The second group of students since the nearly seven-year hiatus at the Jerusalem Center arrived in May of 2007. For only one term (one half semester or about two months), two classes of students had a shortened but packed adventure in the Holy Land. Brother Merrill and Brother Whitchurch led each bus of students on excursion after excursion including seven days in Egypt (“Welcome to Alaska!”), two trips to Galilee (eleven total days), and four days in Jordan (shout out to the Mecca Mall). Education was focused on Old and New Testament Studies. Additional academic support was provided by Brother Huntington teaching Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Ophir Yarden teaching Modern Near East Judaism, and Bethlehem University’s Dr Adnan Musallam teaching Modern Near East Islam.
Highlights included ice cream at Kibbutz Eilot, an overnight train to Luxor, snorkeling in the Red Sea, Shavuot at the Western Wall, a Galilee Fireside with Branch President Gary Browning, meeting up with Eran Hayet in Nazareth, hiking to the Black and White Waterfalls in the Golan Heights, soccer with local Palestinian children in Manger Square, a Nativity reenactment in the Judaean Hills (not fields) with a local goat shepherd, a fireside with David Galbraith, and an evening with the Amman Branch.
While at The Center, no student could forget the ever-present view of the Old City of Jerusalem and the beckoning onslaught on every sensory input with each trip within its quarters: The kaleidoscope alleyways of cashmere scarves, hanging dresses, and genuine leather bags. The smell of zatar spice perfuming Beit Habad Street, the taste of Hidmi’s fried falafel, or even seared shawarma just around the corner from Omar’s Souvenir Shop. The call to prayer from the Al-Aqsa Minarets, the rhythmic Hallels at the Wailing Wall, and the haunting intonations resonating in every church and cathedral. Each corridor and corner left an imprint on each student’s limbic system. Bargaining, gastronomy, and holy envy became an accidental competitive advantage realized most on returning to America.
Ultimately, the most lasting impression from that term was engraved on the fleshy tablets of each student’s heart and a measurable portion of the Spirit that comes with a more intimate examination of the Holy Land. To walk where Jesus walked, to spontaneously sing hymns of worship in holy places we had only previously read about, and to seriously ponder Christ’s ministry and mission in a strangely familiar yet still sacred space. Although the June 2007 Battle of Gaza acted as a fleeting reminder of our privileged time housed on Mount Scopus, the public and private testimonies and tears towards the end of our stay were manifestations of the tender mercies gained from a deeper, more authentic love for our Savior. – by Michael Sheflo
Please send us a Facebook link, if you have one for your semester. We would also love movies, more photos, and stories.
Slide images to the left to see more:
