Goodbye Jerusalem

Well, it's been an incredible 5 months here at the center of the world. I got here scared to death over a new situation, a new life, and having to start the whole college process all over again. I didn't know anybody (except for my fellow Cobber Evan), I didn't know the city, and I didn't really know what to expect. I leave here an acclimated resident of the only city on Earth that has held the attention of mankind since the beginning of time, and will continue to hold it until the end of time. Since the early days of the B.C. era, Jerusalem has been here, fought over by the empires and kingdoms of the region. Since then, it has not faded quietly onto the pages of history, as Nineveh, Babylon, Thebes, Susa, and countless others have. The city's importance has only grown over the centuries, with the arrival of the Israelites and the creation of the Kingdom of Israel, with David moving its capital from Hebron to Jerusalem, and with Solomon's building of the Temple to the One True God on one of its mountaintops. Destruction of the city by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., instead of marking the end of the city, only enhanced its prestige and holiness in the minds and hearts of the Jews, who returned 70 years later to rebuild their capital and temple. Jerusalem grew and became an ancient wonder of the world by the time of King Herod and the Roman Occupation in the years just before Christ. Christ's death and resurrection in this city was the greatest single event in the history of mankind, and it made Jerusalem the holiest city on earth for members of the new covenant along with those of the old. In the years that followed Christ's resurrection and ascension to heaven, the Jews rebelled against the Romans twice, resulting in the destruction of the temple, the city, and the expulsion of the Jews from Israel by Roman Emperor Hadrian. In the centuries that followed, Jerusalem survived whilst changing hands multiple times. The Byzantines, the Persians, the early Muslims, the Crusaders, the Mamluks, the Ottomans, the Egyptians, and the British all ruled this city and imposed their personalities on it. The Muslims built a mosque on the Temple Mount. The Christians built the Holy Sepulcher. The city became the focal point for the three major religions of the world, and each fought the others for control. Finally, in 1948 and after an 1800 year absence, the Jews ended their exile and recreated a Jewish state in Israel. The city of Jerusalem once again was the capital of the Jews, and in 1967 it was once again united under Jewish rule. That is the status of the city to this day. Over the past 5 months, I have had the wonderful opportunity to learn about and explore Jerusalem, spending a lot of time in the Old City and on the Mount of Olives and Mount Zion. It has been incredible for me to be able to experience all of the city's history, from the walls around the Old City built by Suleiman the Magnificent in the 15th century, to the Roman remains of the old Cardo Maximus leading through the Christian Quarter, to the last remaining portion of the 2nd Temple left standing, to the Temple Mount itself. I have had incredible adventures and moments in this city, too many for a blog post. I know that my life will be forever changed after this semester in the City of God. Tomorrow night, I get on a plane to go home to Minnesota. I can't wait to see friends and family and eat non-kosher food once again. As my last night in Jerusalem draws to a close, a song sung by Bilbo Baggins comes to mind: "The Road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road goes on, and I must follow if I can. Pursuing it with eager feet, until it joins some larger way, where many paths and errands meet, and wither then? I cannot say." Shalom y'all.

Covenants Old and New

Before coming over here, I had a really hard time trying to figure out a title for this blog. "On the Shoulders of Giants" "In the City of God" and "Looking Ahead, Looking Behind" (thank you Gandalf) were all finalists, but none of them seemed to fit. Finally, I settled on "Covenants Old and New". To a lot of you, it's probably obvious what the title means, but I'd like to write about it anyway as I finish up my time here. Firstly, the title talks about the "Old Covenant", which means the everlasting agreement between God and the Jewish people. This agreement, when boiled down to one sentence, made the Jewish people God's chosen people in return for their obedience and worship of Him. This Covenant was renewed several times in the Old Testament, but it began between God and Abraham, when God called Abraham to give up the nice life he and his family had made for themselves in the ancient city of Ur and follow God to an unknown land, which would become their inheritance for all time. This Covenant was renewed between God and Abraham's son Isaac, and again with Isaac's son Jacob, who's name was changed by God to Israel. Israel's twelve sons became the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel. This Covenant was renewed again at Mount Sinai between God, Moses, and the Israelites after they left Egypt. This Covenant still holds true today, and the Jewish people, despite centuries of disobedience and fair-weather follower-ship, are still His chosen people. There is a reason that this Covenant is called the "Old" though. The Old Covenant dealt with God's law, or the list of rules and regulations God gave His people to govern their lives and show them the path to salvation. The Ten Commandments were and are a part of God's Law. Because God is perfect and we are not, this law is impossible for a human being to completely fulfill, and its purpose is to highlight our inherent sinful nature and the need for forgiveness and redemption. This divide between God and man, between perfect and imperfect, lead to the need for a new Covenant to bridge the gap. This new Covenant was provided by Jesus, the Son of God, who of His own free will chose to come to earth, live a perfect life as a man while still fully God, and sacrifice Himself for mankind. Through this perfect sacrifice, mankind, even though we are still burdened by our sinful nature, now have a way to heaven through faith and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. If living a perfect life and dying for us, even though He Himself was innocent, does not prove that Christ is God, His rising from the dead three days after death does. Through His sacrifice, Christ formed a new Covenant between God and man through His blood. This is why we Christians perform the act of Communion at church. We relive the Last Supper, where Jesus formed the new Covenant between God and man through His body and His blood, shed so that we may live. As a Christian and Follower of Christ, I am a part of this new Covenant, one formed on the foundation of sacrifice, forgiveness, and faith. Jesus Christ the Messiah fulfilled the Law that God laid down to Moses by living a perfect life, therefore fulfilling the first Covenant and ushering in the second. The return of a person wedded to the second covenant to the land of the first was a major reason for me coming to Israel. Without Israel, there would be no Christianity. Without the Jews, there would be no Christians. Without the Old Covenant, there would be no New. I have come to this land to pay homage to the Jewish people, the chosen people of God Himself. We Christians seem to forget that our Lord Himself was and is a Jew. We cover up the Old Testament and forget about it, focusing on the New. While the New Testament is critical and is the blueprint for our faith, we must never forget that the Old Testament, and the Old Covenant, is the foundation. When I came here, I asked God to reveal His purpose for my life. I asked Him to tell me why He brought me here. Five months later, I have my answer: to follow His Son, and to defend His people. In the era of the New Covenant, it is my job to keep the memory of the Old alive, and to remind my fellow believers that it is still valid. The Jews, whether they agree with us about Christ or not, remain God's Chosen, and it is our job to defend and protect them to the best of our ability. "He who blesses you I will bless, and he who curses you I will curse." I will never forget my time here, in Israel, the land of Covenants Old and New.

No Longer Blind

Before I came here five months ago, it would be safe to say that I was a blind supporter of Israel. Anything they did, I would support, and I would vocally defend them in all their actions and endeavors. Any atrocities or mistakes that they would make I would put into "quotes" to show my contempt for people who condemned Israel. My constant refrain was "We have no idea what it's like living in Israel and dealing with the things they deal with on a daily basis, so how dare we criticize them?" This statement still holds true, and I will still say it. However, over the course of the last several months, I've made the obvious discovery that Israel isn't perfect. While they are incredibly unique and are blessed with an amazing military, citizenry, government, and the One True God, the fact remains that Israel makes mistakes just like every other country. Are these mistakes magnified by our media and the international community to the point of the ridiculous? Yes. Does that change the fact that Israel makes mistakes and isn't perfect? No. Israel is not perfect, and they have black marks on their record just like every other country on Earth. One of these is the Sabra and Shatila massacres, where Israel stood by and watched while their Lebanese Christian allies entered Palestinian camps and slaughtered hundreds of men, women, and children during the First Lebanon War. Ariel Sharon, the Defense Minister at the time, knew about the intent of the Christian forces in advance, but did nothing to stop it. The old me would point to the countless acts of butchery and terrorism committed by Palestinians against Israelis as justification for this. While it is true that the Palestinians have been far more guilty of committing acts of terror than the Israelis have, it does not change the fact that this massacre was wrong, and Israel should have stopped it. Another area of blindness for me before coming here were the Palestinians themselves. Before coming, I looked on the Palestinians with suspicion, remembering the video of Palestinians dancing in the streets in Ramallah, Jericho, Hebron, and other cities in the West Bank in the aftermath of 9/11. I would point to 1948, where the Jews accepted partition of Palestine but the Palestinians did not, as justification for denying them a state. I would say things along the lines of "They had their chance, and they threw it away." This statement is true: the Palestinians did have a chance for a state in 1948, and many chances afterwards, but every chance they have received over the years has been rejected. The old saying "The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity" is absolutely true. That being said, however, this semester has opened my eyes to the Palestinian side of the conflict. It helped that I took a Palestinian History course taught by a Palestinian. Over the last five months, I've learned another simple truth: the Palestinians are people too, and regardless of their history, they deserve to be treated like human beings. Does this mean that they deserve a state in the West Bank? I don't know. Does this mean that their demands for Jerusalem should be accepted? No. I don't know what should happen, and I don't have any answers for a solution to this conflict. What I have learned here, however, is that the status quo isn't sustainable; something needs to be done. As a Christian, I can no longer turn a blind eye to the massive human suffering of millions of people in the West Bank, especially when the vast majority of them are decent individuals. What does this new outlook on life mean for my view of Israel? I still support them. I am as close as a Gentile Christian can get to being a Zionist: I believe that Israel has a right to exist, to defend itself, and to live in security and peace with its neighbors, and I believe that that "security and peace" should be on its own terms. I believe that the Jewish People are the Chosen People of God, and that He has preordained their return to and defense of this land. I believe that the Jewish People have a Biblical right to the land of Israel, and I believe that they will never ever be separated from it again. I believe that Jerusalem is the eternal and undivided capital of the State of Israel. I believe that the continued existence of Israel is a modern miracle, and that Israel shall never be destroyed. I will go home as strong a supporter of Israel as I was when I came here, but this time I will acknowledge that Israel is not perfect, and that they have made mistakes. At the end of the day, however, I support the People of God, because "He who blesses you I will bless, and he who curses you I will curse."

