A Jerusalem Birthday!

April 27th was my birthday and I was lucky enough to celebrate in Jerusalem this year! I gave some thought to what I wanted to do for my birthday this year, as I have no idea if I will have another "Jerusalem birthday" in the future or not. Although some of my initial hopes/plans did not end up working out, I still enjoyed the day immensely and wouldn't trade a thing!

I actually began doing my list of desired activities on Monday, the 26th. I have been wanting to go back to Masada ever since arriving in Israel in January, and I wanted to go before summer arrived with its baking temperatures. It was looking like I would be attempting this trip by myself, but a special couple I met the Friday before offered to go with me. It was their first time to Masada and my fourth. Ken and Judith were great company, and I enjoyed being able to explore the rest of Masada's plateau that we've never had time for in '04, '06, and '08. It was definitely a warm day and I am glad I went now!

That adventure began early Monday morning as we left Christ Church to catch the 8:15 bus from Jaffa Gate up to Jerusalem's Central Bus Station. It was a slow trip due to traffic, and we arrived at the station with barely ten minutes to stand in line, buy our tickets, make a quick stop, and then board the bus for a 1 hour/40 minute ride down to Masada. It was an uneventful ride, and I was so excited to have figured out the bus system thus far and actually be on my way!!

We arrived at Masada a little before 11am, watched a short video of its history, and then rode the cable car up to the top. From there, we spent 3 hours walking around the plateau (it measures about 1800 x 900 feet). We had brought some snacks for lunch and bought ice cream when we returned back down to the entrance center. Ken and Judith treated me to my ice cream! :-)

By the way, Masada has quite an intriguing history, check out wikipedia for an overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masada.

Masada is a plateau on the west side of the Dead Sea; these cliffs are about 1300 feet high.

One of the new things I got to see was this enormous water cistern, built during King Herod's reign. It is 64 steps below ground, and the steps are quite uneven and steep. Given my past history with stairs in Israel, I went down and up these steps extremely carefully! :-)
Can you believe how huge this cistern is? It doesn't rain often in this region, so Herod took advantage of what little rain does fall and built a complex water system. If this cistern were full and water was used judiciously, it would last quite a while!

Herod built a three-tiered palace on the northern end of Masada. The bottom two tiers are built on the side of the plateau and offer incredible views of the Dead Sea region. This is looking down from the top floor at the lower tiers.

The lowest tier of Herod's northern palace. I had not had opportunity my previous three visits to climb down here, so it was one of my priorities this time! This is looking back up at the top of the palace (the place where I took the previous picture). The columns and paint are original from Herod's time.
A look at the stairs I had to climb back up from the third tier of Herod's northern palace to the top of the Masada plateau. I definitely got my work out this day!
Looking east from Herod's northern palace . . .

After touring Masada and eating ice cream, Ken, Judith and I caught the 3:20pm bus back to Jerusalem. We got off at the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem's New City and I opted to walk back to Christ Church rather than wait for the bus to come and then make twenty dozen stops along the way. Ken and Judith took the bus back, and I think they did beat me back. It was about a 35 minute walk back for me, but it was quite pleasant as Jerusalem is higher in elevation than Masada and cooler. I got back to Christ Church about 6pm--just in time to clean up for dinner!

My traveling companions from Masada--Ken and Judith (from Australia!).

I started celebrating my birthday on Tuesday by sleeping in! The original plans for that morning fell through, but I happily substituted sleeping in for those. After a lazy morning, I had morning tea consisting of pita bread and a cup of hot chocolate made special for the day by Rafi. (silly computer turned this picture sideways; I can't get it back around, but Rafi made a flower on the top!)


For lunch, I walked to Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter to enjoy a falafel in their busy "Food Court."


Following lunch and a little bit of shopping, I decided to treat myself to ice cream on Ben Yehuda Street. This is in Jerusalem's New City; it's a good 15-20 minute walk, so I had to earn my cold treat. :-) There is a great ice cream shop that offers all kinds of flavors; I stuck to my favorites--a waffle cone with chocolate and cherry ice cream (two separate flavors, not mixed together!).



