Ten Mile Run at Hebrew University

Running has been something of a problem here in Jerusalem for a couple of reasons. First, there are not a lot of pedestrian friendly sidewalks--traffic is very busy and people tend to park on the sidewalks. Second, it is rather difficult to get places because of divided neighborhoods, walls, gates and deep ravines alternating with high mountains. What looks like a pleasant 3 mile jog on the map may in reality be a 3 hour ordeal of endurance requiring a bodyguard and a United Nations escort.

Today I decided to try to run around the gated student housing area of Hebrew University. It was a beautiful morning. I rained in the night and the sky was clear with large cumulous clouds. It was cool and windy but exhilerating. I found a large figure eight loop running through the housing area that took me about 7 minutes to run--let's call it 8/10 of a mile. I ran this loop continuously for 90 minutes--let's call that 10 miles.

Interestingly, in 3 weeks of running in Kharkiv, Kyiv and now Jerusalem, I haven't met another single runner.

"Shining a Singular Light on the Ancient Land"

Max and Brooke Stoneman are putting me up for the week in their study, with its window overlooking the Old City. They are an amazing young couple. Brooke is one of the most creative and artistic people I have ever met. An artist and writer, she is now learning the skill of book binding from one of the finest old masters in Jerusalem.

Max is one of the most brilliant people I have ever known, but he carries his intellect lightly behind a sunny, gregarious exterior. He has recently passed the Foreign Service exam and will complete his training in Washington D.C. this fall. Then, the adventures just begin for this special young couple.

In the living room of their apartment in Jerusalem I found a framed poem written by my sister, Ruth, who is Max's mother. It expresses a mother's prayer for the safety of her children half a world away:

Prayer

our treasure lives afar

across the world

in the great city

of gate

and wall

and tower

our children there

in youth and beauty live

shining a singular light

on the ancient land

Lord

bless their days

guard their feet

multiply joys

and sustain them

with thy peace

and let our love

be given wings

to cross the world

and hover near them

in the evening breeze

Mom

August 2009

This is for My Wife Julie

My wife Julie loves quilts, and has designed and made so many by hand, so I have to show her several more fine pieces which were displayed at the Jerusalem Center last night as part of the art show and organ concert. These are all from local artists living in Jerusalem.

They all have names. The first one is something like "the Sound of Celestial Music."

The second one was something like "the History of Jerusalem," or something like that.

The third one was something like "Four Seasons in Jerusalem."

This one was something about birds (I think I posted it sideways)

This one was called "David's Harp" or something like that.

Enjoy, Julie! I love you always!

Organ Concert at the Jerusalem Center

This evening I attended an organ concert by Walter Whipple at the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. This is my first visit to the center, which is one of the most amazing places I have ever been. Located on the top of Mount Scopus, the large arched windows of the center overlook the Old City. Outside the gardens are enclosed by a high wall, and there are about a half a dozen working olive presses on the grounds. Inside the meeting rooms and reception rooms are lofty and airy with beautiful woodwork throughout. There was an art show underway (as there always is). My wife, Julie, would have loved this one--quilts created by local Jerusalem artists (I attach one example, Jewel).

The highlight of the evening was the amazing organ concert put on by Walter Whipple, who is one of the service volunteers working at the center.

Walter Whipple is one of the kindest, most humble men I have ever met. But his amazing history belies his modesty. He studied organ from the age of 11, eventually studying with Alexander Schreiner. He eventually earned a Phd. in organ performance and for about two decades was a professor of organ at a University in Illinois, while also playing cello in the Rockford Symphony Orchestra. At age 40 he took a sabbatical to Poland, where he lived for a year learning to make violins. He returned for his academic career, but at age 50 changed careers and became a professor of Polish Language at BYU, where he finished his career.

Tonight he played a program of Bach, Mendelssohn and Franck. I include some sample videos of his playing.

Manhole Covers and Kosher Fast Food

A couple of details caught my fancy today. First, I noticed the amazing manhole covers including a crest with a lion and the Hebrew inscription for "Jerusalem." Second, as we ate lunch back near campus in a hamburger place I appreciated this certificate that the fast food was all "Kosher."

Max told me that restaurants and fast food places clamber to qualify for the Kosher Certificate. Among other things, to qualify a place must either serve no dairy whatsoever, or alternatively, no meat whatsoever. So, for example, there is a hamburger restaurant right next door to a pizza outlet. Both display the Kosher Certificate. At the hamburger place you cannot buy a cheeseburger, milk shake or anything dairy. At the pizza place none of the pizzas have any meat on them. Amazing and fascinating.

Lecture at Hebrew University

This afternoon I attended a lecture on security issues with Max, which was held at the Rothberg Center of Hebrew University. We had to pass through two security stations to enter the campus, including passing through a metal detector. The campus itself is beautiful, with lush landscaping and buildings of the highest standards of modernity and functionality. The lecture we attended featured an anthropologist who is an expert in the Israeli military. I was most interested when the lecturer asked each participant to identify him- or herself that the students were from all parts of the world--Holland, Romania, Russia, Lithuania, Canada, etc. Interestingly, there were more Americans than any other single group. There were only two students originally from Israel.

