Friday, March 13, 2009: Jerusalem, Day 2

This morning, we had a welcomed surprise…sleeping in and a late departure. At 8:30 AM, we left in search of King David’s Tomb. Our search led us to Mount Zion. Mount Zion is the traditional site of the tomb of King David, holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. On the ground level of the site are several Jewish synagogues, and the site is one of the Most Holiest Jewish places. On the second level is a holy place for Christians, the location of the Last Supper.

From the Tomb of King David, we headed upstairs to the Upper Room. The Upper Room (the room of the Last Supper), as described before, is located directly above the Tomb of David and near the Dormition Addey on Mount Zion. This room is a second-story room in Jerusalem that commemorates the Upper Room in which Jesus shared the Last Supper with the disciples.

Next we walked to The Western Wall (Wailing Wall). The Western Wall in Jerusalem is the holiest of Jewish sites, sacred because it is a remnant of the Herodian retaining wall that once enclosed and supported the Second Temple. It has also been called the Wailing Wall by observers because for centuries Jews have gathered here to mourn the loss of their temple. The Western Wall Plaza, the large open area that faces the Western Wall, functions as an open-air synagogue that can accommodate tens of thousands of worshipers. Prayers take place here day and night, and special services are held here as well.

After the Western Wall, we walked down to the excavations around the Western Wall. The streets at these excavations are from the time of Herod’s temple, over 2000 years ago. It is just amazing to be able to walk on these same roads that were used so long ago.

Our final stop of the day was Machaneh Yehuda produce market. Shoppers line the streets to buy produce from stalls at the market. This market is an open market with vegetables, meat, fish and other products in the heart of downtown Jerusalem. We happened to be there on the busy day of the week Friday, Shabbot.

As they say here on Friday’s…Shabbot Shalom- IAN

Tracy- I was able to pick up the glass today! I can’t wait to create a wonderful light for your kitchen. Do you want some sesame treats?
Judy- Karlheinz says hello. And I ate more than two falafels for you!

Thursday, March 12, 2009: Walking the Road

Our first day in Jerusalem has been full of fun and meaningful experiences. Our first stop of the day was the Western Wall Tunnel. The Western Wall Tunnel is an underground tunnel exposing the Western Wall in its full length. The tunnel is adjacent to the Western Wall (a Jewish Holy site) and is located under buildings of the Old City in Jerusalem.

After maneuvering our way through the meandering tunnels of the Western Wall, we headed towards the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives is the hill facing the old city of Jerusalem, on the eastern side of Kidron valley. Its name came from the olive trees that once grew on its hillside from ancient times. According to Jewish tradition, the Messiah will appear here and bring the dead back to life. Therefore, the hillside became the holiest cemetery, and the hillside is covered by thousands of grave stones.

From the Mount of Olives, we journeyed down the Palm Sunday Road. The path bisecting the hill diagonally from right to left is the road (Palm Sunday Road) that Jesus road into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. We walked down the steep path passing the Dominus Flevit and viewing the Dome of the Rock the entire time. To the right was a Jewish cemetery with all the graves oriented toward the Temple Mount.

Next we entered the Garden of Gethsemane. The Garden is best known as the site adjacent to the Church of All Nations and not too far from the Church of Mary Magdalane, wherein Jesus and his disciples came to pray after the Last Supper.. The Garden of Gethsemane is historically linked to both prayer and betrayal. Indeed, the garden was chosen by Jesus as his last place of prayer during his final hours, and was tragically chosen by Judas as the place to betray Jesus and turn him over to the Romans.

Finally we traveled to the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. To enter Bethlehem, we first had to change buses and tour guides because neither our bus driver or guide could entered; they are Israeli and cannot cross the boarder. Once in Bethlehem we toured the Church of the Nativity. This church is the traditional site of the birth of the Baby Jesus. After our visit to the Church, we then (and some say finally) shopped, and I can say that the Palestinians thank us for adding to their economy!

Another great day! Tomorrow we continue to tour Jerusalem and learn more about this wonderful country. But for now…sleep calls. Shalom from Israel- IAN

From Larry and Carole Amsley:
Thanks so much for all the messages, Beth glad to hear from you. Gretchen and Bill glad to hear everything is going smoothly. We are starting to miss you. John the desserts are really good. Andrea, please check the blog for your class lesson. We are so glad we are doing the ONE YEAR BIBLE, it has made our trip so meaningful. Thanks, Scott and everyone. Keep tabs on RIA. Love to all, see you on the 23rd.

