Sabbath Walk

June 15, 2013 Saturday

Warning:  We walked FAR MORE than would be considered an acceptable distance under orthodox rules.  Our first destination was the BYU Jerusalem Center.

The campus of the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies holds church services on Saturday mornings.  Pete and I had determined that we'd attend Sabbath services every weekend we are in Jerusalem.  (It is possible that we will be away with our group one weekend.)  Services start at 10 a.m. and last the usual 3 hours.

Students and most faculty live in the gated compound.  There are about 80 college students each semester, plus the faculty, plus church members who live or work in and around Jerusalem, plus the occasional tourists.  It's a strenuous (to me) hike from the hotel, across the valley, and back up to Mount Scopus.  After a few wrong turns and some backtracking, we arrived with time to spare.

The grounds are beautiful, and we'll take photos next week.  For now, here's a series of views from the campus, moving from south to north.  If I knew how to do it, these photos could be stitched together for a panorama view.

The Old City walls are easily visible.  The golden Dome of the Rock mosque dominates the scene.

The BYU Center is known for its free concerts, beautiful grounds, and learning resources.  The Jerusalem Municipal Information page provides this description of the Center.

We really enjoyed our time at the BYU Center.  The main worship service was held in the spectacular auditorium with its fabulous view of the city.  The choir sang a beautiful song about Gethsemane -- I need to find out exactly what it was and see if our little Anoka Ward choir could handle it.  In fact, all of the music was incredible -- the choir, the congregational singing, the organ, the Relief Society (women's group) singing....  Heartfelt singing adds so much to a worship service.  Wish I could bring some of this enthusiasm home to Anoka!

In LDS (Mormon) congregations, there is no professional clergy.  So the local leaders here in Jerusalem are men and women who have full-time jobs outside of church.  Some, but not all, are BYU faculty.  There were four speakers for the main worship hour:  a teenage girl and her parents who were moving back to the states, and a regional church leader who is also CEO of Tower Semiconductor here in Israel.  The father of family that was moving is in the Foreign Service, and had just completed three years in the Middle East.  They also have four younger boys, and it sounds like they endured some tough family separations.  Their next post is Mauritania, after a French language cram course in Washington.  We had a conversation with the CEO, who told us about an internship program he runs for Palestinian youth who have been prevented from studying math and engineering.  I looked up his company and found this page about the community work they do:  http://www.towerjazz.com/community.html .  I think efforts like these can go a long way to mend fences, build goodwill, and work towards peace.

After church was over, we joined another LDS visitor on a hike down Mount Scopus and up the Mount of Olives.  The Kidron Valley separates the Mount of Olives from the Old City.  Part of the valley is also known as the Valley of Jehoshaphat or the Valley of Judgment.  (Jehoshaphat means "Yahweh judges.")  This is the valley, referred to in the 3rd chapter of Joel, where many believe the dead will be resurrected on the day of judgment.  Therefore, the valley sides are densely covered with Jewish, Christian, and Moslem cemeteries.  The Temple Mount is visible in the background in these views from the Mount of Olives.

Doesn't this photo scream "TOURIST!"??  And don't you love my billowing skirt?  (It was very windy.)

  

Close-up of some Jewish graves:

An observation point memorializes a slain Israeli leader.

The path down the Mount of Olives took through the same Jewish cemetery we saw from above.

Woman with cane survives steep path:

On our way down, we passed Dominus Flevit, the place (according to tradition) where Jesus wept over Jerusalem as recorded in Luke 19:37-42.  We needed to get back to the hotel for our dig team meeting, so only stepped inside to look around.

The Necropole, or necropolis, is a burial site for important people.  It's inside the Dominus Flevit.  We heard somebody else's tour guide state that there were tombs of early Christians in the Necropole.  We could see at least one ossuary behind the fence.  We hadn't known of Christian burials at this site, so we are curious.  We did not go inside.

This sign near the lower end of the Jewish cemetery directs Cohanim, or Jewish priests.  They are not permitted to have contact with dead bodies. We've seen a few of these signs elsewhere.

At the foot of the Mount of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane.  These olive trees are ancient, but I doubt that the paved paths were around 2000 years ago!  Admission to this site is free, but we were accosted at the gate by Palestinian youths trying to shake us down anyway.  

A basilica was constructed here in the fourth century AD, but it was destroyed by the 747 AD earthquake.  The present basilica is known as "The Basilica of the Agony" or "The Church of All Nations" and it commemorates the rock on which Jesus was believed to have prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.  The sign tells more about the history of the structure.

The priest was speaking Italian.

There are twelve of these mini-domes or arches depicting the heavens.  Each represents a different nation.  This one is Germany.

Exterior view, disrupted by modern power lines.

Looking west to the city from the church steps:

Nearby is Eastern Orthodox traditional site for the Tomb of the Virgin Mary.  We went down the stairs (populated by a few beggars and venders) and went inside and deep underground.  There were signs directing us to "The Grotto" but we didn't go there.  I don't know if the Grotto refers to a part of this tomb or to another site, such as a grotto in Gethsemane.

Close-up of an arch.  I think the writing is Armenian.  The top word is "Gethsemane."

Now we have crossed the valley and are back in the present day.  Here's a memorial to all the paratroopers who have died in Israel's recent wars.  It's very striking.  It looks like a bird and seems to be made to look like a burned or torn parachute.

This is the back of the Rockefeller Museum.  We hope to visit this place soon.  It's on our way to Mount Scopus.

"Just Married".  This was a couple of blocks from the hotel.  We didn't see the celebrators.

We made it back for the Dig Team meeting!  Here's most of the group -- about 40 people, including three professors and 22 students, but just one person with an MCL tear.