Ein Gedi

Today, I was blessed to be able to take one of my last trips here in Israel to a place that I had been wanting to get to for some time: Ein Gedi. Ein Gedi is an oasis in the southern desert of Israel, just off of the Dead Sea. It has many pools of water, several waterfalls, and caves in the surrounding mountains where David hid from Saul during Saul's reign as King of Israel. We took the bus there early in the morning, but because there are multiple stops labeled "Ein Gedi" we got off at the wrong place and had to walk a couple of miles to our destination. The oasis is nestled in between several mountains, giving it some shade and a small breeze, which makes it much more bearable than the surrounding desert. The main trails in this oasis follow the river that works its way down into the valley below, so there are many opportunities to relax in cool pools of water, or to stick your head underneath a waterfall. There are several of these, but the best one is the furthest back into the valley. This waterfall thundered down into a broad pool from twenty or thirty feet above, and it was roped off because of the fear of falling rocks. After seeing the main areas of attraction, my friends and I turned around to head back. At a fork in the road, we realized that we could climb up the mountain path to see the actual cave where David hid from Saul. Realizing that we probably would never come here again, we decided to attempt the climb. The going was rough, with very steep and narrow paths that hugged the mountainside giving way to very steep and slippery steps that reminded me of the Minas Morgul steps that Frodo and Sam climbed on their way to Mordor. After an exhaustive climb, we found the cave that David stayed in. It was an amazing place, and I was happy that we had taken the time to go up and see it. We then began the extended climb back down, reunited with the main path, and went back to the staging area at the bottom of the valley. After we had eaten and replenished out water bottles, we set out for the bus stop and home. Ein Gedi was an amazing place, and I'm glad that I ended my travels throughout Israel

Schindler's Grave

Today, after four months here in Jerusalem, I finally made it to one of the places I had most wanted to go to when I arrived here: Oskar Schindler's grave. My friend Stacey and I left the student village, hopped on the light rail, and headed for the Old City. We entered through Jaffa Gate and then worked our way over to Zion Gate, which exits onto Mount Zion. The Christians have turned Mount Zion into a Christian enclave, with churches celebrating the Last Supper, Pentecost, and Mary's death, all of which occurred on Mount Zion (the Catholics also believe that Mary rose again after three days, but we won't get into that). Schindler is buried on Mount Zion in a little cemetery off of the road leading to Zion Gate. The entrance to the cemetery has a marker saying "To Oskar Schindler's Grave" above the doorway, so it was easy to find once we knew the general area. I have to say, I thought this cemetery would be better maintained, but when we went inside, we were met with tall grass, weeds, broken glass, and damaged masonry everywhere. Schindler's grave is down a couple flights of steps, overlooking the great views to the south of Jerusalem from the top of Mount Zion. In the movie "Schindler's List", the scene where the survivors gathered at his grave to pay their respects show his grave by itself, with plenty of room around it for people to walk around. In the years since the movie came out, however, new graves have been added, with the result that now Schindler's grave is one among many. It sits right next to the path though, so visitors can access it without difficulty. The grave itself is beautiful, and it pays tribute to the amazing man. A caption under his name in German tells the visitor that he saved 1200 Jews during the Holocaust. Those of us who have seen Schindler's List know the incredible story of a German industrialist who bought up Jewish factories at bargain prices, used Jews as his labor force, and through work permits saved many Jews from the gas chambers. Granted, when he started out, Schindler was in it for the money, using Jews as workers because they were cheaper than Poles. Over time, however, as the horrors of the Holocaust became clear, Schindler used Jews as his laborers to save their lives. He used his vast fortune to bribe Nazi officials, get Jews out of the death camps, expand his factories to hire more Jewish workers, and countless other initiatives that saved Jewish lives at a time when no one would help them. Liam Neeson played the role of Schindler brilliantly in the movie, and why he didn't win the Oscar for it is beyond me. Ever since seeing that movie in Dr. Hammerling's class last semester at Concordia and learning that Schindler was buried in Jerusalem, I have wanted to visit his grave and pay tribute to the man. Today, I finally got that chance. In Israel, people put rocks on graves as a memorial and tribute to the fallen. I got to put a rock on Schindler's grave today, and said a silent prayer thanking God for such an extraordinary man and for his extraordinary contribution to the Jewish people during the darkest chapter of their history.

Welcome to Jerusalem SLU

Tonight, I was blessed with the amazing opportunity to reconnect with my old friends at Student Leadership University, who are in the middle of their 401 trip to the Holy Land. Student Leadership University is a Christian group in the United States that teaches students the basics and foundation of moral leadership and gives them the tools to succeed in today's world. Their first trip, 101, is in Orlando, Florida. Their second trip, 201, is in Washington D.C. Their third trip, 301, is in London, Oxford, Paris, and Normandy. Their last trip, 401, is in Jordan and Israel. They have also expanded and now do a trip to Kenya and another one to China. I went through this program when I was in high school and it changed my life. The guys who run it, Dr. Jay Strack and Brent Crowe, became my youth pastors, as my church back home failed in this area. When I went on their 401 trip to Israel four years ago, my life was forever changed, and it proved to be the catalyst for my decision to come back to Jerusalem to study here for the semester. When I found out that they would be in Israel this week and that they were staying in a hotel literally down the hill from my apartment, I had to go and say hello. I had met with Dr. Jay for lunch last weekend, and he encouraged me to stop in and have dinner with the group once they got to Jerusalem. I went down to their hotel around six and met up with Brent, who was leading the group. We had a great conversation about how SLU changed my life, what my church was like growing up, how my time here in Israel has changed and impacted my life, and my perceptions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We then left his hotel room and went down to the dining room, where the rest of the group had just started dinner. He introduced me to some of the students and I ate dinner with them, talking with them about where they were from, how their trip was going, what they've learned so far, ect. After dinner, we retired to a conference room where Brent introduced me to the whole group, saying "Now this young man went through our program and now he's back here studying. He's not from the United States, he's from Minnesota, but I want you guys to listen to him anyway and mark well what he says." I then took the floor and said "Guys, let me be the first to welcome you to Jerusalem, the city of kings, the city of prophets, and the city of Christ Himself." I then proceeded to tell them my background and why I was here and how much SLU changed my life. As I went to sit down, Brent said "What he didn't tell you is that he's been studying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, looking at both sides equally and fairly, and is now an expert on it. After our session, any of you who want to learn something, come on up to him and pick his brain." Brent then proceeded to give an excellent lecture on the necessity of having Jesus be the foundation of our lives, and the starting point for students of leadership. He preached on the story of Jesus and the woman at the well, and how Jesus turned a personal encounter into a life-changing experience. When he had concluded his talk and dismissed us, some of the students got up to leave, but many more, including most of the parents and a Baptist minister from Virginia, crowded around me and asked me to give them a crash course in "The Conflict". We pulled some chairs into a circle, and for the next hour and a half, I got to talk to these guys about the Middle East, the politics of the region, the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, the various people and religious groups making up both sides, the land and the territories, and so many more topics and issues. They asked countless questions, and I answered to the best of my ability. They were really interested in what I had to say, and at the end everyone thanked me and most said something along the lines of "I learned so much from you tonight." I was incredibly humbled by the opportunity to talk to my fellow Americans about these issues, and I was also humbled by Brent's introduction and his confidence in me. It was so great seeing my old group Student Leadership University, and it was awesome to be able to come back as an alumni and teach them what I've learned these last four months here in Jerusalem.

People

I have met some amazing people here over the last four months, too many to adequately describe and pay tribute to. However, I feel that I must take this moment to mention and pay tribute to several people I've met over the last few months, because they have all had huge impacts on my life here, and I have no doubt that we will remain close even after we all return home. First, I have to thank my fellow Cobber Evan. Coming to a new country thousands of miles away from home is a harrowing experience, and having friends with you that you already know and are familiar with is a huge blessing. Those first few weeks here back in February were tough, and I am extremely thankful that I knew Evan and could hang out with him while I found my feet and got acclimated. I will also always remember our hours long Game of Thrones discussions and debates as we waited for our classes to start. It was difficult for me to keep straight where you were in the series so as not to give anything away while also talking about the series at the same time, but it was a lot of fun. Next, I have to pay tribute to the people in my Bible Study. You all have been such great friends over the last few months, and we've had some awesome times. Keith, you're a brilliant Bible scholar and religion expert, and our debates over eschatology have been a lot of fun. You're one of the funniest guys I've ever met, and you can always make me laugh. Aron, you are also a brilliant Biblical scholar, and your interpretations of the text, telling us the context and the original Greek and Hebrew meanings, have really helped me learn the Word and grow as a Christian. I also have loved discussing Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones with you, it's awesome to know someone who's up to date so you don't have to worry about spoiling anything. Becca, you are a great leader and I have really enjoyed being a part of your Bible study this past semester. You are an awesome person, and I'm glad that you decided to take the risk and form this group way back in February. Stacey, I am so glad to have met you and discuss all the myriad subjects that we have discussed this past semester. You are so wise, and you have a way of explaining things that makes sense of complicated topics. Amanda, I have loved taking that Jerusalem class with you and also doing Bible study with you. Your observations on life are hilarious, and hanging out with you and Stacey in your guys's apartment over the past couple of weeks has been so much fun. Arielle, I have loved sitting next to you in Nazzal's class, laughing at the way he casually talks about all the famous people he knows, and saying "no big deal" after each story. Your insights during our discussions on the Old Testament have also been excellent, and I have learned a lot from them. Jaki, you make incredible fondue, and your insights during Bible study were also very thought provoking. I love you guys, and this semester has been amazing because of you. I loved our Yam de Yam trip, and the countless priceless moments that we had during those days, from Keith's camera miraculously being brought back to life, to the night where we just watched movies for hours, to our attempt at cooking a meal, to Becca's almost getting left behind every day because she needed "one more picture", to the guy who found the turtle. This semester has been full of such great memories, and I have no doubt that I will look back on it as one of the highlights of my life.

