More YMCA carillon time. These students hired a van to come over from the Center which is generally a 50-minute walk in the hot sun. This was the first group to arrive happy, cool, and not exhausted! After the bells, they sang in the little chapel at the basement of the YMCA.

Bernd Lorenzen arrived from Denmark to work on the Marcussen organ.  It is five years since the organ has been tuned and worked on (but had survived remarkably well, which speaks to the quality of the instrument).  There were a few other minor repairs and even some upgrades.  Jim enjoyed being “back in the saddle,” working on the organ alongside an expert technician like Bernd.

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We took the tour of the Tower of David, also known as the Citadel.  Fantastic archaeological site right by the Jaffa Gate; 3000 years of history, and views from every side of the walls.

Green glass grass sculptures (the upper green area)

Walked by “Santa’s” house—Santa Issa of the Ho-Ho-Holy Land.  So fun. Deanne stayed in the Old City to look around. By herself! She visited all of her new "friends" (the shopkeepers).

Another day we and the Barkers went into the Old City again to find the “Little Western Wall” in the Muslim Quarter. Not easy to find, winding through labyrinthine passageways.  Going back in time!  

Then to main area of the Western Wall; saw Robinson’s Arch again; then to Hurva Square in the heart of the Jewish Quarter, but everything was shut down--even our go-to gelato shop!

 

Robinson's Arch

Back through Christian Quarter; got a falafel at the Y in the roads. It is such a colorful corner for people-watching!  The Orthodox Jews were purchasing the branches they use in celebration of Sukkot.

Students picked hundreds of pounds of olives from the Center's olive trees, and that was fun. They will be pressing the olives next week to make their own olive oil.

Patty and Paul Barker

 

Bethany Israelsen and Sarah Hansen

 

The actual press to be used next week

 

Andrew Chandler

We had a Sukkot Cultural night forum led by Eric Huntsman. This is the last of the high holy days in Jerusalem (for now!). As you go through  Jerusalem, you will see these sukkahs (or booths) that the Jewish people build on their apartment decks, their gardens, the streets, etc.  These booths commemorate the temporary shelters the Israelites lived in while they wandered in the desert for 40 years.  Some observant Jews even eat and live in their booths for a week.

Deanne went with the students on their City of David tour, which included Absalom's Tomb, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, and Pool of Siloam. In Hezekiah's Tunnel, you walk in knee-high spring water. On a hot day, it is so refreshing!

 

Students at the Pool of Siloam

Jim took Bernd over to the Lutheran Church of the Ascension to play their wonderful 1910 German romantic Sauer organ.  It was fun to watch how a professional tuner approaches the organ, listening to each stop and register in a very different way than Jim does.

The students put on the Arab Culture night. It included a sheik reciting the Call to Prayer, a wonderful Arab dinner, and Arab dancing. All just fascinating! Students were encouraged to dress for the occasion which they gladly did.

Some of this week's tour guests:

7 Israelis originally from Stuttgart. They enjoyed having part of their tour in German, thanks to Jim.  

A very nice young Israeli couple originally from Russia. Sorry, didn't give any of the tour in Russian.  Actually their English was excellent.  She had all sorts of piercings and tattoos, including a tattoo of the skyline of the Old City of Jerusalem! 

You can see the Chord Bridge, YMCA Tower, Montefiore Windmill, and Dome of the Rock.

Catherine Holding’s parents (she was a former Stanford YSA member) from Salt Lake, with their son, his wife, and her parents (the Hannas) from Newport Beach. Think of all of those connections!

The Weseman family, friends of our District President Jason Belknap. Their son William is leaving soon on his mission to Berlin, Persian-speaking.

The Templeman/O'Neills, came for a tour. They are from Phoenix and had worked at BYU Hawaii and knew John Tanner. Then an hour later, the McMurrays from Abingdon, Virginia, showed up.  His father was a neighbor and home teachee of John Tanner!  Stuff like this happens every day, it seems! 

And the beauty of a fall sunset.