ZolaBlog: Israel

This will be mentioned in the August Levitt Letter.  Blessings, Sandra
Because Shavuot is a dairy holiday, I would like to share a recipe for yogurt cheese. This is delicious on tuna or tomatoes, or served with pita. Add dill, parsley, black pepper, or mint to the cheese. It’s one of my favorites, from The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking, by Phyllis Glazer and Miriyam Glazer.

Yogurt Cheese

• 1 quart plain cow’s, sheep’s, or goat’s milk yogurt
• Cheesecloth or muslin bag

Place a large wire-mesh strainer over a bowl. Cut 3 or 4 layers of muslin into squares, dip in cold water, wring out, and line the strainer. Spoon in the yogurt, bring up the edges of the muslin, squeeze the bottom a little to extract some of the moisture. Twist the corners of the cloth together and tie the two opposite edges into a knot.

Hang the package from the kitchen faucet for several hours or overnight, and let drip directly into a bowl at room temperature until the milk is the consistency of cream cheese. Squeeze the package gently from time to time to help it drain faster. Remove the cheese from the cheesecloth and transfer to a closed container. Store in the refrigerator. Makes 1½ cups.

Though the recipe says to bring the cheese to room temperature and spread it on a plate, I prefer to serve it cold. Garnish with extra virgin olive oil, chopped olives, capers, and parsley. Enjoy!

The group left this morning at 1am headed back for the States.  There were several passengers that had planned on staying a few days after the tour and they are seeing Israel on their own.  As aways, a really great group of Believers and I will miss them. Our hotel, Prima Royale, really put on a show for our farewell dinner.  We ate on the patio and had a banquet of bar-b-que.  The weather was cool, food was good, and the fellowship was just the best.   My plane leaves tonight.

I try and ask everyone on the tour what their favorite site was in Israel.  I love the answers: Garden Tomb, Galilee boat ride, Masada, Golan and of course, Jerusalem.   The main reasons for their favorite site is that it brings the Bible to life for them.  It is hard to read about Yeshua walking on the Sea of Galilee or walk the Southern steps—the same steps Yeshua walked—and not have the Bible come to life.  I love to see the “lights” come on in the passengers hearts.  They love the Lord and they love Israel and will make great ambassadors for Israel.  

Today started out cool and rapidly got hotter.  I would guess the temperatures to be in the mid 90’s.  As I say, June is hot or hotter.

I ventured out today.   I have done just about everything in the day-to-day life in Israel, so I thought I would get my hair done.  What an experience.  There was a young lady in the two-chair shop getting her hair done for her bat mitzvah.  Her mother and younger sister were there to assist her.  The nice young man, Yoni, did a great job on me and I think it is one of the best cuts I have had in a long time.  A little shorter, but basically the same style.   When he finished, he told me I looked younger.  He knew how to get to me. 

I had to have the almond tempura one more time at Sukura, the Japanese restaurant.  It was as good as I remembered.  A wonderful way to end the day. 

Off to finish packing and then head to the airport!

I will be back in Israel, the Lord willing, in October.  Thank you for reading the blog and for your prayers.

I promised that I would try and do a little blogging while on the tour.  I did not realize just what I had promised!  But today, I will catch up some.
 
Today is my son, Will’s, birthday.  So, first things first:  “happy birthday!”  I have been so blessed to watch Will grow in the Lord.  It is the most important thing for a parent, knowing that their children believe in the one true God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
 
On that note, I will celebrate this evening with a special dinner for Will.  In our family, the birthday person, gets to pick the restaurant and/or meal of the day.  My guess is that I will also be fixing a pecan pie.  My pleasure. 
 
The tour has gone very well and everyone seems very happy to be in Israel. I have already heard that several people are making plans to come back in the Fall. The group is on the way to the Dead Sea and Masada.  They will “float” in the dead sea and see where the Jews took their last stand at Masada against The Romans.  
 
At the baptism service in the Jordan River, we had a young man accept Christ and be baptised.  It was a good day for all of us. Mike is with a group of three other guys who have been friends for over ten years, and some since college. They planned well over a year ago to be in Israel at this time.  We call them “the boys.”  Such fine men in Christ.  Just a real joy to be around them.  So to Mike’s wife, I say mazel tov!  Mike is a new creation and we will keep you both in our prayers.  This baptism was a highlight of the tour for me. 
 
Tomorrow is the “dig” and another exciting day in Jerusalem. We will be sifting Temple Mount debris, so I am sure that since we have already been to the Western Wall and the Temple Mount area, this will be a real visual for all of us. 

Shalom from a very hot Jerusalem.  I guess Summer has arrived and would guess it is in the 90’s today with a very light breeze.   

