THE place for tourists. Everything there has been enlarged and the owner said they were expecting 20 tourist buses for lunch and planned to serve around 1,000 people. After we saw the amazing results of the archaeological dig, we took our lunch JUC sent with us and enjoyed sitting on one of the roof tops with some slight shade. I longingly looked at the new cable cars that now transport tourists up the hill to the monastery at the Mount of Temptation. We did not go there. As Dr. Wright says, "This is a class, we are not a tourist group."
We do have a lot of fun with the students while we are out and they are always very helpful to us and Dr. Wright shares so much interesting information about the sites we visit, the biblical accounts, and the history. As we drove through the town of Jericho, I could not help but think what a contrast in culture. Everything one needs is there but the way it is displayed, maintained, etc. is unique to this part of the world. We even passed "Bananaland," a water park next to a banana grove.
We drove up and back to Jerusalem passing Michmash, Ai, and Bethel along the way with a short stop to see how the shepherds get water for their goats from a well at Michmash. Right next to this area is a Jewish settlement as this is in the West Bank. We made our way later over to Gezer, a huge archaelogoical site and Dr. Wright had bought some luscious figs for all of us to enjoy. He jokes that his "band-aids" for us are cookies and fruit. He knows just when we need a treat--a man with a great deal of experience with students. Larry and I brought up the rear again as we arrived back in Jerusalem after dark and made our way up the hill to the campus where we found a nice warm supper awaiting us. Amazing how a good hot meal helps our aching bodies.
On Tuesday I walked to Mahane Ben Yehuda with a student who wanted to see all the special purchases that many Jewish families make in preparation for Succoth which began last night. Mahane Ben Yehuda is a huge covered market with lots of little shops--like a souk. There are specific stalls for cheese, nuts, fish, bakery items, vegetables, fruit, etc. It was crowded. People were buying palm branches to make their shelter for Succoth and some families build these on their balconies and eat in them during these five or six days. Some of the students have built a Succah here on JUC's campus and last night some of us set outside and enjoyed the wonderful air and atmosphere as we ate dinner together. It was a long walk on Tuesday and in the heat so I found a vendor who sold freshly squeezed pomegranate juice that was lovely. What a treat!
On Monday morning, I went with Larry's class to the biblical site of Tekoa located in the Palestinian Territory. This was the home town of the prophet Amos. We are getting used to going through checkpoints but I must admit that when we reached Tekoa there was a sign that said No Israeli Citizens, which reminded us of the turnoil here. Israelis cannot enter the Palestiian Territories and Palestinians cannot enter Israel without special permits.
So sad. We had to have a Palestinian guide with us to visit Tekoa and he was a wonderful Christian man who studied at JUC and at Bethlehem Bible College and is now the first Palestinian to be working on his doctorate at Bar Ilan University in Israel. There was a wonderful carob tree on site that we were able to sit under as Larry talked about Amos. The view was fantastic. This is very close to Bethlehem and the olive groves around the site are known as the "best" in the area. The soil is rich. Again, I couldn't help but notice that this area reminds me of how brown Southern California looks at this time of year. Not much rainfall.
Jerusalem continues to attract a variety of people. On the way back to campus after the Tekoa field trip, Larry and I saw two women near the JUC gate so we asked if we could help them. They were looking for Zion Gate so we were able to direct them but in the conversation we discovered they were from Newport Beach, CA--not far from where I grew up in Brea. They were Christians and here on their own for about ten days. When Dr. Wright came up one of them said they were so excited about the Lord's returning. We are too, but don't know when. We wondered if they were here to greet the Lord. We have been reading about so many Christians over the years who cometo Israel to welcome the Lord when he returns to the Mt. of Olives. Some have come because they felt they knew the exact time. I am reading a fascinating book about Horatio and Anna Spafford who founded the American Colony and came to Israel to welcome the Lord and used to go to the Mt of Olives daily with a picnic lunch to meet the Lord. Their story is really rather sad and yet they helped the poor and sick but it appears their group became a cult. The book is American Priestess: The Story of Anna Spafford. It's never dull here!
We were surprised yesterday when we heard numerous police sirens and saw helicopters circling overhead. We "heard" that a private security guard who was hired to guard a Jewish settlement in the Silwan area, found himself threatened by some Palestinians so he pulled his gun and killed one of the men. The man was buried in the afternoon and that caused a riot in the Temple Mount area. We are less than a mile from this area and we were advised not to enter the Old City for the afternoon and evening. During my Palestinian Society and Politics class, Dr. Sabella felt things were under control and would not multiply into other actions. I'm finding this class very interesting and understanding better the complex issues facing Israel and the Palestinian Authority. My professor will be taking us to Ramallah, the headquarters for the Palestinian Authority in November. Things look a little differently here than from home.
Finally we connected with our artist friend, Annie. We met her for coffee on Saturday evening after Shabbat. We will be attending her art exhibition at the Lutheran Redeemer Church this Sat. night. She is a very interesting woman but very unhappy. She shared a litany of complaints and may be returning to Belgium after living in Israel for 38 years. She is a secular Jewess and very much into peace and environmental issues and feels persecuted by the ultra-orthodox Jews who live in the Old City. She is friendly and trying to decide whether to move to upper Galilee or to Belgium. Her three sons and families are here. We look forward to further contact with her.
On Sunday we left bright and early for an all-day field trip to the Benjamin Territory that included Jericho with stops at special viewpoints near Michmash, Bethel and Ai plus Gezer later in the day. It is amazing how quickly the terrain changes here. From the Mt. of Olives we headed east near the Wadi Qelt (a canyon) in the Judean Wilderness. Rainfall in Jerusalem is around 24 inches a year and we only have to travel 10 to 12 miles and rainfall drops to only four to five inches in a good year. What a barren wilderness. We climbed (as always) a ridge overlooking the Wadi Qelt and as I looked down I thought to myself, "My goodness, what if I slipped and fell." One had to be very careful. We were very close to the area believed to be where Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. Believe it or not, bedouin shepherds still manage to find something for their goats to eat. At the bottom of the canyon is water and a few trees but for the most part it is truy desolate. One would think no one can live here but they do. We thought we were alone but Dr. Wright said, "The bedouin already know we are here." Of course, he was correct and in just a short time here came a donkey with two men selling their scarves and necklaces. With Dr. Wright's help I decided to buy a white scarf to help protect my arms from the sun. I paid a reasonable amount but the bedouin man kept telling me I was "hurting him."
From there we made our way to New Testament Jericho where Herod kept a winter palace. We saw the remains and nearby was a goat barn and two little children soon came to watch us. We wandered around the site-no shade--and when Dr. Wright was finished speaking this little six year-old girl quietly held out her hand and said, "Baksheesh"? She was barefoot, had on a very dirty t-shirt and what I call sweat pants. She was lovely! Really a sweet little girl. She was surrounded by egg plants that were thrown on the site as fodder for the goats. Larry and I made our way back to the bus as quickly as we could because of the sun. Jericho sometimes sees temps of 120 degrees. It wasn't that hot for us but I am so thankful for a good hat, water, sunscreen and sun glasses!
We later visited OT Jericho and found ourselves at this amazing rest stop that I remembered from years ago except now it is THE place for tourists. Everything there has been enlarged and the owner said they were expecting 20 tourist buses for lunch and planned to serve around 1,000 people. After we saw the amazing results of the archaeological dig, we took our lunch JUC sent with us and enjoyed sitting on one of the roof tops with some slight shade. I longingly looked at the new cable cars that now transport tourists up the hill to the monastery at the Mount of Temptation. We did not go there. As Dr. Wright says, "This is a class, we are not a tourist group."
We do have a lot of fun with the students while we are out and they are always very helpful to us and Dr. Wright shares so much interesting information about the sites we visit, the biblical accounts, and the history. As we drove through the town of Jericho, I could not help but think what a contrast in culture. Everything one needs is there but the way it is displayed, maintained, etc. is unique to this part of the world. We even passed "Bananaland," a water park next to a banana grove.
We drove up and back to Jerusalem passing Michmash, Ai, and Bethel along the way with a short stop to see how the shepherds get water for their goats from a well at Michmash. Right next to this area is a Jewish settlement as this is in the West Bank. We made our way later over to Gezer, a huge archaelogoical site and Dr. Wright had bought some luscious figs for all of us to enjoy. He jokes that his "band-aids" for us are cookies and fruit. He knows just when we need a treat--a man with a great deal of experience with students. Larry and I brought up the rear again as we arrived back in Jerusalem after dark and made our way up the hill to the campus where we found a nice warm supper awaiting us. Amazing how a good hot meal helps our aching bodies.
On Tuesday I walked to Mahane Ben Yehuda with a student who wanted to see all the special purchases that many Jewish families make in preparation for Succoth which began last night. Mahane Ben Yehuda is a huge covered market with lots of little shops--like a souk. There are specific stalls for cheese, nuts, fish, bakery items, vegetables, fruit, etc. It was crowded. People were buying palm branches to make their shelter for Succoth and some families build these on their balconies and eat in them during these five or six days. Some of the students have built a Succah here on JUC's campus and last night some of us set outside and enjoyed the wonderful air and atmosphere as we ate dinner together. It was a long walk on Tuesday and in the heat so I found a vendor who sold freshly squeezed pomegranate juice that was lovely. What a treat!
On Monday morning, I went with Larry's class to the biblical site of Tekoa located in the Palestinian Territory. This was the home town of the prophet Amos. We are getting used to going through checkpoints but I must admit that when we reached Tekoa there was a sign that said No Israeli Citizens, which reminded us of the turnoil here. Israelis cannot enter the Palestiian Territories and Palestinians cannot enter Israel without special permits.
So sad. We had to have a Palestinian guide with us to visit Tekoa and he was a wonderful Christian man who studied at JUC and at Bethlehem Bible College and is now the first Palestinian to be working on his doctorate at Bar Ilan University in Israel. There was a wonderful carob tree on site that we were able to sit under as Larry talked about Amos. The view was fantastic. This is very close to Bethlehem and the olive groves around the site are known as the "best" in the area. The soil is rich. Again, I couldn't help but notice that this area reminds me of how brown Southern California looks at this time of year. Not much rainfall.
Jerusalem continues to attract a variety of people. On the way back to campus after the Tekoa field trip, Larry and I saw two women near the JUC gate so we asked if we could help them. They were looking for Zion Gate so we were able to direct them but in the conversation we discovered they were from Newport Beach, CA--not far from where I grew up in Brea. They were Christians and here on their own for about ten days. When Dr. Wright came up one of them said they were so excited about the Lord's returning. We are too, but don't know when. We wondered if they were here to greet the Lord. We have been reading about so many Christians over the years who cometo Israel to welcome the Lord when he returns to the Mt. of Olives. Some have come because they felt they knew the exact time. I am reading a fascinating book about Horatio and Anna Spafford who founded the American Colony and came to Israel to welcome the Lord and used to go to the Mt of Olives daily with a picnic lunch to meet the Lord. Their story is really rather sad and yet they helped the poor and sick but it appears their group became a cult. The book is American Priestess: The Story of Anna Spafford. It's never dull here!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Reflections--September 18, 2010
It's Yom Kippur and I can't believe how quiet it is. What an amazing day in the land of Israel and especially here in this busy city of Jerusalem. No horns honking, no traffic, etc. It really feels good. Larry and I are enjoying the quiet as we reflect on the significance of this day and with grateful hearts we worship the Savior who took our sins away--forever.