Following that sweet treat, I had one more treat planned for the day. I have walked past a flower shop many times since I got here 3 1/2 monts ago and often been tempted to buy some flowers. I have resisted temptation, thinking that would be my treat to myself on my birthday this year. Finally, the day had arrived! I got to pick what flowers I wanted; of course, I picked all purple and white. The bouquet is quite large and only cost me 50 shekels (about $13.50)! I think this bouquet is absolutely gorgeous and am enjoying it immensely!



I finished out my birthday by watching a movie with a friend. We stopped it in the middle to go have dinner and my sweet friends here had planned a little birthday surprise. Michelle had worked late to make a birthday cake! After dinner, they turned out the lights in the dining room while she brought out the cake (complete with candles), and everybody sang Happy Birthday. It was a chocolate chip cake with chocolate/cream cheese frosting--absolutely delicious! Michelle had even made up purple frosting with which to decorate it!


While we all enjoyed this fabulous cake, Michelle asked where I was on my birthday last year. As I stopped to think and remember, it was interesting to realize that one year ago, I had absolutely no idea I would be celebrating my 2010 birthday in Jerusalem. It just goes to show one never knows what a year will bring! In my case, this past year has brought some fabulous opportunities and I will never forget my Jerusalem birthday!

Thank you to all my friends who made my birthday so special!!!

April holidays and happenings

Three important holidays in the nation of Israel took place during April.

The first one began at sundown on Sunday, April 11th--Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) in Hebrew. Yom HaShoah was actually inaugurated in 1951 by then Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. The day of mourning officially begins with a state ceremony at the Warsaw Ghetto Plaza at Yad Vashem (Israel's Holocaust museum). During this ceremony, a national flag is lowered to half-mast, and flags throughout the country remained at half mast all day Monday. At 10:00am on Monday morning, air raid sirens sounded for two minutes. During these two minutes, everything and everyone in the country stopped to remember those who were killed in the Holocaust, as well as family members still affected today by those cruel and horrible events. This includes cars on the highways--basically, the entire country comes to a complete stop while the sirens wail.

At Christ Church, those who were able gathered in the dining room at 10 on Monday morning to light candles and observe the two minutes of silence. After that, Paul read from the book of Isaiah, the shema was sung, and prayers were said. The candles remained lit the rest of the day as a reminder.

The next Sunday evening (April 18th), Israel's Memorial Day began (Yom Hazikaron). This is also a solemn national holiday meant to remember soldiers killed in the line of duty as well as civilians killed by acts of terrorism. This year, the country remembered 22,684 soldiers and 2,431 civilian victims (according to wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Hazikaron). The day begins at sunset, and the first of two sirens sounds at 8:00pm for one minute. Cars, pedestrians, buses, etc all stop for this moment to mourn those who have lost their lives in Israel's struggle for freedom. The official ceremony to mark the beginning of this day takes place at the Western Wall, and flags are again lowered to half mast.

The sirens sound again at 11:00am the next morning. They wail for two minutes and mark the beginning of official memorial ceremonies as well as private gatherings held simultaneously at all the cemeteries where fallen soldiers are buried. The day officially ends sometime between 7-8pm, in an official Israel Memorial Day service on Mount Herzl, after which the flag is returned to full staff.

Interestingly, as Israel's Memorial Day comes to a close, Independence Day begins (Yom Ha'atzmaut). Marking these two days back to back is intentional, as it is a reminder of the price that has been/is being paid for independence, but it also is a reminder that these deaths are not in vain--they secure the independence of the nation of Israel. Connecting these two holidays makes them more powerful and meaningful in my opinion. It would be like celebrating Memorial Day the day before July 4th in America.

Here in Israel, the change in mood at sundown Monday evening was tangible--from mourning to celebration. The ceremony on Mount Herzl that closes Memorial Day also serves to begin Independence Day. Twelve torches are lit, symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel.

I had this Monday off and had walked up to Ben Yehuda street that afternoon, mostly just for exercise and fresh air. That evening, a group of volunteers from Christ Church walked back up to Ben Yehuda Street, and the atmosphere was completely different. Ben Yehuda (and the surrounding area) are considered the symbolic center of Jerusalem (which in turn is considered to be the center of Israel), and it is the place to be to celebrate Israel's independence. Police barricades stood at every entrance to the mall, and street vendors had tables set up on every corner (and in between!). They hawked plastic hammers, all kinds of light-up trinkets, and more. Our group walked up and down this area of celebration before sitting down for ice cream.

I didn't stay real late as I had breakfast shift the next morning, but it was a great opportunity to experience local culture and celebrate Israeli holidays. Later that evening, fireworks were set off, much like America's July 4th celebrations. I didn't see them as I was in bed :-), but I did hear them!

In fact, the next night as Israel's Independence Day came to a close, fireworks were once again set off. I didn't see these either, but they produced an unexpected and scary result. A firework apparently landed on a building not half a mile from the Christ Church compound and set it on fire!

It has been claimed that the Petra Hostel is the oldest continually-operating hotel in Jerusalem. It has hosted such guests as Mark Twain and Theodore Roosevelt. The hostel itself was built in the 1800s by the Russian Orthodox Church and is between Jaffa Gate and the entrance to the shuk.

Anyway, the small building on the roof of the hostel became inflamed after its encounter with a firework. A lecture was going on in the Heritage Center at Christ Church, but some of us volunteers heard the news while other guests were perusing the museum's exhibits. We hurried out to the street and it was quite a sight! People filled the street looking up at the burning building, a fire truck or two were parked on the street below, and firemen were standing on the roof right beside this building spraying water on the flames. As far as I could tell, they were not wearing the traditional gear US firefighters would have been wearing, especially since they were standing right next to the burning building many stories above the street.

I watched the flames for a half-hour or so. As they began to die down, I returned to the lecture inside. I peeked back out at the Petra later that night to find the fire completely out. It is definitely one of the advantages to these buildings constructed of stone--the fire did not burn down through other levels, and floors did not collapse. But, it was something to see!

One observation and one thought . . . If that firework had fallen a half-mile further south, it would have been Christ Church! Secondly, I know many of my friends back home are concerned about the safety of Jerusalem . . . Although I have heard of various incidents and clashes in/around Jerusalem since my arrival in January, this is the first real "excitement" I've encountered. Imagine--a fire from fireworks. :-)

On a more somber note, one of the volunteers here knows the person who had been living in the building that caught on fire. She had just spent the whole day with her (and others from a nearby organization) that day.

Here are some pictures of the Petra Hostel fire . . .




The view in the daylight the next morning . . .


On a more upbeat note, on Saturday April 24th, I attended a Messianic concert in Jerusalem's New City. I really wrestled with whether to go or not for many reasons, but I was strongly advised by two friends at lunch that day to go, so I took their advice. I was so glad I did! The music was beautiful, the company great, and it was such a fun evening out. Thank you Beno and John for pushing me to go!!!

The music was mostly performed by Paul Wilbur and Joel Chernoff . . .


One last item of notice . . . my second Israeli haircut took place the Thursday before my birthday. :-) Deanna does such a lovely job!

Andreas (the first) also got a haircut that afternoon . . .

Holy Week Part Two

Well, so much for writing "Holy Week Part 2" soon . . . The past couple weeks have been fairly busy and attention-consuming, plus I've had some internet issues. So, here is the second part of my Holy Week story . . . just later than I expected.

Good Friday
I actually had Good Friday off, so I began the day by sleeping in a little. The service at Christ Church began at 1:00pm, and it was sober and reflective. Scripture readings included Isaiah 52-53, Psalm 22, and John 18-19. Songs included O Sacred Head Now Wounded, How Deep the Father's Love for Us, Once Again, and a beautiful Hebrew song--Seh Ha Elohim. Like many traditional Good Friday services, we were requested to leave in quiet.

After the service, I was torn between how I felt I should spend Good Friday and how I wanted to spend Good Friday. I opted for the latter. Who knows if I will be here next year to experience Good Friday in Jerusalem? I would like to be here again, but I thought I better take advantage of this year when I am here already.

It was important to me to be at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher at 3:00 that afternoon. The Old City was a zoo with all the pilgrims here for Holy Week, and it took a lot of patience and time to work my way down the streets to the courtyard of the church. The courtyard was packed!!! On a normal day, there are hundreds of people working their way through the church, but this afternoon, it was wall to wall people with barely any room to move. Definitely something worth seeing, but the mass of humanity was almost unbelievable!

Crowds of people inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. There was a huge line waiting to go up the stairs to the Greek Orthodox chapel of Calvary . . .