World History: History of Jerusalem

Hello World History Classes! Of course you are my favorite classes, and I miss you all. But don’t worry; I will be back before you know it…

I will be telling Katie (what’s up sharty!), Kasey, Francisco and Shuck to be quiet; Tony and Dan (sorry I missed you Birthday…Happy Birthday!) to sit down; some to leave their phones on my desk before they go to the bathrooms (DeAndre); Dalton, Dylan and Colby to act their ages, to stop staring at each other and flexing; for one particular corner of the room to stop passing notes (Chris, Brianna, and Deanna); for David and Megan to stop flirting with each other; Chris Stevens…no you may not use the bathroom again; for Swaine to leave Essence alone; hello Zachary, are you having fun using the computers?; Is Zach Myers in class or sick? And I got the turban today; Katie and Kelsey…you always need your books; Shalom Brandon…that’s my job making people laugh; Zachary G…you better not be surfing the web; Bishop, are you reading this or are you at OCS?; Are they making sparks?; I am better looking than Stenger, correct?; Alex, don’t get upset…this is not homework; Luis, don’t let the students around you convince you to talk during class; Werlin and Rosa...you better being doing History work and not talking!; Noah...stop laughing; Josiah, change your computer's background!; Brett, are you here; Suleni…I won’t make you give a report on Israel in front of the class when I come back; I hope Tanor hasn’t had an attitude…if so, leave it at the door!; Katrina and Desiree…you have to stay in your assigned sits no matter how much you would like to move; Did I catch Nick or did he leave already?; Is Vanessa still in this class?; And did I mention that I better looking than Stenger! And I have all my hair! Miss you all.

Today I am in Jerusalem. Jerusalem's history stretches back about 5,000 years; to when Canaanites inhabited the city. Later, Jerusalem became a Jebusite citadel. When David captured the city, the Jebusites were absorbed into the Jewish people. David made Jerusalem the capital of his kingdom, and Solomon built the first Temple to house the Ark of the Covenant. The Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and exiled the Jews to Babylonia. Fifty years later, Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylonia and permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. Persia held the city next, when Alexander the Great added Palestine to his empire. In 323 BC, Ptolemy I of Egypt took Palestine into his kingdom.

About 198 BC, the Seleucid king Antiochus III conquered Judaea (of which Jerusalem was a part), making it tributary to Syria. The Jews later revolted under the leadership of Maccabees and defeated the Syrians. The Temple was reconsecrated in 165 BC, and the Maccabean, or Hasmonean, dynasty ruled until Rome took the city in 63 BC. The Romans set up a local dynasty, the house of Herod, to rule most of Palestine; Herod the Great rebuilt much of Jerusalem, including the Temple. Roman governors, however, retained ultimate control; one of them, Pontius Pilate, authorized the execution of Jesus Christ. While suppressing a major Jewish revolt, the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in AD 70. In 135, after the failure of the Bar Kochba revolt, Jews were banished from Jerusalem. From the early 4th century, when Christianity became legal in the Roman Empire, Jerusalem developed as a center of Christian pilgrimage. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher and many other Christian shrines were erected. Except for a brief period of Persian rule the city remained under Roman control until 638, when the Muslim Arabs took Jerusalem. The Arabs built the Dome of the Rock mosque on the site of the Temple.

In the 11th century, Muslim toleration of both Jews and Christians gave way to persecution under the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim and under the Seljuks, who seized Jerusalem in 1071. European Christendom responded by launching the Crusaders. The Crusaders conquered Jerusalem in 1099 and established a Crusader state. Saladin recaptured the city for the Muslims in 1187, and the Ayyubid and Mameluke dynasties ruled until 1517, when the Ottoman Empire took control.

In 1917 the British occupied Jerusalem, and it became the capital of mandated Palestine from 1923 until 1948. During this period the city saw Arab rioting against the Jews. The 1948 United Nations partition plan for Palestine called for internationalization of the city. The Arabs rejected this resolution, and, from 1949, Jerusalem was divided into an Israeli and a Jordanian sector. The city remained divided until 1967, when Israel took the entire city following the Six Day War. The city is reunited today under Israeli government, which guarantees religious freedom and protection of all holy places.

