Now, this quote may have no significance to anyone but me; however, it was the funniest part of my evening. I spent the afternoon in the Old City with a few people: Jess, Jarom, Justin, and Ashley. We were originally going to do a few things in the Jewish Quarter, but it was all closed by the time we found where we were going. We ended up going to the Hurva Synagogue instead! To go through it, you have to be on a tour, but it was worth the 15 shekels necessary! The synagogue is beautiful and has such a rich history. The word "hurva" means "ruined" or "destroyed" in Hebrew. This synagogue has been destroyed more times than I can count. From the Arabs to the Crusaders to the Romans, the synagogue was destroyed. In the 1948 War of Independence, the synagogue had its last attack. Some of the walls survived the bombing and are a part of the present synagogue construction. Our guide was a funny little, Jewish man with a definite hidden agenda. People here have very strong political opinions, and they do not try to hide them from anyone. He was very knowledgeable about the synagogue and the surrounding area, though. The tour lasted for over one hour, and we were able to go up to the very top of it and see across all of the Old City. It was beautiful.
With the tour over, it was time to eat so we stopped into a restaurant with a rooftop dining area. We ate with a view of the Dome of the Rock, of the Mt. of Olives, of Mt. Scopus, and more. It was amazing. The food wasn't have bad, either. I got a lamb kebab. Food is amazing here. The meets if full of flavors - some I recognize, others I don't. The one spice I have been able to recognize the most is curry. I was surprised but happy to eat it. I love curry! We laughed all through dinner (which is where this quote came in). Justin decided to tell us about how his parents came own soap stores and make soap for Disneyworld. Apparently they started out making magnets and selling them. It was a perfect night full of laughter and smiles. Friends are the greatest!
We made it back to the J.C. in time to just watch the sun drop behind the hills! For those of you who don't know, we have to be out of East and Old Jerusalem by sunset. The J.C. is located in East Jerusalem so you have to get a taxi back from West Jerusalem at night. We were moving very quickly! The sunset was beautiful to watch though. The sky is full of haze right now, but it should pass by soon.
The start of the day was full of classes, as usual. We began the day promptly at 8:00a with Old Testament. Brother Muhlstein taught us about the Sacrifice, or Binding, of Isaac. It was an amazing lesson. We talked a lot about the similarities between this sacrifice and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I am excited to finish the lesson tomorrow morning! We've only had two class days (three periods) and we are already close to two lessons behind! No one seems to mind. Brother Muhlstein is a great lecturer and the time flies by in his class.
Our Judaism class quickly followed our Old Testament class, beginning at 9:00a. Our professor is a Religious Jew name Ophir Yarden. The class was spent trying to define Judaism and when it began. I was surprised how little everyone knew about Judaism. Many thought it was merely a religion, when it is actually culture, religion, family, civilization, nationality, and more. I thank my parents for raising me in a household that is open to other religions and where other religions were taught and introduced and even celebrated. This class should be really interesting, and I am looking forward to it.
Our Judaism class quickly followed our Old Testament class, beginning at 9:00a. Our professor is a Religious Jew name Ophir Yarden. The class was spent trying to define Judaism and when it began. I was surprised how little everyone knew about Judaism. Many thought it was merely a religion, when it is actually culture, religion, family, civilization, nationality, and more. I thank my parents for raising me in a household that is open to other religions and where other religions were taught and introduced and even celebrated. This class should be really interesting, and I am looking forward to it.
Rather than taking Arabic this semester, I switched to Hebrew. The Judaism class had a large influence on this decision. Hebrew is amazing! I already know two letters of the alphabet - aleph and bet - and two vowels! The teacher is full of life and has been teaching at the Jerusalem Center for over 20 years. She makes things fun and easy to understand. I am excited to dive into the plans she has for us. Before you know it, I'll be writing you things in Hebrew!
It has almost been a week since we have been here. Time is flying by quicker than you can know. I am excited for the upcoming weeks and what is to come. Jerusalem continues to amaze me each and every day. It's hard to believe that anyone will ever get tired of this beautiful city. There is something new to find each day.
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