.
The Friday sun will soon set and you can feel the quiet and calm of the Sabbath Eve settling down on Israel (despite the fact that three Grad rockets were just fired into the south from Sinai).
Here is an unusual synagogue we found in Tel Aviv's historic Neve Zedek neighborhood exactly two weeks ago.
Look at those two arms coming out of the wall, opening a Torah scroll case!
And on the ground floor is this tree sprouting the most important Jewish books: Tanach (the Hebrew Bible), Talmud, Shulchan Aruch, Zohar (mystical Judaism), and the Siddur (our prayerbook).
The sign says the congregation, Sukkat Shalom, was founded in 1913.
The door has the twelve tribes of Israel.
Inscribed above is "How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!"
This is the famous blessing which came out of Balaam's mouth when he was sent by the king Balak to curse the Israelites, and it is this week's Torah portion.
For donkey pictures and the biblical story of Balaam's talking ass, please see my posts here and here.
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Shabbat shalom.
.
Showing posts with label doors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label doors. Show all posts
Friday, July 3, 2015
Friday, April 10, 2015
Orthodox Holy Week in a dome
.
Orthodox Christians are now in Holy Week.
Here are all the events of Holy Week, starting with the raising of Lazarus, in one beautiful dome.
Click on the photo 2x to see all the details.
The dome is on the Orthodox church, St. Elias, on the summit of Mount Tabor.
.
Kali thinamis, good strength, to the Orthodox Christian friends.
It has been a very long and strict Lenten fast for them.
.
Orthodox Christians are now in Holy Week.
Here are all the events of Holy Week, starting with the raising of Lazarus, in one beautiful dome.
Click on the photo 2x to see all the details.
The dome is on the Orthodox church, St. Elias, on the summit of Mount Tabor.
.
Kali thinamis, good strength, to the Orthodox Christian friends.
It has been a very long and strict Lenten fast for them.
.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
A SWISS institute for DRYLAND research??
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If you liked the architecture of the building in my previous post, you will love today's.
It too is on Sde Boker campus of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
The Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research was dedicated in May 2013.
At the ceremony Prof. Daniel Guggenheim, President of the Bona Terra Foundation, said
You can see a short video about it.
SIDEER's webpages are here.
Or you can read a pdf brochure about the exciting research going on there.
Wish them luck for good discoveries!
.
(Linking to Our World Tuesday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
.
If you liked the architecture of the building in my previous post, you will love today's.
It too is on Sde Boker campus of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
The Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research was dedicated in May 2013.
At the ceremony Prof. Daniel Guggenheim, President of the Bona Terra Foundation, said
There is a parallel between Switzerland and Israel. Both had to face difficult land conditions. Both made a success of these existential conditions. Let us hope that other countries will be able to overcome their challenges through the Swiss Institute.
You can see a short video about it.
SIDEER's webpages are here.
Or you can read a pdf brochure about the exciting research going on there.
Wish them luck for good discoveries!
.
(Linking to Our World Tuesday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
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Labels:
architecture,
Ben-Gurion Univ.,
doors,
Our World Tuesday,
Sde Boker,
signs,
windows
Friday, December 19, 2014
Animals, wait outside
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Midreshet Sde Boker or Midreshet Ben-Gurion is a wonderful place down south in the Negev desert.
There is a high school, desert research institutes, a campus of Ben-Gurion University, and lots more.
I get the impression it is a pretty laid-back place.
People come there to live or teach or study or do research because they care about nature and ecology, animals and people.
And that's why I smiled when I saw this sign on a campus classroom building -- I guess people there have to be reminded not to come in with their pets.
Actually, the Hebrew version says "No entry to animals."
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(Linking to Camera Critters, even though there is no critter in the photo.)
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Midreshet Sde Boker or Midreshet Ben-Gurion is a wonderful place down south in the Negev desert.
There is a high school, desert research institutes, a campus of Ben-Gurion University, and lots more.
I get the impression it is a pretty laid-back place.
People come there to live or teach or study or do research because they care about nature and ecology, animals and people.
And that's why I smiled when I saw this sign on a campus classroom building -- I guess people there have to be reminded not to come in with their pets.
Actually, the Hebrew version says "No entry to animals."
.
(Linking to Camera Critters, even though there is no critter in the photo.)
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Sunday, November 30, 2014
The Holy Sepulchre as workplace
.
How does it feel to be a floor washer of the holiest Christian site in the world?
