1 September 2014 Kibbutz Misgav Am, Lebannon border, Hopkins

Monday, Sept 1, 2014 we drove to Kiryat Shmona where we met Stephanie Black from Milam, a mental health organization.  She suggested that we drive up to Misgav Am, a kibbutz along the Lebanon border.  We met a Jewish family touring and one of the residents of the kibbutz that gives tours.

I don't remember the fellow's name but he had a lot of stories and was very colorful.  He lives on the kibbutz.
 

Lorraine and Arden Hopkins, the new couple in Tiberias were with us.

 

This is the outlook over Hezbollah occupied Lebanon.  It was very green and beautiful.


The wind is very strong here most of the time as you can tell from the way the trees grow.



There are a lot of  high tech towers in the area for everything.



Part of the bunker from past wars.



Another view of Lebanon.

 

Signs marking the border with Lebanon.

 

We stopped at the Tanur water falls on our way home.
 

The water run off would be greater in the spring.

Blaine and Linda hiking

 

We stopped at a local restaurant that was recommended by the people at the Kibbutz Misgav Am.

31 August 2014 Sidreh, Abu Ghosh mosque, Nimati's daughter's wedding

We delivered 1500 school kits on Sunday, Aug. 31, to Sidreh Weaving in Lakia.  It was a quick trip down and back.  BYU helped this organization with computers.  These are the women who are using them.



On our way home we stopped in Abu Gosh to see a mosque that we have noticed from the freeway.  It has four mineretts and looks like a castle from Disneyland.  It was built in 2013.

 

The main assembly is very ornate but has no furniture.  The carpet's design is in rows for kneeling in prayer.



This is the front of the mosque.



The area which faces Mecca where they pray.

 



There are medallions around the room with Arabic verses.

This is the podium from which the meeting is conducted. I think the Imman prays from here.



The ceiling is as elaborate as the walls.

 

This is the front of the building.



That evening Namati Ansari invited me to a girls' party for her daughter who was married 2 weeks ago.  We were invited to the wedding but couldn't go because it was in the West Bank.  The event was held on Salah-e-din Street near Damascus Gate in the Palestinian business section.  They had it at the Ladies Garden Club.  They asked me not to take pictures inside because many of the women had their scarfs and long dresses off.  Many of the ladies were in formal dresses that were very secular with a lot of beading and bling. They really dress up for other women. The new bride came out with one of her party dresses and  danced for everyone.  Then she changed into another dress while the women at the party danced.  The bride came out again in another dazzling dress and danced again.  She had atleast 10 of these dresses that had to cost atleast $1,000 each.  I asked Namati, the mom, if she had gotten them all for that night.  She said she had some of them from before.  I talked to Rana, one of the office managers at the JC, and she told me the groom gives the bride a large sum of money to buy these beautiful dresses and beautiful lingerie for the wedding.

29 August 2014 Carmen, Ilia, and Adam at the Jerusalem Center

 

 

Friday, Aug. 29 (Happy Birthday Jon Gunther) the Lesonbys came over for dinner.  Carmen, from Bolivia, baby Adam from Jerusalem, and Ilia, from Russia are pictured below.  They came over for Blaine to help them with a budget.  He set them up with a spread sheet and categories to keep track of their spending.  The cost of living is very high here.  I don't know how young couples make it.

 

 They went through some of the clothing the students left.

 

Carmen is my counselor in R.S. and Ilia is a secular Jew.  He can come to church with Carmen since he is married to a member, Carmen.  He'll come to branch activities sometimes.  They're a sweet family.

Wednesday 27 August 2014 Rachel's Tomb

Wed. August 27, Scott Reynolds met us at the JC after studying at Hebrew University.  He will be leaving tomorrow for the BYU Jordan Program.  Scott has attended the Bethlehem Branch and has been one of the stalwarts. We will miss him greatly.  He had never been to Rachael's tomb out by the Bethlehem border crossing.  You have to enter by car so we took him out with us.  Rachael's Tomb is a religious site for the Jews.  It would be in Bethlehem but the Separation Wall winds around to keep it in the Jewish area.  The following are pictures taken there.

The men and women had separate areas to pray.



Both sections bordered on the above ground tomb.  The tomb is to the left.



The women were all praying out loud.



This man was in charge of the kipas or head coverings for the men.



This is the Separation Wall just outside of the Bethlehem border crossing.  A narrow corridor was sectioned off for the Jewish people to enter and the Palestinians to not enter.  This area is a "hot spot" with frequent demonstrations and rock throwing.  Notice the border tower to the left showing it is located right on the border of Jerusalem and the West Bank.  When we were there, loud Palestinian music was blaring from the other side of the wall.  I'm sure it was on purpose.



People waiting along the road at Rachael's tomb.  Everyone we saw there was Orthodox Jew.

Tuesday 26 August 2014 Delivery to Sidreh, Bedouin Museum, Newe Shalom

Tues. Aug. 26, 2014, we took a load of 40 chairs down to Sidreh Weaving in Lakia (Negev Dessert).  The staff all came out and moved them into the building. The Bedouin women run the weaving business with a Bedouin woman named Khadra  in charge.

 

Staff at Sidreh Weaving, Lakia, Israel



Khadra, the director of the organization is on the far left.  The others work there.



This woman is sewing the final tassels on one of the woven rugs.



Khadra took us across the street to a Bedouin home where they were experimenting with different types of gardening.  They use square foot gardening with a drip system, water gardens using PVC pipe, and a small fish farm
.

Container gardening and a small fish farm



The hydroponic gardening uses only water with no soil.  They place the plants in each of the holes.  It is broken now so they are waiting to get it fixed.

 

They use  containers to plant in. 

Laundry day

The homes were grouped together all facing a common area.  I think they were all children and grandchildren of one lady there.  The adult women didn't want their pictures taken but they said we could take pictures of the children.  The children were hesitant at first and ran in the house when we pointed the camera at them.  After a few minutes of playing "cat and mouse" most of them came out and wanted their picture taken.  Then they came up to Blaine and wanted to see the picture of themselves.  He later printed the pictures and we hand delivered them.
 

At first they ran from the camera.

 



The boys were more daring.

 



Good looking Bedouin boy

and girls.

 

After a few minutes, they warmed up to us.

 

I think the children were brothers and sisters and cousins.

 



 



This is Khadra with me.  She is really an ambitious, hard working, intelligent woman.  She is going to Wash. DC, Boston, and New York City later this week to plead her case of the Bedouin situation to senators and other people who may have some influence.  During this last Palestinian/ Israeli conflict, the Bedouins didn't have access to shelters or the Iron Dome and they are very close to Gaza.  The need of the Bedouins are often overlooked.  Their are 200,000 in the Negev.  100,000 are in incorporated areas and 100,000 live in their own settlements.  Neither are really adequate.  We stopped at the Bedouin Museum of the way home.  We were the only ones there.  The conflict has ruined their tourism.  Below are explanations and pictures in the museum.
 

Displays showed the Bedouin lifestyle.

 

An old photo of Bedouin men on the Negev.

 

 Inside their tent with the person that was running the museum, a Bedouin man.

 

Outside the Bedouin tent.

 

There is no furniture in a Bedouin tent, just mats to recline on.

From the Bedouin Museum, you can look out over a kibbutz.  This one had a swimming pool and recreation area.