Jerusalem Judds: 2025

Happy Christmas Break! I hope you are having a special time. I'm not quite ready to let go of Christmas and not quite ready to take on New Year's, so it's nice to have what has been something of a quiet week.

But I need to go back and catch up on about 10 days worth of pictures!

On the 17th and 18th we bid farewell to a great group of students. As the center grew quieter, many JC faculty and service couples trickled off on their own journeys. But Gaye Strathearn was getting ready to host 10 family members.

So what do you do when you're cooking for a crowd? Turn to an expert, namely our dear friend Sana. First, she showed me her fur babies. (This one is named Trump.)

The plan was "simple": boil chicken drumsticks with onion, then fry them with spices, slice tomatoes, eggplant, cauliflower, potatoes, and fry everything until soft, then layer meat and vegetables with rice in a pot with more spices and boil for an hour and a half. Nothing to it! 😉

This is called Makluba, and it is served by turning the whole pot upside down on a serving tray so the goodness cascades out. Sorry I don't have a photo of the finished product, but the smells were heavenly! We also made a cucumber and yogurt salad with mint and garlic. It's more of a summer salad according to Sana, but it goes well with rice and chicken.

As I was driving Sana home, the streetlight decorations were glowing, so she took this pic for me.

During our cooking project we could hear this bagpipe band rehearsing Christmas songs. Our Associate Director Tawfic has two young adult children in the band, a son who plays drums and a daughter who plays bagpipes. This group often come play at the center for Arab night. My first time here I was curious why bagpipes would be a Christmas tradition in the Holy Land, but apparently they are a big part of the Palestinian scout movement, initiated during the British Mandate. This group also has a pianist, a string trio, and a very good singer, so the concert had more variety than other bagpipe concerts.

I saw my friend Lara at the concert (on the right in the photo below! We have seen her go from being a secretary at the center, to getting married to our tech specialist, to being a mother of 2 adorable kids, neither of whom seemed to mind the powerful sound of 14 bagpipes!

The 4 candles of Advent, a Christmas Tree, and a menorah. We saw these signs of the season throughout the city.

One of our goals for the break was to revise some study guides for the students to use as they visit the various museums. So we returned to the Citadel of David to try out the study guide.

Afterwards we walked up Jaffa Street to get some lunch.

Walking past the post office reminded Frank of his time as a student at the Jerusalem center, when he would write actual letters on actual paper and mail them by sticking them in a mail slot. The post office still functions in its original building, and in additions to mail and packages people also come to pay utilities and transfer money.

Returning to the Old City, we walked to an overlook of the Western Wall. It was the last day of Hannukah, and the crowds were huge! We were glad we walked as parking lots were overflowing and traffic was really congested. It was somewhat like Salt Lake City at General Conference time.

As we walked back from the overlook, we found a doorway to an underground archaeological site. It was part of an ancient wall system. The pictures don't look like much, but it is just a reminder that there are antiquities buried beneath almost everything here. Sometimes during construction or renovation there is an opportunity to excavate and discover what lies beneath, and sometimes it is more important to keep sustaining and investing in what is going on above.

As we explored the old city streets, we found ourselves heading toward what is called the Small Wall. This is north and along the same plane of the Western Wall, but in the Muslim Quarter, so the northeast part of the city. We saw a few youth groups heading this way, maybe to avoid the congestion of the Western Wall Plaza. People were praying, leaving notes, and worshipping as they would at the larger section of the wall.

It was an interesting juxtaposition to see different ethnic groups crossing paths as they each headed through the narrow streets. We saw groups of Jews celebrating, some boisterously, and we saw Palestinians going about their jobs or shopping, and even a group of Muslims somberly carrying a coffin from a mosque to the cemetery just outside Lion's gate.

The old city can seem really big to me as I walk the length and breadth of it and try to find my way, but in some ways it is very small and concentrated place. Every day of peace is a miracle and a wonder when this place has to accommodate so many different people and so many aspirations.

This style of architecture is probably from the Mamluk period, 1250-1517. Lots of gates, schools, public buildings, and fountains were built in this style

Returning by foot through the Kidron Valley, notice the green grass which pops up during the winter rainy season. Olive trees are green year round.