I could imagine it as a big honor.
Coming very early one morning to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, before the hordes of tourists descended on it, I was almost alone in the cavernous church.
Only the cleaning man was busy, washing the ancient stones at the entrance.
His buckets and mops were stashed behind the great door, on the very steps which lead up to Calvary, to Golgotha.
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For more about the Holy Sepulchre see Sacred Destinations or visit some of my previous posts.
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Today city bloggers all over the world are posting People in Their Workplace for our City Daily Photo theme day. You're invited.
.
(Also linking to OurWorld Tuesday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
.
How does it feel to be a floor washer of the holiest Christian site in the world?
I could imagine it as a big honor.
Coming very early one morning to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, before the hordes of tourists descended on it, I was almost alone in the cavernous church.
Only the cleaning man was busy, washing the ancient stones at the entrance.
His buckets and mops were stashed behind the great door, on the very steps which lead up to Calvary, to Golgotha.
.
For more about the Holy Sepulchre see Sacred Destinations or visit some of my previous posts.
.
Today city bloggers all over the world are posting People in Their Workplace for our City Daily Photo theme day. You're invited.
.
(Also linking to OurWorld Tuesday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
.
Labels:
CDP theme day,
doors,
Holy Sepulchre,
Our World Tuesday,
stairs,
working people
Monday, June 9, 2014
Not what you think
.
I passed this door and wondered what or who was inside.
Maybe I didn't want to know.
All I knew was that the painting would be good for Monday Mural meme.
Lest you get the wrong idea, that I wander around in the seedy spots of the older Beer Sheva neighborhoods, let me defend myself.
Our tour was quickly following our guide down the street to visit some synagogues.
Eighteen synagogues are concentrated on this one street, and within a few square kilometers there are 33 !
The Hebrew writing on the wall here is "Tirtsale," the diminutive form of the women's name Tirtsa.
I thought I would end the post here and let you react to the mystery place.
But curiosity is killing me.
Oi, would you believe, there is a Facebook page for Tirtsale!
And photos there show the painted woman wearing a dark purple sweater!
It is a tiny shop for vintage clothes and stuff -- "special things for special women, collected with great love from all over the world."
.
(Linking also to Our World Tuesday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors. And for ABC Wednesday, V is for vintage and voluptuous.)
.
I passed this door and wondered what or who was inside.
Maybe I didn't want to know.
All I knew was that the painting would be good for Monday Mural meme.
Lest you get the wrong idea, that I wander around in the seedy spots of the older Beer Sheva neighborhoods, let me defend myself.
Our tour was quickly following our guide down the street to visit some synagogues.
Eighteen synagogues are concentrated on this one street, and within a few square kilometers there are 33 !
The Hebrew writing on the wall here is "Tirtsale," the diminutive form of the women's name Tirtsa.
I thought I would end the post here and let you react to the mystery place.
But curiosity is killing me.
Oi, would you believe, there is a Facebook page for Tirtsale!
And photos there show the painted woman wearing a dark purple sweater!
It is a tiny shop for vintage clothes and stuff -- "special things for special women, collected with great love from all over the world."
.
(Linking also to Our World Tuesday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors. And for ABC Wednesday, V is for vintage and voluptuous.)
.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Walking through the Ten Commandments
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Today is the happy holiday of Shavuot, also called the Festival of Weeks, Pentecost, the holiday of the First Fruits and of the reaping of grain.
Shavuot also became known as the day on which God gave the Torah on Mt. Sinai.
It is a mitsvah for every Jew to stand and hear the Ten Commandments read in the synagogue today.
During the recent Heritage Preservation Week, the head man of Struma Synagogue in Beer Sheva showed our tour group the Torah scrolls in their holy ark.
And with a big smile he explained that when they were building the synagogue the 1950s movie "The Ten Commandments" with Charlton Heston was popular, and he was inspired by it to design the back wall and door as the two tablets!
You are welcome to see my other posts about Ruth and Naomi and about cheese and cheesemakers, which are also part of the Shavuot tradition.
See more about the Struma synagogue at my other post.
.
(Linking to inSPIREd Sunday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
.
Today is the happy holiday of Shavuot, also called the Festival of Weeks, Pentecost, the holiday of the First Fruits and of the reaping of grain.
Shavuot also became known as the day on which God gave the Torah on Mt. Sinai.
