Turkey Video

Carrie is working hard on a post about Turkey, but in the meantime enjoy this video made by one of the J.C. students.

http://vimeo.com/50093919

In Gratitude

When Frank is out of town on extended field trips, I always have a hard time falling asleep.  This was my way of avoiding the dishes on one such night.

Whose sock this is, I think I know.
It has a hole in its big toe.
I'd mend it if it weren't so late,
But, "Darn," the trashcan is its fate.
The even sighs of five young heads
Emanate from cozy beds.
The only other sound's the clink
of dishes waiting in the sink.
They will not see me stopping here
to make the floors and table clear.
They dream of games and treats and toys;
Their turn will come for deeper joys:
A dinner eaten with a smile,
A prompting in the midst of trial.
A crayoned love note on the floor,
A child, unasked, doing a chore.
A hug, sincere and unexpected
from someone I had just corrected.
Faults o'erlooked and virtues tended,
talents stretched and quarrels mended.
Splendid dreams and careful plans
reorganized by little hands.
I dream "Plan A" and live "Plan G"
as children take turns teaching me.
The tasks are great, the risks are steep,
But I have promises to keep.
And clothes to fold before I sleep.

And clothes to fold before I sleep.

Zoo and Animal Sculpture Garden

For our last free day of the Rosh Hashana holiday, we headed to the Tisch Biblical Zoo in south west Jerusalem.  Most of the animals have a sign telling you where this animal is mentioned in the Bible.  But it has all the other animals you'd expect to see in a zoo as well.  Highlights included huge snakes, penguins, a cheetah with three legs, the footprint garden, brown bears,  flamingos, vultures, and an aviary for feeding lorries.  

 Little cups of nectar kept the lorries and the kids happy.  Here is Abby above, Emily below, and Isaac in the photo below that.

 We took a shortcut and skipped the African animals for the sake of time, but we couldn't skip the petting zoo and the playground, with sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle and architect Mario Botta.  The entire zoo was fun, but this part was especially hard to leave.

 Joe moving at an uncharacteristic turtle pace.

Elizabeth and Mary.

 David was begging to be photographed.

 Linda having way too much fun.

 Emily on a ram.

 The dynamic duo on the turtle

Lisa, Amanda, and Emily ride on the giraffifant? Eleraffe?

 Elizabeth perches on a bird's tail.

 

We only made it through half of the zoo before heading home, but it was great fun and helped us all get through a week without Daddies. 

Rosh Hashanah

Happy New Year!  So why begin the new year in September?  Is it because the middle eastern desert climate shrugs off the parching heat and heralds the life-giving winter rains?  Maybe, but it's not that simple.  

According to Paul Steinberg in Celebrating the Jewish Year, once upon a time the rabbinic sages identified four "new year" celebrations in the calendar: a. in February, on the 15th of Shevat, when trees bloom (Tu b'Shevat), b. in springtime, on the first day of Nisan, celebrating the dedication of the Tabernacle (Numbers 7:1) (this is technically month number one in the Hebrew calendar,)  c. in late summer on the first of Elul when tithing of the cattle was renewed (I guess this would be the fiscal new year), and d. in early Autumn on the first of Tishri, which marks the renewal of the seasons and is designated by Leviticus 23:24-25 as Yom Ha-Zikkaron, the Day of Remembrance, or Yom Teruah, the day of the sounding of the shofar.  The sages designated the first of Tishri as Rosh Hashanah, the official "Head of the Year," because of its spiritual importance as the birthday of creation and day of judgment.  A significant event from Israelite history on this day is Ezra's recitation of the Torah or five books of Moses to to the children of Israel after their return from exile in Babylon (Neh. 7:72-8:13).  Like King Benjamin's people,  Ezra's listeners were moved and changed by the words of the covenant.  They responded "Amen, Amen" and bowed themselves to the ground, then took action to observe the festivals ordained by God.

To prepare for Rosh Hashanah, the shofar, which represents a spiritual alarm clock inviting people to repent before it's too late, is blown throughout the preceding month, except on Sabbaths and the night  before Rosh Hashanah (click here to hear more about the shofar, and here),  and penitential prayers are added each morning, reminiscent of King David's prayers and psalms of contrition. The shofar blasts again on Rosh Hashanah as Jews worship in the synagogue, then eat pomegranates, apples and honey, and challah bread for a sweet new year.    

Want to make your own challah bread?  Find recipes and instructions here.  Round challah is especially popular at Rosh Hashanah, symbolizing the never ending cycle of the year and eternal life.

