The Temple Mount

I went to J-town the other day with our friends, the Risseeuws. I played tour-guide, as usual.
We went up to the Al-Aqusa Mosque & Dome of the Rock, which sit on the Temple mount today.
Here is the view from the Mt of Olives (looking East to West):


Short history lesson: this is an important site for lots of people. Religious people, to be precise.
For Jews, this is the sight where Abraham brought Isaac to sacrifice him (Genesis 22), as well as where David & his son Solomon built the first temple, and where the second temple was situated until it's destruction. A small number of very devout Jews still want to build a third temple on the same spot, but it has been occupied by this beautiful golden dome since the 700s.

For Muslims, the Al Aqsa Mosque is where the Abraham almost sacrificed Ishmael, where the Angel Gabriel took the Prophet Mohammad on his Night Vision (Quran, Sura 17), as well as where the Mamluks built their 3rd holiest shrine: the Dome of the Rock, which is where the Prophet supposedly ascended into heaven. Below is Al Aqsa:

             

For Christians, the temple mount has much of the same significance as it does for the Jews, but it is also where Jesus once preached, and where he overturned tables of the moneychangers (Mark 11:15-18). He predicted it's destruction (Matthew 24:1-3), which occurred in the 70AD by the Romans.

Today, this is probably the most contentious piece of real estate in the world. The reason is simple--it is sacred to so many different people, and everyone wants to claim it as theirs. For example, when the Israelis captured Jerusalem in the 6-Day War of 1967, they took the Temple Mount from Jordanian control. They raised the Israeli flag there, but after 2 only hours the Israeli commander ordered it to be taken down, as he did not want to start WW-III. Ariel Sharon's controversial visit to the Mount in late September '00 is thought by many to have started the Second Palestinian Intifada (although this is debatable). 

Prayer at the Western Wall, the only portion of the temple mount where Jews freely worship.

Non-Muslims can only enter the temple mount during specific times of the day. My friends & I waited in line with 2 American groups, one of which were told not to bring any Bibles with them (not even in bags). Jews are not allowed to do any kind of praying at the sight, as this may be seen as an instigation.



The wooden ramp up to the Temple mount

On the way up the ramp, I saw lots of riot-police gear laying around. I hoped that it wouldn't be needed any time soon. Upon entering, we were met by two Arab men who looked us over and judged the appropriateness of our clothing. Phil and I were wearing shorts, which we had worn pulled-down-gangsta-rap-style to cover our knees. Apparently, this was not modest enough, so we were told we had to have an additional shawl (20 shekles/ 5$) in order to enter. So we bought them. I'm pretty sure this was a scam since there were plenty of other people walking around in shorts. Here is a picture of me feeling dejected about being swindled--once again--in the Old City of Jerusalem (you don't even want to know how much we paid for lunch).

Currently, the Temple Mount is controlled by the Waqf, which is kind of the Muslim Parks & Recreation service for holy Muslim sights. They were visible there and distinguished by their all-black, police-looking uniforms. The IDF soldiers were there too, but the Israeli soldiers kept a very low profile at the entrance & exit. This joint control was a surprise to me, but it stresses the complex nature of this place: Israeli control, Islamic jurisdiction, Jordanian police...it's a lot to take in.

So we walked around the Mount and saw the Golden Gate where Jesus would enter the Temple area from the Mt of Olives, which is also where Peter & John healed the lame man in Acts 3:1-10. We even tried to go into Al Aqsa Mosque, but when we got close we were told by the guard that it was 'closed, although Muslims went in and out freely. Phil was a bit frustrated, and I understood where he was coming from. 'Why can't we go in the Dome and see the actual rock?' Why can't the white guys just go in and look at the inside of the Mosque?' I think the answer is simple: whoever controls the area sets the rules. That's a general theme in this part of the world.

I came to find out later that during the Crusades, the Dome of the Rock was converted into a church, and the Mosque was used as a stable. Clearly, there is a history that whoever is in power on the Temple Mount sets the rules.  We may have felt restricted and annoyed at our lack of freedoms there (when to enter, what to wear, checkpoint controls, etc.), but it occurred to me that maybe that's how many Palestinians feel just getting to & from work every day. This was a good place to visit, but I was relieved to leave.

This Temple Mount is the centerpiece of Jerusalem, and it is sacred to a myriad of different people. It will surely be focus of any kind of peace agreement that Israel and her neighbors might eventually reach. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Shalom Ya'll,

Stew

Happy Anniversary

OK folks, today is our 12th wedding anniversary.

I'd like to tell a little story to mark the occasion. When I first hatched the crazy idea to apply for the Olmsted Scholar Program back in 09, Elizabeth was not all that enthralled with the notion. In fact, she was downright opposed. Apparently, cavorting around who-knows-where with 2 small children was not her idea of a good time, and going into the Olmsted Program, no one knows where they well be selected to study. However, (and this is to her infinite credit), after months of discussion and prayer, she finally warmed up to the idea. I suspect this happened because she saw how much my heart was set on this adventure, and she really knows how to listen. So we rolled the dice, and the rest is history.

So now here we are, living in Tel Aviv.  
Crazy, right? 
Honestly, I don't know how she could have said 'I love you' more clearly than that...

In the military, you never know where you'll wind up living or working. Life is just full of surprises. All I know is that wherever we are, as long as Elizabeth is there, it's home. So here's to my love, my lady, my favorite date, my bride, my baby-mama, my best friend, and jewel of my heart.