It is a mitsvah for every Jew to stand and hear the Ten Commandments read in the synagogue today.
During the recent Heritage Preservation Week, the head man of Struma Synagogue in Beer Sheva showed our tour group the Torah scrolls in their holy ark.
And with a big smile he explained that when they were building the synagogue the 1950s movie "The Ten Commandments" with Charlton Heston was popular, and he was inspired by it to design the back wall and door as the two tablets!
You are welcome to see my other posts about Ruth and Naomi and about cheese and cheesemakers, which are also part of the Shavuot tradition.
See more about the Struma synagogue at my other post.
.
(Linking to inSPIREd Sunday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
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Sunday, March 9, 2014
What is it?
.
Beer Sheva's Old City is a strange mixture of crumbling "old" early 20th century Ottoman Turkish buildings, renovated houses, and new structures.
But this castle-like place is the strangest place I've seen so far.
In September it was still being worked on.
I'll have to go see what it turned out to be, if I can find that little street again.
The Municipality has started investing in renewal of the Old City.
Let's see if it will attract more visitors and shoppers.
.
UPDATE:
(Linking to Our World Tuesday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
.
Beer Sheva's Old City is a strange mixture of crumbling "old" early 20th century Ottoman Turkish buildings, renovated houses, and new structures.
But this castle-like place is the strangest place I've seen so far.
In September it was still being worked on.
I'll have to go see what it turned out to be, if I can find that little street again.
The Municipality has started investing in renewal of the Old City.
Let's see if it will attract more visitors and shoppers.
.
UPDATE:
Beersheba ca. 1900
Photo by American Colony-Jerusalem Photo Dept.
(Collection is now in the Library of Congress)
Some history from Wikipedia:
.The Ottomans, who had controlled Palestine since the 16th century, took an interest in Beersheba in the late 19th century.[7] At the beginning of the 19th century, European pilgrims to Palestine described Beersheba as a barren stretch of land with a well and a handful of Bedouins living nearby. Towards the end of the 19th century, the Ottomans built a police station in Beersheba in order to keep the Bedouin in check.[8]They built roads and a number of small buildings from local materials which are still standing today. A town plan, created by Swiss and German architects, called for a grid street pattern,[9] a pattern which can be seen today in Beersheba's Old City. All houses built during that period were of one story, and the two-story police station towered above them.
(Linking to Our World Tuesday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
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Labels:
Beer Sheva,
doors,
historical photos,
Our World Tuesday
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Last chance to see Herod the Great, The King's Final Journey
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I don't know how many hundreds of thousands of Israel Museum visitors have viewed the Herod exhibition since it opened early this year.*
I wish it could stay forever but on January 4, Herod the Great, The King's Final Journey will close.
The banners are all I can show you of the artifacts on display, because the no photography rule was strictly enforced and there were guards everywhere inside the rooms of the exhibition.
You can see the man on duty at the entrance is a no-nonsense guy.
Well, OK, this is the one picture I sneaked before being told to go check my bag.
These are the frescoed walls from Herod's Throne Room, in his Third Palace in Jericho.
The scrolling light words on the floor say
On the book cover is the truncated cone of the Herodion in the Judean desert.
An old photo shows archaeologist Ehud Netzer z"l on site many years ago.
As the museum website summarizes --
Also see how Silvia Rozenberg, co-curator with Dudi Mevorah, explains in two minutes how they worked on this tremendous exhibition for four years.
Herod the Builder would be proud of them.
.
*UPDATE: Haaretz answers my question today (Jan. 1):
"This past Saturday, some 3,500 people checked out the exhibition and almost 440,000 visitors have passed through since it opened in February – a record for a single show at the Israel Museum, which expects the overall number of guests to reach 450,000 by closing day."
.
I don't know how many hundreds of thousands of Israel Museum visitors have viewed the Herod exhibition since it opened early this year.*
I wish it could stay forever but on January 4, Herod the Great, The King's Final Journey will close.
The banners are all I can show you of the artifacts on display, because the no photography rule was strictly enforced and there were guards everywhere inside the rooms of the exhibition.
You can see the man on duty at the entrance is a no-nonsense guy.
Well, OK, this is the one picture I sneaked before being told to go check my bag.
These are the frescoed walls from Herod's Throne Room, in his Third Palace in Jericho.
The scrolling light words on the floor say
The King is dead.
King Herod died in his palace in Jericho in April of 4 BCE.