I continue to meet very interesting people. Yesterday I was to meet the artist, Annie Fischler, for breakfast but we had a mix up and it did not work out so we are meeting this evening after Shabbat at the King David Hotel coffee shop. Annie has invited me to an exhibit of her art at the Redeemer Lutheran Church in the Old City on Sept. 26th. I am so curious about her and look forward to getting to know her better. Since she did not show up for breakfast yesterday, I walked over to the Mamilla Mall and found a small cafe that served delicious croissants with tea. As I sat near the window enjoying my tea, I observed the variety of people passing by. Young families pushing strollers, a Muslim woman walking with her daughter, a few soldiers, and a few very modern Western dressed young women. Shouts of "Ima," "Ima," from a little boy calling for his mother were all very typical of what I see in the US--just a little more variety in dress.
From the Mall I took a taxi into East Jerusalem (was Jordan before the Six-Day War) to look at the hotel my sister Dorothy will be staying at when she completes her tour of Israel. She will be coming to Jerusalem for four days in October and I look forward to seeing her and enjoying Jerusalem together. On the way back the taxi driver asked me where I was staying and I told him Jerusalem University College. He then proceeded to tell me, "Oh, that is the school where students volunteer to work with the Gypsie children." He told me he is a Gypsie and his sister runs the center and that he had transported JUC students to the center and back. He said he lived near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City and that it was very nice. He took me almost all the way to the school--it's a very narrow road the last 1/4 mile to the school but he was kind enough to take me that far. Everyday it seems like God brings into my life a new person or small encounter that makes my experience here more and more meaningful.
I forgot to mention earlier that Ramadan ended a week ago Thursday night with five huge blasts from a Turkish canon announcing Ramadan was over. During Ramadan the canon sounds in the morning when the fast begins and once in the evening when the fast ends and then five final blasts at the end of Ramadan. I hear all kinds of noises that make me ask is that fireworks, a canon blast, or a bomb??? If I don't hear sirens afterwards, I assume it's all okay. (:
Here at JUC we have the privilege of seeing many little geckos running around the school. I was pleasantly surprised to have a small white gecko cross my path. One can hardly see them against the light stone floor. I finally saw one dog when I was walking through Mamilla Mall--a small poodle on a leash. That is the first dog I have seen in Jerusalem.
My writing is progressing at a slow pace but progress is being made. I just finished reading Ruth Dayan's book, The Story of Ruth Dayan...Or Did I Dream a Dream? She was the wife of the military Chief of Staff and famous General Moshe Dayan. What a story of life on a moshav, the war of independence, living with a charismatic and famous man, her establishing a business that helped Jewish immigrants by selling their handcrafted items called Maskit, and then seeing her marriage end in divorce. It appears they were both very difficult people to live with but highly gifted.
Our student, Robyn, who fell last Sunday on a hike, is recuperating but is walking slowly and her eye is truly a black eye. We all marvel again that God spared her from broken bones and more serious injuries.
The dig just ouside the campus by the local Dept. of Antiquities has really taken on the appearance of a very professional archaeological dig. They just found some pottery from the second temple period and something else that could be a wall but not certain as yet. It would be wonderful if they identified something truly significant but if they do it will slow down JUC's plans for connecting to the city sewer. Such is life in Jerusalem!
I continue to meet very interesting people. Yesterday I was to meet the artist, Annie Fischler, for breakfast but we had a mix up and it did not work out so we are meeting this evening after Shabbat at the King David Hotel coffee shop. Annie has invited me to an exhibit of her art at the Redeemer Lutheran Church in the Old City on Sept. 26th. I am so curious about her and look forward to getting to know her better. Since she did not show up for breakfast yesterday, I walked over to the Mamilla Mall and found a small cafe that served delicious croissants with tea. As I sat near the window enjoying my tea, I observed the variety of people passing by. Young families pushing strollers, a Muslim woman walking with her daughter, a few soldiers, and a few very modern Western dressed young women. Shouts of "Ima," "Ima," from a little boy calling for his mother were all very typical of what I see in the US--just a little more variety in dress.
From the Mall I took a taxi into East Jerusalem (was Jordan before the Six-Day War) to look at the hotel my sister Dorothy will be staying at when she completes her tour of Israel. She will be coming to Jerusalem for four days in October and I look forward to seeing her and enjoying Jerusalem together. On the way back the taxi driver asked me where I was staying and I told him Jerusalem University College. He then proceeded to tell me, "Oh, that is the school where students volunteer to work with the Gypsie children." He told me he is a Gypsie and his sister runs the center and that he had transported JUC students to the center and back. He said he lived near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City and that it was very nice. He took me almost all the way to the school--it's a very narrow road the last 1/4 mile to the school but he was kind enough to take me that far. Everyday it seems like God brings into my life a new person or small encounter that makes my experience here more and more meaningful.
I forgot to mention earlier that Ramadan ended a week ago Thursday night with five huge blasts from a Turkish canon announcing Ramadan was over. During Ramadan the canon sounds in the morning when the fast begins and once in the evening when the fast ends and then five final blasts at the end of Ramadan. I hear all kinds of noises that make me ask is that fireworks, a canon blast, or a bomb??? If I don't hear sirens afterwards, I assume it's all okay. (:
Here at JUC we have the privilege of seeing many little geckos running around the school. I was pleasantly surprised to have a small white gecko cross my path. One can hardly see them against the light stone floor. I finally saw one dog when I was walking through Mamilla Mall--a small poodle on a leash. That is the first dog I have seen in Jerusalem.
My writing is progressing at a slow pace but progress is being made. I just finished reading Ruth Dayan's book, The Story of Ruth Dayan...Or Did I Dream a Dream? She was the wife of the military Chief of Staff and famous General Moshe Dayan. What a story of life on a moshav, the war of independence, living with a charismatic and famous man, her establishing a business that helped Jewish immigrants by selling their handcrafted items called Maskit, and then seeing her marriage end in divorce. It appears they were both very difficult people to live with but highly gifted.
Our student, Robyn, who fell last Sunday on a hike, is recuperating but is walking slowly and her eye is truly a black eye. We all marvel again that God spared her from broken bones and more serious injuries.
