July 2019, Indexing Adventure

Today our two-woman indexing committee, Gwen and Morgan, had a great turnout of 60 people for indexing.  I was asked to get treats so I bought candy bars (Palestinian brand of Twix), Oreos and made Chocolate Dreams.  The Chocolate Dreams were the biggest hit!
By the end there were 16 candy bars left --everything else was eaten!

Mozzarella anyone?

Cheese is expensive here:  Cheddar cheese is about $15/pound.  So is Mozzarella.  But last week I splurged and bought some grated mozzarella and Lee made 2 pizzas for dinner with Shon Hopkin.  One was a salami (closest thing to pepperoni we could find) and mushrooms.  The other one was a pesto with smoked chicken and mushrooms.  They were really good!  I didn't think to take pictures, but this week, I bought both a block of cheese and some fresh mozzarella that will go with our home grown basil.

July 10 2019 Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra

Neomi invited us to join her at the IPO which was led, for the last time, by the retiring Zubin Meta.  We thought it would be fitting, because in 1979 we had heard him guest conductt the San Francisco Symphony.  Neomi drove us in incredibly thick traffic and she was sure we would be late.  Then when we got there, we separated, as our tickets were not in the same area.  We had to go to "Will Call", except everything was in Hebrew.  We finally found what we thought was the right place, but they didn't have our tickets.  We were directed to another place where we showed our VISA card and they looked up our order and printed out tickets for us.  We settled in for Verdi's Requiem , and it was really, really good.  Zubin Meta, in his early 80's, and battling cancer, walked in with a cane and sat on a high stool to lead the orchestra and choir, but he didn't use the score--it was all memorized.  He is stepping down after 50 years as the conductor of the Israeli Philharmonic.

July 10, 2019--Adventure in the Post Office

Despite asking the secretary to order more envelopes, none came and we finally ran out.  Neomi told us we could buy them at the Post Office and asked us to get some.  Our office uses 20 envelopes a day, as we put the ticket orders in the envelopes.  So off we go to the Post Office, thinking that is a very strange place to buy envelopes--but what do we know?   When we got there, there were at least 20 people there and we could see that we needed to take a number, which we did.  Then we waited...and waited...and waited.  After an hour, our number had still not come up, but I could see that the people who were being helped had  not been there when we first arrived.  So when a booth became empty, I jumped up and told the man we wanted to buy envelopes.  We were directed to another man, who got 60 envelopes and told us that was all they had.  Amazing!  We hope to go to some type of Office Depot in a mall and get a big box, sometime in the near future!

July 8, 2019 A special gathering of Spanish speakers/dignitaries from Hebrew U

The Jerusalem Center often allows other groups to use the auditorium and Hebrew U had a delegation of Spanish dignitaries and guests for some kind of conference.  They came and used the auditorium for a concert, and Lee was asked to play 45 minutes of prelude music.  He did a great job, received compliments and it was a general success.  Eran, who speaks Spanish, gave the opening remarks and then the concert of Spanish ballads with voice, piano, drums and guitars, began.

July 4, 2019 Happy Birthday America!

The students really wanted to have a 4th of July celebration and after a lot of negotiations, Eran gave permission for them to use the grassy area in front of the auditorium, as long as they picked up every single water balloon and food.  And that they didn't yell or call attention to themselves.

They had lots of games and face painting planned.  They did tug of ward, balloon toss and pass the orange, or maybe it was pass the water-filled balloon.  By the end everyone was yelling and then shouted, "USA,USA,USA.  I thought for sure they would be in trouble, but no security came out, so it ended well.  AND they did pick up every bit of trash.  After the games, we went in for a BBQ, Palestinian style!

July 1, 2019 St. George Monastery and Mount of Temptations Monastery

On July 1, the couples and faculty/spouses received permission to go into the Palestinian controlled land of Wadi Qelt and Jericho.

The St. George Monastery is near Wadi Qelt (which some people think is the "valley of  the shadow of

Pictures I took as we walked to the monastery

death) and sits at the head of the path that literally goes down to Jericho, where the Mount of Temptations Monastery is. 

We were driven in a van and accompanied by a security staff member.  We first went to the St. George Monastery and by 9 AM it was already 95 degrees.  He hiked down and then up to the monastery.  It was incredibly hot. I had worn a skirt and was let in, but two of the women had worn pants and could not go in.  Finally, the monk let MaryAnnMorrison wear a light jacket around her waist and I loaned a scarf I had brought to Christine Isom-Verharren, which she wrapped around her waist, and they were allowed in.  Janet Skinner had to wait for one of them to come back and loan her something to put around her waist.  The only thing I could figure out from what the Monk said, was that the area below the belly button had to be covered in a way that one could not discern the shape (like my very gathered skirt).





This amazing cliff-hanging monastery, one of the world’s oldest and definitely one of the most inspiring churches in the Holy Land, is a must-see for the desert / archeological fans of you out there!

St. George’s Monastery was originally started in the fourth century by a few monks who were looking to immerse themselves in the lifestyles and desert stories of  John the Baptist and Jesus. The monks, and perhaps most notably the hermit John of Thebes, eventually settled on the spot around a cave where it is believed the prophet Elijah was fed by ravens.

