Hamas vs. Israel

From Times of Israel article that Scott and I felt was very helpful.  Continued prayers for peace.

By ALAN M. DERSHOWITZ

11/22/2012 13:29

Expect only a "hudna" that will last until Hamas decides it is time to invoke violence once again.

Photo by: Reuters

A cease-fire between Israel and Hamas may end the immediate exchange of rockets, but it is not likely to be of long duration. That is because every time Hamas fires rockets into Israel, it creates a win-win-win situation for itself. 

The first win is that it terrorizes Israeli civilians, killing some, wounding others and creating panic among millions of Israelis who fear being hit.  This show of strength enhances Hamas’s standing within much of the Muslim world.
 
The second win is that by firing these rockets from densely populated areas in Gaza City, rather than from the many open fields outside of the populated areas in the Gaza Strip, Hamas provokes Israel into targeting the rockets and the terrorists who fire them.  As soon as the terrorists fire the rockets, they run to special underground bunkers that are open only to the terrorists, thereby leaving civilians above ground and vulnerable to Israeli rockets.  This is a deliberate tactic employed by Hamas over many years and designed to bring about international condemnation of Israel for inadvertently killing Palestinian civilians.  Israel’s only other options would be to allow Hamas rockets to be fired unanswered into Israel, or to conduct a ground war which would result in even greater international condemnation. 

The third win for Hamas is that every time it fires rockets into Israel and provokes Israel into returning fire, it weakens the Palestinian Authority—its arch enemy in the West Bank.  The Palestinian Authority has renounced violence, but it has no choice other than to support Hamas’s violence against Israel, which is popular among many Palestinians.  The end result is a strengthened Hamas, which is seen as doing something and a weakened Palestinian Authority, which is seen as doing nothing. 

The proof that this win-win-win strategy is working for Hamas can be seen on television, in the newspapers, at the United Nations and among the chattering classes.  Virtually everyone acknowledges that Israel has the right to defend itself, but that Israeli military actions—particularly if they are tough enough to achieve a modicum of success—do more harm than good to Israel’s standing around the world.  That is precisely the reaction that Hamas has been counting on—and with repeated success. 

They attack Israel, thus committing the double war crime of using Palestinian civilians as human shields and targeting Israeli civilians.  Yet it is Israel that is criticized for engaging in entirely lawful activities, such as conducting a military blockade of Gaza designed to prevent new rockets and rocket material from reaching Hamas terrorists, and targeting Hamas terrorist leaders and Hamas fighters who fire rockets at Israeli civilians. 

So long as this dynamic continues, it will be in Hamas’s interest to do precisely what it did in 2008 and again now:  start a new battle by firing rockets at Israeli civilians from behind its Palestinian human shields, provoke Israel into responding, and calling on the international community to condemn Israel for killing its babies. 

This “dead baby strategy” has been acknowledged by Hamas leaders, who refer to the victims as “martyrs” and proclaim that Palestinian children and women “have formed human shields…in order to challenge the Zionist bombing machine.”  This strategy always works with an international media that cannot resist showing pictures of the dead babies who are brought to them by Hamas leaders (even when, as in one case, the baby was killed a misfiring Hamas rocket.) 

The real victims of this gruesome strategy are the Palestinian civilians who are cynically used as human shields.  Hamas leaders refer to them as martyrs, because they are being used to implement this win-win-win strategy.  There is growing evidence that at least some Gaza civilians are fed up with the Hamas strategy.  They complain that too few Hamas fighters are being killed and too many Palestinian civilians are dying.  They complain that Hamas has deliberately built underground bunkers only to protect its fighters but not its civilians. 

Unfortunately, the Gaza Strip is not a democracy.  It is tyranny ruled by Hamas killers, who have no hesitation in murdering Palestinians who express disagreement with their strategy.  It is unlikely, therefore, that the views of the dissatisfied Palestinians in Gaza will have any impact on the Hamas strategy. 