Semester's End

Well, it's almost over. After four months in Israel, four out of my five classes were finished this past week with the completion of finals. I had a blast taking every single one of them, and I learned so much. In my Palestinian History class, I learned about the Palestinian struggle for dignity, and I heard the Palestinian's side from Professor Nazzal, a great man and someone deserving of respect and admiration. In Israeli Foreign Policy, I learned the Israeli point of view of the conflict from Professor Medzini, a man in his eighties who was born and grew up in Jerusalem, and remembered and/or fought in every single one of Israel's major wars through the first Lebanon War. In History of the Modern State of Israel, I learned about the Zionist movement and its quest for a homeland after the horrors of the Holocaust from Professor Mendelsson, a quintessential British man who told us many great stories and added a sense of humor to lift our spirits after talking about some heavy subjects. In the Cultural History of Jerusalem, I learned about every stage of development and advancements, along with the many destructions, of this great city from Professor Halevi, a down to earth woman who took us all over the city and showed us many of its wonders. I will miss each professor's unique teaching style as well. Professor Nazzal had a habit of saying "This is very very important" after almost everything he said, causing us to take incredibly extensive notes the first couple of weeks of the class until we realized that everything wasn't, in reality, very very important. Professor Medzini taught his class as if he were simply telling a story. Looking just like Michael Caine, he would sit in a desk at the side of the class and just tell us what happened. I loved how he would tell the personal, behind-the-scenes story along with the official version. For example, in a typical lecture, Medzini would say something along the lines of "And Golda Meir would go over to Dayan and say 'what are you doing?' and Dayan would say 'we need to do this' and Meir would say 'Yofi' and that was that". He had a habit of saying "what are you doing" at least once every lecture. Professor Mendelsson's catchphrase was "And this raises a very interesting question." We'd be discussing an issue, and Mendelsson would interject by saying "Now this raises a very interesting question," which was our cue to pay extra attention and take good notes. Professor Halevi didn't really have any catchphrases, but every lecture she gave, there was a good chance that she'd say something funny. One lecture she reminded me, out of the entire class, to be sure to wear pants for our next field trip. I of course didn't forget such a blatant reminder, so I showed up for our next class as the only one in the class wearing pants, while everyone else wore shorts. I then spent a hard day walking throughout the Old City in very hot weather sweating like crazy, but hey, I wore pants. These classes were a joy to take, and they taught me so much about Israel, the conflict, Jerusalem, and the Jewish and Palestinian peoples. I will miss these professors and their wonderful teaching styles, and I will miss these classes in which I learned so much about such an amazing land.

Armageddon

Today I was blessed to be able to go with a couple of friends to the northern part of Israel to visit the ancient fortress city of Megiddo, which overlooks the famous Valley of Armageddon. We got up at five to catch the seven am bus north. When we got there, we had about a twenty minute hike up through the hilltops to reach the Tel, or plateau-like hill, of Megiddo. This place has 25 different layers of construction and cities, meaning that over history, this place has been destroyed and then rebuilt 25 separate times. The Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Canaanites, Israelites, Persians, and others all built fortresses on this hilltop. The reason they did so was because it sat on the crucial north-south road connecting Egypt with Mesopotamia. Throughout history, armies going one way or the other would need to control Megiddo in order to control the roads going north or south. The Valley of Armageddon, which lies at the base of Megiddo, has seen more battles than any other spot in the world, because of its strategic and critical location. This valley puts the plains of the Dakotas to shame: for miles and miles, as far as the eye can see, there lies completely flat land. The Israelis have turned the valley into a agricultural paradise, with farms stretching off into the distance. Armageddon is incredibly important to me as a Christian and believer in Christ, because it is here that the final battle between good and evil is foretold to take place. The apostle John wrote in the book of Revelation that the Devil will gather all the armies of the world to this valley in Northern Israel in order to face off against the return of Christ at the end of the period known as the Tribulation. This is where the 2nd coming of Christ will occur, and unlike His first coming, He will return as a conquering king, backed up by the armies of heaven. Scriptures say that He will destroy the armies of Satan through the power of His voice, which is described as a "double edged sword". This part of the text is difficult to understand, and several explanations have been given. It has been postulated that this means that He will simply speak a word or words that will destroy His enemies. Others say that He will quote scripture and that that will somehow be too much for Satan's hoards to cope with. Regardless, Scripture is quite clear on who the victor is: Jesus will triumph, Satan will be defeated, and Christ will set up His millennial kingdom on Earth, with His capital at Jerusalem. The last time I was at Armageddon, a friend of mine was moved to tears at the site of it. When asked why she was crying, she said "This is the most famous battlefield in history, and the battle hasn't even started yet." I'm glad that we as Christians can rest secure in the knowledge of our Lord's certain victory before it actually takes place. I was thrilled to be able to see Armageddon again, and I'm glad the opportunity presented itself to go.

Beit She'an

Today, my friends and I got up at the crack of dawn, hopped on a bus, and headed to Beit She'an. Located in northern Israel on the Jordanian border, Beit She'an is a national park full of the remains of a Roman settlement. We got to tour through an old amphitheater, race track, bath house, pagan temple, and other buildings from that time period. Towering over the settlement was a tall hill called a "Tel". On top of this hill were the remains of various fortresses, built by succeeding rulers of the region. There was one built by the Egyptians, one built by the Israelites, one built by the Greeks, and one built by the Romans. This was the spot where the Israelite army under the command of King Saul was decisively defeated by the Philistines, who slew Saul's sons and put the rest of the army to flight. Saul, seeing the writing on the wall, killed himself. The Philistines then took his body and hung it from the fortress battlements, but loyal Israelites came in the night, took down his body, and gave him a proper burial. King David took the site back, and it stood as an Israelite fortress throughout his and his son Solomon's reign. From the top of the Tel, the entirety of the Jordan Valley, a part of the Jezreel Valley, and the mountains of Jordan, were all easily visible. The Jordan Valley technically resides in the West Bank, but Israel has all but annexed it for security purposes and has made it clear that it would not be part of any future Palestinian State. It was incredibly hot the entire time we were there, and huge amounts of water were necessary in order to stave off dehydration. Once we had seen everything worth seeing, we commandeered a ride on two golf carts back to the bus station, where I had my first McDonald's fry in over four months while waiting for the bus to arrive. Wanting to get back to Jerusalem before the Jewish Sabbath shut down the city's public transportation system, we were pleasantly surprised to arrive home ahead of schedule. This was an awesome day, and I am so happy that I was able to make it up to this amazing ancient settlement.

Jerusalem Day

Today, we celebrate Jerusalem day, the day that Jerusalem was united under Israeli rule during the Six Day War. Last night was one big party, as we celebrate in the eternal and undivided capital of the Jewish State. This day is incredibly important, and it is worth writing about. Jerusalem, having been liberated by Israel, will never be divided again. This city stands at the center of the world, and is sacred to its 3 major religions. As a Christian, I believe that this city stands on holy ground. My savior died here, and He was resurrected here. This is why it is sacred to the Christians. The city is sacred to the Jews because this was King David's capital, and it was also the site of the two (and some say a future 3rd) Temples of the Most High God. Finally, It is sacred to Muslims, who claim that Mohammed was taken up into heaven from the Temple Mount, making that specific site sacred to Muslims. They also say that he tied his horse to the Wailing Wall before making the assent, so they claim that site too (the Jews refuse to give it to them). From 1948-1967, this city was divided between the Israelis and the Jordanians, with Israel holding the western half and the Jordanians holding the eastern half (made up mostly of the Old City). When war broke out in 1967, Israel pleaded with King Hussein of Jordan not to get involved, but he did anyway, feeling that he had no choice. Israel quickly defeated the Jordanian army and took the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan. For the first time in thousands of years, the City of God was once again in the hands of His people. It has remained united to this day. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, but the rest of the world doesn't see it that way. Unique among capital cities of the world, Jerusalem does not host any foreign embassies. These embassies, including that of the United States (Israel's supposed best friend) reside in Tel Aviv.The embassies are located there because the nations of the world feel that Jerusalem is occupied territory, and should not be under Israeli rule. The Democratic Party even had a fight at their national convention this past year over whether to even include Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in their party platform (This wasn't an issue at the Republican Convention). The Palestinians, 46 years later, still claim East Jerusalem (at minimum) as their capital, even as their share of the West Bank continues to shrink daily. The Palestinian leadership, while making impossible demands as terms for peace, takes foreign aid money for themselves instead of distributing it to the people. President Abbas spends more time traveling the globe than he does in the West Bank providing leadership. If all of the current Palestinian demands were met, the entire city of Jerusalem would be ceded to the new Palestinian state, which would be made up (at minimum) of all of the West Bank and Gaza. Along with this, every Palestinian living in the surrounding Arab states would be allowed to return to whatever part of Israel their ancestors lived in before they left during the 1948 war. This, of course, would be the end of the Jewish state, simply because of the demographics involved. The Palestinians would outvote the Jews, taking control of the Knesset and changing the country's name from "Israel" to "Palestine". This is what would occur if every Palestinian demand were met at face value today. The Palestinian demands are, at minimum, the withdrawal of Israel to the 1967 borders (giving them all of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem), the end of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and the right of all refugees to return to their old homes throughout the country. What is ironic is that the Palestinians were offered almost all of this twice in the past decade, and both times they rejected it. Prime Minister Barak offered Arafat almost all of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem in exchange for peace, and Arafat said no. Prime Minister Olmert made a similar offer, but it also was rejected. Due to current realities, none of these demands can possibly be granted today, and no offers similar to Barak's or Olmert's will be made to the Palestinians by the current Israeli leadership. Israel, which is holding all of the cards as the victorious state of 1967 and as the regional superpower, will never agree to return to the '67 lines after all of the money and time spent building settlements in the region, and they will never divide Jerusalem again. The Palestinian demands for, at minimum, East Jerusalem, are also not possible according to the Israelis (who will not divide their capital). The best case scenario for a Palestinian state today would be one consisting of only part of the West Bank, with Ramallah as its capital. The state would be demilitarized and Israel would most likely handle security. Israel has made it abundantly clear since 1967 that Jerusalem will never be divided again, and that it is, now and forever more, the eternal capital of the Jewish people. The Palestinians need to recognize this reality, and shift their focus from the realm of dreams to the realm of the achievable.