Shalom- Mr. Jacobs

Shalom to Ms. Andrea and Ms. Lois's Jr. High Class (SDMS) in Ocean Pine, MD. Glad to hear that you are learning about Israel. Hope you are having fun while learning. Israel is a very diverse and interesting place. Shalom!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009: Last Day in the Galilee

After waking up for our last time at Kfar Giladi on a spectacular morning, the group loaded the bus and headed towards the Mount of the Beatitudes. The Mount of the Beatitudes is located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, rising above the ruins of Tabgha and Capernaum, on which according to tradition Christ preached the Sermon on the Mount. The mountain is topped by a Catholic chapel built in 1939 by the Franciscan Sisters with the support of the Italian ruler Mussolini.

Next we traveled right down the road from the Mount of the Beatitudes to Tabgha, Tabgha is the traditional site of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes and is situated near the northeastern shore of Sea of Galilee, near Capernaum and north of Tiberias. The name Tabgha is an Arabic contraction of the Greek Heptapegon, the place of seven springs.

A hop, skip and jump away from Tabgha, we found ourselves walking around the biblical city of Capernaum. Tabgha is located at the north corner of the Sea of Galilee, on the side of the ancient road from Tiberias to the east of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum was the center of Jesus activities in the Galilee and his town during that time. Jesus taught in the local synagogue. It was also the home town of the apostles Peter, James, Andrew and John, and the tax collector Matthew.

Then we stopped by the ancient city of Bethsaida. Et-Tel, the mound identified as ancient Bethsaida, is located on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, near the inflow of the Jordan River into the Sea of Galilee. Bethsaida is known as the birthplace of three of the Apostles Peter, Andrew and Philip. Jesus himself visited Bethsaida and performed several miracles there.

Our next adventure led us to the ancient synagogue of Beit Alfa. Beit Alfa, boasts the remains of one of the most beautiful synagogue mosaic floors in Israel, dating from the early sixth century CE. Located on Kibbutz Heftziba in the eastern Jezreel Valley, the colorful designs of the floor reveal ancient Jewish tradition and its links with the wider culture of its day.

After a quick stop at the Jordan River, we headed towards Jerusalem and our home for more than a week. We entered Jerusalem on a beautiful evening, the day was unbelievable! We are now at the King Solomon and the luxuries that come along with this establishment. It will be nice to be in one spot for more than one evening! The day has been long and we have seen a lot. Now it is time for my eyes to only see the inside of my eyelids. Till tomorrow…

Shalom- IAN

Tuesday, March 10, 2009: From Dan to Philippi

Our first adventure of the day took us to Tel Dan. Tel Dan is located all the way up north in Israel, only a little before you reach Mount Hermon. You come to a beautiful nature reserve with gorgeous trails leading through dense forest, streams and the Hatzbani River. This is the site where the tribe of Dan once lived.

Next we headed to an old bunker for the Syrian army during the Six-Day War. Read below, World History: Six-Day War for more info.

We ended our day at Caesarea Philippi. Situated north of the Sea of Galilee and at the base of Mt. Hermon, Caesarea Philippi is the location of one of the largest springs feeding the Jordan River. The spring emerged from the large cave which became the center of pagan worship. This abundant water supply has made the area very fertile and attractive for religious worship. Numerous temples were built at this city in the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

The first name associated with the site was Panias, derived from worship of the god Pan. The current name Banias is an Arab form of Panias. Worship of the god Pan was centered at the cave and the spring at the high rock bluff. Several niches carved into the rock are identified as being dedicated to Pan.

Yet another wonder day of traveling. In the morning we had just a little rain but by the afternoon nothing but beautiful blue skies and sun. Everyone is doing well! Dr. Harter is great and leading the tour like it is his first! He loves this counrty and most of all, sharing it with others. We ate lunch at a falafel stand next to a volcanic crater...only in Israel. Hope all is well back home...

Shalom- IAN

Message from Carole and Larry Amsley:

Hi everyone! we are really having a great time. As you can see the food is very different, but good. Jen we had garbonzo bean falafel for lunch. Please take good care of all animals. Andrea thanks for being so faithful in writing. Love to all. Mom and Dad.