The monastery was destroyed by the Persians and then rebuilt by the Crusaders before falling derelict. It wasn’t until 1878 when a Greek monk, Kalinikos, came to live here that the monastery started to look like its former glorious and cliff-hugging self. Kalinikos finished his renovations in 1901.

Today there are still a few Greek Orthodox monks who inhabit the monastery, and who are typically welcoming of visitors (but do take into consideration this is a church and a place of worship – so no short shorts!). Hence the Greek flag you’ll probably see flying in the monastery grounds.

A couple of highlights to watch out for, apart from the amazing Biblical-like scenery surrounding the monastery and the Wadi Kelt valley: the upper part of the monastery hosts the cave that Elijah the Prophet sought shelter in.

We walked out about 10:30 AM and it was 100 degrees--it was quite difficult, for me.  We then were driven to Jericho, which looked like an oasis compared to Wadi Qelt and we boarded a able tram that took us steeply uphill to the Mount of Temptations monastery.

The Mount of Temptation, with a gravity-defying monastery clinging to its sheer face, is traditionally regarded as the mountain on which Christ was tempted by the devil during his 40-day fast.

Monastery of the Temptation with cable cars immediately below it (Seetheholyland.net)

The summit of the mount, about 360 metres above sea level, offers a spectacular panoramic view of the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea and the mountains of Moab and Gilead.

The mountain is also known as Mount Quarantania and Jebel Quarantul. Both names arise from a mispronunciation of the Latin word Quarentena, meaning 40, the number of days in Christ’s fast. This period of fasting became the model for the practice of Lent in Christian churches.

Temptations on the mount

The Temptation on the Mount, by Duccio di Buoninsegna (Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Siena)

As recorded in the Gospels of Matthew (4:1-11) and Luke (4:1-13) — and fleetingly in Mark (1:12-13) — the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert. While he fasted, the devil tempted him three times to prove his divinity by demonstrating his supernatural powers.

Each time, Jesus rebuffed the tempter with a quotation from the Book of Deuteronomy. Then the devil left and angels brought food to Jesus, who was famished.

Tradition dating from the 12th century places two of the devil’s temptings on the Mount of Temptation.

The temptation to turn a stone into bread is located in a grotto halfway up the mountain. The offer of all the kingdoms of the world in return for worshipping the devil is located on the summit.

Monks turned caves into cells

Monastery of the Temptation (Dmitrij Rodionov / Wikimedia)

Monks and hermits have inhabited the mountain since the early centuries of Christianity. They lived in natural caves, which they turned into cells, chapels and storage rooms. A sophisticated system of conduits brought rainwater from a large catchment area into five caves used as reservoirs.

A 4th-century Byzantine monastery was built on the ruins of a Hasmonean-Herodian fortress. The monks abandoned the site after the Persian invasion of 614.

The present Monastery of the Temptation, reconstructed at the end of the 19th century, seems to grow out of the mountain. The northern half is cut into the almost sheer cliff, while the southern half is cantilevered into space.

Cliff into which monastery is built (Kourosh)

A medieval cave-church, on two levels, is built of masonry in front of a cave. In the monastery is a stone on which, according to tradition, Jesus sat during one of his temptations.

In the valley of this mountain, Jewish priestsand Levites travelled the winding road from Jericho to Jerusalem when it was their turn to minister in the Temple. In the time of Jesus, about 12,000 priests and Levites lived in Jericho.

Marvel Earnshaw and Mark Morrison in cable car

 

 

One of the beliefs is that "God became man so that man could become God"

 Overlooking Jericho

In the cable car on the way down.  

We then drove to a restaurant, which was completely empty, so we had great service and Arab food!

  Flatbread that was made right before our eyes and lots of toppings for it. Lee had grilled meat and I had a shrimp salad.  It was air conditioned!

June 30, 2019 Festival of Lights in the Old City

Jerusalem Festival of Lights 2019. ... A celebration of drama and the old city's scenery using lights. When the city is making sure to illuminate architectural places, and add in light statues, Lights In Jerusalem Festival is a public event, appealing to all ages, especially families with small kids.  We went with the service couples and Janet and Andy Skinner, and walked the city from 9-10:30 PM.  We had to get permission to be in the Old City after sundown and took a van taxi home.  It was fun to be in Jerusalem at night!

June 23 and 24 Rome and Naples

We spent 1/2 day walking in Rome.  It felt like 100 degrees, but we had lots of water.  We didn't go to the Vatican--just walked around at famous places and ended with an organ concert in a small church.

 Above and below:  Pantheon

We came upon an elaborate wedding in one of the churches

Egyptian obelisk with elephant

Walking near the Coliseum 

We had rented a car when we got to Rome, so we drove to Naples, but that was probably a mistake.  The traffic was the worst we've ever seen and motorcyles are allowed to weave in and out of traffic and they are almost impossible to see, even in the rear view mirror.  Here is a series of pictures I took showing a van and motorcycles getting in front of us.  At this time we were going pretty slowly because the traffic was so thick, but other times it was more harrowing as traffic was going fast.

 Here we are in an alley way in Naples.  It was so hot it was a 2-gelato day!  Best Gelato I've had since we were in Florence 25 years ago!  We went specifically to see the Naples Museum and the  Veiled Christ statue.

Description

The Veiled Christ is a 1753 marble sculpture by Giuseppe Sanmartino exhibited in the Cappella Sansevero, Naples. Veiled Christ is considered one of the world's most remarkable sculptures.