Christmas Eve! Gay Strathearn's family hired a van and guide to drive them to Bethlehem, and I was happy to be along for the ride. We left early to avoid the crowds that come with parades and dignitaries. Even though Orthodox denominations celebrate Christmas later (Greek orthodox a week later, Armenian Orthodox January 13) they were still expecting thousands of people to descend on Manger Square. After 2 years of troubles and dangers, this community was eager to welcome the crowds.

The border is open on this one day of the year, and dignitaries from the Catholic community come to attend mass, which takes place hourly. In addition, scouts and their bagpipe bands march in parades, which means all of their families want to come watch, and also the Muslim community comes to enjoy the fun.

Our Muslim tour guide reminded us of the high esteem Muslims have for Jesus Christ, venerating him as a great prophet and honoring his mother Mary. The guide certainly knew his scriptures and preached about Ruth, Boaz, David, and the birth of Jesus Christ as well as any Christian pastor.

I don't have a great picture of the door at my fingertips, but it is a low doorway that has been made smaller over the centuries so currently you have to duck down as you go in, and also step over a threshold at the same time. I'm always grateful to get to the other side without tripping or hitting my head.

Our guide loved numbers. He told us how in the Jerusalem Cross (shown above), the large cross represents Jesus, and the 4 small crosses represent Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, or a couple other groups of 4. He asked what number we think is most important in Christianity, then he told us 10 reasons why the number 3 is most important. We were in good hands, and his dialogue made the long wait go by quickly. Even though we arrived early and the church was nearly empty, there was a long line of people waiting to enter the grotto. So he told us about the church and the traditions of people worshipping there for centuries.

Finally it was our turn to go into the warm, dark cave area, where a hole in the floor allows you to touch the underlying bedrock, but this requires the positional humility of kneeling down and reaching out. The grotto was festooned with pictures from the life of Jesus Christ and dignified tapestries (we were told they were fire-proof asbestos).

Returning to the main floor again, we could get a good look at the golden mosaics that were recently restored. I really love the ancient look of this church. The angels between the high window, the mysterious paintings and graffiti on the columns, the Byzantine mosaics below the stone floor visible through wooden trapdoors.

The orthodox chapel was ablaze with lights.

The Armenian chapel was more subdued but still adorned with the symbols of devotion for Jesus Christ.

We were blessed to sneak a quick visit to the Catholic chapel before the next mass took place.

As we headed out we saw one of the ceremonial guards with his curved sword and fez. This is a holdover from the Ottoman times when this type of guard would lead a procession through the streets to show honor to whomever was being accompanied.

The huge Christmas tree in Manger Square is always a festive sight!

We left Manger Square as the dignitaries were starting to arrive and the crowds were building. The van took us to Catholic Shepherd's fields, where our guide shared more scriptures and thoughts about the importance of being humble like shepherds.

We sang carols in the cave as well as in the church.

And what trip to Bethlehem would be complete without a visit to an olivewood shop?

This one featured a who's who of LDS personalities.

We left with grateful hearts and lightened wallets as we supported the local economy in small ways!

Other highlights of the past week: visiting my Armenian friend Naira, who always seems to feed me when I visit, even though I don't want her to go to the trouble. She just steps away as I am talking to her kids and reappears with homemade magic! This time it was pancakes with orange zest, strawberry slices, and avocados in vinaigrette. Hospitality runs very deep.

Christmas pancakes on the porch in 60 degree weather! Complete with pomegranate seeds.

Roast chicken with stuffing, sweet potatoes, and squash. Phone calls with kids and parents back home, and watching lots of Christmas movies. A very satisfying Christmas, even if unconventional.

The next museum on our list was the Bible Lands museum right next to the Israel Museum. This is a nice, compact museum with a manageable amount to see and some very interesting maps, models, and artifacts. Our favorite room was probably the Roman artifacts. This Sumerian horned helmet reminded us of Loki.

And here was another horned figurine. Horns are a great symbol of power, even if it would be tricky to get through doorways.

As we left the museum we meandered through Rehavia park, where the Monastery of the Cross sits. It is an imposing Crusader fortress, but currently only a few clerics maintain the building. We hope to visit sometime when we're in the area again. Here is another small door that requires bending down to enter.