 I look forward to every minute of the next 12 years with her, and then some...

Shalom Ya'll, Stew

PS-For those of you wondering, yes--we met in high school.
And yes, that first one was indeed a prom picture (from 1994--yikes!)

Bon Appetit

The Bacon Sundae.

Apparently, back in the states, this is the new feature item at Burger King. I first started seeing comments about this on facebook a few days ago... and my first thought was: "this must be a joke."
But it's not. It's real.

Well, now. THAT is something you definitely won't find in Israel....for so many reasons. First off, bacon is clearly not the feature ingredient here in anything, and secondly, it's just gross.  Perhaps there is a growing world wide trend with experimental fast food ice cream.  Our friends in Argentina posted about the new Wendy's Parfries! experience in Buenos Aires.  Am I crazy for preferring my ice cream without bacon OR french fries?

Thankfully, for the time being, I don't have to face the bacon sundae dilemma.  Fast food restaurants practically don't exist in Israel. I know this a foreign concept to Americans.  Just try to imagine American culture completely void of fast food.  There are a handful of kosher McDonald's scattered across the country (and only a couple with a drive thru), but that's it.  No Burger King. No Wendy's. No Taco Bell.  And you know what?  I'm OK with that.
Ok, I'm not Ok with no Chipotle or no Chick-fil-A, but besides that....

The year prior to moving here we started to get a little educated on what we eat.  It began with the movie  'Food Inc'.  It piqued my curiosity about where our food comes from.  At the time, we were eating everything.  Fast food, convenience food, junk food, healthy food....but mostly processed, pre-packaged food.  The thing that surprised me the most was that I hadn't even really noticed or thought about it before.  So, I began reading more, learning more, and slowly changing the way our family ate.  Then we moved.  At which point I again lost any and all control over what my family was eating.  Where did the food in the grocery stores come from? I didn't know. Was the meat organic? No idea.  I was lucky just to communicate with the butcher enough to buy some meat.

The good news?  In general, Israelis eat pretty healthy.  The typical mediterranean diet is full of fresh foods.  It includes fresh fruit & veggies, fish, eggs, salads, soft white cheese, whole grain breads, yogurt, honey and meuslix (granola), hummus & pita, falafel, shnitzel, & amazing rice dishes full of lentils, nuts and raisins.   And since it doesn't include fast food or many pre-packaged food options - I think we're doing pretty well.  The frozen achilles heel of Israeli cuisine?  It's not a bacon sundae.  It's the popsicle.

It is my assumption that Israelis consume more popsicles than anywhere else in the world.  From morning until night you see people of all ages eating popsicles.  Kids run from schools to the nearest market for popsicles in the afternoons.  It is an all out sponge bob/ smurfs/ angry birds popsicle feeding frenzy between the hours of 1-3 pm. 

 Hey, that's one way to cope with the heat.  

 

And it sure beats a bacon sundae if you ask me.

Shalom Y'all,
E

Independence Day Air Show

To finalize our recent rant of Israeli holidays, we have a few we left out to that we will now revisit.  It helps us bring closure to the last 2 months of constant "what are we celebrating or remembering now?" Israel has lots of holidays. No doubt about that. But there seems to be a certain logic to how some of the National Holidays are arranged. I'll explain...

Upon returning from Europe in April, all the flags were at half-mast for Yom Ha Shoa, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. 

 This was followed by Israeli Memorial Day (Yom Ha'zikaron), less than a week later. This is where all the fallen soldiers from the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) are remembered. Since almost everyone here serves in the military, the atmosphere has a far more somber tone than Memorial Day bar-b-ques in the States.  Every single Israeli I have asked knows someone from their family or their school who was killed or injured in military service. At Tel Aviv University, it took 40 minutes to read the names of all the graduates or students who had been killed in action. On Yom Ha Shoa & Yom Ha'zikaron (holocaust remembrance & memorial day) sirens are sounded throughout the entire country for a few minutes of silence.  During this time, the entire country stops to remember.  It is taken very seriously, traffic stops, and people get out of their cars to observe the silence and pay their respects.

The end of the week brings in Israel Independence Day (Yom Ha'atzmaut), which is the most jubilant of all three. After remembering Jews killed in the Holocaust and Israelis who died serving their country,  people seem truly grateful for their National Independence. We celebrated the day with our dear friends the Rons, who invited us to visit an Air Force Base. There were airplanes, an Air Force Base, AND an Air Show... that's something new & different! (Just kidding Aline, we loved it!)

 

As in any good Air Show in the States, all the fanciest gadgets were on display.

Even though it's no KC-10, this next one got me feeling a little nostalgic...

The evening prior we went out with some friends from our neighborhood for fireworks and music in Rananna. It reminded us of the 4th of July-- Israeli style. Imagine thousands of people packed shoulder to shoulder in a sprawling park. It was a perfect breeding ground for a panic attack for the anxiety prone, and a virtual heaven for the extrovert adventure seeker.  Check out the giant inflatable flag-hammers. Not only is this the perfect symbol of Israeli foreign policy, but the kids love em'! There's nothing like bashing your siblings & friends upside the head with the national flag.

Happy (belated) Independence Day, everybody!

Shalom Yall, Stew

** Palestinians refer to Israeli Independence as the "Nakba", which in Arabic means 'disaster'. This is yet another example of how complex this little area of the world is, and how so much depends on individual perspective. An Israeli's independence is a Palestenian's catastrophe.