Wednesday 19 November 2014 Moshe & Rachel in Yavne

We drove to Yavne, a suburb of Tel Aviv, to visit Moshe Shaked and his partner Rachel.  Blaine gave them a tour of the Jerusalem Center a few months ago.  At the time, Moshe gave Blaine a Jewish cookbook he had put together and invited us to visit. We had breakfast on their patio and spent a good part of the day with them.  Rachel had fixed a yummy breakfast of eggs cooked in a tomato sauce, cheeses, juice, cucumber salad, and breads.

Moshe's grafted a lemon and another citrus plant together.



It looked like a pumelo but it had another name.

And these were the lemons.

After breakfast, Moshe walked us around their neighborhood.  It was developed about 30 years ago.  The neighborhood was developed for military personnel.  It was based on a lottery system so everyone would have equal access to the prime building lots.  They could put their name in with 3 other families so they could pick their neighbors.  They have the same neighbors and Moshe said they're closer than brothers.

They built a convenience store on one of the building lots.

There were walking and bike trails that wound through the neighborhood.

Moshe is a gardener and his yard shows it.

Moshe, Linda, and Rachel in their living room.

Yavne has a country club that residents can buy into.  It has swimming pools, a gym, parks, etc.


They drove us around Yavne and then into Ashdod.  Ashdod is on the Mediterranean Sea between Tel Aviv and Gaza. We stopped for desert at a restaurant on the beach. 

After lunch, we went to a school in Yavne where Moshe helps with an after school program for Ethiopian children.  They showed us the healthy lunch they were eating. Moshe was an air force  pilot in the IDF.  He was involved in the War of 67 and 73.  In 1991 he flew a plane into Ethiopia during Operation Solomon.  There were 35 planes that airlifted 15,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.  It was a covert operation to save their lives from an unstable government.  Moshe said it was one of his proudest moments.

I taught them the song "A to a taw"

and they translated the English words into Hebrew.

Kids are always a lot of fun.

Tuesday 18 November 2014 Kannot School with Na'amat / Judy Telman, Kottel tunnels

We went with Judy and Stu Telman and a van of senior citizens to the Kannot School in Ashdod.  Their organization Na'amat, has helped fund this alternative high school.  It services students that aren't successful in the public schools and gives them a second chance to succeed in school.  We met in a conference hall where they explained the program and introduced us to some of the students.

Ten years ago they added a Police Academy to the school program.  It has been very successful in giving the students training in law enforcement, discipline, and structure to their lives.

Students take lessons at the equestrian park. It generates income for the school, too.

A dairy farm is another source of income and opportunity for the students to learn a skill and work.

The school grounds are kept up with one gardener and many students.  They are required to work at least 1-2 hours each day.  They keep the students very busy and involved in worthwhile activities.

We had lunch at the school cafeteria with the administration and students.

There are between 400-500 students at the school with a waiting list to get in.

Blaine and Linda on the grounds.

We then went to a Philistine museum in Ashdod.  In the basement they had a collection of "pots and pans" and other items of the kitchen.  This was a collection of tea kettles.

Upstairs they have an interactive computer image of Sampson pulling down the pillars.

On our way home we drove along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

The port city of Ashdod was populated in the 1950's with many immigrants from Russia and Ethiopia.  It is mentioned in the Bible and is south of Tel Aviv and north of Gaza.

Ruins of a crusader fortress along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

That evening we went into the Old City with the students for a tour of the Kottel tunnel. This was a model they used to explain the Temple Mount and its history.

The niches in the wall are thought to be how the blocks were put into place with the help of a pulley.  This is the part of the Western Wall where people can pray inside.  This morning, 4 rabbis were murdered inside a synagogue.  I thought there would be more people at the Western Wall praying because of this act of violence.  It was just the opposite.  I think people are afraid to come out.

The archeology site is worked around the clock.

Gay Strathern was the professor in charge of our group.

The blocks of the wall were chiseled during the Roman period and weigh between 300-600 tons each.

These were stones chiseled out of the bedrock but never put into place.  They show no wear or use.


A cistern of water was discovered by the archeologist Warren.



There is a section inside for the women to pray.

View inside the Kottel tunnel along the foundation wall of Herod's temple

Monday 17 November 2014 Bethlehem - Orthodox Sports Club and Effeta

Today started out with a much need rainfall.  Our view of Jerusalem is beautiful under any weather conditions.  I especially love to watch the cloud formations when the weather is changing.

We went into Bethlehem to visit two organizations BYU helps.  The first was the Orthodox Sports club.  This is some of the play equipment BYU purchased for the day care. Khader is our contact person.  He is involved with the Sports Club, which is more of a community center, and the Hope School.

BYU paid to have the roof repaired at Hope School.

They use solar panels to heat their water.

Each morning the students have religious instruction in the Chapel.

Khader in his office/faculty lounge

We then went to Effetta School for the Deaf, also in Bethlehem.  This was an art class.

The kindergarten class had blue uniforms for the boys and pink for the girls.  They teach lip reading at this school and start intervention and training as young as 1 year.

We were very impressed with the school facilities which were clean and cheery and the faculty  which seemed loving and professional.

BYU has helped provide consumable workbooks for the children to learn.

In the upper grades, the students were learning English grammar.

Dorris Skafi, our contact, showed some of the teaching aids BYU provided.

The children receive individual instruction.  Notice the mirror in front so the student can learn how to shape his mouth correctly.

They also use computer games.

Matching games are always a hit.

This matching games taught Arabic and English words.

I felt right at home in this 3rd grade class.

We sang "A-too-a-ta" to learn body parts.

Some of the children live at the school because they live too far to drive in daily.  They go home on the weekends.  Their were 4-8 children in each room with a nun responsible for each room.

The school also had a class where the older students could write and perform raps.

As we waited for our ride, I had Blaine take this picture just because I like the diversity of this country.

These are some new apartments that are being built just inside the border crossing.  They're very beautiful apartments and seemed somewhat out of place.

The border crossing leaving Bethlehem.

I thought this sign was ironic since the people of Bethlehem can't leave without special permission.

 Back at the center, all is peaceful, represented by the dove.  We are an oasis in East Jerusalem.