Thanksgiving in Jerusalem

We are in countdown mode as we make some of our final visits to specific locations in Jerusalem. JUC has already held their pre-departure meeting to get all of us ready for leaving the country and giving us tips on what to expect when we go through Israeli security at the airport. They really have a good and very stringent security system without "body scanners." At least, I've been told they don't use body scanners but there are several steps we go through and they do pull some people out of line and perform strip searches. Such is life in these turbulent days.

I wish all of you a blessed Thanksgiving. JUC will celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday evening during our regular Shabbat dinner. It will be very American as Israel brings in turkeys for the expatriates and I'm in charge of the American style Green Bean Casserole for 80 people! A few more to prepare for then I usually cook for! Larry and I look forward to Skyping with our kids and grandchildren. Our treat!

I'm joining Larry's class for a tour of the Temple Mount area in the morning and know that it will be an interesting time. Last Wed. evening I joined Rabbi Moshe's class for a tour of the Rabbinical Tunnels near the Western Wall and very close to the Temple Mount area. We left JUC at 9:15 pm and returned at midnight. I was amazed at the number of people still at the Western Wall praying late at night and the number of children who were still up and around. There are synagogues located in the tunnels plus cisterns, stairs, and huge Herodian stones. We saw several women in a specific location praying the Psalms. They were as close to the location of the Holy of Holies as they could get. We entered one room that looked like a Rabbi's Study with bookcases at both ends of the room, red velvet covered theatre seats, and a huge closet that held the Torah scrolls. It was a beautiful cherry wood piece that was at least seven or eight feet tall. Rabbi Moshe told us that on his last tour several women fainted because it is very narrow in sections and if you are claustrophobic it can be a little overwhelming. Factor in the warm temperatures, the dampness and the smell and you can understand why. Just think of exploring a cave and you will understand. Rabbi Moshe grew up in New Jersey but I do not know how long he has lived in Israel but he loves it here. He told us that he preferred to pray in a synagogue with windows and light and yet this location was very meaningful to him because it was so close to where the Holy of Holies was in the Temple when it stood in all its glory. We had numerous groups pass ours during the tour including a group of junior high age kids. They schedule these tours later in the evening because some of the rooms they show us are usually open and not as crowded at that time. It was another really interesting experience.

I was walking to the store the other day towards Jaffa Gate (right by the Old City) and passed a group of orthodox young women on a field trip with their school and again was somewhat taken aback when I saw one of the teachers/guards bring up the rear with a rifle slung over his shoulder. Every outing students have includes a guard of some type. They are not dressed in uniform. That's the reality of living in a land that has suffered bombings, wars, and so much death. It all has become a way of life for those who live here but I'm still a little startled when I see so many weapons.

Monday afternoon several students joined Larry and me as we toured the Hurva Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. This synagogue was restored last year and is the largest syngagoue in the Old City. We had a wonderful guide who gave us the tour and we found the synagouge to be simple and yet very beautiful. She told us the earliest syngagogue was here over two thousand years ago and then provided the history of its many destructions--as I recall, about seven times in its history with the last destruction occurring in 1948 by the Jordanian Legionnaires when they captured the Jewish Quarter during Israel's War of Independence. It was burned and the huge arch was brought down. After the Six-Day War (1967), the arch was restored but nothing else until last year. It took four years to build. It is huge and has a fantastic view from the roof. One can see all over Jerusalem including the Mt. of Olives, the Temple Mount and on a clear day over into Jordan. There is a huge wrought iron railing inside that encircles the synagogue at the top and the guide told us that every Shabbat evening all the children climb the stairs and sing a special song to Welcome Shabbat. I can imagine all these children winding their way up these narrow stairs to sing. It must be a very moving experience. Men were in the central part of the synagogue praying while we were there on the fringe. The synagogue overlooks a huge plaza in the Jewish Quarter that is a gathering place for many young people and families.

My friend, Annie, came to Shabbat dinner last Friday night. She had never been on JUC's campus and thought the school was like a castle. She loved it and wants to rent a room here!
I told her it was only for students so now she wants to take a class. I invited her to remain for our Vespers service and she told me she had already done her "Mitzvot" (good deed) for the day but she did join in for the singing and then decided to leave so we walked her back down the hill.
I was so pleased that our friend from South Africa who has lived in Israel for nine years was able to talk with her and will be able to keep in touch with her after we are back in the U.S.

I'm attending two sessions of our Palestinian Society and Politics class this week as we are doing make up classes. Dr. Sabella's son, Zack Sabella, joined us on Monday evening. He had worked for several years with the Palestinian Authority's Commission on Planning and provided a great overview about the plans that are needed to provide all the institutions and infrastructure necessary for a Palestinian state. They want to be ready when and if a Palestinian state is declared. Zack completed his MA in Planning in the UK several years ago. I am very grateful to hear firsthand from both Sabellas information about the Palestinian National Authority and how it functions. My conclusions, again, are that it is all very complex and complicated. If someone thinks there are easy answers to resolving the difficulties here, I feel they have not been exposed to the really hard issues on both sides. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for a just settlement.

I continue to thank God for this opportunity to live, study, and work at JUC during these last three and a half months. What a privilege for us! God's faithfulness and strength have helped us to persevere when we were physically and emotionally stretched. As we have traveled this land and walked many miles, I have a much greater appreciation for how many miles Jesus and the disciples walked as they reached out and ministered to people in the villages and throughout this land. Several impressions: they were strong, committed (even though they faltered on occasion) in all kinds of weather, and they are examples for us. I am amazed as I reflect on how Jesus humbled himself by taking on human flesh in order to identify with us and then to be our sacrifice. Words cannot describe how grateful and unworthy I feel when I realize I am his child and he did this for me. . .and for you! All I can do is bow down in worship and from my heart whisper "Thank you, Jesus."