The Slow Death of the Two State Solution

Recently, Secretary of State John Kerry said that "The Two State Solution has, at best, two years to live. We have to come up with a solution in that amount of time." In my classes, there is agreement between my various professors that the two state solution is dying, or may already be dead. This is coming about because of several factors. One is the slow but steady Israeli settlement and building projects in the West Bank, which no one in the international community is disinclined to stop at this time, and is slowly taking more and more of the West Bank for Israel. Israeli settlements, roads, and military bases are scattered across the West Bank, leaving the Palestinian controlled areas in the region looking like a checkerboard on the map. Another factor is the continued Palestinian fixation with demands that have very little chance of ever being granted, such as the Right of Return of Palestinian refugees and part or all of the city of Jerusalem. Israel is steadfast in its refusal to these two demands, but the Palestinian leadership still talk about them as if they are viable negotiating points. Another factor is the fact that neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis know what they want in an agreement between the two sides. Israelis do not know what borders they want, preferring to be vague rather than present a specific map. The Palestinian leadership still periodically talks of taking back the entirety of Palestine, an impossible undertaking. Also, if any agreement is reached, it is likely that many of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank will remain, along with, in all probability, Israeli troops, in order to handle security. The Israelis will insist on keeping the strategic Jordan Valley along the Jordan River for defense purposes, ensuring that any future Palestinian state is fully surrounded by Israeli forces. Altering perspectives for just a bit, another obstacle to reaching a solution is the fact that the Palestinians are not united. The Palestinians have two governments that distrust each other almost as much as they distrust the Israelis, one based in the Gaza Strip and one in the West Bank. The terrorist organization Hamas rules Gaza with an iron fist, and they are opposed to any reconciliation with Israel. They are the guys you see on the news that periodically fire rockets at Israel. The Palestinian party Fatah controls the West Bank. While they are, on paper, in favor of a two state solution, their leadership is plagued by inconsistent language. In English, they talk of peace; in Arabic, they persist in telling their people that they will take back the whole of Palestine. Needless to say, the Israelis don't trust either group. The last factor I will talk about is the withdrawal of the United States from the peace process. With the Cold War won, and with it the critical need of reaching an agreement between the Palestinians and Israel, U.S. Presidents have started looking at the crisis, in the words of Thomas Friedman, "As a hobby". The importance of the conflict has receded from view as the United States focuses on other matters. Along with this, the U.S. is no longer dependent on Middle Eastern oil, robbing the Arab states of their greatest weapon to bring the United States to the table. Because of Israel's slow advance across the West Bank and little or no international incentive to stop them, experts have proclaimed that the two state solution is in critical condition. In my classes here, this turn of events has resulted in intense discussion. Various proposals have been advocated. One of them is the three state solution, with independent Palestinian states in Gaza and the West Bank, which would take care of the problem of Palestinian disunity. Another option is a bi-national state, where Palestinian and Jew live together in one state stretching from the Jordan to the sea. Israel opposes this option because that would spell the end of the Jewish state; the first election would see a Palestinian majority in the Knesset, and the first act would be changing the name of the country from Israel to Palestine. Another option that received a lot of debate and seemed to be viewed in favor by most of the students is bringing the Jordanians in and having them annex part or all the West Bank into Jordan. Because Jordan was originally part of the territory called "Palestine" until it was split off by the British in 1922, and because of the majority of Jordan's population being Palestinian, it was argued that Jordan could be the Palestinian state that is being called for. The Israelis would support such a measure, because the only country that they trust in the Middle East is Jordan. The Palestinians and the Jordanian monarchy will have no part in such a plan, however, so the debate is academic. One of my classmates jokingly suggested that we give the Palestinians Detroit, because "They can't do a worse job with it than we have, and they just might fix it." Regardless of the viewpoint, the issue of "where do we go from here" has consumed several class periods, with ideas and solutions being bounced around, defended, and critiqued. One class kept track of the ideas that were put forth, and at the end of the class 56 different options were on the board. Regardless of what you believe should be done, I think we can all agree that a finding a solution will not be easy.

Memorial Day at the Wall

Tonight, Israel's military held an official ceremony at the Wailing Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem in order to mark the beginning of Israel's Memorial Day, when Israel remembers all of the soldiers who died defending their country during its countless wars of survival over the past 65 years. The service started at 8 PM, and I had class until 6, so as soon as class was over I ran out to the gate, met up with a friend, and grabbed a cab. We were dropped off at the base of the Old City's eastern walls, as the road to the Kotel (Wailing Wall) were already blocked off by police barriers, with heavily armed soldiers and policemen patrolling the streets. We walked the length of the walls to get to the Dung Gate, the quickest access to the Wall. While on the way to the Wall, I was able to get some great pictures of the Mount of Olives at sunset, situated across from us and separated from the Old City by the Kidron Valley. Once we got through the gate, went through heavy security, and emerged in the Western Wall plaza, I realized how military this ceremony was going to be. Soldiers were everywhere, some armed, some not, and all in uniform. I got some pictures with some and shook hands with others, telling them that America stood with them today to honor their sacrifice. Foreign military attaches were also present, and I saw the American, British, French, Chinese (maybe Vietnamese), and possibly German attaches, all in dress uniform. Shin Bet agents were everywhere, decked out in suits and ear-bud radios, looking just like our Secret Service. Later on, we understood the reason for their heavy presence, as Israeli President Shimon Peres appeared and was the keynote speaker for the event. He spoke of loss and sadness over the deaths of men and women who had sacrificed all for their country. He continued by stressing the need to always remember those who had died so that Israel might live, and to live every day to ensure that their sacrifice was not in vain. He concluded by reassuring his audience that Israel is strong, and will continue to survive and prosper in this region. He was speaking in Hebrew, but there was a guy a short ways away giving a running translation for those of us who were foreigners. There were several speakers after him, concluded by a Rabbi, who spoke, prayed, and then sang a very stirring prayer to God that echoed throughout the plaza and could probably be heard throughout the city. Throughout the service, an honor guard of soldiers from all branches of the Israeli military stood at attention around a flame of remembrance, guarding it and honoring the memory of their comrades who had paid the ultimate sacrifice. Once the Rabbi concluded his hymn, a different singer started to sing Hatikva, Israel's national anthem. This was taken up by the soldiers and packed crowd with great enthusiasm, so that thousands of voices were lifted to the heavens in praise of Israel and in supplication to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed, and I was proud to be among the Israelis at their service of remembrance.

Holocaust Remembrance and the Nature of Evil

Today is the day when Israel remembers the Holocaust, its victims and those who risked their lives to save as many Jews as possible from death. Tonight at Yad Vashem (the national Holocaust memorial and museum), a service took place in which the Prime Minister, President of Israel, and various dignitaries and religious leaders all took part. It was held in the square commemorating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, in which the Jews rebelled against their Nazi captors and fought them for a month before they were defeated and lead off to the gas chambers. The memorial is broken into two parts: the people being lead meekly to their deaths, and those who chose to resist and fight their oppressors. During the service, in front of the memorial to the resistance, 6 paratroopers stood as mute tribute to the fallen warriors and to remind the world that they were there to ensure that another Holocaust never occurs. Sadly, I was not able to go to this service because of classes, but we looked at pictures and video clips of past services. The International Date of Commemoration for the remembrance of the Holocaust is January 27th, the date Auschwitz was liberated. In Poland, the annual march of the living takes place, with survivors walking the road to Auschwitz to commemorate the walk of death, when countless Jews and other peoples were herded down that road to their deaths in the gas chambers. The walk is lead by the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, to remind the world that the IDF always stands between the Jewish people and the threat of another Holocaust. There is a famous picture, that I'm sure many of you have seen, of Israeli fighter jets flying over Auschwitz, to give the world this same message. Tomorrow, the memorial continues, with a siren sounding at 10 in the morning and lasting for two minutes. During the time that the siren sounds, everything comes to a halt. People walking on the street stop and bow their heads. Cars on the roads stop and people get out. The radio and television interrupt their broadcasts. The country shuts down, and everyone pauses. I will take part in this tomorrow, as Gentile and Jew unite in mourning a barbaric act of mass murder and hatred against an innocent people. A favorite literary character of mine, Dr. Mordechai, said "The problem with you Americans is that you don't believe in evil. Your nation cannot conceive that evil men will do evil things, while my nation was born out of the ashes of the Holocaust." He is right: my country, even after all we have faced, still cannot bring itself to believe that evil is present and at work in this world. Sure, some Americans have perceived its existence: Didn't President Reagan call the Soviet Union the "Evil Empire"? And didn't President Bush say on 9/11 "Today, our nation saw evil," and then go on to brand Iraq, Iran, and North Korea the "Axis of Evil"? But by and large, we just can't seem to make ourselves believe that there is an unseen force on this earth that makes men do the unspeakable. We hide from it by branding these dictators, tyrants, and others who do such despicable things as "unstable", "unhinged", "psychotic", and other academic terms, and no doubt those who commit such acts are all of these things. But there is more to it than that, something beneath the surface, that makes these people go beyond the usual acts of madness. I believe that evil exists, and is alive and well in our world today. What was Newtown, if not an incredible act of evil? What about Aurora? 9/11? Columbine? The list goes on and on, and yet we will still not face the truth. Remember that iconic scene in the Dark Knight when a disbelieving mob boss says to the Joker "You're crazy!" The Joker looks back and states quite calmly "I'm not. No, I'm not." And he was right; he wasn't. Something else drove him. As Michael Caine wisely said "Some men just want to watch the world burn." The Jewish people acknowledge the existence of evil; they've had to live through more evil dictators and evil acts of attempted genocide than any other people in recorded history. This country was founded out of the ashes of the most evil event in history. We all know the famous Edmund Burke quote: "All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing." We've all stood together at Holocaust memorials and shouted passionately "Never Again!" When the chips are down though, and when the next Holocaust looms on the horizon, as it does now, will we keep our word? Will we stand with the Jews this time? Or will we cower, and attempt to "Appease" evil, as Chamberlain tried to do at Munich? I do not know what the future holds, but I do know this: the lessons of history are brutally clear. Appeasement has been tried, and we all know of its result. Just imagine what might have happened if Chamberlain had said "No" at Munich? How different history might have been! I don't have all the answers, and I don't know what tomorrow will bring. What I do know is this: evil exists, it is real, and it has left a trail of blood across the pages of history. Joel Rosenberg said "To misunderstand the nature and threat of evil is to risk being blindsided by it." On this day, the memorial to the most evil act in history, let us acknowledge evil's existence, and resolve to fight rather than appease it.

