The Jerusalem Center

Today is Saturday 13 November 2010 the Jewish Sabbath or Shabbat. We went to Sacrament Meeting here with the Jerusalem Branch. This was positively one of my favorite days of the whole tour!! Church is the same all over the world, but it truly is quite a thing to hear the stories and read the scriptures and while doing so look at the very places talked about!! Incredible! It was the Primary program and the kids make you laugh like they do anywhere. To quote one of the young boys,"Abraham took Issac to a mount-probably the one right behind me- and got his knife ready."

This would be the view the young boy was taking about. We were sitting in the auditorium on the right. The Temple Mount is what is framed in the arch way there. The BYU Jerusalem Center is on the Mount of Olives, so much of what we learn and teach about took place right here!! Wowwww, I'm so lucky!

I really find the signs in Israel so interesting and this one fits the bill.

English, Hebrew and Arabic just to make sure we don't carry our weapons inside.  Man, I'm so glad that I don't feel the real need to even have a weapon let alone leave it somewhere while I visit various public sites. (I did refrain from smoking :)

The sisters in Jerusalem, what else is there to say? Were we dressed modestly?

Another view of the Old City of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. To quote Mayor Teddy Kollek, the mayor of Jerusalem that played a major role in getting the BYU Center built, "You have taken the most beautiful piece of property we could offer you and have done more with it than I thought was humanly possible. I consider it the most beautiful building built in Jerusalem in the last one hundred years." He said this to Jeffrey R Holland after touring the Center and while gazing at this view. 

This is our educator John Lund. He was great. He gave us lots to think about.

A view of Hebrew University which is on Mount Scopus and just to the north (I think) of the Jerusalem Center. Also, I do believe it is between Mount Scopus and the Mount of Olives that the mountains are going to split and provide an escape for the Jews in the last days.

The Jerusalem Center from the Temple Mount. Some interesting "IF's" to note. If any one of these if's had occured there would be no Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies.

-If the Mayor had become unsteady and withdrawn the building permit- no center

-If a tomb was discovered on the site, one bone, one skeleton -no center. (a tomb was discovered a few yards from the property)

-If any kind of moratorium had been declared (and so many different parties were trying to get one) - no center. 

Fun fact: Jerusalem has 3 sabbaths, Friday for the Muslims, Saturday for the Jews and Sunday for the Christians, so there were always days that someone could work, hence what should have taken seven years to build took three!

-If Jeffrey R Holland had been willing to be bought off - no center.
An ultra Orthodox man offered a huge amount of money to "End the Mormon situation in Jerusalem".

There is so much more, but we'll leave it at "A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid".

Loved, loved, loved spending time here, really sad that I didn't get to do a semester here in 1991 like I wanted to!!! Six months in Jerusalem vs one week. (a no brainer) 

Bet Lehi

A herd of cattle in Israel! I just had to take a picture of that. My question is "What do they eat?" I can't see anything green in this picture. This is one of the sights outside the bus window as we were driving to Bet Lehi, An Archaeological Site in the Judean Lowland.

Interesting to me, for sure. I still can't see any green except for some on the trees, and as far as I knew, cattle don't usually eat trees.

This is the road to the archaeological site, rather narrow and undeveloped for a tour bus! I wondered what would happen if we met an on coming car, but then I decided it wasn't my problem and kept looking for more cattle.

This is the Jerusalem Cave. Two rock-hewn burial caves that were discovered during road works. A total of 8 skeletons were found in these two caves. What makes this find interesting are the drawings and the inscriptions inscribed on the walls: a person with a harp, a person praying, a person wearing a headdress, two sailboats and seven inscriptions. The inscription including the phrase "God of Jerusalem" gave the cave its name.

Always interesting to note the signs as I travel about Israel. Bet Lehi is located right next to a military training/firing area. We could only go to the site on days that the military wasn't training!! Good thing!

This is the archaeologist working on the site, I'm sorry to say I can't remember his name. I do remember thinking that he was young and I'm sure really hoping that he finds something really cool at this site. This is a dig that is in progress and I thought it was cool that we could look around with out ropes and signs keeping us back.

See what I tell ya! That's a mosaic with the sand still on it. We brushed the sand away to have a look at the design. This is the floor of a Byzantine Church in use from the sixth to the eighth century after Christ.

One of the tour members brushing away the sand for us to have a look, see! Look carefully, you might see some familiar sandals, that my sister reminds me are not necessarily of "up-to-date fashion". I just know that I was comfortable perhaps not "stylin" but comfy!

This is a New Testament period stable which gives one of the best settings for the birth of the Savior. The holes you see there are the feeding troughs for the animals.

The manger from straight on. So this is how I picture the "babe in swaddling clothes laid in a manger". 

A picture of the workers doing the "dig" on this site. Interesting to watch them in the process of excavation. All kinds of things to be discovered yet. Hard work and HOT!!

This is Samson's Well. It's located not far from the site we were checking out. Samson roamed these parts and fought the Philistines.

Mike pointing out Samson's Well.

This is the area where one imagines seeing foxes with burning sticks tied to their tails to burn the Philistine crops. So much history here, no way to know it all, but sure fun to think about what one does know!

Look carefully, you might see a giant with a rock in his head. This is the valley of Eiah, where David fought Goliath.

The end of day 7 in Israel. Tomorrow is Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath and one of my most favorite days in Israel. I could spend at least a week doing just what we did on the Sabbath in Jerusalem. Oh so lucky to put sights, sounds and smells to Old and New Testament stories.

Interesting Sights and Signs

Oh "I can't take my weapon in???" I decided to follow the rules and leave it at home, lucky me!!
Just something that one doesn't see everyday. I'm thinking of the song "Signs signs everywhere a sign... do this don't do that can't you read the sign???" ( So lucky for you that you can hear me sing that!!)

This is the "Holyland Model of Jerusalem". It is 1:50 scale of the city of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. It takes up 21,520 sq ft. The header picture and this one is of Herod's Temple. It's kinda cool. I really wanted to jump in and walk amoung the buildings and play like I was a benevolent Giant and not crush the "little people!!" Too bad they have rules about that!

This is David's City which is south of the Temple Mount. This is where David was able to see Bathsheba. This part of the city is terraced and it helps to understand how easy it would be to see people out on the roofs of their homes. Especially if one is a King and has the highest spot in town! I'll talk more about this later when we get to the real city of David, but this gives perspective.

In the distance at the top of the picture you can see that the Palestinians are building a wall. Palestine is on the other side of the wall and Israel is on this side of the wall. When this wall is done it may or may not include the BYU Jerusalem Center, that detail is in negotiation. Walls for borders, something we are so lucky to not have to deal with here!

Always something for sale!! Be sure to bargin and bargin hard for those items!! That really is the "fun" of shopping for trinkets in Israel and Jordan. This is a narrow street in Jerusalem. So much stone work.

See the man (boy) in the center of the picture with his daily tools. We heard stories that they have used their weapons from time to time. I'm just glad it wasn't when I was in town!!

A teaser for a future post, off to the left of the picture is the Jerusalem Center. Did you know that the Mormons don't do missionary work in Israel? Millions of tourists drive by this building and see this building every year, I'm sure someone has said and will say "Hey what that building up there and what do they do there?" And who knows, they just might google that little detail and who knows what will happen from there?

(Had to repost, as the first one got lost, so if not as witty as before, whoops!! And feel free to recomment!!)