What we can expect, therefore, is a relatively short truce—Hamas calls it a “hudna”—that will last until Hamas decides it is time to invoke its strategy once again.  Israel will respond, as it has in the past.  In Israel this is called, “mowing the lawn”—cutting down Hamas periodically with no real expectation that the deadly grass will not continue to grow. 

The only solution to this recurring problem is for the international community and the media, once and for all, to expose the Hamas strategy, to condemn it, and to deny Hamas the diplomatic and media victory it seeks to achieve by its double war crimes.  

Connections

Wanted to share with everyone what we have found to be a great resource.  The Times of Israel is a relatively new online Israeli news source.  We really like it because it is a local news source that hasn't been filtered thru the US Media.  They also have incredibly interesting blogs where you can read from many different perspectives.  Very insightful and helpful.  Try www.timesofisrael.com - they even have an iphone app for easy access.

The Israeli Defense Forces also offers a blog.  www.idfblog.com
It occasionally has been offline, but usually lists current activity and provides plenty of background reading.  ynetnews.com is another new source we just recently discovered.

We will keep you posted with information from our friends in Jerusalem as we hear from them.  These families know we are praying for them and are grateful.  Blessings and love.

Hearts Torn

Hard to believe we have been home in Spring Branch for 3 months already - the same amount of time we lived in Jerusalem this summer. Over these months we've reflected, discussed and laughed over lessons learned and experiences shared.

As you may or may not know, this week things have intensified again in that region. Politics, religion, media aside, I would like to use this blog to share stories of friends on the ground and what they are going through. Scott's and my hearts and thoughts are back in Jerusalem with our friends as they raise their families in the midst of strife. I share these things so that we can all better pray for and support our brothers and sisters. The history and politics of it all can confuse and shake us, but I think we can all relate to moms and dads loving their children and wanting them to grow up safe and protected.

I read this excerpt from the Times of Israel and wanted to share this first to give us a little perspective.


Sirens ring in the start Shabbat in Israel– every week in fact. Living in Israel, you find Judaism and Jewish heritage infused into daily life here. Whether it’s the way approaching Jewish holidays find their way onto everything from food packaging to billboards; or how everyone who greets you on a Friday will say ‘Shabbat shalom;’ or how everywhere you go in Israel you find places that have been significant to our people from time immemorial. And if you live near one of the more religious cities you will benefit from an audio reminder that Shabbat is about to start in the form of a special siren. This week was no different until it was. Until there was another siren.





A view of the communities of Gush Etzion.





Shabbat in Gush Etzion started like it does every other week; with the exception that I had been scrambling to find Shabbat hospitality for people in southern Israel, who have been under intensified rocket fire, until shortly before Shabbat. And the exception that we left a radio on, tuned to a special ‘Shabbat station’– a silent program that would crackle to life only when there was urgent information to convey. Information I ‘knew’ I wouldn’t need, but my news-in-serious-situations addiction convinced me to leave it on. With Operation Pillar of Defense in full-swing, bringing an increasing number of our sons and daughters close to the action in Gaza as they are called up to their IDF units, Shabbat was certainly different, but only for the worry in our hearts.

We lit candles. The men went to synagogue. My three year-old went to a neighbor. Peace and tranquility reined in the house as we thought about the challah we needed to place on the warmer, the hummus we needed to arrange with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of zaatar, and the final touches to the beautiful Shabbat table. Then we heard the siren. It was wrong. We had already heard the siren. It comes before we light the candles, every week. In fact, we had already heard it, I was sure. And this one was different. While the Shabbat siren is a solid tone without variation, this one had an up-and-down sound. My son and daughter and I froze. We looked at each other. ‘What is that?’ we dumbly asked each other, knowing full well what it was, but not being able to wrap our brains around it at first.