Last night, Will and I went to the Western Wall to celebrate Shavuot. (The weather was warm, but bearable.)  It is one of the three holidays, that Jews gather in Jerusalem, the other two being Passover and Tabernacles.   We have also eaten so much dairy foods.   We arrived there about 7pm and sundown was about 8:30.  Very  few people were there when we got there, so we got a great spot for pictures and people watching.  About 8:30, the plaza was crowded with most people wearing white.  It was so moving to remember that the Holy Spirit was sent at Shavuot/Pentecost and I was standing in Jerusalem where it happened.  

I had the best cheesecake this morning for breakfast (more dairy).  Creamy and light.  I had double portions, it was so good.  Jerusalem is quiet again for this holiday.  Most businesses are closed and the city will come alive after sundown.

The Byrd family (Randy, Debbie and Rachel) arrived safely last night and I got to visit with them today.  First on the agenda was a walk to the old city and the Western Wall.  Most  everything was closed, but we got  to walk around the Jewish Quarter and the City of David.  Lunch was at the YMCA across the street from the King
David Hotel.  We were very grateful they were open.  The food was good.  I had the tomato/mozarella salad ( yes, dairy).  Chicken Salad, big burger and chicken strips were all good.  

The tour group is on their way to Israel and I meet up with them tomorrow afternoon.  Please keep us in your prayers.

I am planning on blogging while on the tour.  Thanks for reading.

The weather has been somewhat cooler than Thursday.  I would say in the mid 70’s to low 80’s rather than the 90 degree mark.  A gentle breeze is also here, but alas, no rain.  

Very quiet Shabbat.  I love the contrast between the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem during the week and then the quietness that comes when Shabbat starts at sundown on Friday.  All Jewish holidays and Shabbat start at sundown.   It takes me two days to finish reading the Friday Jerusalem Post, so I napped and read and visited with Will.  

I met with friends at Sakura Japanese Restaurant for my sushi fix after Shabbat.  I had some of the best tempura that I have had in a long time. They use almonds in the tempura batter.  The sushi was very fresh and the area, off Ben Yehuda, was really packed with people. Very lively. Another contrast between the Shabbat and the restarting of the week.  

I am going to the Western Wall this evening to celebrate Shavuot (Pentecost). Jewish traditions abound regarding Shavuot:  wearing white, eating sweet dairy, reading the book of Ruth, reading the Torah all night and making a pilgrimage to the Western Wall. Tradition also suggests that the Ten Commandments were given to Moses on this day.

Shavuot/Pentecost is the time that the Holy Spirit was sent to us to be our comforter.  Acts 2:1 and 4, “The festival of Shavuot arrived and the believers all gathered in one place, they were all filled with the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).”  This is the Jewishness of our Christian roots.    

Have a blessed Shavuot/Pentecost.

Shabbat Shalom!

It was hot yesterday. I think I heard that it topped out at around 90 degrees. I know, its a dry heat, but let me tell you, that is still hot.

Had a wonderful visit with the Immanuel Tours family. Dinner was in Tel Aviv in an area called Neve Tzedek at a continental cuisine restaurant named Dallal. I kept kidding everyone, that the name was really Dallas. We learned that the chef had just been featured on Israeli television as one of the areas brightest stars. Neve Tzedek has undergone major redevelopment in the last 15 years and is now known for its artist colonies and fine restaurants. As always with the Meyers, good fellowship and good food.

The festivities continue in Israel all this week. I thought you would find the following article interesting. I know I did.

News from Israel Today
Headline News
Thursday, June 05, 2008 Nicole Jansezian

Christian worship festival continues in Jerusalem

Fulfillment Fest, the first of its kind worship festival here in Israel, has been marking the days leading up to Pentecost on June 9 with nightly worship services at a park on the Mount of Olives.

Organizers said the purpose of the festival in Israel was the same as the first Pentecost—to wait on the Holy Spirit to come. For each of the evenings, no speaking was on the agenda, just worship.

“We’re not pretending we have an answer, that it has to be through the arts even,” one of the organizers told Israel Today. “But rather than making doctrinal statements, we’re just worshipping and inviting the Holy Spirit to come.”

Israeli and Arab worship bands joined the international line-up of worshipers. The worship tent attracted foreigners and locals alike. Shavuot, or Pentecost, is celebrated in Israel beginning Sunday night and carrying on through Monday. The festival organizers hope to see another Holy Spirit outpouring like in the Book of Acts.

Sean Feucht, who has started 24/7 worship sights around the world including in Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist nations, was one of the worship leaders at Fulfillment Fest. He said Israel’s environment is markedly different for worship, and its exactly this kind of atmosphere in which he enjoys worshiping.

“Israel is in the most intense environment in the entire world to worship in,” he said. “Every power and principality is warring for or against the return of Jesus on the earth,” he explained. “But God is so accessible and it doesn’t take much for Him to come. I love these kind of atmospheres—He has to show up, we don’t have any other choice.”