Living in Disputed Territory

As all of you know, I live in the city of Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel. This city has a very detailed and complicated history, going back almost to the beginning of time. In the last century alone, it has gone from being the center of Ottoman influence in the Palestine region, to the capital of the British Mandate, to divided between the new states of Jordan and Israel, to united under Israeli rule in 1967. Despite its unification, the city is still fought over to this day. The Palestinians claim, at minimum, East Jerusalem for the capital of their future state. The Israelis have said that they will never divide Jerusalem. This city has become one of the huge sticking points between the Israelis and Palestinians and a comprehensive peace treaty. To make matters even more complicated, East Jerusalem is also the site of the Old City and the Holy Sites of the three major religions: the Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock for the Muslims, the Wailing Wall for the Jews, and the Holy Sepulcher and Garden Tomb for the Christians. Some peace plans have called for the splitting of Jerusalem between the two sides, some call for the internationalization of Jerusalem, some call for the splitting of the city while internationalizing the Old City and the Holy Sites. Needless to say, its a mess. Living in East Jerusalem, or as some would call it, disputed territory, has given me a front row seat to all the conflicts and dysfunction. In the Old City alone, 50,000 people are crammed into an area comprising 0.35 square miles (I don't really know what that is in terms of easily understood distances, but just to put it in perspective, my hometown of Apple Valley has roughly the same amount of residents, and they're spread over miles of land). In the Old City and throughout East Jerusalem, Muslims, Christians, and Jews live side by side and rub shoulders on a daily basis. Sure, there is conflict between them, and nobody is going to volunteer to watch the neighbor's cat when they go on vacation, but they make it work. Each group has its own quarter in the Old City, which helps ease tensions, but it is impossible to navigate the eastern half of the city without running into people of all three faiths. And if you're thinking that it's the Christians and Jews vs. the Muslims here, just remember that the Jews were actually treated worse under Christian rule during the Diaspora (the scattering of the Jewish people all over the planet after the failure of several rebellions against Rome) than under Muslim rule. Every day, I walk through disputed territory, and I get to see the front lines of the conflict firsthand. I spend the vast majority of my time in East Jerusalem. Soldiers are everywhere, checkpoints can go up at a moment's notice and it's not uncommon for a police officer or soldier to ask to see identification. I've seen several peaceful protests against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, all of which have been closely watched by Israeli soldiers and security officers. I've been allowed through checkpoints without a second glance only to turn around and see the Muslim woman behind me subjected to extra searches. I've learned to avoid certain areas and I never go out at night if I can help it. This is the reality of living in East Jerusalem. It's incredibly safe, but it's also incredibly tense. I wouldn't want to be living anywhere else.

The Palestinian Situation

Hello friends. I realize that over the past few months, I have given you the Israeli side of things in the majority of my blog posts. I will not apologize for this, because the pro-Israel point of view is becoming incredibly rare, almost extinct, in day-to-day conversations and media reports. However, I realize that an imbalance exists, and that I have devoted little time and attention to articulating the Palestinian situation. I will attempt to do so now. The Palestinians are currently going through an incredible amount of pain and suffering that is almost unimaginable to an American audience. When talking about the Palestinians, it is necessary to break up the discussion into three categories: the Palestinians living in Gaza, the Palestinians living in the West Bank, and the Palestinians living in refugee camps in other Arab countries. The Palestinians in Gaza are subjugated to some of the worst living conditions on earth. Many of them are unemployed, and families have to get by on an average of $1230 a year. Most of the Palestinians in Gaza are forced to live in cramped, overcrowded refugee camps. They are ruled by the terrorist organization Hamas, a tyrannical government with a law system similar to the one the Taliban once used in Afghanistan. To make matters even worse, Gaza is under a military blockade by the Israelis due to Hamas's habit of launching missiles at Israeli civilian centers. This makes food and other necessary items almost impossible to obtain for rank and file Palestinians. The situation is indescribable, and I pray for a solution that can bring some kind of peace so that the civilians caught between the Hamas terrorists and the Israeli military can be assured of life with dignity. The Palestinians in the West Bank are somewhat better off than their brothers and sisters in Gaza. They are under the rule of the Palestinian Authority, a "democratic" form of government run by President Abbas, Yasser Arafat's successor. While this government "rules" the West Bank, in reality it lives and breaths at the pleasure of the Israeli Army. The Israeli Defense Forces currently occupy much of the West Bank in the name of national security, and Israeli settlements are slowly taking more and more of the territory for Israelis and leaving the Palestinians living there with less and less of the pie. Israeli roads, checkpoints, military bases, and settlements divide up the West Bank from north to south and east to west, giving the Palestinians very little land for them to actually "rule". There is no question that some Israeli soldiers stationed in the West Bank occasionally abuse their authority and make the lives of the Palestinians living there extremely difficult. The Palestinians of the West Bank, however, are more upset with their impotent government at the moment. Some of them have just received their "December salaries" when we are currently in April. The government takes the lion-share of foreign aid for itself, creating 28 ministries when 18 would do and giving President Abbas a 15 car convoy to travel two miles, all of them brand new Mercedes. Corruption is rampant. Low-level government employees are forced to beg on the streets because their salaries haven't been paid in months. My Palestinian history professor often talks about this corruption and lack of leadership coming from the Palestinian Authority. Elections have not been held in years, and he calls for Abbas to have the guts to actually let the people decide on a course of action and choose their own rulers. Lastly, the Palestinians in the refugee camps scattered throughout the Arab countries surrounding Israel also live unenviable existences. There is massive unemployment, very little money, and very little hope of life getting better any time soon. Their "Arab Brothers", who encouraged them to revolt and promised a massive Arab victory in 1948, turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the horrible life these people are living and their pleas for help. The grand majority of them look down on the Palestinians with disgust, viewing them as, at best, second class citizens. Only in Jordan have the refugees been somewhat accepted with open arms. Palestinians there have received Jordanian citizenship, and Palestinians make up a majority of the country's citizens. Across all three areas, the current Palestinian existence can generally be described as grim. These are people, just like you and me, hoping for a better tomorrow and a better life for their children. Sure, there are radicals who preach terrorism, but we must not paint a people with a rich history with such a broad brush. Saying every Palestinian is a terrorist is like saying every American wears a cowboy hat everyday and drives a hummer. It's silly, ridiculous, and fundamentally untrue. What we have to remember at the end of the day is that these are people just like you and me, people whom God calls us to love and care for. Do I have a solution to the problem? No of course not. Is there a perfect solution? Probably not. What I have written here barely scratches the surface on Palestinian life here in the Middle East, and I encourage you to read up on it and educate yourselves more thoroughly before making a judgement. At the end of the day, however, something positive has to be done, because these people can't live like this forever.

