Sukkot and Me'a She'arim

Sukkot is a week long Jewish holiday that is going on right now. The Jews build sukkots meaning "booths" out of wood and palm fronds in remembrance of the temporary housing structures the Israelites lived in as they traveled in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. During the holiday Jews eat their meals in the sukkots and some of the Orthodox Jews sleep in them. 

Adorable blonde boy with his curls.

Fancy Jewish Mom with the coolest baby carriage I have ever seen.

Boys selling the "Four Species", a practice I will talk more about tomorrow. 

Family eating in a sukkot.

Hippies passing through West Jerusalem.

One of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Haredi known as Ultra Orthodox Jews live in this area. The people in this neighborhood were fascinating. I tried to be respectful and not take too many pictures of them, especially not up close.

They build sukkots on their decks. You can see part of a sukkot on the far right of this picture with the palm frond roof.

Sukkots on the decks.

I didn't know that we would be going to this neighborhood when we headed out for the day, thankfully I was dressed modest enough!

Pergamon, Turkey

Pergamon was an ancient Greek city cited by John in the Book of Revelations as one of the seven churches in Asia. 

We had to ride a gondola to reach the ruins at the top of the mountain. 

Trekking up to the theater.

Beautiful view of the city modern city Aeolis beneath us.

Steepest known seating of any theater in the ancient world. 

Temple of Trajan. 

Tommy, Rachel and Rachel

Assos, Turkey

The sun is newly risen and a chill hangs in the air. I walk up winding, cobbled streets. Shopkeepers sleepily lay out their wares. At the top of the hill I am faced with the past and stunning views. Assos was home to an academy opened by Aristotle and it was visited by the apostle Paul. 

My favorite day in Turkey. 

The village was so quiet and peaceful.

View of the village from the top.

Me at the top of Assos.

I know this picture is out of focus but I like it for so many reasons. This is Professor Schade. He is my Old Testament teacher. He is so smart and caring. And he has the best getups every day. Just notice the hat and the fanny pack. (P.S. That is my roommate Mckenzie looking so cool as she jumps in the background)

So beautiful! Isle of Lesbos in the background.

Jenessa and me posing by the columns that remain standing. The ruin itself is pretty small but the views are spectacular. 

Family portrait? Album cover? Awkward BYU students? So great!

This was the best thing!!! Before I went on the bus I stopped and purchased a hand-knit scarf from this adorable Turkish lady. She was so excited and sweet. We had this wonderful interaction where even though I couldn't understand what she was saying I am pretty sure she was giving me a blessing of good-will.

Turkey Tidbits

I have been so busy with midterms... and now I am way behind on blogging. We have been home from Turkey for over a week. There is no way I could do the trip justice. We saw and did so many things. Absolutely amazing experience. 

Liddy and me at the Blue Mosque. 

The Basilica Cistern. The largest of several hundred cisterns that lie beneath Istanbul. This place was really unique. One of my favorites. 

Liddy and me on the ferry ride our group took down the Bosphorus.

One of the bridges spanning the gap between Asia and Europe in Istanbul.

Ruins at Troy. The probable but not conclusive site of the battle Homer spoke about. I have to say... for all the hype surrounding this place it certainly was not one of my favorites. 

 Obligatory photograph in the Trojan horse. The real one. 

 Romantic sunset picture with Liddy... and everyone else. This was one of the best nights with the whole group. Everyone swam in the Aegean Sea even though it was pretty cold. Then we enjoyed the sunset from the dock. 

Graham Crackers

When I was little I could make one graham cracker last forever. I would break my cracker into many little pieces. Then I would methodically soak each little piece in my milk for just the right amount of time to achieve the desired balance.

For the past eight days we have been in Turkey. Our flight into Tel Aviv from Istanbul arrived at around 2 am this morning. When I woke up in my bed in the Jerusalem Center I must say I felt a little surprised. Was my time in Turkey truly over? I tried to savor every single second of that experience. I thought that if I tried extra hard to soak everything in that somehow time would slow down.

Apparently not.

I am not too discouraged. I will continue to relish every single second. Maybe, just maybe, I can make this graham cracker last a little longer.

Israel, Israel God is Calling

I often think about how to make others aware of my beliefs without making them feel condemned. Ultimately I cannot control how other people feel. If they choose to be offended, then so be it. But I try to make others feel comfortable talking about religion with me. In an effort to be accepting of others I hope that I have never appeared to be compromising my standards. Last night we watched a broadcast from an apostle in my church, Elder Holland. In a forthright manner he addressed the very topic I have often contemplated. You can watch him speak here. You won't regret it. His talk is entitled Israel, Israel God is Calling. Which was all the more poignant because here I am, in Israel. I feel like I have already heard His call stronger than I have at any other point in my life. A call to stand up for what I believe in and press forward in faith. A call that rises within me and encourages me to be better each day.