The dig just ouside the campus by the local Dept. of Antiquities has really taken on the appearance of a very professional archaeological dig. They just found some pottery from the second temple period and something else that could be a wall but not certain as yet. It would be wonderful if they identified something truly significant but if they do it will slow down JUC's plans for connecting to the city sewer. Such is life in Jerusalem!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
More Jottings from Jerusalem--September 15, 2010
Well, here we are almost three and a half weeks into our new life in Jerusalem. We continue to be impressed and grateful for all that we are experiencing—in spite of the exhaustion we feel after a JUC Field Trip! Yes, it’s true. These “ole bodies” have had a shock but we are adjusting and doing things we thought we couldn’t do. In fact, last Saturday we went with the JUC students on another day-long field trip starting out at the Mt. of Olives and having our professor explain all we were seeing on the horizon to what was close to us. The view of the Temple Mount area from the top of the Mt. of Olives is beautiful. No doubt, you have seen it in photographs. We could see to the east the Judean Wilderness and look down on the City of David that is just below the Temple Mount. After the view and walking amongst all the tourist buses that were beginning to gather, we made our way down the Mt. to the Garden of Gethsemane and the church that sits next to these ancient trees in a small garden with roses and bougainvillea blooming. Things have changed over the years, but I had a flashback to Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ, and the image of what it might have been like at that time and that image was helpful to me. We then went to the area where it is thought Jesus wept over Jerusalem on the day of his Triumphal Entry or the day we call Palm Sunday. A beautiful church sits on that spot—Dominus Flevit (The Lord Wept). But, from there we continued to walk down hill to the Kidron Valley, crossed over, and went up the other side just south of the Temple Mount area to catch our bus. We walked right past the City of David and where David’s palace might have been and from that point he could see all the way down the hill and one can certainly understand how easily he could have seen Bathsheba on her roof.
We headed out south and east of Jerusalem to the Herodium, the fortress/palace of King Herod. This is in a very barren area not far from Bethlehem. Not too many tourists there eager to climb to the top. Herod built an amazing palace for himself with a pool surrounded by columns at the base of the Herodium. The school had packed lunches for us and the Israelis have constructed a visitor’s room where we could enjoy our sandwiches in the air-conditioning before we braved the heat and started our climb. It was a strenuous hike up with Larry and me bringing up the rear but we made it! Don’t laugh. We may be a little slower but we can keep plodding upward and onward. The view was fantastic and the remains of his palace with a theatre and Roman bath were fascinating. Of course, what goes up must come down so that’s just what we did--all the way to the lower tunnels that were used by the Israel Zealots around 130 or 133 AD during the Bar-Kochba revolt to attack the Romans. After we refreshed ourselves with water and ice cream at the visitor’s station we were off again and this time to Bethlehem packed with tourists. We have been there before but we still wanted to go inside the Church of the Nativity and the area where Jerome translated the Latin Vulgate. So much history and significance but one must be prepared that this is not how it was at the birth of Jesus. Bethlehem is beginning to recover economically but we did have the experience of going through an Israeli checkpoint as Bethlehem is located in the administered territory by Israel. We saw the huge wall—separation barrier—with lots of graffiti on it in places. So sad. Tonight in my class on Palestinian Society and Politics we will be discussing several articles about the wall and how it has impacted the day-to-day lives of the Palestinians. Please pray as peace talks resume next week that some breakthrough might occur.
As we approached JUC later that evening, the bus had to park close to the Jaffa Gate area which meant another climb up to campus. The students seemed to sprint to dinner but Larry and I slowly found our way up the hill. We just have to laugh at ourselves even though our feet were very sore. Most of the students left the next morning early to go on another hike (just for fun!) planned by our Student Programs office. They were off to the Yehudia Reserve in the Golan to climb and see waterfalls. Later we were told it was a very strenuous hike through a canyon and then up the side of the rock with handles to grip to pull oneself up then the hiker had to swim across the river while holding their backpack over their head! They all admitted they loved it but it was difficult.
We are so thankful that one of our students from Eastern University survived a 10 foot fall while on the hike. While she was climbing up the canyon her foot slipped and she dropped and almost rolled into the river but a very alert male student jumped down to help her and prevented her from falling into the river. It was a very scary experience for them. The students who were with her gathered round and began to pray for her. There was an Israeli medic on the trail who stopped to help and Robyn had to be flown out by helicopter to a hospital in Tiberias. She had no broken bones just cuts on her face (12 stitches in her chin), a black eye, sore legs, etc. JUC’s president was called and he drove to Tiberias and was able to bring her back to campus that night. I overheard Robyn saying that when she fell her arm hurt terribly and she was sure she had broken it but when the students prayed over her the pain stopped and she thinks God healed her broken arm. She did not suffer major injury but it is still very painful for her and living at JUC means you are climbing up and down stairs all over the campus.
Larry and I had a wonderful Sabbath rest on Sunday and enjoyed worshipping again at Christ’s Church in the Old City. On the way back to campus we were in the park area by the Ottoman Wall that surrounds the Old City and we saw an Arab woman by an olive tree. She had spread out what looked like sheets under the olive tree and was hitting the tree with a stick to knock loose the olives. We took a photo of this old-fashion method of “harvesting” the olives.
Sunday evening we went to Mamilla Mall for dinner and met a young man who helped serve us. He told us he grew up in Jerusalem and had spent three years in the military. He would love to come to the US but said it is so difficult to get a visa. He and his military buddies leave in several weeks for six months touring in South America. He fought in Gaza and said he doesn’t like fighting but it is quieter now. He would like to go back to visit Sharm El Sheik but he said it is not safe for him there. We told him we are praying for peace. He is very proud of Jerusalem. I’m so thankful for all these encounters. I have found that people really open up if you begin to ask a few questions and they are so helpful to us.
Today I went to West Jerusalem with a student from Guyana via Messiah College. She did not want to go alone and did not know how to find an Ethiopian salon that would braid her hair. She asked a woman who looked Ethiopian pushing a baby stroller if she knew of a place. This woman, very kind, offered to show us the way and when we got there the building was empty. She then proceeded to give us her phone number so Dawnique could call her for women who do braiding in their homes. Danesh told us that she had lived in Jerusalem for nine years and loves Israel and that she is from Ethiopia. She wants to stay but said sometimes it is hard to live here because they are black and treated like a minority. Her family lives in Dallas, Texas, and she may eventually go there. She told us that with her children being born in Israel it may be easier for them to grow up here and they may not face some of the problems those who have emigrated have encountered. Everyone has such amazing stories. She was delightful.