The Halfway Point

Well, I've reached the top. It's all downhill from here. I have officially reached the halfway point of my stay here in Israel. I've been here for two and a half months, with two and a half months to go. I am currently wrapping up my spring break, with classes resuming on Sunday. These last few months have been a whirlwind for me, and it still kind of feels like we just got off the plane a week or two ago. I've been given a crash course in Hebrew, been introduced to Israeli culture, toured throughout the country, and have gotten used to living in the holiest, and most coveted, city on earth. I've learned the lay of the land, where to go and where not to go, gotten used to trying to live around each faith's holy day, and how to navigate both the Old City and the greater city's light-rail. I've been to the four major holy sites, and can now say that I've spent Good Friday and Easter in the City of David. I'm in the midst of some amazing classes, taught by awesome professors. My Palestinian History course is fascinating, and I always seem to lose track of time as I listen to Professor Nazzal give passionate speeches about the corruption of the Palestinian Authority and the need for Israelis and Palestinians to work together. My Israeli Foreign Policy class is one of the best classes I've ever taken, taught by a guy who looks just like Michael Caine. His stories of the War of Independence and the aftermath are incredible. My Modern Israel History class is also great, learning about the founders of Zionism and what each of them wanted the future Jewish state to look like. My Cultural History of Jerusalem class is a treat because we actually get to go on field trips in Jerusalem so that our professor can show us the actual sites that she's lecturing on. Finally, my Political Theory of the Welfare State is just a fun time, as I have a blast being the only Conservative, small-government American in a class full of Israelis. I've made some amazing friends along the way as well. We've hiked the northern mountains of Israel together, descended into the half-lit alleys of the Muslim Quarter together, prayed together, broken bread together, and worshiped together. They all like to joke about how I love America more than anyone they've ever met before. We're in the midst of the Old Testament right now, reading about Joshua and Israel's return to the land of their forefathers. The Bible Studies I've become a part of have been fantastic, and have really helped me understand the Old Testament and the foundations of my faith better. The discussions are informative, challenging, and intelligent, with the focus being on building knowledge over a part of the Bible that few Christians ever take the time to study. All in all, these past few months have been an incredible, being able to live in the City of God and in the country of His people. Of course I've felt homesick from time to time, and I look forward to going back at the end of my time here, but for now I am trying to live the Israeli life to the fullest (without going Kosher) and take advantage of each and every opportunity that is presented to me. I am so thankful for the opportunity to study here, and I can't wait to see what the next two and a half months have in store!

Easter Sunday at the Tomb

Praise to the Lord, Creator of the Universe. King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Savior of mankind, Ruler over all things. You are all-powerful, all-knowing, with infinite mercy, love, and compassion. Slow to anger, quick to forgive, just, great, and awesome in majesty. Praise to the Lord, the Savior of the world, who came to Earth as a man to die so that we might live, and then rose again to confirm that death has been defeated once and for all. Today, I was blessed to have been able to go to the Garden Tomb to celebrate Easter. We lined up an hour before the service started to ensure that we got good seats. There were people from all over the world at this service, and every continent except for Antarctica was represented. We sang hymns praising God, listened to a pastor preach the good news, and rejoiced with our fellow believers. Many of them had traveled thousands of miles in order to be here today, and I felt so blessed to be around them. The Pastor told a story about how a man asked Joseph of Arimathea why he had given such an exquisitely hand-carved and beautiful tomb to a stranger? Joseph smiled and said "It's alright, he only needs it for the weekend." The Garden echoed with so many voices being raised to heaven in joy and celebration. People were dancing, cheering, and crying. Christ has won. We have won. Death no longer holds any power over us. Because of Christ's sacrifice and resurrection, we can live eternally with Him if we acknowledge Him as Lord and ask for forgiveness. It was a very emotional, very triumphant service. After it was over, the tomb was opened up by some, and they confirmed that it was empty. He is not Here, for He is Risen! Since the Garden is run by the British, one of them couldn't resist making reference to a famous Christian British author when he proclaimed "Alsan, the Lion of Judah, roars again!" After the service was over, I went into the Old City and made my way to the Holy Sepulcher, to see what the Catholics and Orthodox were doing. It was standing room only inside, and everyone was clustered around the Catholic tomb of Jesus. All of the priests and bigwigs of the church were on hand, decked out in full regalia for the day. The organ was going full blast, monks on the balconies above us were chanting, and suddenly the various dignitaries and priests were on the move, lead by two guys dressed like they had just stepped out of the renaissance, carry huge silver-looking staves, which they pounded on the floor to keep time. First came the priests, or priests in training, each holding a candle and singing. Next came more important looking priests (maybe bishops, I can't say for certain) wearing flashier robes than the priests who came before them. One of them carried a very tall staff, on top of which was the crucifix inlaid with silver and shining brightly in the candlelight. Next came the most important-looking priests, wearing the cool hats which reminded me of what the Pope sometimes wears. These guys were decked out in gold and red, while the others before them were in white. Everyone in the audience (including me) was holding a candle and watching the whole procession with rapt attention. Slowly, the procession went around the corner and disappeared, with the audience following with their candles. I felt like I had experienced enough of the Catholic/Orthodox ceremony, so I left the Sepulcher and wandered the streets of the Christian Quarter for a while. It was such a beautiful day, with the sun out and very few clouds. Later in the afternoon, it started getting more humid, so I jumped on a train and came home. This was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I will never forget having the opportunity to spend Good Friday and Easter in Jerusalem.

Good Friday in Jerusalem

It's the main event. Easter weekend in Jerusalem, the City of God, the Center of the World, sacred ground. Today my friends and I got up early to go down to the Garden Tomb for their Good Friday service. It was a beautiful day, perfect temperature, not a cloud in the sky. We walked through the gardens and got good seats in front of the pulpit situated just above the Tomb itself. The pastor talked about how we as Christians seem to save all of the celebration and happiness for Easter Sunday, when Good Friday should also be remembered and celebrated, not just mourned. He went on to say that Jesus defeated Satan and death on the cross, and that Easter Sunday puts the exclamation point on His sacrifice. Before and after the sermon, there were several readings from the Gospels and several hymns that we all sang together. We prayed for the peace of Jerusalem and for the Christians in the Middle East. We prayed for peace and for Christ's return. We prayed in gratitude for Christ's unbelievable love and mercy, and asked for forgiveness for our sins. When the service was over, we all went down to the Tomb to remember that Good Friday is merely the beginning, Easter is the Victory, and His return in triumph is the end. It was beyond amazing to be able to spend Good Friday in the city of Jerusalem, praying a couple of yards away from the hill of Golgotha and the Tomb. I felt humbled by the incredible sacrifice that took place here two thousand years ago, and in the end, all I could say is "Thank you". After the service concluded and we paid our respects at the Tomb, I went into the Old City to the Holy Sepulcher to see what the Catholics and Orthodox were doing to mark the day. Soldiers and security were everywhere, as religious holidays in Jerusalem have been used as an excuse by some in the past to spark violent protests against members of the other religions. As I was trying to make my way to the Sepulcher, soldiers and police were shutting down the streets surrounding it, wanting to restrict the flow of people in and out of the building to a tolerable amount. Normally, this would have caused a problem for me, but since this is Holy Week there is an abundance of tours going through the Old City. Today, all of them seemed intent on getting into the Holy Sepulcher, and the soldiers were letting most of them through. Because I didn't feel like waiting, I simply attached myself to a tour going in and got through into the church without any hassle. Inside were more soldiers and police, and monks from the various denominations and churches singing in Gregorian Chant and spreading more incense than usual. I followed the monks, wanting to listen to as much Gregorian Chant as possible, and tried to keep out of the way of all the tourists taking their Christmas Card family pictures. While the music was amazing as always, I found that I preferred the simpler, incense-free Garden Tomb style of worship as I walked through the Sepulcher. I left the Old City, hopped on the train, and made my way back to my apartment. I am so glad that I have the opportunity to be in Jerusalem for Good Friday and Easter on Sunday. This weekend will be one of the highlights of my life, and I can't wait to go back to the Tomb two days from now.

A Bacon Lover in a Kosher World

Going to Israel, I knew that I was going to have to make some sacrifices. All of these sacrifices, in my mind, resided in the realm of food. I enjoy food, particularly Amurrican food, food that I would have to leave behind. I would have to give up bacon for five months, which would be a huge sacrifice in it of itself. Besides this, I knew that foods that are "non-Kosher" would be incredibly difficult to find. Upon arrival, I confirmed that I would have to make these sacrifices, and I learned about many more over the course of the first few weeks in the country. Another sacrifice that I live with is living in a city that basically shuts down for the weekend. Now by shut down, you probably are thinking "Oh things will open by noon. Annoying, but doable." Wrong. When I say shut down, I mean shut down. Completely. From Friday afternoon until Saturday night, almost everything is closed for Shabat (Jewish Sabbath). No light rail, no buses, no grocery store, or no stores of any kind for the most part. If you go into Friday night without any food, you're out of luck, and you'll have to wait until Saturday night to replenish. But, of course when talking about the Israeli transition, everything comes back to food. The lack of some meats is particularly frustrating. Obviously nothing off of a pig is readily available, and hamburgers are also scarce. Thankfully, there's a Palestinian burger joint just up the street from the student village, and a Domino's pizza place just beyond that. When I get to the point where I just can't take it anymore and need some "real meat", I go to one of those places. Because of the lack of good meat, I've had to adjust. I've had a lot of chicken, eggs, and spaghetti for lunch and dinner over the last few months. Sometimes I just give up, go to the student store, and have a coca-cola and Cheetos for dinner, but these are rare occurrences. Another adjustment to Israeli society started just this past week, and despite my mental preparations, has caught me off guard. This week is Passover here in Israel, the celebration of the end of slavery in Egypt and the start of the Israelite's journey to the Promised Land. As we all know, in Exodus, God says to eat unleavened bread (without yeast) during the Passover feats, to emphasize the haste of the meal and the fact that the Jews could be leaving at any moment. Over the past few days, I've tried unleavened bread for the experience, and my reaction was along the lines of "This is nice, I'm glad I can say I had this, but I wouldn't eat this daily or go searching for it at the grocery store." It's essentially tasteless, something that you quickly tire of, making you go look for something with flavor. When I sat down to the traditional Seder (Passover) meal, I ate unleavened bread along with the rest, and then thanked God when the meal was over so I could return to "real bread". Little did I know that during the entirety of Passover week, "real bread" would be taken off of the shelves and would not be available for purchase. I'm not just talking about loaves of bread, I'm talking noodles, cereals, anything with grain in it. What does that leave? You guessed it: unleavened bread. For the rest of the week. I saw people at the grocery store with their entire carts filled with the stuff, as there was nothing else to buy. Doing my best to be a good Israeli, I grinned and bought some of the stuff too. I'm munching on some right now. The taste hasn't improved, but this is Passover week, and I'm here for the experience.