His body was laid out on a golden bier encrusted with gems.
Wrapped in purple, with a crown on his head and a scepter beside his right hand, he departed for his final journey from Jericho to Herodium accompanied by his family, army, and servants.
At Herodium the mausoleum and sarcophagus he had prepared for himself awaited him.
We invite you to join us on the King's final journey. . . .
On the book cover is the truncated cone of the Herodion in the Judean desert.
An old photo shows archaeologist Ehud Netzer z"l on site many years ago.
As the museum website summarizes --
The first exhibition entirely dedicated to Herod the Great, Israel’s greatest builder and one of the most controversial figures in Jewish history. Large reconstructions and new finds from Herod’s palaces in Herodium, Jericho, and other sites are on display. Exhibited to the public for the very first time, these artifacts shed new light on the political, architectural, and aesthetic influence of Herod’s rule (37–4 BCE). Herod’s tomb – discovered at Herodium after a 40-year search by the late Prof. Ehud Netzer of the Hebrew University – holds pride of place. The exhibition is held in memory of Prof. Netzer, who fell to his death in 2010 on the site of his discovery.Have a gallery tour here.
Also see how Silvia Rozenberg, co-curator with Dudi Mevorah, explains in two minutes how they worked on this tremendous exhibition for four years.
Herod the Builder would be proud of them.
.
*UPDATE: Haaretz answers my question today (Jan. 1):
"This past Saturday, some 3,500 people checked out the exhibition and almost 440,000 visitors have passed through since it opened in February – a record for a single show at the Israel Museum, which expects the overall number of guests to reach 450,000 by closing day."
.
Labels:
archaeology,
doors,
Herod,
Israel Museum,
Our World Tuesday
Monday, December 9, 2013
Only dry readers may enter the library
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I was happy to discover the Joseph Meyerhoff Public Library in Beer Sheva.
Interesting system: to borrow one book you leave a 50 shekel deposit in cash or check, or for two books NIS 100.
At the entrance a page from Bechalomi, a book by Miriam Yalan-Shteklis,
a beloved Israeli writer and poet famous for her children's books:
And a sign on the door that struck me funny down here in the Negev desert:
Maybe kids get their clothes wet walking through the fountain right outside the library in Fannie and Max Targ Square, next to the Beer Sheva Conservatory of Music?
.
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(Linking to Our World Tuesday, signs signs, and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
.
I was happy to discover the Joseph Meyerhoff Public Library in Beer Sheva.
Interesting system: to borrow one book you leave a 50 shekel deposit in cash or check, or for two books NIS 100.
At the entrance a page from Bechalomi, a book by Miriam Yalan-Shteklis,
a beloved Israeli writer and poet famous for her children's books:
I think there's no need to make poems and songs.
They make themselves.
And how do they do that?
That's their secret.
And a sign on the door that struck me funny down here in the Negev desert:
NO ENTERING THE LIBRARY
IN WET CLOTHES!
Thanks
the Management
Maybe kids get their clothes wet walking through the fountain right outside the library in Fannie and Max Targ Square, next to the Beer Sheva Conservatory of Music?
.
.
(Linking to Our World Tuesday, signs signs, and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
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Sunday, September 29, 2013
Centralized mail
.
The houses here in Meitar do not have mailboxes.
Every family has to go check its own little box at one of two distribution places at the center of town.
My landlady's post box, which I share, is on the highest row and my arm just barely reaches into it when I stand on my toes.
Meitar has grown to something like 7,500 residents so you can imagine how many rows of ta-ei chaluka boxes there are.
We have a (literally) hole-in-the-wall post office, way too small, and only a few people can fit inside.
If the line is long you have to wait outdoors.
The governing Local Council has promised a proper post office will be built by April.
.
(Linking to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
.
The houses here in Meitar do not have mailboxes.
Every family has to go check its own little box at one of two distribution places at the center of town.
My landlady's post box, which I share, is on the highest row and my arm just barely reaches into it when I stand on my toes.
Meitar has grown to something like 7,500 residents so you can imagine how many rows of ta-ei chaluka boxes there are.
We have a (literally) hole-in-the-wall post office, way too small, and only a few people can fit inside.
If the line is long you have to wait outdoors.
The governing Local Council has promised a proper post office will be built by April.
.
(Linking to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
.
Monday, August 12, 2013
The beauty of wood
.