Understanding that the sweet new year they hope for comes from drawing closer to God and his commandments, Jews take an accounting of their life and seek to adjust attitudes and behaviors and cast off their sins.  Like the New Year's tradition of writing down one's bad habits on slips of paper and burning them, Jews often gather near bodies of water, preferrably containing fish,

 and symbolically shake out their sins so they will be cast ("Tashlikh") into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:18-19).  Even words spoken in the heat of the moment or casual statements worded as vows are taken into account, and some seek absolution among trusted friends in a ritual called "hatarat nedarim."  It is customary to visit graves of loved ones, give generously to charities, and send greeting cards. Through these outer and inner practices, minds and hearts prepare for forgiveness and renewal, striving to attain God's compassion and mercy.

Jews greet each other with "Shanah Tovah," short for "Le shanah tovah tikatevu"= "May God inscribe you [in the Book of Life].  The Talmud teaches that on Rosh Hashanah, the righteous are written and sealed in the Book of Life, the wicked are written and sealed for death [spiritually], and those in between, the "beinoni" are written but not sealed until Yom Kippur.  These ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement, are known as the Ten Days of Repentance or the Days of Awe.  Assuming most of the community to be in-between, some change the greeting to "gemar chatimah tovah," meaning "a good finishing seal [in the Book of Life]."  Others say "le-shana tovah tikatevu v'tichatemu" for "good year, may you be written and sealed."   This idea would resonate well with Latter-day Saints, who believe that redeeming ordinances must be performed by the proper authority--the priesthood--and sealed by the proper authority--the Holy Spirit of promise--dependent upon personal righteousness--in order to become eternally valid.

A quote from Arthur Green:
"This dream of restored wholeness is sounded out dramatically by the shofar blasts, the central symbolic expression of the teshuvah season...[It] cries out a hundred times on Rosh Hashanah: 'I was whole, I was broken, even smashed to bits, but I shall be whole again!'"

"But our restoration of wholeness is not to be achieved by prayer alone... [The] liturgy only brings us to the edge of the Jordan, but never takes us into the promised land.  For this, we need to add the deed to our holy thoughts and words.  Teshuvah and tefillah ("prayer") need tzedakah ("righteous doing") in order to be effective.  We restore the world (and God's name) to wholeness only by doing.  In fact, our entire contemplative effort has been pointed toward realization in the realm of action.  We are the bearers of compassion in the God-filled universe; so too are we the 'limbs of the Shekhinah,' [the divine presence] the ones who can make real in this world our vision of wholeness. "


Shana Tova!  Enjoy this YouTube video.  It's catchy.




Here's another Rosh Hoshana video .

Herzliya Beach

Today we said goodbye to Frank, Megan, and Carrie as they headed off to Turkey for a week with the BYU students.  They will be following the footsteps of Paul across Asia Minor.  We followed Paul's footsteps from Jerusalem to the the coast, and found a sunny beach just north of Tel Aviv.

 Isaac and David, the dynamic duo.  They're not brothers, but they get along as well as brothers do.  Isaac pulled Amanda around on a boogie board.

Mary is just younger than Lisa and makes great sand castles.  In the background is Cait Askew, a student at Hebrew University.  Candice brought along three Hebrew U. students from the branch as helpers. 

Aaron Edwards keeps Joe safe on his favorite play structure: a table.

David and Emily share a smile after lunch.  David is the champ of Marco Polo.

Lisa is ready for action!  She was the navigator the whole way from Jerusalem to the coast.  Only 2 u-turns on the way there!  That's a new personal best for me.

Amanda found some lovely shells and hung out in the waves.

Linda is in Emily's school class.

Lisa leaves her mark on the beach, in Serbian.

This is how the kids looked after pizza and popsicles.  We were fortunate to find an open restaurant as the community prepared for Rosh Hashana.    

The kids have two days off this week for the Jewish New Year.  This is a time of introspection and worship, rededication to the best principles of Judaism.  The Hebrew U. students said they were going to welcome the new year with Jewish friends at the Pool of Siloam, where their friends would symbolically send their sins downstream.  Amanda came home from school requesting apples dipped in honey, a traditional way to wish for a sweet year ahead and symbolize the divine presence.   On the way home we saw scores of Orthodox Jews in a stately procession to their synagogues to worship together, walking as it if were the Sabbath through streets mostly closed to traffic.  

Hag Sameach!  Shana Tova!  (Happy Holiday, Good Year)

Happy Birthday Melinda!

In honor of her birthday on September 23, my younger sister Melinda came to visit us in Jerusalem.  Isn't she beautiful?  And taller than I remember, or am I shrinking?  It has been a year since I saw Melinda in person, and I wasn't expecting to see her face in Jerusalem, but here it is.  