From Sea to Shining Sea

Over the past four days, I was blessed to have been able to go on a school-sponsored hiking trip in the Galilee region of northern Israel. We started Thursday morning at the Mediterranean sea, taking a water bottle of salt water to carry with us on our journey to pour in the Sea of Galilee when we got there on Sunday. We hiked through an Israeli state park that day, climbing up and down the sheer cliffs of mountains and through the valleys in between, following the one water source of the area. For most of the day, we found ourselves on a very narrow trail, strewn with obstacles that needed to be climbed over or crawled under, sometimes hugging the mountain side with a drop into the yawning chasm of the valley below us ever present. We waded through the river multiple times, and the coolness of the water was a welcome relief from the heat of the day. We ended the day's hike by tackling a mountain head on, climbing straight up its steep, stony surface. I felt more like a mountain goat than a man as I desperately clung to whatever hand-hold was offered, doing my best not to slip and fall off of the mountain. We finally got up onto the top and took our bus to a hostel in the ancient city of Acre (modern day Akko) to spend the night. When we were all settled in, we took a night tour of Acre to see the wonders of its Old City. Acre is located just across the bay from Haifa in northern Israel, and it was the jewel of the Crusader Kingdom a thousand years ago. At one point, we stopped to look at an ancient mosque in the center of the city, named after a Muslim ruler who's nickname was "The Butcher", so the Mosque was named "The Butcher Mosque". One of my friends that was a strange way to name a place of worship, exclaiming "Why would they name their Mosque after a man who butchered his people!? That's like us naming a church after the Inquisition!" After a wonderful night's sleep, we set out the next day for Mount Moran, the highest peak in Israel after the Golan Heights. This hike was much easier and gentler than the one the day before, taking us on a leisurely and zig-zagging course up the side of the mountain. Once we got to the top, we had a wide panorama of the northern heartland of Israel. We were even able to see the mountains of Lebanon and some Lebanese villages located on the border of the two countries. We knew that Hezbollah, the Shiite terrorist organization, undoubtedly had troops and bases in those villages (probably located in schools and hospitals), and our guide took the opportunity to tell us about the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. Some of us waved at Hezbollah in a mocking manner as we left the summit (some of our group flipped them the bird)as we made our way down the opposite side of the mountain to make our way to the Druze village of Peki'in. We spent the night there and the next day touring this ancient village, which has routes all the way back to the Second Temple Period. Today, our last day on tour, we hiked through a valley in the mountains that opened up on the Sea of Galilee. It was a gentle stroll of a hike, with rocks and boulders everywhere to keep it interesting. We ended the hike as the valley exited the mountains and opened up on to rolling hills used for farmland. We finally made it to the Sea of Galilee, a huge freshwater lake in the north of Israel where Jesus spent the majority of His time on Earth. Across from the shore on which we stood, the Golan Heights stretched into the distance, imposing and impressive in their massive size. The heights are still technically "disputed territory" between Israel and Syria, as Israel took them away from Syria in the 6 Day War. In reality, however, they are fully integrated into the State of Israel, and with the civil war raging in Syria, they will be staying that way for a long time. We ended our hiking trip on the shore of Galilee, relaxing in the sun and enjoying food and friendship. I was blessed to have been able to stay with a great group of guys over this trip. We all knew each other beforehand, but this trip has allowed us to get to know each other better and grow as friends and brothers. I am very blessed to have been able to travel throughout the north of Israel and to have seen all of the great sights and wonders of the region over the last four days, and I am also blessed to have been able to have shared the experience with such awesome people.

Next year in... oh wait!

Tonight, my Bible Study decided that we should have a traditional Passover meal, since we're in Israel and Passover week starts very soon. We sat down, ate the traditional foods (in the correct order) and said the traditional prayers in Hebrew. Each thing we ate had a theme, such as the tears of the Israelites that were shed during slavery, or the egg of rebirth and the new life that awaited them as they left Egypt for the Holy Land. We talked about what the Passover meant and why we eat it. We remembered how God came to save His people from enslavement and His leading them to a land flowing with milk and honey. We took time to say all of the plagues, to remember God's awesome power and His wrath that He poured out against the Egyptians who refused to release His people. We sang songs, ate unleavened bread, opened the door to see if Elijah was there, and hid the piece of unleavened bread and then went and looked for it (as tradition calls for). In the middle of the ceremony, since everyone present was a Christian, we suspended tradition and looked up the Last Supper passage in the New Testament. We then held communion, as Jesus Himself did during the Passover meal not very far from where we sat. We remembered His sacrifice, and how it was more perfect than any animal sacrifice that was necessary before He died. We then went back to the original Jewish tradition and finished the prayers and the sayings (In Hebrew of course). We had a big debate over whether or not to say the traditional "Next year in Jerusalem" concluding pronouncement, since we're already here. We ultimately decided to say it, arguing that we could be sitting down to this meal next year in the New Jerusalem. Once the "traditional" meal, was over, we broke out the rest of the food that we brought and had a very gentile-like dinner, with coca cola, soup, and ice cream. It was awesome to be able to say that I participated in the Passover meal while staying in Jerusalem, as the Hebrews in Egypt were eating the meal while in captivity in anticipation of reaching the Holy Land. My friends and I talked about our Passover break plans (most of us are going hiking in the north of the country for the weekend), and reminisced about the great memories we've already created over the past two months. I'm truly blessed to be surrounded by such great people, and I'm so happy that we've got another three months here together.

The Samson Option

It had all of the makings of a normal day in class, listening to the professor lecture about the early years of Israeli Foreign Policy. During the lecture, however, the professor interjected a side comment that immediately received the undivided attention of the class. He used the words "Samson Option" to describe Israel's desperate situation at its birth. We immediately asked what the Samson Option was, and he gave us an explanation. There is a contingency plan, he said, where if it comes to the point where all hope is lost for Israel, they will push the button and take all of their enemies with them into the abyss. The plan is based off of the Israelite Samson in the Bible, who when he was at the end of his strength, pulled down the building he was in to kill his Philistine captors along with himself. We asked if the Samson Option was still a contingency option today. The professor, without any hesitation, said "yes". We asked for elaboration and he said how Israel's nuclear arsenal is in place to both deter enemy attack and to destroy their enemies utterly if any of them dared to launch against Israel. He brought up Iran when talking about this, saying if the Iranians launched a missile with a non-conventional warhead against Israel, Israel would retaliate with all the terrifying force of its nuclear arsenal. He stressed that this is a last-ditch contingency, contemplated only when all hope is lost and the Jewish state is ensured with extinction. At that time, he implied, the order would be given, the missiles would be launched, and Israel would take its enemies with her to the grave. I sat in that classroom contemplating this long after the professor had turned back to his scheduled lecture. The fact that such a contingency exists is testament to the bleak situation Israel faces on a day to day basis. It is not surprising for a country that was born out of the ashes of the Holocaust. Ringed on all sides by enemies, confronted with a growing power in the East who's pursuit of nuclear weapons is based on the desire to "Wipe them off of the map", Israel faces the possibility of its destruction with every rising of the sun. I have no doubt that if that terrible day were to come, Israel would push the button with no hesitation. Having gone through it once, the Jews will never again allow themselves to be herded meekly into the gas chambers. If such a day dawns again, they will pull their enemies in with them and slam the door shut. This is the reality, with all of the niceties and flowery language stripped away. We confront the stark truth with this contingency. Israel will do all in its considerable power to prevent another Holocaust, but if it happens again, Israel will make sure that they do not leave this world alone.

Haifa

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go the beautiful port city of Haifa, located on the northern coast of Israel, with several Bible study friends. We left Jerusalem on the 7:30 bus to Haifa, which took about 2 hours to get to our destination. Once there, we trekked to the youth hostel where we would spend the night, dropped off our stuff, and headed to the beach. The temp was in the 90's, and we wanted to just soak up the heat and say that we got to swim in the Med in March. The beach was packed with Israelis, most of them looking to be of middle school age or younger. We spent the afternoon relaxing in the sun, swimming, walking the length of the beach, and enjoying burgers and fries. At the end of the day, we caught the last bus into town, changed clothes, and went out to sample the city night life. We ate at a cool restaurant called "Havana Plus", a Cuban place with most of its seating placed outdoors in a large tent-like structure. When we went back to our hostel, we ran into some off-duty U.S. sailors attached to a U.S. destroyer that had just pulled into port. They didn't give us the name of the ship, and when asked what they were doing here, they responded simply with "Syria", and we left it at that. They also mentioned that they took part in the Libyan war that saw the overthrow of Gaddafi, but again no specifics were given and none were asked for. It was great running into these guys, and my friends and I quickly invited them inside the hostel for coffee and tea, our only way to thank them for their service. We sat up for a couple of hours talking about current events, politics, wars and rumors of wars, and Christianity. I told them how much I respected them and their service, saying "The military is one of the few government institutions left that still has honor." One of the sailors said, "For now." I asked what he meant by that, and he said "Right now we're all volunteer, but if a major war occurs, they'll be calling all of you up, and a lot of you won't want to fight and won't feel compelled to do so." My friend Keith (a religious studies major from Berkeley) and I exchanged looks, and both of us said "If called upon to serve, it is my honor and duty to do so." The conversation switched to religion, as two of the three sailors had doubts about faith and God. My friends and I took turns trying to answer their questions and doubts about God, and a good back-and-forth took place concerning the various beliefs and views of all the people present. When the night ended and the sailors made ready to go back to their ship, we each shook their hands and thanked them for their service. I hope we impressed upon them that not all American college students are clueless, and that some of us still view the U.S. military with awe and admiration. The next day, we set out to tour the Bahai Gardens, Haifa's main attraction and a world heritage site. The gardens are located on a slope of a very steep hill/mountain, as the city is built on the slopes of mountains that rush down to meet the sea in a huge natural harbor. To get into the gardens, it was necessary to hike all the way to the top of the mountain. We did this in about twenty minutes to catch the one English tour of the day. It is impossible to describe the beauty of the gardens or the amazing view that they offered. If possible, I encourage you to look through the pictures I posted on Facebook. They will give you a much better sense of the scale and grandeur of the gardens than any written description can give. Suffice to say, they were some of the most beautiful areas of this planet that I have ever seen. After that amazing tour, we went through an Arab market for lunch, and then hopped on the bus to make our way back to Jerusalem. It was an absolutely amazing experience with awesome people, and I consider myself blessed to have been able to go.