I found out that the correct name of the Israeli American Idol program is “Kochav Nolad”—A Star is Born. That’s the program that kept us entertained outside our window two weeks ago.
I experienced a very nostalgic walk on Tuesday as I went with a young couple from JUC who are grad students and they were going to the Rifka Mall where there is a Home Center store—a cross between Home Depot and Bed, Bath and Beyond. We went right through the neighborhood that Larry and I lived in 42 years ago when we were students here. I recognized the “green grocer,” and the street I so often walked on but I was also overwhelmed with all the changes. It’s now a bustling neighborhood that is becoming more upscale with little sidewalk cafes and taking on a more European feel. This is the old German Colony area on Emek Rephaim for those of you who have been here. That was another mile and half from campus and then back but it was great getting to know Mandy and Justin and hear about their dreams for the future—budding archaeology teachers. It was fun to see how to shop in this area and I even went into an Office Depot that was just like in the States except everything was in Hebrew. I found a few things at the Home Center to make our room a little more cozy, including a small rug for these stone floors. It’s still really hot in the daytime but wonderfully cool at night.
If it sounds like I’m going all the time, that’s not the case. I have been getting some writing done and feel good about the progress in that arena. I’m reading through the book of Judges now and learning once again all the consequences for disobedience the children of Israel suffered. What lessons for us who are disciples of Christ!
I’m enjoying my daughter Alicia’s blog called Always Orange –Meeting God in the Every Day. If you have any interest, check it out. Later tonight is our weekly “Cookie Night” at JUC so Larry and I will be there after class. (:
We headed out south and east of Jerusalem to the Herodium, the fortress/palace of King Herod. This is in a very barren area not far from Bethlehem. Not too many tourists there eager to climb to the top. Herod built an amazing palace for himself with a pool surrounded by columns at the base of the Herodium. The school had packed lunches for us and the Israelis have constructed a visitor’s room where we could enjoy our sandwiches in the air-conditioning before we braved the heat and started our climb. It was a strenuous hike up with Larry and me bringing up the rear but we made it! Don’t laugh. We may be a little slower but we can keep plodding upward and onward. The view was fantastic and the remains of his palace with a theatre and Roman bath were fascinating. Of course, what goes up must come down so that’s just what we did--all the way to the lower tunnels that were used by the Israel Zealots around 130 or 133 AD during the Bar-Kochba revolt to attack the Romans. After we refreshed ourselves with water and ice cream at the visitor’s station we were off again and this time to Bethlehem packed with tourists. We have been there before but we still wanted to go inside the Church of the Nativity and the area where Jerome translated the Latin Vulgate. So much history and significance but one must be prepared that this is not how it was at the birth of Jesus. Bethlehem is beginning to recover economically but we did have the experience of going through an Israeli checkpoint as Bethlehem is located in the administered territory by Israel. We saw the huge wall—separation barrier—with lots of graffiti on it in places. So sad. Tonight in my class on Palestinian Society and Politics we will be discussing several articles about the wall and how it has impacted the day-to-day lives of the Palestinians. Please pray as peace talks resume next week that some breakthrough might occur.
As we approached JUC later that evening, the bus had to park close to the Jaffa Gate area which meant another climb up to campus. The students seemed to sprint to dinner but Larry and I slowly found our way up the hill. We just have to laugh at ourselves even though our feet were very sore. Most of the students left the next morning early to go on another hike (just for fun!) planned by our Student Programs office. They were off to the Yehudia Reserve in the Golan to climb and see waterfalls. Later we were told it was a very strenuous hike through a canyon and then up the side of the rock with handles to grip to pull oneself up then the hiker had to swim across the river while holding their backpack over their head! They all admitted they loved it but it was difficult.
We are so thankful that one of our students from Eastern University survived a 10 foot fall while on the hike. While she was climbing up the canyon her foot slipped and she dropped and almost rolled into the river but a very alert male student jumped down to help her and prevented her from falling into the river. It was a very scary experience for them. The students who were with her gathered round and began to pray for her. There was an Israeli medic on the trail who stopped to help and Robyn had to be flown out by helicopter to a hospital in Tiberias. She had no broken bones just cuts on her face (12 stitches in her chin), a black eye, sore legs, etc. JUC’s president was called and he drove to Tiberias and was able to bring her back to campus that night. I overheard Robyn saying that when she fell her arm hurt terribly and she was sure she had broken it but when the students prayed over her the pain stopped and she thinks God healed her broken arm. She did not suffer major injury but it is still very painful for her and living at JUC means you are climbing up and down stairs all over the campus.
Larry and I had a wonderful Sabbath rest on Sunday and enjoyed worshipping again at Christ’s Church in the Old City. On the way back to campus we were in the park area by the Ottoman Wall that surrounds the Old City and we saw an Arab woman by an olive tree. She had spread out what looked like sheets under the olive tree and was hitting the tree with a stick to knock loose the olives. We took a photo of this old-fashion method of “harvesting” the olives.
Sunday evening we went to Mamilla Mall for dinner and met a young man who helped serve us. He told us he grew up in Jerusalem and had spent three years in the military. He would love to come to the US but said it is so difficult to get a visa. He and his military buddies leave in several weeks for six months touring in South America. He fought in Gaza and said he doesn’t like fighting but it is quieter now. He would like to go back to visit Sharm El Sheik but he said it is not safe for him there. We told him we are praying for peace. He is very proud of Jerusalem. I’m so thankful for all these encounters. I have found that people really open up if you begin to ask a few questions and they are so helpful to us.
