Sunday 31 August 2013 New Branch Presidency

Branch Presidency of the Jerusalem Branch: James Fellows- 2nd counselor, Mark Slight - District President, Fred Woods - Branch President, Gary Nickel - 1st counselor, Blaine Gunther - Clerk.

Sunday - Wednesday 25-28 August 2013 Humanitarian visit and pictures at the Jerusalem Center

Siraj al Quds in East Jerusalem is a school for sighted and visually impaired children to learn to study together. The director was visually impaired growing up. He had a difficult time being integrated into the schools, so he started this school to help those who were like him.  He is currently 95% blind. The playground is on the lower level.

 Linda and Nur, the director, in one of the classrooms.

 Red Crescent Society Hospital is a charity maternity hospital, located just below the Jerusalem Center.  They recently started a campaign for polio vaccinations. We are standing by their clinic near the Rockefeller Museum.  They have been inundated with people bringing their children to the clinic for a vaccination.

 Looking out the window of our apartment 206 from the dining room table, toward Jerusalem. The next three pictures move consecutively to our right in a full circle.

Kitchen and dining room

Desk
.

 This completes the circle, looking at the entry to our apartment and into the bathroom.  All of the pictures of our apartment, above, were taken from the same spot, just turning 90 degrees each time.  Small and cozy!

Our bedroom taken from in front of our closet

 Our bedroom closet, taken from the bed

 This is what visitors see as they enter the Jerusalem from the main entry.

Looking to the right from the previous picture in the Jerusalem Center entry.

Looking down the stairs from the 6th floor. We live on the 2nd level.  There are 130 stairs from our level to the 8th level, where we conduct tours.

Excavation in the Old City of the Roman cardo (road).
 The Romans destroyed Jerusalem about 70 AD. and resettled it as a pagan community about 130 AD.

Thursday 22 August 2013 Walk through Damascus Gate in the Old City

On top of the Austrian Hostel. A minaret is on the right.  The Muslims use the minarets for their calls to prayer 5 times each day.

 Christian Quarter on the Via de la Rosa.

We stopped at a restaurant in the Christian quarter of the Old City.  Linda and I shared a Shawarma - pita bread stuffed with chicken and salad. The owner had free wi fi connection in his restaurant, so Alexis called their daughter on her cell phone.

Wednesday 21 August 2013 Our first solo (duo) into the Old City

We walked into the old city with Nickels. We went through Herod's Gate to Uncle Moustache's Restaurant and bought falafels .  Hmmmm, so good. This is in the Muslim quarter.

On the way into the Old City, we passed the building below with the red signs which is referred to as Costco by the couples at the Jerusalem Center. Linda and Alexis were pretty excited to find a Costco so close to where we live. We didn't go in this visit, but we did on another visit. Hebrew University is in the background, on Mt Scopus above Linda's head.

Sunday 18 August 2013 Carillon Bells

From the YMCA tower  in Jerusalem where we played the Carillon Bells -  the Jerusalem Center on Mount Scopus is above the crane. The wall surrounding Jerusalem near Jaffa Gate is behind the crane. Some say the Jerusalem Center is on Mt Scopus, and some say it is on Mt of Olives. Mt. Scopus is an extension of Mt of Olives. It was fun playing the Carillon Bells.  You push or hit levers that are connected with wires to the bells which are on the floor above.

 Looking the opposite direction from the Jerusalem Center from the YMCA tower.

 

John and Jan Clayton are playing the practice machine.  It is not connected to the bells so they can rehearse their music before they play the real bells.  The Carillon Bell organ is behind them, with wires running from the levers through the ceiling to the next floor where they connect to the bells. Jan plays the bells every Sunday morning for an hour.  She takes students with her to give them the opportunity to play.

The bell tower is above the Carillon Bell organ. There are 35 bells.

Linda and Gary played their first piece on the real Carillon bell organ for all of Jerusalem to hear.   Linda hit the levers with her fist. The wires connect to the bells above.

 Carillon organ from the front with a view of the connecting wires.

 Jan pushes or hits the levers .

 

Smaller bells hang above the larger bells.

Small chapel in the basement of the YMCA. We walked down very narrow, circular stairs to get from the Carillon organ to the basement.

Friday 16 August 2013 Dinner and the Western Wall

Jan, Tina, David, Gary, Alexis, Linda, John at the Askadinya, a Palestinian restaurant just outside the Old City. Linda and I split chicken cordon bleu for about $20. They do not hurry you in and out.  They don't ask if you want dessert or if you want your bill.  You ask for dessert if you want it. When you ask for your bill, they bring it.  Otherwise, they are happy to let you stay as long as you like.

Outside the Askadinya Restaurant -  left to right, David and Tina Whitchurch, John and Jan Clayton, Alexis Nickel, Linda and Blaine, Gary Nickel. We visited the Western Wall after dinner.