I immediately ran to the open window hoping to find a neighbor who would say, Don’t worry, they’re testing the system (on Shabbat? Maybe not…) or tell us that it was actually a far-away siren that was being carried by the wind… Neither happened because there were no neighbors out and about; and at a time when there are always people. Then I knew. My kids and I scrambled into the safe room in our house which doubles as my husband’s office. It was then that I remembered that the special safe-room window shutter needed to be fixed as it was sealed in the open position; and had been since we built the house eight years before.

We waited away from the faulty window until we heard a distant boom, then we waited a few more minutes, then, when we couldn’t wait another second, we ran to our neighbor’s house where my three year old daughter was. We scooped her up and hugged her. She was fine, of course, but ominous sirens and rockets hitting tend to make you want to hold your children so tight that they want you to let go. We stayed at our neighbor’s house while we all collected ourselves, and tried to make sense of it. Twenty-four hours later, we’re still trying.





View of a spot on the Mediterranean coast that’s just miles from Gaza,
as seen from Neve Daniel in Gush Etzion. It’s a small country.

As Shabbat proceeded we found ourselves jumpy. An air-conditioner could sound like the beginning note of a siren. Something dropped could sound like a Kassam landing. We thought about the youth group contingent that came to the safety of Gush Etzion for Shabbat from Ashkelon, for a break from the insanity that’s become their daily life, only to have to rush into a safe room just as Shabbat was starting. We thought about the moment described to us of the people at synagogue in the middle of prayers, hearing that siren. The moment of hesitation as everyone looked at each other, then everyone clearing out of the sanctuary, entering the safe rooms, putting children first since there was not enough space for everyone. And we thought about the people at risk throughout Shabbat who were hearing the Code Red sirens that we knew about since they were all announced on our special Shabbat radio.

No one wants war. War sucks. But that fear that we experienced, along with the very real danger, is something that a million Israelis living in the region near Gaza have been facing and dealing with for years, and should never have to deal with. Now we got a taste of that fear. Jerusalem got a taste of that fear. Tel Aviv got a taste of that fear. It doesn’t taste good. As Operation Pillar of Defense continues with thousands of reservists called up, and battles being fought conventionally, as well as the battle for public opinion in the social media sphere, let’s hope and pray that our brave soldiers are successful in their important mission and stay safe throughout.

Finally, I want to share something my sister in Ramat Beit Shemesh wrote tonight:



All photos by Laura Ben-David

“The most emotional and poignant moment of the entire Shabbat was watching a family say farewell to their brother/son who was going off to fight. I can’t describe to you how it felt to see the mother want one more hug and kiss, for the young soldier to wipe his younger brother’s tears, and to see him wave from the car, as four soldiers drove off on Shabbat, all wearing their kippot. So if you are having trouble imagining what things are like here, just bring that picture up in your mind and I imagine that your prayers will be a lot stronger.”

Two Weeks

We have been home a whole two weeks now.  It has taken every bit of that time for our family to re-acquaint ourselves with our home, our cars, our dog, our grocery store, etc.  (Where did I leave that thing-a-ma-bob three months ago?!)  A virus running through the family didn't help matters.  At last though, everyone is feeling more like themselves, healthy and getting back into some routines.

I have to say how much I love being home.  People are incredibly nice here.  I was so happy at HEB, our BIG local grocery store the other day.  Prior to the summer, grocery shopping was such a drudgery.  The 2 times I've been since being home have been quite the opposite.  I feel so loved and uplifted there.  HEB rocks people!  Air-conditioning, friendly, helpful faces, nice organized lines for checking out.  No flies.  We have no idea how good we've got it.  It reminds me of the Ross King song, "Why you done me wrong, Lord?" where he adeptly points out that our perceived hardships are truly not hardships at all.