The City of David

This morning I went with Max and Brooke to the City of David--the historical area located south of the Temple Mount and just outside the city walls. This is the original site of the Jebusite city which was conquered by the Israelites as they moved into the region. It is also the location of David's palace. We drove to the city by taxi, where they were selling these amazing bread rings. The City of David is actually a National Park, and we signed up for the "three hour tour" (yes, just like Gilligan's Island). We saw a 3d film depicting the history of the City of David, then went to observation points where we could watch the archaeological work going forward, and also see the exposed walls of the ancient Jebusite stronghold as well as of the walls and other structures of David's time. We also had spectacular views of the Kidron Brook far below, of the ancient Moslem neighborhood on the opposite side of the ravine, of the many graves and tombs in the valley and a spectacular view of the city south of the Old City. We also were able to descend deep into the earth to see Hezekiah's tunnel and other tunnels associated with the amazing underground water system of ancient times, and ended up at the south end of the City of David where they have recently uncovered the upper part of the Pool of Siloam, mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments. This is the place where Jesus healed a blind man by anointing his eyes with mud and then instructing him to watch in the Pool of Siloam. We also saw a Byzantine structure nearby which was for centuries identified as the Biblical Pool of Siloam, but which is actually a later structure. Finally, we walked all the way back up nearly to the Temple Mount to catch a taxi back to Hebrew University.

We had a very outspoken tour guide, "Helen," who passed up no opportunity to belittle and denigrate the Muslims who live in the area. The historical presentation was interesting and enlightening, but blatantly one-sided. For example, the period from 600 B.C. to the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. was literally explained in a single sentence in the introductory film. From "Helen's" viewpoint, the historical events surrounding the lives of Jesus and Mohammed and their followers is insignificant.

We were also quite amused how "Helen" seemed to get in confrontations with other tour guides conducting tours in other languages--Hebrew, German, Portuguese, etc.

Choir Practice with Max

Late Tuesday evening I accompanied Max to his choir practice. He sings in an all Jewish choir which has achieved some renown in Jerusalem, singing at the Menachem Begin Center on the same program with the Mayor of Jerusalem and in other venues this year. Next week the choir will be performing in Tel Aviv. The practice was held in a school in the modern part of Jerusalem. We traveled by bus through the beautiful city. Eli, one of the choir members gave us a ride home later. I enjoyed listening to the good-hearted conversation at the choir practice—all in Hebrew, and of course to the beautiful music, a sample of which I attach here.

(Kinda' makes me want to dance with a bottle on my head--"Ay, yai, yai, yai, yai!!")

King David's Tomb

Beneath the Hall of the Last Supper is King David’s tomb—now part of a vibrant Yeshiva where students from all over Israel and the world are brought to learn of their Jewish heritage. Inside the small tomb I saw a group of young boys reciting prayers before the tomb.

Hall of the Last Supper

Among the most curious sites I have seen thus far is the Hall of the Last Supper, ostensibly the place where Jesus broke bread with his disciples in an “Upper Room” before the crucifixion. The strange nature of this site is that it was actually 15^th century Franciscan monastery until turned into a mosque by the Turks. I don’t know—it’s just hard visualizing Christ and the disciples from Roman times meeting in this Middle Age monastery room adorned with Arabic inscriptions.

Church of the Dormition

On Mount Zion we visited the Church of the Dormition. After Christ’s death Christian tradition states that his mother went to live on Mount Zion until her death, and this Church is dedicated to her sojourn here on Mount Zion.

Mount Zion

From the Tomb of the Virgin we took a cab to a restaurant within sight of Mount Zion. Afterwards we climbed Mount along a beautiful switchback path leading to the Old City walls and the path to the Zion Gate. There we ran into scores of students in yellow hats on a field trip to Mount Zion.

The city walls are very high and majestic along this section. Near the Zion Gate Max pointed out numerous bullet and mortar scars dating back to the 1947 war. I was also surprised to see numerous taxis and other vehicles successfully negotiating the hairpin turn inside the gate.

Tomb of the Virgin

Near the base of the Mount of Olives is the alleged tomb of the Virgin Mary. The tomb is located in a cave accessed by a long flight of stairs.

Garden of Gethsemane

On the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives is a remarkable little private grove of very ancient olive trees, which Max negotiated our entrance into. Here there is a plaque reading “Roma a Gervsalemme.” This little grove is within sight of both the Dome of the Rock and the Golden Gate. While we were there we watched as two gardeners dug around one of the olive trees.

Russian Church of St. Mary Magdalene

As you approach the bottom of the Kidron Valley you will see the stunning golden domes of the Russian Church of St. Mary Magdelene. Founded in the 1880’s by Tsar Alexander III, this church is set among many trees and is very peaceful. As we left the precinct of the Church we heard from many points the Muslim call to noon prayer.

Dominus Flevit Chapel

Tuesday Brooke had prepared us sandwiches for lunch, which we ate at the magnificent overlook at the Dominus Flevit Chapel. The chapel itself was sadly closed while a private service was being conducted, but the peerless view of the Old City across the Kidron Valley more than made up the loss. “Dominus Flevit” is Latin for “The Lord Wept, and this chapel stands where medieval pilgrims believed they had located a rock where Jesus sat as he wept over the fate of Jerusalem. There is also a fine young olive grove in the precinct of the Church, where I took this self portrait.