September 23, 2022

We met with Pres. Belknap of the Jerusalem District and he called Jim to be the District Membership Clerk.  Jim was very pleased with this (he told him he likes doing membership work).  President Belknap said it was inspiration.  Win-win! President Belknap stayed on for a Devotional in the Forum to discuss the BYU Jerusalem Center's non-proselytizing policies with all of the students. By agreement with the government, we do not proselytize in Israel. It is not illegal to proselytize in Israel, but for a variety of reasons our Church has committed not to proselytize.

This week, we had our biggest group yet at Sabbath with about 380 in attendance. The Center's population is about 125 so all the other attendees were visitors! Jim played big for the hymns.  "Rejoice, the Lord is King!"  It was a thrill to hear full-voiced singing in the Auditorium.

Carillon concerts continue with students and other guests joining in the fun. It is always a happy place to be. Most people have no idea how a carillon works. The view is wonderful from the top of the YMCA tower.

We took a side trip to Mt. Zion on the way home.  We parked up by Dormition Abbey and went to visit the Tomb of King David. It was smaller than we expected, but interesting—people reciting psalms at the tomb. We wandered around Mt. Zion a bit, went into the Last Supper Room, bought a toasted pecan and sesame treat, stumbled onto the original Holocaust Museum and Memorial (founded in 1949) and a Yeshiva, and even a dovecote with lots of doves cooing!  Always surprises. 

Room of the Last Supper

Vendor selling treats

Holocaust Memorial

There was another excellent concert Sunday evening, a piano concert by two young Arabic pianists from Jerusalem.  They played really hard stuff.  Their Russian teacher Emma Spitkowsky was there, very demanding of them. We enjoy having the students help with ushering at the concerts. With new ticket-scanning "guns," the students had fun with a few James Bond poses!

We watched the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey.  So regal and colorful and tastefully done.  Wonderful hymns and choir singing, of course.  What an end to an era! 

Following the funeral, we and the Barkers drove over to Mamilla where we parked, and explored the north side of the Ramparts Walk (outer walls of the Old City)--from Jaffa Gate all the way around to Lions Gate.  Wonderful, different views of the inside and outside of the Old City.  Think of the people who have walked on these walls since the 1500’s….   We were blessed with some clouds in the sky and a consistent cooling breeze! Made Deanne very happy. We walked up the Via Dolorosa to Jaffa Gate and back to the car.  We picked up rotisserie chickens at our “Chicken Lickin’” place in Wadi al Joz and had a feast at our apartment with Barkers.

Chicken' Lickin'

The next day, we and the Barkers did the south end of the Ramparts Walk. (The ticket was good for two days!) We started at the Tower of David, past Zion Gate and the Jewish Quarter, and ending near Dung Gate.  Wonderful views and so many historic sites.  

 

Fig tree surviving through the Jerusalem limestone!

King David Hotel in the background

 

Dormition Abbey

Walking past Zion's Gate toward Dung Gate

We got gelato at our favorite ice cream place by Hurva Synagogue, then wandered through the Cardo and back to Jaffa Gate.  We especially enjoyed our stop at Omar’s store, a place we had never been in before.  So colorful! 

                        

Passed beautiful life-size mosaics in the Cardo. Many little shops today look just like this with their spices in pyramid shape. Also, women still sit by the side of the road and sell their produce. 

While the men stayed at the Center for tours, the women went off to Mamilla Mall for a morning of looking and shopping. We ended up in a little pizza restaurant right inside Jaffa Gate. It was delicious and fresh from the oven.

After lunch, we strolled up the alley and found SANTA. He opens up his home every December. He is lovingly referred to as the Ho-Ho-Holy Land Jerusalem Santa. He was greeting all passersby from his balcony.

We never know exactly who our tour groups at the Center will be, but they are always great to visit with.  Early in the week there was a  group of 4 fun Israelis.  Jim asked what brought them to the Center, and one guy said, “We know Mormons like Jews!” We actually like everyone equally well. They were very enthusiastic about the organ. In the afternoon there was a lively group of people from Qualcomm—4 Israelis, a lady lawyer from La Jolla, California, and a lady from London.  The next day, a group of six Brazilians from São Paulo arrived—quite by accident.  They were looking for a place on the Mount of Olives where they could get a good view and stopped at our guard station in front to ask if anyone knew where they could go.  The guard invited them in for the tour, of course!  When they said they were from Brazil and didn’t really speak English, Jim took off in Portuguese, and they had a ball together!  Jim always tries to tailor his “recital” for the visitors, so he played the Brazilian national anthem and “The Girl from Ipanema,” which he could play by ear.  They loved that!  Next, there was a group of about 20 men from the Israeli Ministry of Defense.  Very buff, very interested in everything, especially the organ.  (Men generally are full of questions about how the organ works and want to know all the mechanical details.)  Jim improvised a pedal solo on “Nava Hagila” for them.  Our last group of the week were some Latter-day Saints from the USA, surprisingly the first Christian group since we’ve opened for tours.  Jim played a number of hymns by request, but “The Holy City” left them literally in tears—looking out over the Old City as the sun began to set.  Six groups of tourists came on Friday.  Several LDS folks; a group of 20 Russian-speaking Israelis from northern Israel. Christian Devey, one of our students who was a missionary in Ukraine, come out to speak to them. This place is magical.

Our most memorable event this week, however, was a devotional in the Forum with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and his wife Pat and Elder Matt Holland and his wife Paige.  They had been in the Center all week while the students were on a field trip in Jordan. Elder Holland was here on official business for the BYU Jerusalem Center. The students didn't learn of their presence here until their bus ride home from Jordan. Needless to say, they were quite excited. They quickly showered up, put on Sabbath best, and were seated in the forum in about 30 minutes after their arrival back to the Center.  Jim and I did the music: “Redeemer of Israel,” at Elder Holland’s request; then “There is a Green Hill Close at Hand” (the way we sing it here).  Both Elders Holland then gave masterful and inspiring addresses, fielded a few questions, and left us all in silence and awe. 

Fun street art

Family update:

Jameson has been in England and France this week with 18 ROTC cadets from BYU visiting WWII sites across both countries. He ended up in London on September 19th, the day of the Queen's funeral, and was able to see some of the procession. Of course, there was time for fun touring and eating great food. 

               

                               Notre Dame Cathedral

Omaha Beach, Normandy

Nicholas is enjoying his internship in Washington, DC. He attended a senate hearing for Senator Romney. I asked what he would do there. "Take notes." He also has started another internship as a China research assistant with the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research. He has submitted all his applications for law school, for a fall 2023 start. It is a rolling admission, so now we wait and see!