Today I went to West Jerusalem with a student from Guyana via Messiah College. She did not want to go alone and did not know how to find an Ethiopian salon that would braid her hair. She asked a woman who looked Ethiopian pushing a baby stroller if she knew of a place. This woman, very kind, offered to show us the way and when we got there the building was empty. She then proceeded to give us her phone number so Dawnique could call her for women who do braiding in their homes. Danesh told us that she had lived in Jerusalem for nine years and loves Israel and that she is from Ethiopia. She wants to stay but said sometimes it is hard to live here because they are black and treated like a minority. Her family lives in Dallas, Texas, and she may eventually go there. She told us that with her children being born in Israel it may be easier for them to grow up here and they may not face some of the problems those who have emigrated have encountered. Everyone has such amazing stories. She was delightful.
I found out that the correct name of the Israeli American Idol program is “Kochav Nolad”—A Star is Born. That’s the program that kept us entertained outside our window two weeks ago.
I experienced a very nostalgic walk on Tuesday as I went with a young couple from JUC who are grad students and they were going to the Rifka Mall where there is a Home Center store—a cross between Home Depot and Bed, Bath and Beyond. We went right through the neighborhood that Larry and I lived in 42 years ago when we were students here. I recognized the “green grocer,” and the street I so often walked on but I was also overwhelmed with all the changes. It’s now a bustling neighborhood that is becoming more upscale with little sidewalk cafes and taking on a more European feel. This is the old German Colony area on Emek Rephaim for those of you who have been here. That was another mile and half from campus and then back but it was great getting to know Mandy and Justin and hear about their dreams for the future—budding archaeology teachers. It was fun to see how to shop in this area and I even went into an Office Depot that was just like in the States except everything was in Hebrew. I found a few things at the Home Center to make our room a little more cozy, including a small rug for these stone floors. It’s still really hot in the daytime but wonderfully cool at night.
If it sounds like I’m going all the time, that’s not the case. I have been getting some writing done and feel good about the progress in that arena. I’m reading through the book of Judges now and learning once again all the consequences for disobedience the children of Israel suffered. What lessons for us who are disciples of Christ!
I’m enjoying my daughter Alicia’s blog called Always Orange –Meeting God in the Every Day. If you have any interest, check it out. Later tonight is our weekly “Cookie Night” at JUC so Larry and I will be there after class. (:
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Photos from Jerusalem- Sept. 9, 2010
I'm sitting just outside JUC's gate with the Hinnom Valley behind me and the Yemin Moshe (the first Jewish settlement outside the Old City walls) on the side of the hill. 
Some of the students at the JUC BBQ last Friday night in the school's garden area. The windows with the arches on the second floor show the apartment of the school's president and his wife--Dr. Paul and Diane Wright.
Larry is standing facing east with the King David Hotel (the flat roof building) in the background.
A view of the Western Wall plaza and the Temple Mount area in front of the remains of King Herod's retaining wall from the second temple. The Dome of the Rock is the building with the golden dome. This is probably the location of the first and second Jewish Temple. We love visiting this area in the Jewish Quarter of the city.
Note the lovely bouquet given to me by the Wrights on my birthday. Flowers from Jerusalem.
Larry and I celebrating my birthday breakfast at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
High Holy Days and Rosh Hashana
We are entering the High Holy Days and Rosh Hashana began last night at sundown in Israel. Everything has really shut down. I thought it might be interesting for some of you to understand what this holiday is all about and it's significance. JUC continues with classes but some are postponed because some of our professors are Jewish. Here's an excerpt from Next Year in Jerusalem by Teddy Kollek (former mayor of Jerusalem) with Tom Dowley, pp. 132-234.
"Rosh Hashana is one of the Jewish High Holy Days or Days of Awe. It is the Jewish New Year falling in the 7th month on the Jewish calendar, Tishrei, celebrating the month in which God created the world. In the Days of Awe and during the preceding weeks, Jews are instructed to scrupulously examine their deeds and misdeeds during the previous year. According to Jewish tradition, God also decides who will live and who will die that coming year. 'God sits in judgment; before Him are three great books. The first volume contains the names of the good; the second the names of the bad; the third the names of those who are neither very good nor very bad. While He gives judgment immediately on those whose names are found in the first two books, those in the third are given 10 days--until Yom Kippur--to attempt by prayer, repentance, and good deeds to have their names moved to the first book. The liturgy prayers on that day also attempt to influence God's decision. The shofar (ram's horn) is blown in the synagogue 100 times each of the 2 days of Rosh Hashana to motivate repentance. On the eve of Rosh Hashana just before the evening meal, everyone dips pieces of apple in honey and eats them; symbolizing the hope that the coming year will be prosperous and sweet'."
This is another beautiful Thursday in Jerusalem with a slight change in the air that makes me think fall is almost upon us.
"Rosh Hashana is one of the Jewish High Holy Days or Days of Awe. It is the Jewish New Year falling in the 7th month on the Jewish calendar, Tishrei, celebrating the month in which God created the world. In the Days of Awe and during the preceding weeks, Jews are instructed to scrupulously examine their deeds and misdeeds during the previous year. According to Jewish tradition, God also decides who will live and who will die that coming year. 'God sits in judgment; before Him are three great books. The first volume contains the names of the good; the second the names of the bad; the third the names of those who are neither very good nor very bad. While He gives judgment immediately on those whose names are found in the first two books, those in the third are given 10 days--until Yom Kippur--to attempt by prayer, repentance, and good deeds to have their names moved to the first book. The liturgy prayers on that day also attempt to influence God's decision. The shofar (ram's horn) is blown in the synagogue 100 times each of the 2 days of Rosh Hashana to motivate repentance. On the eve of Rosh Hashana just before the evening meal, everyone dips pieces of apple in honey and eats them; symbolizing the hope that the coming year will be prosperous and sweet'."
This is another beautiful Thursday in Jerusalem with a slight change in the air that makes me think fall is almost upon us.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Life in Israel--September 8, 2010
Well, we are official residents of Jerusalem for two weeks now. It's amazing how routines are soon established. This last week was full to the brim with all kinds of activities and learning new routines. We are well, enjoying all our new experiences, and adjusting to a few wrinkles along the way. Here's a little bit about what we have been thinking and doing.
