Dec 21, 2011 - Silver Lining

Archaelogical Sifting Project Some history behind our day: Building of the Temple Mount Chanukah celebrates victory of the Jewish community over the Greeks who tried to eradicate the Jewish concept of one god and the related rituals. The group leading the Jewish people to victory was lead by the Macabee family and the soldiers were known as Macabees. After the victory, the Macabee family turned into a line of kings, with declining wisdom over the generations. The last of the line was married to King Herod. He was the one who did all the...

Dec 21, 2011 - Masada & Dead Sea

Words we are learning to use with pleasure: Oy Vavoy (meaning: OMG) Bagala (meaning: its a mess) Avi and the six of us piled into our mini van and heading East to the Dead Sea and Masada. After a 90 minute drive we arrived at Masada. Took cable car up to the top. Wow, amazing to see the world from there. How they defended themselves with sophisticated walls and such. There was an elaborate city at the top. Next was our big Dead Sea experience. Well, it wasn't what we planned. We were told, in advance, the shore was rocky and salt was...

Dec 20, 2011 - Path of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Rebecca

Long day touring all around. Went to Hebron. Wow. Wild West. A lot of areas where hard core Arabs are right up against the Jewish lands. Saw Rachel's Tomb, Palace of David, Abraham. Went to the top of a mountain. Rode a camel, backed pita on a rock and had the best mint tea and turkish coffee. (Better to ride a camel in the mountains rather than a parking lot.) David got tefillin and roped into being religious with an Orothodox praying Jew. Car broken on some Area B highway. Happy we had a pistol aboard.

Dec 20, 2011 - Kevin and the Robot

An early car took Kevin to Caesarea for a full day at Mazor headquarters. This is the company that makes the robot he will be using in surgery. He got additional training, an exam, and a certificate for the wall. Today Mazor sent out this press release Here is the press release: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/20/idUS104905+20-Dec-2011+BW20111220 {I can't get it to show as a link; to view, highlight, copy, and paste into browser window. You could also try typing Kevin Lee MD Mazor into a search engine} A Day in Jerusalem Without...

Dec 20, 2011 - From Sfat to Jerusalem

Pictures dated 12/14. Cats not far from Egypt Cats are wild here. I guess we're not far from Egypt, from where they originated. There is a 3 year jail penalty for killing a cat. There are restaurants with outdoor dining everywhere. Garbage disposal here entails taking your garbage to a public dumpster. Some take shortcuts and fill the garbage cans on the street. Cats can make a mess of both and we've noted locals debating whether they should be encouraged or discouraged from loitering in public places. Brandel, mother of the family we had...

Dec 19, 2011 - Jerusalem's Highs and Lows

German Yellow Eggs and Dining Advice Before I get to today's look at Jerusalem - What about the eggs; why were the yolks of the eggs in Germany so bright? Did it mean they were really healthy?? Those yellow egg yolks needed the best of my investigative abilities. I found in Germany that when asking directions, many people gave me instructions with confidence – that did not take me where I wanted to go. I wanted to make sure I had the best chance of getting an answer that was both certain and correct about the eggs. I went to the store that...

Dec 18, 2011 - Sfat - and Star Mysteries

More about Sfat Sfat is the seat of Jewish Mysticism. After the second temple was destroyed, there was a group who believed that the heavenly presence moved from it's dwelling place deep within the temple, to the sky over Sfat. This sense led to much inspiration. (Other rabbis state that the presence is at the Western Wall. I see things differently which probably affects how I take things in, but this understanding helps to explain the power many people feel. My own sense, just for the record while the sages debate, is that the presence is...

Dec 18, 2011 - Berlin Wall

Today in Jerusalem did not provide lots of pictures. We went shopping for some things we've been looking for. Among a few other things, we wanted a Chanukah menorah from Israel that met a bunch of criteria, of course some of them conflicting between me and Lydia. Me: Small, not messy, made in Israel Lydia: Size doesn't matter, must use olive oil, must have protective glass case for outside use on this trip. The search provided a language immersion opportunity. We used almost no English and accomplished our mission. Or perhaps I should say,...

Dec 18, 2011 - Story for my mother

This entry talks a lot about synogogue music, and has unrelated pictures. There is also an old story from my family in here, with which the day resonated. Services at the Great Synogogue Saturday AM Lydia and I walked out to a synogogue recommended for tourists. It was not nearly as touristy as I expected, which was a pleasant surprise. The Great Synogogue is very different from so much of Jerusalem. We had come to expect grand things behind tiny doors. The synogogue is a grand facade with a small modest sanctuary inside. Lydia and I found...

Dec 18, 2011 - J'lem - Old City Day

Step One: Get some comfortable shoes on! Step Two: Well, the day began at Aroma Coffee for breakfast. Avi met us (all 6 of us) and then we walked up into the Old City. Avi explained how the two horses (for other faiths) were there and the olive tree was planted representing the Jews. Walked through Muslim Quarter, Jewish Quarter, toured temple that was destroyed and rebuild and destroyed. We were able to climb to the top and go to the basement and see the old stones. Saw how they discovered David's Palace (toured it too), Temple Mount, Old...

Dec 17, 2011 - How do you say Tourista in German?

I'm going to put in a few things about the Germany trip between reports from Jerusalem. The picture is going to be a favorite of Lydia's. Years ago she was at an event that had a camera that photoshopped you into this location. I think she had a purple scarf with her. Many people have seen that picture and thought we'd been to Jerusalem. She was happy to have a real picture. For a few minutes, back to Germany:How do you say tourista in German? Kaiser’s Revenge? Getting to the site was hard because internet access is not floating around...

Dec 17, 2011 - Sabbat-J'lem Free Day

Saturday. Good morning. House was quiet. Then we heard yelling, "Jonah bit me" and so the day has begun. Nothing is open in J'lem on Shabbat. We are drinking coffee and trying to figure out what to do with everything closed. Sunny bright blue sky day here. Leah and David slept late. Actually, David is still asleep. Leah will go for a run this morning. Maybe up the hills to the Old City. Took the group for lunch at The Colony. This is one of a couple of restaurants open on Shabbat. Ate. Walked all over. Tons of families out too. Took the...