Tuesday 13 August 2013 Humanitarian site visits in West Bank and Jerusalem

Ephpheta School for the Deaf in Bethlehem, West Bank. They teach lip reading rather than signing. With signing, they must have an interpreter, but they are more independent with lip reading.

Orthodox Sports Club in Beit Jala near Bethlehem.  They provide a day care center.  You can see some of the children sleeping. The owner said the separation wall was started in 2003 and is 140 kilometers long.

Linda with Khader Abu Abbara discussing school kits for the children around Bethlehem.

 

Nora Kort led us to the Arab Orthodox Society medical clinic in the Old City.

Nora Kort provided a full meal for us at a restaurant she started to help women learn to cook.

Two of the cooks with Yvette (left) who is a director at the Arab Orthodox Society. 

Linda Majaj (founder's daughter) and Ibrhim Faltas at Princess Basma School near the Jerusalem Center.  They integrate handicapped children with normal children in a school serving grades 1-12.

Monday August 12, 2013 Visits to St. Vincent, Peace Center for Heritage, Rose of Jerusalem, Four Homes of Mercy, Shorouq

Sister Pascal and Sister Susan at St. Vincent, a home for severely handicapped children. 

They accept Muslin, Jew, Arab, Christian - anyone. Volunteers come for  6 - 12 months to help the permanent staff.  Many are from Germany and Austria. The Jerusalem Center provided a computer and a commercial grade food processor to serve up to 62 residents. It is very clean and well run. This area is the traditional site where John the Baptist was born.

 The visits below were in Bethany in the West Bank.  We are not allowed to drive there, so the Jerusalem Center hires a driver to take us.  We pass a checkpoint on the way, but because it is used heavily by Israelis living in the West Bank, we sailed through without any delay. Bethany was a 10 minute walk to Bethpage before the wall, but it is a 20 minute drive by car now. Lazurus' tomb is in Bethany.

Sawsan with Linda at Peace Center for Heritage in Bethany (West Bank).  The Jerusalem Center provided $2000 for fabric and thread. Sawsan hires women to embroider clothing, pillows, purses, etc to help the women earn a living. It is supported by the YMCA also. It started with 6 women and now has 32. The Jerusalem Center also provides school kits that Sawsan distributes. Sawsan is university educated but lost her job in Jerusalem because she wasn't allowed to travel there after the separation wall was put up.

 

Linda and Blaine with some of the children at Rose of Jerusalem. The Palestinian Authority gave them $25,000 in 2008 to support their work with handicapped children, but nothing since.

Classroom in Rose of Jerusalem in Bethany.

Four Homes of Mercy for handicapped. Usama, the director (left), has a masters degree from a university in the UK. He wrote his thesis on corruption in the Palestinian Authority.  Land for the building was donated by King Hussein. The Jerusalem Center donated a piano, computer and screen.

Shorouq Women's Society is a women's center. Fatima (center) established it in 2002  to promote involvement of women in community affairs. She was elected to the city council in October 2012 for 4 years. The Jerusalem Center provided a refrigerator, dishwasher, stove, and sewing machines. The women had prepared a full meal for us.

Sunday 11 August 2013 Visits to Atnachta, Beit Safafa, Jerusalem Rape Crisis Center, Kol Ha Isha, DVI

Atnachta back yard with Na'ama (social worker), Masha, Bob, Elizabeth, and Linda.  

This is a home for teens in crisis. We donated students' clothing and pillows after students returned home.

On the way to visit Beit Safafa, Elizabeth bought figs from this vendor because we took a picture of him. He charged 5 shekels for a bag, then added more and said he needed 10 shekels.  She said she would pay only 5 shekels and he was satisfied.

Beit Safafa Women's Society board of directors.

 They make baked goods to sell and provide in-service lessons for teachers.  The Jerusalem Center donated a computer, a large screen, and a refrigerator.

 

When we arrived, the woman in the center put her hand over her heart as I reached out to shake it.  I learned many Muslim women do not shake hands with men, and this was her polite way of letting me know.

Rinat (center) is the director of the Jerusalem Rape Crisis Center. It was founded in 1981 in memory of Linda Feldman who was treated poorly by the police during her report of rape. She later committed suicide.

Kol Ha Isha helps women gain or improve job skills.  Linda is with the director Michal (right). The Jerusalem Center contributed computers. Jennifer (left) has an organization called Operation Blessing.

DVI provides high quality dental care to those who cannot afford a dentist. The founder is a holocaust survivor. Her 3 sons just happened to come while we were visiting. The dentist on the left is a volunteer. Volunteers come from all over the world. DVI provides an apartment for the volunteers.

One of the sons of the founder of the DVI clinic in a dental chair.

Bruce is a dentist who was volunteering at the DVI clinic.  He said the equipment is very good. The Jerusalem Center donated computers and most of the money for one of the seven dental chairs.