Our last photo together was 2011, right after we returned from our first visit to Jerusalem.  Melinda is the second from right in the front row.  I count it a singular blessing to be a part of this wonderful family.  Even if we are spread across 5 time zones and six states.

In addition to being gorgeous, Melinda has a wonderful husband, four amazing and brilliant kids, a passion for education, and a fascinating blog about life in American Samoa.  Look it up!  www.falepalagi.blogspot.com.

Happy Birthday, Melinda!  Wish you were really here!  (And thanks to stunt double Abi Gunn)

High-Speed Adventure

I wish I could bring you all here with me!  How can I put into words the feeling of  driving up and down winding streets narrow enough to be one-way but full of oncoming traffic and cars parked on both sidewalks, both directions.  Can you envision this? Can you imagine turning a corner and seeing a cable van parked in front of you, still with oncoming traffic, and hearing cars behind you honking, unmistakeably saying, "Stop gumming up traffic and just go around the van already, you wimpy American!"  If only you could be here to experience it first hand. 

I'm not much of a thrill-seeker.  I've never been to Lagoon or Disney World, and the ferris wheel at the Orem Summerfest is usually enough for me.  One of the many great things about having small kids is begin able to say to Frank, "Honey, you go ahead and ride the Scrambler.  Really, I don't mind.  I'll just take the kids to the rug slide."  Someday (which seems to be coming too fast) my little kids won't be little anymore, and they'll be wanting to ride the Scrambler. 

After school last Wednesday, Carrie's homeroom teacher at the Anglican school took the 10th grade class to a Mall in Talpiyot where they could drive go-karts.  This is in West Jerusalem, mostly inhabited by Israelis.  (Still crazy roads, only here the curbs are painted blue and white and you have to pay to park on the sidewalks.)  Her adventure included a bus ride on an Israeli bus, where all the riders studiously avoided eye contact (this is considered polite), then an elevator ride down to the 4th floor underground in a parking garage, forking over 55 shekels (about $14), putting on a huge full-faced helmet, then hearing a lecture in rapid, Hebrew-accented English about driving slowly and something about a flag.  Carrie was the only native English speaker in the group, and even then she didn't understand it all.  Sorry this isn't a photo of Carrie.  She forgot her camera.

Carrie said the go-kart looked just like the one Uncle Mark was fixing (he took the governor off it and almost made highway speeds).  She strained to push the pedals, and putted around the track lined with old tires.  Her classmates whizzed by her, bumping into the tires and staying stuck (no reverse gear).  If we hadn't come to Israel, Carrie would have been doing this in the church parking lot with our Isuzu Oasis right now, only hopefully not crashing into things, which she did with the go-kart after she got the hang of driving, then she careened around corners with the best of them.  After flags started waving about 10 minutes later, the students eventually got the message that they were supposed to go back and park.  Then they all walked a couple of blocks and got ice cream.

Speaking of driving, and parking, I drove the center's old subaru sedan to the Anglican school Friday morning for a PTA meeting.  The old car is great, especially when you don't need A/C and it's pre-dented, so less pressure.  Then afterwards I was thinking about going to the Mahane Yehuda shuk, which is within walking distance from the kids' school.  Here's what it looked like last Friday:

His t-shirt says, "Halva King"

Instead, I drove to Saladin street in East Jerusalem.  I was actually looking for a waffle maker (don't try to send me one, it won't have the right voltage, but thanks for the thought!).  Turns out I was too early, because only the money changers and flower shops were open at 9:30 am.  Here's what Saladin Street looks like on a busy day:

Aladdin Money changer posts notes from BYU students

Saladin Street in East Jerusalem outside Aladdin's

But at least with no crowds, there was plenty of parking.  I found a lot with only three cars, but he must have been expecting crowds because they were parked as close as sardines.  The Palestinian parking attendant was very polite, spoke English, and said I could park there for only 15 shekels ($3.75), but be sure to get back by 12:30 because he was going to the Al-Aksa Mosque for Friday prayers.  (Al-Aksa is next to the Dome of the Rock.)

Then he said, "Are you from BYU?  I remember this car.  Very good car.  Ten years ago a lady named Jan from BYU came here."  I was amazed that he would remember this car from 10 years ago!  I can't even remember for sure if the lady's name was Jan, and I heard the name only 24 hours ago.  I told him the hours for tours at the "Mormon University" as the BYU Jerusalem Center is known, but only after November because of renovations (glass windows in the auditorium are being replaced).

After parking, I looked for the appliance store, but it was closed.  I bought some overpriced flowers for the Sabbath (15 shekels for 5 carnations--I should have haggled), then bought some parking passes from Achmed's stationery store (7 shekels each, good for an hour).  Achmed showed me how to scratch off the date and time to activate them, and even posed for a photo. 

As I drove home past the pita factory, past Wadi al-Joz, up the Mt. Scopus highway (don't take the tunnel to Jericho! you'll need your passport to get back!) and into our driveway, I felt so glad to be able to navigate the roads, the parking lots, a few stores, and while I didn't come with everything I was looking for, it was still a thrill to zoom around the tiny roundabouts, walk the streets with confidence, and then get back safely to my fortress on a hill.  Almost as much fun as Lagoon.  But cheaper.




Driving Hints for Jerusalem:
1. People honk a lot, but not necessarily because they're miffed at you.  Often the honk means, "I'm passing you on the left," or "You may want to know I'm here before you back up."

2. He who hesitates is lost.  At many intersections, such as "Crash Corner,"  there is no clear right of way, so if you wait for traffic to clear, you'll hear the kind of honk that means people behind you are miffed at you.  Better to look for a small opening, make eye contact with the driver, and edge confidently (translation: "step on it") into the opening, trusting that they'll see you and yield.  But be prepared to brake as the other driver challenges you to see if you really want that opening. 

3. If there is a traffic light, you can expect drivers to start fast and stop fast, unlike Provo where drivers assume you can proceed if you're in the intersection when the light turns red.  So don't try to hurry through the end of a yellow light before it turns red.  Also, don't let your mind wander during the red light, or you'll miss the bonus yellow light warning you the light is about to turn green.  Red then yellow means "Step on it, fellow," or else you'll hear the "miffed at you" honk.  Sometimes you'll hear the honk before the light turns green, which proves that sound travels faster than light. 

4. Another difference is that you don't have the right to make a right turn on red, even when the traffic is clear, unless you have your own right turn lane, in which case you only have to watch out for pedestrians.

5. Speaking of pedestrians, the pedestrian walk signals may only be effective for half of the street.  Some divided roads will give you safe passage to the median, where you must wait again for another walk signal.  If there is no walk signal at the pedestrian crossing, then walkers must use the same moxy described in paragraph 2 above: eye contact, then confidently proceed, but save yourself enough room to jump out of the way if necessary.  Sidewalks are considered

6. Finding your way: Street names are hard to read and sometimes change halfway down the street.  The GPS narrator mangles Hebrew and Arabic names.  So to find a location you haven't been before, I recommend you ask a local and write down their directions, including major landmarks.  Also plug the destination into your GPS, agreeing to override "Route C avoidance" (if your route crossed the 1948 or 1967 green lines).  In addition, look up the address on Google Maps and print out the directions or thumbnail maps.  Finally, you should also bring a good street map of the city.  Take all these resources and dump them in the lap of your 11-year old navigator and pray before you turn on the car.  Pray hard.

Dad in Amanda and Emily's beauty parlor

Hebrew University

Sooo.. we went on a walk.

Amanda and Emily on an abandoned walkway above the Center

Judd family in front of the Jerusalem Center sign

Views of the Tzurim valley in front of the Jerusalem Center
{This is Jill popping in to say, Great job, Carrie, on the photos!  The grey half-cylidrical building is an archealogical site where debris from the excavation of Solomon's Stables on the temple mount is being sifted by the Israeli Antiquities Association.  Also down hill from our building is a public playground, a women's college, Red Crescent Hospital, and Palestinian homes and schools.} 

The Tzurim valley leads into the Kidron Valley

The Locals call the Jerusalem Center "Mormon University"

Amanda in front of a wall inscribed with the names of donors to the Hebrew University

When there's not enough room on the street, you park half way on the sidewalk

First century tomb on Hebrew U property

Carrie and Emily looking at Jerusalem :)

First century tombs

Amanda

Tomb

Bodies would be laid on the table until the flesh rotted away.
The bones would be put in a box and then placed in a shaft

It's.. alive!

Top of the tunnel going through the Mount of Olives
{This tunnel leads to Jericho and the Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim}

A half brown/ half green tree
Caused by fires made in the area

Random circle things that the kids jumped on
{The circle things tell you not to park on the sidewalk here.}

Palestinian fish
{Our neighbors to the south have a little horse pen with chickens.  Further south is the Beit Orot Yeshiva, and southwest is the Pope's Apostolic Delegation to the Holy Land.  When Pope Benedict visited Jerusalem, the BYU Jerusalem Center staff heard that some members of his entourage needed accomodations and welcomed a few to stay here.}

Olive press

 I will conclude this post with some random pictures of lasagna noodles. :D

{Jill again.  Yes, this looks random, but I took this photo because I was excited to see American-style lasagna instead of the flat no-boil sheets I used last time.  I was also excited because I could read the Arabic letters.  And now Lisa can, too.}