Last Wed. Larry and I found ourselves back in the Old City and walking through the Christian Quarter and we stopped at the Latin Patriarchate Church and went inside. It has beautiful stained glass windows and they were very proud that several popes have visited their church. Italian tourists came in while we were there and started singing hymns together. It really was lovely to hear. On the way out we noticed a Mercedes Benz parked in front of the church!
Wednesday evening I attended my first class for Palestinian Society and Politics. I'm auditing and trying to keep up with the reading. The class is taught by Dr. Bernard Sabella, a member of the Palestinian Parliament and the Advisory Council. He's very knowledgeable about the current situation in the Middle East. His PhD is from University of Virginia and his daughter is a graduate of Earlham College. I look forward to the field trip in November to Ramallah. He is a Palestinian Catholic and feels the Palestinians need to reach out more to Israelis to get to know them. My goal is to gain a better understanding of Palestinian society and how these two cultures--Palestinian and Israeli can live together peacefully. How I pray that will happen. I just read that the next round of Mid East peace talks will be at Sharm El Sheik and then our Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, will meet in Jerusalem with Abbas and Netanyahu. It will be interesting for us to see how these meetings affect life in Jerusalem, if at all.
I had an interesting walk to do some errands last Friday and as I was walking from Jaffa Gate of the Old City into West Jerusalem I was amazed at the number of people I passed who were women and men like me but dressed totally different. I saw Muslim women with the burka, other Muslim women with just their hair totally covered but in Western dress, Hasidic orthodox men with beards, side curls, beaver hats dressed in black and white on their way to the Western Wall to pray, young girls dressed in a very Western style, and orthodox Jewish women with their hair totally covered and in Western dress, old men in long Muslim style dress helping each other walk, and young soldiers with their guns over their shoulders. What a mix! Close to us was a 21st century mall and yet on the other side of me to my right were the walls of Jerusalem from the time of Suleiman the Magnificent.
We were entertained for several nights last week by rehearsals for Israel's version of American Idol. They performed in the Hinnom Valley in the amphitheatre and we could hear everything until almost 11:00 or 11:30 pm. Saturday night was the finale and we had fireworks and strobe lights with a very excited audience screaming and cheering. I heard that they do not call it Israel Idol because Israel is not supposed to have idols so I think it's called something like "American Israel Idol" or "Israel's American Idol." Most of the students here memorized the songs that were sung because they heard them so often.
We have an official dig beginning here at JUC! We met the archaeologist who will conduct the dig just below JUC. The school is trying to connect to the city sewers and before they can get final approval to do this the Dept. of Antiquities sends out a team to do an excavation to determine if there is anything here of historical value. They came this week and have already uncovered the steps that lead to a tunnel that was used by the Israel Defence Forces in 1948 to smuggle food into the Jewish Quarter before and during the war of '48. They have also started to dig a trench that is square and may do several more. They have funding for only two weeks of digging. If nothing of interest is found then we go to the next step. If something important is found, they will dig further. It puts the school in an awkward position. They have waited a long time for this and of course there is lots of history here but if something is found it just delays the sewer project which is really needed.
JUC hosted a BBQ for all students and their families on Friday evening outside in the garden area. It was a lovely evening with Mediterranean breezes turning cool but it was fun to eat outside and meet families who live off campus. We concluded with vespers and we even have a worship team who leads us in singing. Dr. Wright spoke from Psalm 92 and encouraged our hearts as we listened and prayed together.
Sunday was a big day for us. Some weeks we use Saturday as our Sabbath and some weeks Sunday depending on the class schedule. We joined the Physical Settings class for an 8 hour walk through what Dr. Wright calls, Biblical Jerusalem. It was strenuous! We were up and down , climbing and sweating together. We climbed down to the Pool of Siloam and observed the water system that was used in the city of David and the tunnel that King Hezekiah dug. It's not too bad going down but coming back up in the heat was another story. Larry and I made it--helping each other along the way. Our break was over lunch at JUC but we were back at it and among other things, we saw the Pool of Bethesda and went into St. Anne's Church in the Muslim Quarter and sat and sang together Amazing Grace and Be Thou My Vision. What a moving experience. This church has the most amazing acoustics and it made us sound like a majestic choir. We then climbed up to the roof of the Austrian Hospice to see the view that was absolutely amazing. From there we could see the Temple Mount area, the Mt. of Olives, the city of David and all the churches, and Hurva Synagogue and roof tops in the Old City. Ramadan was about to end so by the time we climbed down we were enveloped in a huge mass of Muslims getting ready to break Ramadan with eating so they were all out shopping and we were really packed together. A man with a snake around his neck was calling attention to himself with people clapping and there were Israeli soldiers and police near by just observing. It made several of the students feel very uncomfortable. All of this took place near the Via Dolorosa. What a city! It took us about 20 minutes to make our way back to JUC. The end of Ramadan is Thursday at sundown.
Tonight the Jewish Rosh Hashana begins at sundown and goes through tomorrow evening. We are at the beginning of the High Holy Days. Everything shuts down and families are getting together. I will try to add some information about Rosh Hashana on my next blog. Saturday we are off for an all day field trip via bus to study the various approaches to Jerusalem and we will be going to Bethlehem and to see the Herodium that Herod built plus other sights. We are building our stamina.
We are so thankful for email messages and for the interactions we are having with the students. Larry took the students in his class outside the classroom to the "living" classroom, a section in JUC's garden. on Tues. and they read the story of Jeremiah breaking the pot over the Hinnom Valley. The students loved it. Several have already been on archaeological digs before they came to JUC. One student just spent a month in India before arriving here. Many are world travelers. I'm reading through Joshua right now and all the cities he and the Israelites conquered . There are some hard things to digest in some of these sections as they dealt with the Cananites. God is continuing to teach me lessons of faith and trust. I have been writing and feel as though the book is beginning to take shape for me but it is a very emotional experience as I relive memories of my dear brother.