Another good night’s sleep and another good breakfast. The visitors at the B&B include mostly French and Israeli’s—always good people watching. I walked, got my paper and said my usual “boker tov’s. It is such a good feeling to be part of the community, no matter how long the time I have in Israel.

Since Shabbat is tonight, I went to the “big” grocery store rather than the expensive corner store. I entered, a little more secure in knowing what I wanted, and that it did not require me to know a lot of Hebrew. I can identify lettuce, tomatoes, chicken, etc. Whew! Life is good. The checkout line is a whole other story. I never know if I am in the less-than-ten-items line, the only-paper-goods line, or the please-speak-English line. So, I stand in line and pray that I am okay and that I don’t create a big “American” scene by not knowing what I am doing. I don’t know what it is in Israel about grocery store checkouts, but everyone looks at their items as if they were seeing them for the first time. Each item is discussed and the price is questioned on EVERY item. I always say that in Israel, everything is a discussion. So, here, patience is a real virtue. Just a different experience than in the States. I usually stand in line, check out, say thank you and I am out the door.

The Chicken is cooking, flowers are bought, the apartment is clean, and I am ready for the greeting of Shabbat—a quiet time with our Lord. May your Shabbat be blessed.

Israel is still celebrating their 60th anniversary, with parades and celebrations all over town.  Yesterday, was the big Jerusalem Day parade.  Sunday evening will see the celebration of Shavuot or Pentecost at the Western Wall.   I am really glad to be here during this time.

I confess, I did have the almond croissant from Aroma Cafe, yesterday.   It is one of my comfort foods and I was ready for it.

Last night, Will and I ate at Foccacia. The glassed-in patio has huge windows that open, so the evening breeze was terrific. One of my favorite restaurants and it was as good as ever.  It is not a Kosher restaurant (as they serve bacon and cheese) but one of the featured items on the menu is goose (kosher).  But the last several times I have eaten there, they have been out of the goose.  My favorite salad on the menu is chicken with avacado, but sadly they were out of avacado.  However, they had goose this time.  Will and I laughed with the waitress about never having goose, and now having goose and no avacado.   It is probably one of those things that you had to be there to appreciate.

It was an early evening for me and my jet lag.

What a difference a good night’s sleep makes in my life. Gorgeous morning (low 70’s) with a light breeze.  It is going to be warm today (mid 80’s).  Clear skies and still no rain.   I headed out this morning and greeted everyone at the Frankforter Center—Boker tov, (good morning) and B’seder (fine). It just makes me think I can really speak Hebrew. I bought a handmade newborn-sized jumper with matching hat.  I wanted a baby gift and it is just so cute.  I got my paper and headed back for breakfast.

This morning I went to the Jewish Quarter because one of the first things I like to do in Jerusalem is visit the Western Wall (not wailing wall, we no longer wail), pray, and put my written prayers in the Wall.   I finished and then I was off to visit old friends.  I met with Moishe at Shorashim.  We had a short visit and I headed to Blue and White Gallery.   I visited with them and then headed to meet Will for lunch downtown (Ben Yehuda).

As I am walking from the Jaffa Gate to Ben Yehuda, I can smell the Rosemary plants.  They grow like weeds and are very large in Israel. The aroma today is powerful.

After lunch, I have some computer work to do.  The pecan pie is in the oven and I will probably make my famous spaghetti for dinner.  Life is good.

Will and I ate well last night.  The pecan pie was delicious (I must be getting use to the oven) and the spaghetti was pretty good too.  We had a quiet evening and I turned in early.  It takes me a couple of nights to get over the jet lag.  It was a gorgeous evening as I walked to my B&B.  Warm, but lovely.

I woke up early, thinking I may be on Israeli time instead of feeling like it is 2am all day.   I have the Jerusalem syndrome.  Not that I think I am Queen Esther, or King David, but my leg muscles are aching.  Remember that Jerusalem is built on hills, so my leg muscles are feeling the ups and downs of these hills.   I walk almost everywhere.  I think I am good shape because I walk three miles almost everyday back in the States, but these “hills” are tough!  As I say, they are all uphill and very few downhill.  I am amazed that Kathleen Murray runs when she is here in Israel.  My hat is off to her. It also justifies my almond croissant and glida (ice cream) that I eat.

This morning is warm—not as cool as yesterday.  It will probably be in the mid 80s by the time the day is over.  Add walking to that temperature and it gets really warm.  Water is a must.

I have gotten a couple of emails from friends who are visiting Israel before the group gets here on Tuesday.  Dr. Randy Byrd, his wife Debbie, and their daughter Rachel will arrive on Sunday.  So I will see them Monday and fellowship.  He was one of Zola’s doctors and was always there when Zola called.   They met Zola on a tour many years ago.  It will be good to see them.