Scott and I took a mini-walk tonight.  We discussed how we both feel this new level of calmness.  Things were so heightened and intense for the summer, that managing life here seems much more doable - we can, after all, read the language and understand how to function in our surroundings much more easily.  Maybe we have found a new inner peace, or maybe our minds were working overtime in Israel and we are still coming down off the high.  Either way, we shared we'd like to hold onto that feeling.  Nothing is on fire.  There is no panic.  Nice and easy does it.  It's the journey, not the destination.

And on that note, can't believe I've been on this journey now with Scott for 18 years.
Happy Anniversary sweetheart.  Wow - feels like just yesterday!

Happy 18 years honey!

There really is not place like home . . .

Our travel back home was smooth sailing.  Everyone slept well on the long leg over the ocean which made the rest manageable.  We were so grateful for all the prayers.

What a sweet welcome home we received at the airport!  The kids were blown away and felt so special to have friends and family there and excited to see us.  We went to the Alamo Cafe where we ate hot sauce and tortillas to our hearts, or stomachs content.  Boys were ready to crash hard on way home, but got great second wind after getting to the house.

It felt like a surreal dream to walk through the house.  We have grown in appreciation for the home we have, the beauty that surrounds us and friends and family that are nearby.  We were all giddy just walking around and having our comforts close by.

We are all adapting to time change well.  Ethan had a pretty sizable melt down today.  Out of the blue he started crying and asking why we made him go live in Israel and that he never wants to go there again.  Poor baby!  Broke my heart.  I guess in our own ways, we are all looking back thinking, "what was that all about?!"  I know it made us stronger as a family and as individuals, but the challenges that came with the experience have us all reeling a little bit.  It will take time to truly "unpack" from the summer.

Young Archaeologist

 In 1999, Muslims wanted to add another mosque on top of the Temple Mount.  They irresponsibly used bull dozers to clean out 2 of the 7 areas under the Temple Mount known as Solomon's Stables.  It took them 2 years to destroy thousands of years of history.  It took the Israel government 5 years to get a permit to sift through the debris that was left for ruins in an empty valley.

So Israel initiated the Temple Mount Recovery Project.  It allows volunteers to sift through the debris looking for whatever might be recovered.  So far, they have found coins, glass, metal, pottery from all time periods dating back to the Second Temple.

Emily and I had a ball.  We got a short lecture on the history, timeline and what to look for.  You then grabbed a bucket, poured it on a sifter and the hunt began.  Emily and I found a specific type of rock used as flooring during the Second Temple Period.  We also found a piece of pottery from the Byzantine - a part of a smoking pipe.  Another little boy found a coin and a bead.  The coin has to be cleaned to determine what time period it was from.

Loved the morning.  So fun we got to experience this on our last day in Jerusalem.  Psalm 102:15 - "For your servants have cherished her stones and favored her dust."

Final Countdown

Ethan woke me up this morning whispering, "Mommy, do we go home tomorrow?!"  Scott's been working hard at keeping us focused on where we are, but today we decided it is okay to officially start looking towards home!  Hooray!  We are coming home!!!

Today, we pack up and transform the apartment back its original state - i.e., remove all the art we have plastered on the walls.  It is a cool 85 degrees here today so we will give the city a last roam-around as well.  Tonight will be our last night to sleep here.  Then Tuesday we will say goodbye to the Shuk and take some final pictures.  We will have a final shwarma dinner, then our taxi picks us up at 8pm for our 12:30am flight Wednesday morning.

We all just made a list of funny and sweet moments we've shared.  It has been an incredible time of togetherness.  Not always easy, but we are stronger and closer for it and have made some great memories as well.  I've enjoyed weaning the kids from tv.  They have had some movies on computers, but for the most part have been forced to read and become more creative with limited toys and each other.

Time to pack!

Le Heetraot

Saturday, the kids spent the entire day with the Oppenheims downstairs.  The kids have become such great playmates, easily going from apartment to apartment, playing in the courtyard in between and getting so creative.  They even strung rope one day across the 2nd & 3rd stories of our apartments and ran toys back and forth over the line.