Last Wed. Larry and I found ourselves back in the Old City and walking through the Christian Quarter and we stopped at the Latin Patriarchate Church and went inside. It has beautiful stained glass windows and they were very proud that several popes have visited their church. Italian tourists came in while we were there and started singing hymns together. It really was lovely to hear. On the way out we noticed a Mercedes Benz parked in front of the church!
Wednesday evening I attended my first class for Palestinian Society and Politics. I'm auditing and trying to keep up with the reading. The class is taught by Dr. Bernard Sabella, a member of the Palestinian Parliament and the Advisory Council. He's very knowledgeable about the current situation in the Middle East. His PhD is from University of Virginia and his daughter is a graduate of Earlham College. I look forward to the field trip in November to Ramallah. He is a Palestinian Catholic and feels the Palestinians need to reach out more to Israelis to get to know them. My goal is to gain a better understanding of Palestinian society and how these two cultures--Palestinian and Israeli can live together peacefully. How I pray that will happen. I just read that the next round of Mid East peace talks will be at Sharm El Sheik and then our Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, will meet in Jerusalem with Abbas and Netanyahu. It will be interesting for us to see how these meetings affect life in Jerusalem, if at all.
I had an interesting walk to do some errands last Friday and as I was walking from Jaffa Gate of the Old City into West Jerusalem I was amazed at the number of people I passed who were women and men like me but dressed totally different. I saw Muslim women with the burka, other Muslim women with just their hair totally covered but in Western dress, Hasidic orthodox men with beards, side curls, beaver hats dressed in black and white on their way to the Western Wall to pray, young girls dressed in a very Western style, and orthodox Jewish women with their hair totally covered and in Western dress, old men in long Muslim style dress helping each other walk, and young soldiers with their guns over their shoulders. What a mix! Close to us was a 21st century mall and yet on the other side of me to my right were the walls of Jerusalem from the time of Suleiman the Magnificent.
We were entertained for several nights last week by rehearsals for Israel's version of American Idol. They performed in the Hinnom Valley in the amphitheatre and we could hear everything until almost 11:00 or 11:30 pm. Saturday night was the finale and we had fireworks and strobe lights with a very excited audience screaming and cheering. I heard that they do not call it Israel Idol because Israel is not supposed to have idols so I think it's called something like "American Israel Idol" or "Israel's American Idol." Most of the students here memorized the songs that were sung because they heard them so often.
We have an official dig beginning here at JUC! We met the archaeologist who will conduct the dig just below JUC. The school is trying to connect to the city sewers and before they can get final approval to do this the Dept. of Antiquities sends out a team to do an excavation to determine if there is anything here of historical value. They came this week and have already uncovered the steps that lead to a tunnel that was used by the Israel Defence Forces in 1948 to smuggle food into the Jewish Quarter before and during the war of '48. They have also started to dig a trench that is square and may do several more. They have funding for only two weeks of digging. If nothing of interest is found then we go to the next step. If something important is found, they will dig further. It puts the school in an awkward position. They have waited a long time for this and of course there is lots of history here but if something is found it just delays the sewer project which is really needed.
JUC hosted a BBQ for all students and their families on Friday evening outside in the garden area. It was a lovely evening with Mediterranean breezes turning cool but it was fun to eat outside and meet families who live off campus. We concluded with vespers and we even have a worship team who leads us in singing. Dr. Wright spoke from Psalm 92 and encouraged our hearts as we listened and prayed together.
Sunday was a big day for us. Some weeks we use Saturday as our Sabbath and some weeks Sunday depending on the class schedule. We joined the Physical Settings class for an 8 hour walk through what Dr. Wright calls, Biblical Jerusalem. It was strenuous! We were up and down , climbing and sweating together. We climbed down to the Pool of Siloam and observed the water system that was used in the city of David and the tunnel that King Hezekiah dug. It's not too bad going down but coming back up in the heat was another story. Larry and I made it--helping each other along the way. Our break was over lunch at JUC but we were back at it and among other things, we saw the Pool of Bethesda and went into St. Anne's Church in the Muslim Quarter and sat and sang together Amazing Grace and Be Thou My Vision. What a moving experience. This church has the most amazing acoustics and it made us sound like a majestic choir. We then climbed up to the roof of the Austrian Hospice to see the view that was absolutely amazing. From there we could see the Temple Mount area, the Mt. of Olives, the city of David and all the churches, and Hurva Synagogue and roof tops in the Old City. Ramadan was about to end so by the time we climbed down we were enveloped in a huge mass of Muslims getting ready to break Ramadan with eating so they were all out shopping and we were really packed together. A man with a snake around his neck was calling attention to himself with people clapping and there were Israeli soldiers and police near by just observing. It made several of the students feel very uncomfortable. All of this took place near the Via Dolorosa. What a city! It took us about 20 minutes to make our way back to JUC. The end of Ramadan is Thursday at sundown.
Tonight the Jewish Rosh Hashana begins at sundown and goes through tomorrow evening. We are at the beginning of the High Holy Days. Everything shuts down and families are getting together. I will try to add some information about Rosh Hashana on my next blog. Saturday we are off for an all day field trip via bus to study the various approaches to Jerusalem and we will be going to Bethlehem and to see the Herodium that Herod built plus other sights. We are building our stamina.
We are so thankful for email messages and for the interactions we are having with the students. Larry took the students in his class outside the classroom to the "living" classroom, a section in JUC's garden. on Tues. and they read the story of Jeremiah breaking the pot over the Hinnom Valley. The students loved it. Several have already been on archaeological digs before they came to JUC. One student just spent a month in India before arriving here. Many are world travelers. I'm reading through Joshua right now and all the cities he and the Israelites conquered . There are some hard things to digest in some of these sections as they dealt with the Cananites. God is continuing to teach me lessons of faith and trust. I have been writing and feel as though the book is beginning to take shape for me but it is a very emotional experience as I relive memories of my dear brother.
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