It's hard to believe that just a week ago today I was anxiously waiting for the movers to come to my place in the Jerusalem Hills and to move me to the southern Hebron Hills in the northern Negev.
I really like Meitar!
Here is something pretty I discovered while walking to the town's supermarket.
The structure is in the yard of Meitarim Junior High School.
The logo says KKL so it was built by the Keren Kayemet LeYisrael (Jewish National Fund), the people who care for Israel's trees and forests.
Look what beauty can come from simple pieces of wood.
I grew up in Chicago playing with Lincoln Logs,
but they were never cut quite as nicely as these real ones.
.
(Linking to Our World Tuesday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
.
It's hard to believe that just a week ago today I was anxiously waiting for the movers to come to my place in the Jerusalem Hills and to move me to the southern Hebron Hills in the northern Negev.
I really like Meitar!
Here is something pretty I discovered while walking to the town's supermarket.
The structure is in the yard of Meitarim Junior High School.
The logo says KKL so it was built by the Keren Kayemet LeYisrael (Jewish National Fund), the people who care for Israel's trees and forests.
Look what beauty can come from simple pieces of wood.
I grew up in Chicago playing with Lincoln Logs,
but they were never cut quite as nicely as these real ones.
.
(Linking to Our World Tuesday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Quandary and quaternary
.
While trying to find an interesting Q word for ABC Wednesday I happened upon QUATERNARY.
Wikipedia explains that "The term quaternary care is also used sometimes as an extension of tertiary care in reference to medicine of advanced levels which are highly specialized and not widely accessed. Experimental medicine and some types of uncommon diagnostic or surgical procedures are considered quaternary care."
Sounds ominous already, no?
Some health experts think so, too, because I found this:
Ah, but the writing above the main door puts me in a quandary.
How can I find out why it says Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate Jerusalem 2000 above the door to my new medical center?
.
While trying to find an interesting Q word for ABC Wednesday I happened upon QUATERNARY.
Wikipedia explains that "The term quaternary care is also used sometimes as an extension of tertiary care in reference to medicine of advanced levels which are highly specialized and not widely accessed. Experimental medicine and some types of uncommon diagnostic or surgical procedures are considered quaternary care."
Sounds ominous already, no?
Some health experts think so, too, because I found this:
Quaternary prevention, first coined at Wonca world Hong Kong 1995 by M. Jamoulle & M.Roland, describes the protection of patients from diagnostic tests, interventions and treatments that offer no benefit for overall morbidity or mortality for the individual, and may cause physical or psychological harm.The P4 concept pulls together all reflexive moves on the problems resulting from an excess of medical care, such as overscreening, overinvestigation, overprescription, and overtreatment.
No direct relationship to quaternary (I hope!), but here you see the new Kupat Holim Clalit health center to which the gastroenterology (and other) specialists have now moved.
It is on Bethlehem Road in Jerusalem and is called Lev Talpiot.
Ah, but the writing above the main door puts me in a quandary.
How can I find out why it says Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate Jerusalem 2000 above the door to my new medical center?
.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Knock knock
.
This pretty house in the old Nachlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem is always prettiest in the spring.
As was usual on doors in the old days, the Hebrew letters inside the star of David say ZION.
I always wanted to try one of those fist/hand doorknockers.
.
Sun is going down now. Time for the quiet of the Sabbath. Shabbat shalom!
.
(Linking to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
.
This pretty house in the old Nachlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem is always prettiest in the spring.
As was usual on doors in the old days, the Hebrew letters inside the star of David say ZION.
I always wanted to try one of those fist/hand doorknockers.
.
Sun is going down now. Time for the quiet of the Sabbath. Shabbat shalom!
.
(Linking to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
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Sunday, March 3, 2013
Cafe chairs in an unlikely place
.
Start your morning here with a cup of hot strong Greek coffee.
Listen to the birds sing in the several aviaries.
Say Kalimera! -- good day! -- to the monk in black.
Yes, believe it or not, it's a lovely little cafe in the courtyard of an ancient Greek Orthodox Monastery.
Watch your head when you enter through the squat gate.
In fact, I think it might be the only entrance to the Monastery of the Holy Cross.
Today the fascinating place is well within Jerusalem but when it was first built, its location--the Valley of the Cross--was far from civilization and in dangerous territory; hence the thick walls and fortress-like construction.
See more about it in my previous posts.