I worked my way inside the doors and found a quiet corner to stand and consider things. The atmosphere in the building was anything but quiet and contemplative. People were everywhere, and priests were everywhere attempting some crowd control. A ladder was set up for people to take pictures. At one point, one man began shouting and trying to clear a path. A group of 20 or so Greek Orthodox (I think) VIPs came through. It is one thing to hear about the crowds that come to Jerusalem to celebrate Holy Week; quite another to experience it. I am grateful for the experience, and despite the crowds and chaos, I was able to spend some quality time in thought and prayer.

While I was out fighting crowds on the streets of Jerusalem, I decided I might as well go to the Western Wall. The Jewish holiday of Passover lasts a week, so Jerusalem was also the center of a large gathering of Jews. The Western Wall plaza was also packed. Jerusalem was a busy and bustling city that week!

Looking down on the Western Wall plaza; Friday, April 2, 2010

The commercial side of things--this was a shop in the Christian Quarter, outside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher that was selling crowns of thorns.


Saturday
I don't know about your experiences, but in my past, the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter is generally a quiet, around-the-house type of day. Not so in Jerusalem. This Saturday is "Holy Fire Day." I knew nothing about this until coming here, but I learned in a hurry!

I was on the breakfast shift that morning, and we quickly learned that local authorities had virtually shut down Jerusalem's Old City. Our cook barely got in Jaffa Gate, and the couple who manage the Guest House spent over an hour going from gate to gate before they were finally able to talk their way in. Virtually nobody was allowed into the city that morning. The contrast from the busy streets the day before was huge--it was almost silent. Upon venturing out of the Christ Church complex, we found police at the end of our street not letting anybody down, and there were police barriers at the entrance to David Street (the main street in from Jaffa Gate, full of shops). The shops were open and the shopkeepers in the doorways, but there was no customers.

Come to find out, the city was shut down in hopes of preventing any trouble at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is the day of the ritual Holy Fire. Wikipedia has a good summary on exactly what this is; check it out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Fire. If you can believe it, this ceremony has been going on for at least 900 years!! There were crowds of people outside Jaffa Gate hoping to get in, but no luck. The streets remained locked down all morning and half of the afternoon. It was an extremely quiet day at the Guest House as there was no pedestrian traffic in the city.

Looking down from my bedroom window at the empty Old City streets on Saturday morning. You can also see some of the police who were helping keep the roads closed.
Police barricades at the entrance to one of the main shuks (markets) in Jerusalem.

Crowds of people outside Jaffa Gate. I was so glad I live inside the Old City as there was no way I would have gotten in this day.

Around 2:00pm, the bells of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher began pealing joyfully, signaling the Holy Fire had appeared and was being spread. An hour or so later, numerous parades from the church traveled through the streets. Candles lit from the initial flame were brought through the streets and people stood along the sides with candles of their own to receive the flame. After this, the city was opened back up and the streets quickly filled up. Thankfully, the day proceeded without any major squabble (apparently, a big fuss broke out in the Holy Sepulcher church itself two years ago!).

That night, I attended an Easter Vigil service at Christ Church. I had never been to something like this before, and found it interesting and meaningful. In church tradition, Christ rose from the dead Saturday night; therefore, it is traditional to hold a special service Saturday night anticipating His resurrection. Like earlier services this week, this service was marked by song and Scripture readings. The highlights of the service were Communion and a renewal of baptism vows. I thought that was really a special--baptism is a one-time thing, but it was meaningful to remember why we do it and reaffirm that decision.

Resurrection Sunday
I had asked for Easter Sunday off so I could take advantage of being in Jerusalem for this special day! Despite it being a day off, I began the day earlier than usual. Christ Church had a sunrise service at 6, and I really wanted to be there. This service was a joint effort between the English and Hebrew congregations that gather at Christ Church. It was smaller than I expected it to be, yet so memorable and special. Songs were sung in both Hebrew and English. Easter is the only time I would even consider going to church while it is still dark outside :-), but there is something so special in walking into church while it is still dark and seeing the windows get lighter and lighter as the sun rises. Although it might have been nice to sleep in a little, there was no way I was going to miss this special service! I consider myself so blessed to be able to attend a sunrise service here in Jerusalem on Resurrection Sunday!