Fred and Linda Stair will also arrive in Jerusalem on Sunday with their daughter.  They have been to Israel several times and are excited to be back to the Holy Land.   We will try and get together.  Truly, my greatest joy is to see people fall in love with Israel and see their Bibles come alive.

News in the Jerusalem Post is all about Senator Obama and Senator Clinton speaking to AIPAC.  I watched some of the speeches last night and I must say they all sound like they support Israel.  We’ll see if they are as good as their word.  I initially typed “work”  instead of “word,” but I think their work and word is the  same.  Senator McCain had spoken earlier in the week and was also quoted as being a friend of Israel.   November should be interesting.

More news in the Jerusalem Post today:  an interesting article about Robert Kennedy written by Lenny Den-David.  “RFK was a strong supporter of Israel, and that support was genuine, deep, and heart felt.  And it cost him his life.  His oldest daughter, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, told me on his 30th yahrzeit, He was killed by an Arab terrorist (Sirhan Sirhan) because of his support for Israel.  Sirhan’s motives, which were expressed in his diary and trial—were fueled by his anger over Israel’s victory exactly one year earlier.”

According to Israel Today, “as of Monday, the NIS, New Israeli Shekel, became one of 17 world currencies that can be traded in multi-currency banks.  Mazel Tov!

I am going to have dinner tonight with the Meyers family from Immanuel Tours, our land agents in Israel.  We have tried for several months to get together and we have finally connected.  A little business and lots of good food and fellowship.  I mention fellowship often, but it is important to me to be with Believers.  We are all on the same page: loving the Lord and Israel.

It is hard for me to believe it is Tuesday.  I left Dallas on Sunday for Israel and all in all, the trip went well.  I forgot about the security issues until was in Newark airport.  The gate for the Continental flight to Tel Aviv is the last gate in the terminal.  I find that to be the case in every airport that I have flown, when the flight is going to Israel (just in case something happens, the whole airport is not harmed.)  The gate is also partitioned off from the rest of the gates and no one can get in or out after everyone has gone through yet another security check at the gate.  I suppose I should be grateful for the procedures and I should feel safer.  Actually, it makes me realize what kind of world we live in and I am reminded that God is in control of my life, not man.

My B&B was waiting for me and after dinner with Will at an outdoor restaurant, I headed for a good night’s sleep.  The weather last night was just about perfect for sitting outside.  It was so good to see my son. The extra suitcase was transferred with much delight from Will.  I even managed to add a few cans of tuna at the last minute. Children are a blessing.

I got up a little early, but not bad for the first night with all that goes with jet lag.  I am trying not to think that it could be three in the morning back in the States.

Funny how some things are so comforting.  Breakfast at the B&B is one of those things for me.  I had my egg salad, tomatoes, lots of coffee, and melon.  I had walked earlier to get my paper and check out the street where I live for new stores.  The Italian restaurant is gone and has been replaced with a waffle bar.  I know I will try that one out.  I love waffles.

I ran a few errands and will meet Will for dinner.  I try and take the first day easy and will hit the ground running tomorrow.  I have some sites and some restaurants that are just asking for my attention.

The big news is the drought that Israel is having.   As I drove in on Monday, the fields are  brown.  It is late in the year for rain, but they could sure use some.

Thank you for your prayers for travel mercies.

Shabbat Shalom.

What a week!  I always think I am ready for the tour and then something happens and I start all over again.  We were filming Tuesday and Wednesday for the new Ezekiel series, so the week was really packed with activities.  We went back for filming on Thursday, which was unexpected, but the series is now done and is in editing.

I have packed Will’s bag with the usual: pecans, Karo syrup, and pie crusts.  I am taking a smaller bag for him this time, so there is not room for the mac and cheese and tuna.  That will have to wait for the Fall tour.   Still, lots of goodies for him.

I must confess that I get so excited getting ready for Israel.  I am hoping the weather will be nice.  It could go either way… hot and very hot.

My bags are almost packed.  Let’s just say that I have decided what I am going to wear, and that is the biggest challenge for me.   I will finish Saturday night.

My grandson, David, graduates from High school Saturday afternoon and I am looking forward to that.  What a milestone in his life.  He is off to Texas Tech.  As an Aggie mother, I am sure, we will have some interesting football watching to do together.

I will leave Sunday for Israel and arrive Monday afternoon.  The group gets in on the 10th, so I will have a week to see things and eat at the wonderful restaurants I have come to think of as home.  My B&B awaits me.

Please pray for travel mercies for me and for the group.  We will have almost 100 people.  I must thank Immanuel Tours in advance for their hard work.    They are just the best.

I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me this time.  It is always an exciting adventure with Him.