We had to say good bye to them that evening, as they were leaving for Eliat early Sunday morning.  It was heartbreaking.  It is one thing to be sad and miss friends as adults.  Another thing all together to see your kids crying over loving and parting with other kids.  Rachel and I just looked at each other as Bro, Viggy, Emily and Ethan crumbled when we forced a final good bye.  I think they all cried themselves to sleep that night.

Rachel and James taught us a Hebrew word that means "until I see you again".  So, we did not say goodbye, but Le Heetraot instead.  God answered our prayers for friends and playmates when He placed us by this precious family.  Can't wait for their visit in Texas!  Le Heetraot.

Heare's Travels

Mt. Arbel with Daddy

Back away from the edge kids, please.

Kylen stayed under shade tree the whole time!  Smart boy!

Sticks were a hit for the little ones.

Bet' Shan

Ancient Roman City

It was steaming hot out there

Cross in back ground way up on the hill

So proud of all our explorers!

Lasts & Lessons

We are only 5 days out from our return home.  The good-byes have started as have our "last" this or that while on this side of the ocean.

While it has been challenging at times, we've become quite attached to new friends and this place we've called home.

It won't be easy to lock the door and walk away.

Yesterday we had a final picnic with our new friends the Kramer's .  Cathy and I became good and quick friends as did our daughters, Emily and Petra.  We are encouraging the girls to be pen-pals.  Then last night we had to say goodbye to James,  Rachel's husband.  He is an amazingly brilliant and remarkable man.  He's fascinating and fun to be around.  Our families would continue to hang out if we could.  We are already working on bringing everyone over to Texas and James is up for it as he's interested in opening a Mexican food restaurant in the Shuk.  That, we would come back for!

One wise friend told us that people often mistakenly believe they will come over here for some great spiritual experience.  I think we came here with that same notion.  Scott and I had certainly experienced that on our 2 week study tours.

However, Jerusalem is full of tangible tension.  It is a gritty, raw and challenging place to live.  Among many other things, it is the center of 3 major world religions.  Seeing everyone so passionately devoted to their path, forces you to examine yours.

I've never had to give account for my faith the way I have here, meaning I've never had to explain it in words not commonly understood.  I didn't realize how very much the Christian community shares a language when talking about experiences and faith.  It was good for me to realize that some things I could easily explain and other things I could not - whether for lack of vocabulary, knowledge or experience.

God is deep and rich here.  I do not doubt for a minute that all of us are earnestly pursuing God.

Galilee Picts

Amazing waterfall in Bannias.

Our fearless leader - and so very handsome!

So honestly, kids we done before we started.  "Another old column - really?!"

Up in Golan Heights, overlooking Syria.  Kids are saying, "Can we get out of here now?!"

Love this!  He's sitting on a portion of a column in an ancient synagogue, thousands of years old, clueless to what he is really sitting on and wondering when he might get some ice cream!  What a trooper!

One of my favorite things - Gans.  Ancient gardens and boundary lines.

Rushing water at Bannai.

Twists and Turns

Life is always interesting.  I'm sitting here this morning blogging, while looking out over a gorgeous pool and private golf course in Caesarea.  Scott and the kids headed back to Jerusalem yesterday.  Our bed and breakfast hostess, Anne Kleinberg, invited me to stay for some R&R/conversation time.

Anne is an amazing woman.  A former interior designer from New York, she is now a self-published author of both fiction and cook-books.  I think she's lived 50 lives all at the same time.  She manages this successful B&B in Caesarea while finishing up her latest book on the historical, cultural and religious significance of pomegranates - recipes included!  She hosts cooking parties, entertains international diplomats and is an all-around gregarious, fun-loving woman who loves life!  You get energy just being around her.  Did I mention her garden full of fruit trees?  I had the best mango of my life from her tree.  www.annekleinberg.com

We've been discussing the marketing of her books and just plain having fun together.  I think we hit it off because she is a female version of Scott.  Love new friends, new opportunities and unexpected surprises.  Thank you Anne.