The sunrise service concluded around 7:30am, and the normal morning service was not until 9:30am. After a lovely breakfast, I opted to go for a walk and enjoy Easter morning. I walked out of Jerusalem's Old City and into the neighboring community of Yemin Moshe. The best view of Jerusalem (in my opinion) is from the Mount of Olives, but that was not a possibility for me by myself. Yemin Moshe also offers a good view of the Old City; it was my second option and the one that I could actually do. After 15 minutes' walk, I found an overlook to stop and absorb the beauty and peacefulness of the morning.

I then attended the 9:30 service, ate lunch, and took a nap in the afternoon before Bible study that night. It was then an early to bed night as I was back on breakfast shift the next day!


Sights from my walk through Yemin Moshe Easter morning. It was absolutely beautiful, and I hope these pictures convey a sense of the quiet and peacefulness of the morning.




Looking at Jerusalem from the west on Easter morning. I would have preferred the more panoramic view from the Mount of Olives, but this was better than nothing. And, it was breathtaking to see the Old City in the light of the rising sun. I had brought my sansa along with me, and listened to the song "Was it a Morning Like This?" while taking in this view of the Old City.


So, now you have the complete story of my experience of Holy Week here in Jerusalem. I truly consider myself blessed to have this opportunity!

Holy Week Part 1

Passover--March 29, 2010

This past week in Jerusalem has been quite the week. The Jewish holiday of Passover (or Pesach) began at sundown last Monday, and both the Greek Orthodox Easter and Western Protestant Catholic Easter were this past Sunday, April 4th. (These are usually two different Sundays as the western Church follows the Gregorian calendar, and the Eastern Orthodox Church follows the Julian calendar. It's an interesting topic--if you'd like to read more, try http://www.factmonster.com/spot/easter1.html) I was so excited to be here in Jerusalem during this holiday season, and it was even more special to be here this year as it is not often all three holidays fall so close together! It is a unique time to be in Jerusalem, and I hope I can share some of my experiences and the city's atmosphere with you.

The Jewish feast of Pesach began at sunset last Monday; to be specific, at 6:33pm here in Jerusalem. But, none of us volunteers were in Jerusalem--we had a volunteers' day out!! Everyone pitched in that morning to get some cleaning done, breakfast cleaned up, lunch made, and dinner packed. By 1pm, we were on a bus headed out of Jerusalem, down to the Dead Sea.

It was a beautiful day--blue skies and bright sun. It was slightly cool in Jerusalem that morning with a breeze, but quite warm down at the Dead Sea. We set up camp at the Ein Gedi beach and everyone scattered to relax and enjoy the afternoon. Some got into the salty waters of the Dead Sea, quite a few kicked a soccer ball around or threw a frisbee, others of us just sat in the shade and read books. It was such an enjoyable and relaxing afternoon. I read some of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. :-)

As the sun began to set, we gathered around the "dinner table"--plates, cups, forks, and food laid out on picnic blankets on the ground. There were close to 30 of us, and we began by reading the story of the exodus from Egypt in Exodus 12. This story came alive as we read it in the dusk out in the desert. I have never experienced a Seder meal as meaningful as this one! There are simply not words to describe it. We did not do the full Passover Haggadah, but it was still a special meal and time in fellowship with each other.

It was close to two hours from the time we sat down for dinner until we had completely finished. And by this time, the sun had completely set. However, Passover always falls on a night with a full moon, so it was not pitch dark. We had lit candles at the "table" according to tradition, but the constant breeze would not let them remain lit. After dinner, we sang some Hebrew songs, and then everybody lapsed into their own activities.

The bus was not going to return for us until 12:30am (!), so we had lots of time. I ended up sitting with a small group of friends, and we joined in an impromptu praise session. Beno is 15 and quite skilled on the guitar; he can play numerous songs by memory. We sang song after song, praise songs and hymns. It was a beautiful time of praise and worship, and a couple others were adding in harmony. This was probably the highlight of my evening. It was the perfect end to a perfect afternoon/evening!!

