Jerusalem has been packed this week. It’s the week of Passover/Unleavened Bread, and the city has swelled with visitors. I mentioned in my last post about witnessing the priestly blessing at the Western Wall. It took some effort to leave, flowing with the crowd like a giant blob oozing its way along the pavement. If you haven’t been here, there’s something you need to understand about Middle Eastern personal space: it doesn’t exist. We weren’t so much shuffling forward as being pushed forward. It was in this context that one in our group reminded us of a story of Jesus […]

It’s easy to picture Jerusalem as this ancient city with these old walls and all this history. All this is true. However, there is a modern side to Jerusalem, too. It’s fun when the ancient is blended with the modern. For instance, for four evenings last week there was a musical event called Sounds of the Old City. There were different venues around the Old City for concerts plus some other fun stops along the way. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea from the various nights I went. All in all, a fun and unique experience. […]

In between classes, reading, studying, and more around campus, I’m making a deliberate effort to head out and explore the city. At home I normally go for a walk each day, so this is really an extension of that habit, but it’s more fun. I have a typical route at home I walk after work each day (unless it’s cold and snowy, in which I’m inside on my treadmill). I keep trying to find new places to walk here. Sometimes I’m with others; sometimes I’m alone. In past trips, my wanderings have been almost exclusively in or near the Old […]