View of Golf Course - Mediterranean just on other side

Casa Caesarea

Pomegranate Tree

Kids playing at pool with a French family also staying at B&B

Galilee and Caesarea

Yee-haw!  Now for our most anticipated part of the trip.  We get to go for some hikes and get to stomp around in ancient ruins with Scott as our teacher!

This morning we leave for the Galilee.  We will spend 3 nights at a Kibbutz in En Gev which is up near the Sea of Galilee.  Most of the ministry of Jesus took place up in that region.  Then we will head over to Caesarea along the Meditteranean.  There is a rich history here as well.  Along National Park site, there are ruins dating back to Herod's time 37-4BCE, including an amphitheathre, bathhouses, a temple, synagogue, Circus and theatre.  Beautiful place to walk around wondering what life was like there 2000 years ago.

As we travel, Scott will be sporting a black, leather interior Audi A6.  He's asked us to call him Bond for the week.  There was a mix up at the car rental place and they gave him the only car available in the city  - at an economy rate, to their dismay!  I will be sporting a blue Ford Focus with one missing hub-cap.  He's feeling guilty, but I love that God gave him a sweet ride for the week.

Textiles

One could say that appearances don't really matter here in Jerusalem.  This is true in a sense.  Kids are mis-matched from head to toe.  You can wear what you want and no one cares.  You aren't judged by what you are wearing or not wearing.

However, in an ironic twist, you are designated by what you wear.  When we first arrived in Jerusalem, it became quickly apparent that attire designated religious association.

There are the Orthodox men in their black and white suites with tallit hanging down.  They wear a black hat for head covering.  Their wives wear long sleeve right shirts with looser fitting short sleeve on top and long black skirts, tights and shoes.  Older Orthodox wives wear wigs while the younger generation wear scarves or head wraps.  

Then there are Jews ranging from religious to secular who might dress as you or I do with the exception of a kippa or not.  Arabs walk around as well.  The women are easier to spot with the full head covering and long jackets.  I hurt for them imagining how uncomfortable they must be in this heat.  The men usually wear slacks and short-sleeved shirts - they aren't as distinguishable.

I can reflect now on how I felt when we first arrived.  Women really wouldn't make eye contact with me.  I went out and bought a long skirt without even realizing I was trying to fit in to their group.  (As if that would happen with a simple skirt!)  It was when I was in my room and trying to wrap my head in a scarf that I realized how ridiculously desperate I was for some signs of friendship.

Bottom line is it made me consider how I dress at home and how I judge others based on the same criteria.  Are they like me or not?  Are they on my team, or not?

I suppose we take comfort in doing things like others do.  It reassures us that we are ok and calms our insecurities.  It sure has been easier to see through their fronts than to seriously consider mine.  Strip away our homes, our cars or how we dress, who are we really?

Time's A Flyin'

We are about two weeks out from turning our eyes and hearts back to Texas!  We all find ourselves talking about it often enough that we have to remind ourselves to stay present in the moment and enjoy ourselves in the here and now.

Update:  Last Sabbath we spent the day at the Jerusalem Pool with the Oppenheim's.  James, Rachel and kids are fantastic!  We laugh, listen and seem to have formed an immediate bond.  Really hope they make it over to our side of the pond one day.  And we hope to keep in touch over future visits here if possible.  Our kids have become fast friends as well.  Love us some Oppenheim's.

Rachel!

Sunday was another great day.  Our fake VPN didn't work out as well as we had hoped.  Or maybe it was NBC, but to our disappointment, we only got scattered pieces of the Olympic opening ceremony.  That evening we went to Joel and Cathy's home in Abu Tor, an Arab/Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem.  (American fam that has lived here 5 years.)  We attempted walking there from the Old City.  Ended up in the Valley of Gehennah which is where we get the biblical images of  "Hell", and that's exactly where we found ourselves - lost, hot, pushing 2 strollers up major hills.  I relented and finally told Scott that the Cramer's had offered to pick us up in their car.  So, we called our new, sweet friends and they rescued us from hell!