Lakiya Weaving Women

My favorite part of the Negev desert field trip we went on this past week was the visit we made to the village of Lakiya. We had a lesson from an elderly Bedouin women on the style of weaving that is unique to this area. Sidreh is a non-profit organization that aims to empower these desert women by allowing them to hold on to their traditions in a profitable manner that supports their independence.
I did not have my camera with me but you can check out the website Lakiya Weaving if you are interested in seeing the beautiful work these women do.

Centered

 I wish that I could post more frequently but I have been so incredibly busy for the past two weeks (which is how long I have been here). My teachers assign a lot of reading. A lot. I haven't left the center since Tuesday. After six hours of class today I was so excited to finally go out and about in the city. But we are not allowed to leave the center today. The controversial film "Innocence of the Muslims" has incited riots all throughout the Middle East... and one of those protests occurred down the street near Damascus gate. For the record I have never felt unsafe here. I always feel extremely comfortable and welcome wherever I go. We will probably be allowed to leave tomorrow morning.

I feel like the United States has many misconceptions about the Middle East and likewise the Middle East has so many misconceptions about us. The media is   always concentrates on the extremes of situations. The news in the United States about the Middle East concentrates on terrorist threats, attacks and other volatile situations. Then one movie expressing extreme views of a few individuals leads to fatal anti-Western riots. In the end I suppose what I am trying to say is that the relationships between nations and people in this part of the world are much more complex than I realized. I know that I will learn more about the various dynamics as the semester progresses.

On a lighter note here are a few center pictures.

       Hanging out in the fourth floor lobby after church

A nice study day outside. This is my friend Liddy.

Here is Liddy studying some more.

Me studying and working on my wrist tan.

BYU Jerusalem Center info

The BYU Jerusalem Center is a very unique place. I am so happy to be participating in this program. Learn more about the center and what I do while I am in the Holy Land here: BYU Jerusalem Center!!!

He is Risen!

Today we went as a group (all 82 of us) to the Garden Tomb. This place is considered to be the burial site of Christ. Some believe that the name Golgotha, the place in the Bible where Christ is crucified, describes a hill next to the Garden Tomb site.

Regardless of whether or not this is the exact site of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection it was a marvelous experience. I looked out at the rocky formation where Christ may have died on the cross and felt an indescribable sense of gratitude for the sacrifice given in my behalf. I cannot begin to imagine the magnitude of His suffering.

I felt a powerful affirmation as I looked within the empty tomb that my Savior lives. I know that on the third day he arose from the tomb as He promised his disciples. 

The whole group stayed in the gardens for about an hour singing hymns. The area was full of tourists and pilgrims. A small crowd of people we didn’t know joined in our singing and/or listened to us. We have many musically talented individuals (I am not one of them) and I think we sounded heavenly. I felt a triumphant surge of joy as we sang He is Risen!

Golgotha in Hebrew means “skull”. Christ was not crucified on a “green hill far away”. No, it is far more likely that He was crucified in a busy area of the city where people could see transgressors receiving their punishments. Can you spot the skull in the cliff? Two eye holes and a nose... the mouth is now gone due to creation of bus station.

Outside of the tomb.

So that is my thought for today. Have joy for He is risen!

Overlook

Today was the first field trip. We drove around to different overlooks in the area so that we can better orient ourselves geographically. I think I might end up knowing my way around Israel better than Colorado. My favorite spot was a mount overlooking Bethlehem. From where I was standing I could see fancy apartment complexes on my left and olive trees on my right and nestled in the middle was Bethlehem. Bethlehem! The birthplace of Christ was right in front of me. We will go to the city when the Christmas season is closer.

Hazy Bethlehem behind me.

 Orthodox Jewish women praying and studying around the cenotaph (empty tomb) of the prophet Samuel.

The Lutheran Church of Ascension that stands in the traditional spot where Christ ascended into heaven after his resurrection.

Ramparts

Today I walked around the entire Old City of Jerusalem on the ramparts (path on the wall around the city). I really enjoyed looking down at the people below me in each quarter of the city going about their daily business. In the Jewish quarter I saw many school children. And I don't think anything is cuter (except maybe Scarlett) than some of those little Jewish boys with their curls and yarmulkes. 

The view from Old City Jerusalem. The BYU Center is the building way off in the distance practically in the center of the photo.