The bus came late to take us back to Jerusalem, and we got back to Christ Church around 2am. I didn't waste any time climbing into bed knowing I was on the breakfast shift the next morning, and the alarm would be going off at 5:30!! It as a short night, but I was able to get through my shift the next day better than I expected. :-) I did go to bed around 4 Tuesday afternoon, got up to eat "dinner" (cereal and a banana) at 9, and then went back to bed for the rest of the night. But, the short night and lack of sleep were a very small price to pay for such a special celebration.


The Ein Gedi beach where we spent our afternoon and evening (March 29th). This is looking east toward Jordan, and the waters of the Dead Sea are deceptively inviting.

Later in the afternoon, the haze cleared off a bit, and it was easy to see the Jordan shoreline. Aren't the colors beautiful? It was a lovely afternoon.


Looking down at our "camping" area . . . Four of our company did spend the night here and returned to Jerusalem the next morning, but for the most part, this served simply as our home base. Some used the tents to change in, the umbrellas provided us shade during the afternoon, and we spread out our dinner here.

This is definitely desert terrain . . . the hills are so large and awesome.

Looking west into the desert (and in the direction of Jerusalem) as the sun set . . . it was beautiful!!






While the sun was sinking in the west, a full moon was rising in the east. It was breathtakingly beautiful.




This picture doesn't really do justice to how this looked in real life. The moon reflected off the waters of the Dead Sea, and stars were beginning to shine. We were singing praise song after praise song in amazing harmony under the light of this full moon . . .


Maundy Thursday--April 1, 2010
The next "big event" of the week was Thursday--Maundy Thursday. This is the day churches remember Jesus' Last Supper, his betrayal, and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. I worked the breakfast shift Thursday morning, so I was free to attend service that evening. It has been quite a few years since the last time I attended a liturgical Maundy Thursday service, and the opportunity to do so this year caused me to realize how much I've missed it.

The service includes a time of Communion, of course. In many ways, the service here could be duplicated anywhere else, but what came after the formal service is unique to Jerusalem alone. We all gathered in the church's courtyard and then proceeded to walk out the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, down into/across the Kidron Valley, and up the Mount of Olives to Gethsemane. I had seen on the schedule this walk was planned, and there was no way I was going to miss it!! Nowhere else in the world can a person follow in Jesus' footsteps like they can in Jerusalem. It was a quieter, meditational walk as we remembered Jesus Himself taking this walk, knowing what was coming.

It was an interesting combination of remembering His walk from 2,000 years ago and yet still absorbing the atmosphere of Jerusalem on Maundy Thursday evening, 2010. It was pretty noisy and chaotic. There were police everywhere, cars everywhere, buses lined up on the roads, and crowds of people everywhere. At first, I was wishing it was quieter and more similar to what Jesus and His disciples would have experienced. But then I realized this probably was not so different from their evening. It was Passover, and Jerusalem would have been filled and overflowing with Pilgrims. Mass gatherings like this would have made the Romans quite nervous, so their guards would have been out in force. It would have been loud and busy. And on top of that, the disciples were arguing along the way about who was the greatest. So, our experience was actually quite authentic.

It took close to an hour to arrive at Gethsemane, and then we gathered to hear the story of Jesus praying and being betrayed in the garden. After that, we were allowed to spend as much (or as little) time as we wanted in personal thought and prayer. It was another unforgettable evening.

I walked back with three men from the church, as it was late and dark and maybe not the safest to be walking by myself. We walked back through the Old City, on part of the Via Dolorosa. What an experience. It was everything I could have hoped for and more.

We walked to the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene. The traditional site of Gethsemane is a little lower on the Mount of Olives. It was crazily busy, and up here we had a little more quiet and opportunity to ponder the events we were commemorating.
Gathering together as a group to hear the gospel account of Jesus in Gethsemane and some thoughts on what it means to follow Him and carry our cross . . .
Maybe not the best picture technically, but it comes close to capturing the atmosphere in the semi-darkness under the olive trees . . .

A little closer look at the olive trees . . .

Looking back across the Kidron Valley at Jerusalem (the Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock are easily visible) from the Mount of Olives . . . It was quite easy to imagine and picture the events of this night 2000 years ago . . .


Another look back at Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives--this is slightly to the right of the above picture (looking more northwest than straight west) . . .

This is plenty for now . . . I will add more later about more of my experiences in Jerusalem during Holy Week--check back soon!