Had a great dinner with them after our tour through hell.  Cathy is an amazing mother to 3.  She home-schools in a foreign country - enough said.  Joel is pursuing his Masters while making powerful films on faith.  Fascinating.  We have a few of his films if anyone would like to see them.

In the US, he had done a film on Mormonism.  He compared the dependability of the bible versus the book of Mormon.  The outcome is jawdropping.  While there is a detailed story in the book of Mormon about its people and beginnings, there is zero archeological evidence.  Scott told Ryan it would be like hearing about Jerusalem all your life to find out it never existed! The films approach the issues in a very non-confrontational, factual way.  We are bringing them home for conversation.

They are wonderful to open up their home to people passing though and share their experiences.  Incredibly grateful we got to meet them!

Tisha B'Av

This weekend is a bit different.  Normal Sabbath sundown Friday to Saturday.  But then Sunday is Tisha B'Av - a day of mourning and remembrance.  The actual 9th day of Ov (Tisha B'Av) is on Saturday, but due to Sabbath, it is celebrated on Sunday.

Tisha B'Av primarily commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples, both of which were destroyed on the ninth of Av (the first by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E.; the second by the Romans in 70 C.E.).

Although this holiday is primarily meant to commemorate the destruction of the Temple, it is appropriate to consider on this day the many other tragedies of the Jewish people, many of which occurred on this day, most notably the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.¹

The restrictions on Tisha B'Av are similar to those on Yom Kippur: to refrain from eating and drinking (even water); washing, bathing, shaving or wearing cosmetics; wearing leather shoes; engaging in sexual relations; and studying Torah. Work in the ordinary sense of the word [rather than theShabbat sense] is also restricted. People who are ill need not fast on this day. Many of the traditional mourning practices are observed: people refrain from smiles, laughter and idle conversation, and sit on low stools.

In synagogue, the book of Lamentations is read and mourning prayers are recited. The ark (cabinet where the Torah is kept) is draped in black.

So at sundown tomorrow, we plan to go to the Western Wall to observe all the prayers of thousands that will gather there.  Then on Sunday evening we are having dinner with Cathy and her family.  They are the American family we met who have been her five years.  It will be nice to spend an evening with friends.  

Scott figured out a way for us to enjoy the Olympics on our computer so tomorrow, our Sabbath day will be spent huddled around our Mac cheering for the US and Israel.  

Another Picture Diary

Typical street and traffic in Jerusalem

Plastic recycling stations all around the city

Ryan shopping for sweets in upscale bakery.  Notice the Challah bread - must have been Friday before Sabbath.

One alley leading to our apartment.  Construction going on other side of metal wall on right.

Quick peek into an alley

One of our local chicken guys.  Hearts and livers available to far left.

Fruit vendor in Shuk.  See the canteloupe?  They cut open a piece of fruit for people to taste and smell if it is too big to just be able to pop in your mouth like they would a grape.  Price on little chalkboard reads 4NIS/kilo.  Which equates to $1for 2 lbs.  

Western Wall with men on left, women on right.

Mosaic inside Holy Seplechur.  3 scenes - the crucifixion, bringing Christ down, then this one - preparing Him for burial.

Typical public bathroom.  Common area for hand washing with separate toilet areas.  Ryan's thinking, "Really, mom?!"

One of my fav Asian/Veg dishes served on the Dairy side of my fav restaurant, Rimon.

You see Jews dressed in a variety of ways - from a regular kippa to all out suits.

Neighborhood synagogue directly behind our apartment.

Shiloh Street runs from our house towards Shuk - about a 5 minute walk with houses, alleys, shops and synagogues all along the way.