UPDATE: A nice article about the "not a cafe, but a holy place" is in the Jerusalem Post.
and
http://allaboutjerusalem.com/tour/monastery-cross has a 2-minute guided tour on video.
.
(A post for Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
Start your morning here with a cup of hot strong Greek coffee.
Listen to the birds sing in the several aviaries.
Say Kalimera! -- good day! -- to the monk in black.
Yes, believe it or not, it's a lovely little cafe in the courtyard of an ancient Greek Orthodox Monastery.
Watch your head when you enter through the squat gate.
In fact, I think it might be the only entrance to the Monastery of the Holy Cross.
Today the fascinating place is well within Jerusalem but when it was first built, its location--the Valley of the Cross--was far from civilization and in dangerous territory; hence the thick walls and fortress-like construction.
See more about it in my previous posts.
UPDATE: A nice article about the "not a cafe, but a holy place" is in the Jerusalem Post.
and
http://allaboutjerusalem.com/tour/monastery-cross has a 2-minute guided tour on video.
.
(A post for Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
Labels:
chair,
doors,
family,
Greek Orthodox,
Monastery of the Cross
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Prayer for Christian Unity at the Cenacle
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Thursday my nun friends invited me to come along to Day 5 of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity .
Every day a different church hosts the community and leads the ecumenical prayer service.
But Day 5 was in the Upper Room, the Cenacle, which belongs to all Christians, so to speak, because here was the Last Supper and here the first Christian community gathered and experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
The only ones to have chairs were the clergymen from the various denominations.
(May be helpful to enlarge the photo.)
On the right is Father Gregory Collins OSB, who led the service and preached, in ENGLISH!
He is an Irish Benedictine monk of Glenstal Abbey and last year he became the Abbot of the Dormition Abbey on Mt. Zion (see my coverage of that Mass here).
The ancient columns and capitals and the six rib-vaulted bays are beautiful to behold.
For Christians I can imagine the Upper Room has much spiritual energy.
And one floor below is the Tomb of David where Jews pray, so Christianity's roots are literally underneath.
At one point the hall was also made into a mosque as you can see in the first photo above with the Muslim prayer niche, the hanging mosque lamp, and the Arabic writing on the window.
Here is one of the two small doors into the Cenaculum.
UPDATE: A short video of the Unity Week's prayer services is now here.
.
So for ABC Wednesday, C is for Christians communing in the Cenacle.
.
And the architectural elements are linking to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.
.
Thursday my nun friends invited me to come along to Day 5 of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity .
Every day a different church hosts the community and leads the ecumenical prayer service.
But Day 5 was in the Upper Room, the Cenacle, which belongs to all Christians, so to speak, because here was the Last Supper and here the first Christian community gathered and experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
The only ones to have chairs were the clergymen from the various denominations.
(May be helpful to enlarge the photo.)
On the right is Father Gregory Collins OSB, who led the service and preached, in ENGLISH!
He is an Irish Benedictine monk of Glenstal Abbey and last year he became the Abbot of the Dormition Abbey on Mt. Zion (see my coverage of that Mass here).
The ancient columns and capitals and the six rib-vaulted bays are beautiful to behold.
For Christians I can imagine the Upper Room has much spiritual energy.
And one floor below is the Tomb of David where Jews pray, so Christianity's roots are literally underneath.
At one point the hall was also made into a mosque as you can see in the first photo above with the Muslim prayer niche, the hanging mosque lamp, and the Arabic writing on the window.
Here is one of the two small doors into the Cenaculum.
UPDATE: A short video of the Unity Week's prayer services is now here.
.
So for ABC Wednesday, C is for Christians communing in the Cenacle.
.
And the architectural elements are linking to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.
.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Jerusalem Municipality
.
The sky was a deep blue this morning over City Hall in Safra Square.
Not a cloud in the sky all day today.
But all that is about to change starting Saturday, as a new weather system heads our way.
Meteorologists predict extremely strong winds, cold days of maybe only 3 degrees C, and lots of rain and even hail for the next week.
Winter is finally coming!
.
(Linking to SkyWatch Friday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
.
The sky was a deep blue this morning over City Hall in Safra Square.
Not a cloud in the sky all day today.
But all that is about to change starting Saturday, as a new weather system heads our way.
Meteorologists predict extremely strong winds, cold days of maybe only 3 degrees C, and lots of rain and even hail for the next week.
Winter is finally coming!
.
(Linking to SkyWatch Friday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
A monk, pilgrims, and a granddaughter
.