World History: The Six-Day War

With tensions mounting in the Middle East, war was in the air. Syria and Egypt were struggling about which country would be the “Arab Leader” in the Middle East, and Arab armies poised to strike from Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. Israel decided, on June 5, 1967, to launch a pre-emptive attack on the massive forces aimed at her from all sides. Within minutes of the attack, the backbone of the Egyptian air force was broken, and by the end of the first day of war most of the Egyptian airplanes were destroyed. Backed by complete air superiority, Israeli army divisions then thrust into the Sinai desert approaching the bank of the Suez Canal. At the same time, Israel issued an appeal to Jordan to stay out of the war. Jordan refused and opened a heavy artillery barrage on both west Jerusalem and the Tel-Aviv area which forced Israel to counterattack. By June 8, 1967, the Israel Defense Forces defeated the Jordanian forces and captured the whole of Judea and Samaria. On the morning of June 9, 1967, Israel attacked the Syrians and captured the Golan Heights. From these heights, Syria had shelled and destroyed houses, 100s of acres of orchards and acres of fields and crops.

The six days of fierce fighting ended in Israel’s occupation of the Sinai desert, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and the West Bank, providing Israel’s cities with a much needed buffer zone and dramatically reducing the danger of extinction by a surprise Arab attack. Furthermore, victory had a special religious meaning because of the unification of Jerusalem and the return of Jews to Judea and Samaria which was part of biblical Israel.

This quick victory proved to the world that Israel was a super power not to be reckoned with. Out numbered and with not enough weapons, the world and Israel thought for sure that this war would end in many deaths. Before the war started, Israeli towns dug thousands of graves to prepare for the large number of deaths. Once over, only 750 Israelis died in the war, all of which died fighting for what they believed in, a free Jewish State.

Pictured above: Syrian bunkers, signs stating that there are still active mine zones, views of the Golan Heights (the area won during the Six-Day War), and an armored truck.

Algebra I Activity: Periods 1 and 2

Hello…from Israel. How is class and more importantly, do you miss me yet? The trip is going great and seeing a lot of amazing sites! We are traveling all over the country, which is only the size of New Jersey. Even though small, there is a lot to see. Not only is there a lot to see, there is a lot to eat. But I am running into a small problem that I need your help with.

The problem is that I seem to only have brought American money. In some places they do except this type of currency, but for the most part they only take the Israeli Shekel or if they take the dollar, they expect me to covert it to the shekel. The conversion rate is $1.00 = 3.96 Shekels.

Yesterday, we ate fish (pictured above) at the Sea of Galilee. The meal consisted of:
1.) One large fish (Tilapia, whole) 33.66 Shekels,
2.) Potato fries 13.86 Shekels,
3.) Coke 7.92 Shekels, and
4.) Dried dates (the fruit) 15.84 Shekels.
Sure, I can find out how many Shekels it costs but I have no Shekels. How do I know how to find my price in American currency? Convert the cost of each item to dollars and give the final price of the meal in dollars.

Activity:
Create a menu for an Israeli Restaurant with at least 15 items on the menu. Once you have done research on the food of Israel (remember this is for an Israeli restaurant, so the food most be Israeli), price each food item, in Shekels. This menu can either be made from construction paper or on the computer in publisher (publisher preferred). On a separate piece of paper, create four (4) meal choices for customers (example: my meal at the Sea of Galilee). Once meal choices are made, give a final price of the meal in Shekels and converted into dollars.

Signing off from Israel. Keep me posted on what’s happening in class. Miss you all.

Shalom- Mr. Jacobs

Monday, March 9, 2009: Day by the Sea

Today started with a trip to the Nazareth Village, located in the town of Nazareth. The Nazareth Village is the only enterprise of its kind dedicated to illuminating what life would have been like 2000 years ago through an authentically constructed, first-century town and restored ancient farm. It is in this venue that the story of Jesus' childhood, ministry, and teaching are retold with elements of everyday life re-enacted.

From the Nazareth Village, our group traveled to the Church of the Annunciation also located in Nazareth. This church is the traditional (Catholic) site where Mary was approached by the Angel Gabriel and was told that she would bare a son named Jesus. This church is the largest Christian church in the Middle East. Located on the top floor of the church are many different depictions of the Virgin Mary and her son. These depictions were gifts from many different churches from around the world. Once our tour was done at the Church of the Annunciation, we loaded our bus and headed towards the Sea of Galilee.

Our first stop at the Sea was lunch. At lunch, most ate the local fish and the fish of 2000 years ago, Tilapia (a land locked version of this popular fish). Served whole, eyes and all, for some it was very hard to eat; but very good. After lunch, the group loaded a boat for an enjoyable ride across the Galilee. A bit windy, but very fun. Once to the other side, we entered the Kibbutz that houses the Jesus Boat. This boat was unearthed in the sands of the Galilee and has been carefully preserved. This boat has endured years of abuse from the waters of the Galilee but tells of great story of past times.

