Tuesday 25 February 2014 Movie in 3D about Jerusalem

We went to Thanksgiving Point to watch a movie about Jerusalem. It featured 3 girls who live in Jerusalem:  a Palestinian Muslim, a Palestinian Christian, and an Israeli Jew. The movie illustrated how they live by each other, but don't associate with each other. They each have a history with Jerusalem.

Did I mention the movie was in 3D? Dean arrived first so I asked him to buy the tickets so we could sit next to each other. No worry, we had the theater to ourselves, except for one other couple - Masters - who taught 3 summers at the Jerusalem Center several years ago.



Saturday 22 February 2014 Open house and 5k run

In the morning, Anne Marie and Kevin held a 5k race to celebrate their upcoming marriage.  Erin Belnap, a good friend in Jerusalem, held a 5k race in Jerusalem to celebrate there.

The race started at Kristin's home, complete with a sign over the starting line in their driveway.

 Anne Marie and Kevin greeted everyone before the race started.

Who's ready and who will win? 

The race was marked with signs of Anne Marie and Kevin. The picture at the top was taken after Anne Marie finished the swim leg on the Snake River in Idaho during the Triathalon.

 

 Erin held the 5k run in Jerusalem with the students and her children to support Anne Marie and Kevin.



That evening, Anne Marie and Kevin held a reception at Kristin's home.

Tuesday 18 February 2014 Wedding dress

Linda and I got a sneak preview of the wedding dress at the wedding dress shop.

Saturday 15 February 2014 Hannah's performance

We returned to Utah for a couple of weeks for Anne Marie's wedding.  Our granddaughter, Hannah Howard, performed in the Covey Theater in Provo.  She loves to sing and participate in plays.

Wednesday 12 February 2014 On the way to the airport

No pictures this time.  It was interesting to feel that we were profiled today.

We took a shuttle to the airport on our way to Utah.  There were 10 on the shuttle by the time we finished picking everyone up and heading for the airport - 7 Jews and 3 non-Jews (at least by appearance.) We approached a checkpoint.  The guard had been letting cars go through ahead of us.  When it was our turn, he stopped the bus and looked through the window.  He saw us on the front row, then walked back to look through the second window. At the second window he saw a Jewish couple and then waved the shuttle through. Were we profiled?  I don't know, but it felt like it.

At the airport, we approached another check point. The guard stopped the shuttle and got on board.  He looked around and asked to see passports from 3 people - guess which 3. 

Sunday 9 February 2014 In the Old City

We walked into East Jerusalem and the Old City to show the Humanitarian student committee a couple of places where they can volunteer.

 Linda, Matt, Heather, and Anna are in front of a hostel in the Old City.  The Greek Annunciation Society is in this building.  The Society runs a day care center in the Old City.

We are in the Jewish Quarter, near the Western Wall and noticed what appeared to be young students returning to class accompanied, we suppose, by their teachers. The students are wearing kippahs. The kippah is a symbolic head covering which expresses Jewish reverence toward Diety.  If you go into a Jewish synagogue, you should cover your head to show respect for Diety, and if you go into a Christian church, you should remove your hat to show respect for Diety.  

Shortly after the students went into their classes, this group of Jewish women passed by the same spot.  The Jewish man appeared to be passing out ribbon wrist bands to...

 ... solicit donations.

Entrance to the Western Wall from the Jewish Quarter.

Israeli soldiers at Dung Gate.

Tuesday 4 February 2014 Silwan Elementary School

We teach at Silwan Elementary School nearly every Tuesday. We give the students some exercises in English. We feel like rock starts when we are there - they are excited to see us.

Linda, Jan Clayton and Erin Belnap usually go each Tuesday.

Near the entrance to Silwan Elementary School.  The sun was a bit bright for Tabby, Erin's assistant.

 You get a sense of the conditions the teachers and students in Silwan have to work with.

 

 Jan Clayton, Linda, and Erin Belnap are in the parking lot / entrance to the main school. Some of the classes are held in another building about a block from here. Students have to climb over desks to get in and out of class in some very small  rooms. The Old City wall near Dung Gate is in the distance.

 This is the same location showing Linda and Blaine with 2 of the teachers.

 Linda taught words about "brushing your teeth" and gave each of the students a tooth brush. Notice how little work space each students has.  This is one of the large class rooms.

There is no play equipment and very little space in the playground. 


Here are a few pictures of children at Silwan:



Tuesday 4 February 2014 Common scenes of the Jerusalem Center

Scenes of things around the Jerusalem Center that we see every day.

View of the Old City from our apartment 206. Dome of the Rock (gold dome), Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion (behind the Dome), Huerva Synagogue (white dome), one of the many Muslim Mosques where call to prayer is heard 5 times each day (tower on the right side in the photo).

Sign for the turnoff to the Jerusalem Center. The Jerusalem Center is called the Mormon University. If you ask a taxi driver to take you to the Mormon University, he will know where to go.  If you say Brigham Young University or the Jerusalem Center, he may look puzzled.

Stone engraving on the road into the Jerusalem Center.  The road is a dead end.  It leads to the Jerusalem Center and then a little beyond to some homes and a Yeshiva for Jewish students.  The neighborhoods in the immediate background are Wadi al Joz and Sheik Jarah.

Main walk-in entrance to the Jerusalem Center.  The gate is kept locked and is controlled by security  or by an access card residents swipe to open the gate electronically.  Security is very serious about restricting access to the Jerusalem Center to only  those who are authorized to enter.

 Firas, one of the security employees at the Jerusalem Center.



Walkway into the Jerusalem Center 8th floor from the main gate.

 

There is a Menora designed into the blue gate at entrance to the Jerusalem Center building.

Hallway on the 8th floor. Our offices are at the end of the hallway, on the left. Outside the window is the home of the Pope's representative to the Holy Land.

Stairs from the 8th level. There are 130 stairs between our apartment on level 2 and level 8. If we get to the 8th level and realize we forgot something, there is a 260 stair round trip ahead of us. There is an elevator between levels 6 and 8, and another elevator between levels 5 and 6. 

The mosaic on the wall is on loan from the Israeli Antiquity Authority.  It dates from the Byzantine time period (3rd - 6th century). It was discovered during construction of the Mamila Mall, near Jaffa Gate, on the opposite side of the Old City from the Jerusalem Center. Mamila Mall is a newish, modern outdoor mall in West Jerusalem.