Today is Yom Kippur–one of the holiest days of the Jewish year. It is a wonderful time of year in any nation where there is a high population of Jewish people, but to be in Israel on this day is something very special. This year we find ourselves in Ethiopia. In a couple of hours…
Category: Culture
life’s marrow
Ethiopia ancient civilization core of life’s marrow
Where Life is Black and White
This woman makes pennies a day by collecting branches and selling them. She is lucky to work… She has shoes. Many of the woman that do this job climb the mountains and forage for tree limbs without shoes! We have been in Ethiopia for four days now, and this is the first time I have…
The Last Dawn…
… well this is the last dawn for a while… over Mt. Zion. We leave this evening for Ethiopia and will be in both Gondar and the capital, Addis Ababa for about two weeks. We are eager about the trip and to reconnect with dear friends. Today will be spent in packing and tying up…
For a Sweet Year
We celebrated the Jewish New Year last evening with dear friends. They live not far from us in Jerusalem. The meal was amazing with four, round braided Sabbath breads, some with raisins, cinnamon, plain, and whole wheat. We feasted on it. I kid you not, it was better than any dessert. Later we had a…
Like Children
Jerusalem is preparing for the Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShanah. The city is scurrying to buy Gefilte fish, special Sabbath bread, apples and honey, matza ball soup (one of my favorites!) and all the special foods of the holiday. These two Orthodox boys playing on the streets are in another world today… occupied with the…
Ice, Salt, and Lot’s Wife…
This looks like ice or snow on the water, but it is the salty crust on the Dead Sea. The beautiful mountains in the background are Jordan. It is amazing that the water is so aqua… I just the color of the Dead Sea. The clearer the sky and atmosphere, the bluer the water. We…
The Lowest Place on Earth…
We are at the Dead Sea for a couple of days. As you see here, it is on the way to Jericho. Interesting trivia: the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth not covered with water. Actually as you are driving, you reach sea level way before you reach the salty water of the…
I’ve Gone Green…
… that is I bought some plants for our apartment. That’s pretty “green,” wouldn’t you say? We weren’t going to buy plants until later in the year after we make a quick trip back to the states, but we found these really, really healthy ones at–of all places–IKEA! And because they were so amazingly cheap,…
Bonnie Saul Wilks 