Another great day of traveling. The group is great and everyone sends their love. Hard to think that we have already been here 2 days. A lot more to see. Thanks for following. Keep posting!
Shalom- IAN

World History: Periods 6 and 7

Hello, World History Class! What a surprise to log on today and see messages from my favorite students! The trip is going very well so far...long days with not much sleep. I am feeling much better, thanks for asking. The cold is gone...just feeling very tired! You know that I am now 8 hours ahead...how weird.

Do you all remember when we talked about the Kibbutzim? Well, quess what? I have stayed on two so far on this trip. One near the Mediterranean Sea called Nes Ammim and now at Kfar Giladi in the North by the Lebonese boarder. I can look out my window and see the Lebonese boarder. During the Yom Kippur War in the 70's, Kfar Giladi was attacked and badly damaged. For 30 years now, this area has been under attack many times. But don't worry, I am very safe.

Now to remember this point, you have to think back to the very being of the class. One of the first topics we talked about was the time period of the Crusaders. Yesterday, I visited the Crusader town of Acre (Akko)...a Mediterranean Sea Port. This was a town occupied by the Templars and Hospitallers during the Crusader Period. Very interesting, you all should look it up on the web. They also have done a special on it on the History channel, Cities of the Under World.

Well, keep me posted on how class is going. Leave posts, ask questions...let me know what you want to know and see! Sleep is needed! Take care and miss you all. And yes, Zach, I will bring back a turban for you.

Mr. Jacobs

Sunday, March 8, 2009: First Day of Touring

What a wonderful day of traveling. After our first Israeli breakfast and an early start, we made our way to our first stop, Caesarea Maritime. Caesarea Maritime ("by the Sea") is located on the shore in the center of Israel, in the middle between Haifa and Tel-Aviv. It is the site of one of the most important cities in the Roman World, the Roman capital of the province of Judea at the time of Jesus, and a Crusader fortress along the road from Acre to Jerusalem. Today, Caesarea is a large and interesting national park which and a mandatory place to visit while exploring the Holy Land.

Next we traveled to Megiddo or Tel Megiddo, an ancient fortified city, is one of the most famous battlegrounds in the world. Historians believe that more battles were fought at this location than anywhere else on earth. Anciently Megiddo's gates and walls witnessed the armed struggles of Assyrians, Canaanites, Egyptians, Greeks, Israelites, Persians, Philistines, and Romans. Although Megiddo was not a fortress in the days of World War I, note that the critical battle enabling the British Field Marshal Edmund Allenby to wrest control of the Holy Land from the Turks occurred at Megiddo. Armageddon, the mount of Megiddo, according to the New Testament book of Revelation, is once again to host one of the world's major armies in a immense conflict between East and West.

Our final stop of the day was Mount Carmel. In mainstream Jewish, Christian and Islamic thought, it is Elijah that is indelibly associated with the mountain, and he is regarded as having sometimes resided in a grotto on the mountain. In the Books of Kings, Elijah is described as challenging 450 prophets of a particular Baal to a contest at the altar on Mount Carmel to determine whose deity was genuinely in control of the Kigdom of Israel.

What a great day of traveling. Hope you are enjoying the blog!

Saturday, March 7, 2009: Day of Travel

The group (those of us that left from the burg) boarded the vans in Chambersburg around 1:30 PM and headed off towards Newark, NJ. There, we caught our flight to Israel at 10:50 PM. For most, the flight was uneventful and for some full of sleep. After a 9 hour flight, we landed in cloud covered Israel. Even though cloudy today, the weather is still beautiful with temperatures of 90+ degrees. Off to customs, then to baggage claim and finally to our bus…we now are driving to our first destination, Netanya and our first home away from home, the Blue Bay Resort. Netanya is a resort town located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

We are all looking forward to our travels and sharing this experience with our family and friends. Before we sign off, here are some messages from some of the travelers to you:

Hi everyone, we are on our dream of walking Christ pathways. Had a real smooth flight.
We haven’t had our1st Israeli meal but will soon. Love You…Carole and Larry.

For those of you who know me, you will find this amazing. I had a window seat and only used the restroom once in eleven hours! Looking forward to our first Israeli meal for dinner and a walk on the Mediterranean Sea. Will be in touch. Love, Kathi

(More messages to come!)

Signing off from Israel. We are here, we are safe, and we are ready for our first Israeli meal and then off to bed. Shalom. IAN