Psalm 86 for today's PsalmChallenge.
Our host, Robert Geiss in Athens, has a wonderful photo today for Verse 16--not to be missed!
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PSALM 86. A prayer. Of David.
Psalm 86 for today's PsalmChallenge.
Our host, Robert Geiss in Athens, has a wonderful photo today for Verse 16--not to be missed!
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PSALM 86. A prayer. Of David.
Incline Your ear, O LORD, answer me, for afflicted and needy am I.
2. Preserve my soul, for I am steadfast; deliver, O You, my God, Your servant who trusts in You.
3. Be merciful to me, O my Lord, for to You I call all day long.
4. Bring joy to Your servant's soul, for to You, my Lord, I lift up my soul.
5. For You, my Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in loving kindness to all who call on You.
6. Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; heed the voice of my pleas for mercy.
7. In the time of my trouble I call on You, so that You will answer me.
8. There is none like You among gods, O LORD, and there is nothing like You have created.
9. All the nations that You have created will come to bow down before You, O my Lord, and they will glorify Your name.
10. Indeed, great are You and creator of wonders; You are God, You alone.
11. Teach me Your way, O my LORD; I will go forward with your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart to fear Your name.
12. I will praise You, O my Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forever.
13. Indeed, Your loving kindness toward me is great, and You will save my soul from the depths of Sheol.
14. O God, arrogant men have arisen against me; a band of ruthless men seek my soul―men without regard for You.
15.
But You, my Lord, are the Deity Who is compassionate and merciful, slow
to anger, abounding in loving kindness and faithfulness.
16. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant Your strength to Your servant and deliver Your maidservant's child.
17. Create for me a miracle, for good, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame, for You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
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Translation: Rabbi Benjamin J. Segal. See also his explanations and the Hebrew original.
PHOTOS:
1. An Ethiopian monk prays at the door to their church at the Holy Sepulchre.
2. Pilgrims softly singing on the way, in the hill country of John the Baptist. Probably devout Russian Orthodox Christians. I met them as I hiked today. They and I were the only ones out in the wilderness.
3. Libby daughter of Naomi. My youngest grandchild. At Jerusalem's Biblical Zoo.
All the photos can be enlarged.
All the photos can be enlarged.
Labels:
doors,
family,
Holy Sepulchre,
Jerusalem Hills,
monk,
pilgrims,
Psalms,
zoo
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas tree in unexpected place
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The Holy Sepulchre is not the kind of church that gets dressed up for Christmas.
I'm guessing that putting up a tree or any decorations in the public spaces would wreck havoc with the old Status Quo agreement among the various denominations in the church.
So imagine my delight and surprise a few days ago when suddenly a normally-locked door in the rotunda opened for a second and revealed a lit-up tree and a creche!
Such a warm glow, even on the wooden door.
I got a shot a split second before a monk came out.
I suppose the room is the sacristy of maybe the Copts.
Hmm, wonder where the stairs lead to . . . .
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BTW, I gave you a bum steer in yesterday's post. It turned out that the televised Midnight Mass for Christmas Eve was from Nazareth and not Bethlehem.
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Hope everyone is having a happy day.
Merry Xmas to all the Xtians!
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(Even though that is the Greek letter chi and not an English X, I link to ABC Wednesday's X-day. And the door can be for the Israel-based meme Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
.
.
The Holy Sepulchre is not the kind of church that gets dressed up for Christmas.
I'm guessing that putting up a tree or any decorations in the public spaces would wreck havoc with the old Status Quo agreement among the various denominations in the church.
So imagine my delight and surprise a few days ago when suddenly a normally-locked door in the rotunda opened for a second and revealed a lit-up tree and a creche!
Such a warm glow, even on the wooden door.
I got a shot a split second before a monk came out.
I suppose the room is the sacristy of maybe the Copts.
Hmm, wonder where the stairs lead to . . . .
.
BTW, I gave you a bum steer in yesterday's post. It turned out that the televised Midnight Mass for Christmas Eve was from Nazareth and not Bethlehem.
.
Hope everyone is having a happy day.
Merry Xmas to all the Xtians!
.
(Even though that is the Greek letter chi and not an English X, I link to ABC Wednesday's X-day. And the door can be for the Israel-based meme Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
.
.
Labels:
ABC Wednesday,
Christmas,
doors,
Holy Sepulchre,
trees
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