The Palestinian Historian

My Palestinian history professor paced from one end of the platform to the other. He had taken off his suit jacket and his pink dress shirt was rolled up past the elbows. He was gesturing forcefully and passionately to punctuate each word that he was saying. Suddenly he stopped behind his desk and pounded the desk with his hand as he shouted his condemnation of Arafat and the PLO (it was kind of like Khrushchev pounding his shoe on the podium back in the day, sorry that was the only example I could think of to help you picture the situation). My Palestinian history professor is awesome. He's walked the walk, and now he's talking the talk. The entire class hangs on each word he says. He had so many great quotes today in class that I wrote down as many as I could to share them with you. Some I do not agree with, but I will share them all the same because mere disagreement shouldn't stop someone from admiring the words being spoken. In the middle of his lecture, he started passionately condemning Arafat and the PLO for signing agreements with Israel that no Palestinian had seen and approved of beforehand. He said "Who gave him the right to speak for Palestine!? Who gave him the right!? We didn't! I want to write a critique of Arafat in Arabic for my people to read, but I can't do that. My people would shoot me." He says that the Palestinians need to stop the cult worship of Arafat and recognize him as the swindler and liar that he was. He went on to talk about how the Palestinians desperately want a state, but are going about it entirely the wrong way. He shouted at us "Slogans on a wall do not create a state! Facts on the ground create a state!" In the first part of the quote, he was referencing the graffiti Palestinians have painted on the security fence. He continued on this train of thought, shouting with conviction: "If you want a state, you build it! That's what the Jews did! You build schools, hospitals, roads, and bridges! YOU PAY YOUR EMPLOYEES INSTEAD OF TAKING ALL OF THE MONEY FOR YOURSELF! Abbas (President of Palestine), you do not need 15 Mercedes to drive 2 miles! You do not need 28 ministers when 18 would be more than enough!" He did not spare the Israelis criticism either. He looked at us and said, "The Israelis cannot go to war and take land and keep it! The Americans never did that!" This was one of the few things he said that I disagreed with, purely on a historical technicality. America most definitely went to war for land and kept said land when we won. That was what the Mexican War was all about. We took the entire southwest from Mexico. I didn't correct the man because I am merely a student and he is the professor, and you do not correct professors unless they've made a grave error, and even then you must hesitate before taking the plunge. They have earned our respect. Anyway, he continued along this line of reasoning, "We (the Palestinians) go back to 637 A.D. (the conquest of the land of Israel by the Muslims) This land is ours! We are the original inhabitants!" Here again, I disagreed with him (privately). Please bear with me, as I am about to try and summarize thousands of years of history in a paragraph. The original inhabitants of "Palestine" were the Canaanites. No, before you ask, the modern Palestinians are not descendants of the Canaanites. The Jewish people, or the Israelites, settled in "Palestine" in about 1250 B.C. (or earlier, depending on what year Abraham settled there, but they settled as a people in about 1250 B.C.), and created the Kingdom of Israel (about 1800 years before the Muslim conquest). Even though the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 B.C. and the Kingdom of Judah was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., Jews remained in the land of Israel, through Persian, Greek, and Roman occupation. After the second failed Jewish revolt in the 130's A.D., the Roman Emperor of the time (Hadrian) decided to make an end to the "Jewish problem". He blotted "Israel" and "Judea" out of all of the maps and changed the name of the land to "Palestine", a reference to the ancient Philistines, the Israelites' ancestral enemies. So originally, the term "Palestine" was meant as an insult to the Jewish people by an anti-Semitic emperor. Even during this time, according to my professor, the Palestinians didn't show up until 500 years later, and Jews were always present in the land right up until 1948. Research the histories and conflict for yourself and make up your own minds; don't send me a message or email biting my head off if you happen to disagree with my timeline. The professor, in any case, commands great respect because of the passion and sincerity that he brings to the subject. He concluded the lecture by saying, "The problem, the conflict, boils down to this: The Israelis do not know what they want. And the Palestinians do not know what they want. If they would just decide! If Israel would take a map and draw the borders it wants, and if the Palestinian leadership would do the same, then we would get somewhere! Then we can actually start negotiating! But nobody knows what they want, and you can't reach a viable agreement if neither party doesn't have a clue!" He ended with a warning to all of us, "People are losing hope, and when they lose hope, how can you make peace?" I may not agree with everything the guy says, but he is still a great man, and there is much that he can teach and that I can learn about this area of the world. He truly is middle of the road, a legitimate moderate, a man who has incurred the wrath of the Palestinians many times over the years for daring to say that they must work with Israel instead of hating them. It is a privilege to listen to him.

Story Time

History class is the closest we get, as adults, to the story time of our youth. We can all remember gathering around our parents, grandparents, or other family members to hear, as Sam called them, the "Great Stories, the ones that really mattered". Now we're all grown up, attending college or university, in search of the career that will last us the rest of our lives. In this big scary world full of responsibility, debt, and stress, story time finds a way to stay with us. Welcome to the modern history class, where we learn about our past and our national mythologies. Depending on the lecturer, these classes can either be incredibly exciting or incredibly boring, but the stories stick with us either way. This semester, I am blessed to be taking three history classes, each being taught by an excellent story teller. My week begins with Modern Palestinian History and Society, taught by an excellent Palestinian professor. He's the type of guy that teaches you more through his personal stories than by reading off facts and dates. He has a wealth of knowledge about Middle Eastern politics; if a person is a player or leader in the region, he's either met them or taught them at some point. He's taught all of the current Palestinian ministers, is on first name basis with Palestinian President Abbas, and is very good friends with former Israeli Prime Minister Olmert. He met with Arafat a couple of times back in the day, and he was invited to Libya by Gaddafi to set up a university in Benghazi. He is committed to an accommodation with Israel and a two state solution, and he consistently has criticized his fellow Palestinians for both not knowing what they want and also for rejecting past plans put forward by Israel and the United States. He joked that for long periods of times it wasn't safe for him in the West Bank, because the Palestinians considered him to be a traitor and a sell-out and would have killed him if he showed his face there. The week continues with the Foreign Policy of Israel, taught by a man that looks just like Michael Caine and who was living in Israel during the War of Independence in 1948. He tells us stories of what it was actually like to live during that time, and the difficulties and near-impossible situation that the Jews faced. It is an absolutely fascinating story and a pleasure to listen to. The final history class I'm taking is called the Cultural History of Jerusalem, where we not only learn about the history of Jerusalem but also go out on field trips into the city itself to see what we're learning about first-hand. Today, we went to the City of David to see the Jerusalem of David's time, the capital of the kingdom of Israel. This is where the famous Hezekiah's tunnel is located (though we didn't go through that since the water is still very cold). The city at that time was little bigger than a modern neighborhood, the size of several city blocks. We went exploring through very small and constricting tunnels, made incredibly slippery by water dripping down from the ceiling. We learned what the city at that time was like and how it was defended when it was surrounded by taller mountains on every side. All of these experiences are absolutely amazing, and I am so excited to be able to take these three amazing classes taught by three excellent story tellers in the months ahead.

Catherine de Vivonne would be proud

It is a beautiful thing to be able to sit down and discuss. Discussion is a tried and true form of intellectual enrichment and stimulation, and I am blessed to have found an outlet for informed discussion here in Jerusalem. Luckily, I have to go no farther than my own living room to find this environment. Like the French Salons of old, where learned men gathered to discuss the important issues of the day, my apartment has become the gathering place of fellow students to argue and discuss the great issues of our time. The War on Terror is a frequent talking point, but we also discuss Israeli politics, American politics, current events, wars and rumors of wars, the inadequacies of the American education system, African politics and history, and Palestinian politics, along with many other topics rich in diversity and intellectual stimulation. Catherine de Vivonne was the founder of the first French Salon, and she would be proud of the environment we have fostered in this living space. The group changes slightly every time, but it usually is made up of me, my roommates, a Nigerian friend of ours, and two fellow Americans. We sit in a circle in the living room on couches and chairs around the coffee table and from there the discussion is open. One of my roommates is an unrepentant Zionist, and he gets into some lively debates about the Israeli-Palestinian crisis with the others. My Nigerian friend is consistently dismayed by the fundamental lack of education we Americans receive regarding the African continent (he's got a point). He routinely asks us questions about Africa, and we usually have to shrug sheepishly and say "we don't know". He then teaches us African history so we will no longer be ignorant of an entire continent. We tell him that our education back home focused on American and European history, and for the most part neglects Africa all-together, except to mention slavery and colonization by the European powers. His shock about our fundamental lack of understanding about his culture and his history made me realize how little we're actually taught about the rest of the world back home. These conversations go deep into the night, with no one really wanting to leave once they get started. We stayed up until three in the morning last night talking about Iraq, and I've been woken up in the middle of the night on a couple of occasions by lively discussions taking place down the hall. It is a great environment to be around, and I'm lucky that I'm living where I am.