Jerusalem Snow

For about as long as I can remember, I've wanted to see Jerusalem in the snow.  Wherever you go around here, you're sure to find some postcards, often displaying Jerusalem on its best days in its most beautiful places.  Jerusalem is a beautiful city, but those "best" days are few and far between, especially when it comes to the snow pictures.  I remember coming across some pictures of Jerusalem in the snow sometime a few years back and thinking, "Wow, I really wish I could see that for myself."

Last year we had a sprinkling of snow.  I was excited.  It wasn't much and didn't stick long (it was gone by noon), but it was fun to see.  I figured that was probably the only time I would see snow in Jerusalem, so I tried to enjoy it.

This was about the extent of the snow in 2012.  Enough to see, not more.

This week a patch of bad weather hit Israel.  Gusts of wind, probably stronger than anything I'd seen here before.  And, of course, rain.  Overall, extreme, but not too abnormally different from winter weather here in previous years.

Then we started hearing rumors of snow.  Starting Wednesday.  5-15cm.  I've heard rumors of snow before, I thought.  I'll believe it when I see it.  Especially since the weather predictions were inconsistent.  Some places predicted several inches of snow, while others warned of rain but suggested temperatures would be too high for snow.  I was hopeful, but it was hard to know who to believe.


Wednesday we woke up expectantly, but there was no snow.  There were a few flurries throughout the day, but more sleet-like than snow-like.  But that night, it began to snow.  Intermittently  but still enough to start to stick to cars.  We began to get excited, and went to bed, praying that the snow would continue through the night.

It did.  By 6am several inches had accumulated, and it was still snowing.


We headed out early, to make the most of the time.  It was almost as silent as Yom Kippur.

Looking towards the top of the City of David and the Mount of Olives.

 Of course we had to visit the Western Wall/Dome of the Rock.  While we were there the snow stopped. 

We headed to the Gloria Hotel to take advantage of the wonderful view from their roof.  While we were there the sun came out and it was glorious.  

Stitched Panorama of the New City

Looking towards the Mount of Olives

Part of the Dome of the Rock visible.

On the way back to JUC the clouds rolled back in.  

Later in the day the sun came out again and I went out for a bit.  There was water running in the streets.

But in spite of the streams, there was still a significant amount of snow on the ground.  

Of course, it was fun to see "hell" frozen over.  It looked a bit like a Christmas card there, with all the snowmen and snow forts and snowball fights and sledding.  People were making the most of this short opportunity.  

I joined in the fun and made my own little snowman.  

By sunset, the roads were clear enough that traffic was moving fairly regularly.  The roofs, however, still had a distinct dusting of snow.  It was apparently the heaviest snow in Jerusalem since 1992, and it was quite a bit heavier and lasted a lot longer than I expected.

 It was, however, every bit as beautiful as I expected, and will become a treasured memory from my time here in Jerusalem.

The Year in Review: 2012

This year has seen a dramatic drop in my blogging, so for anyone out there who has missed it, I apologize profusely.  Other communicative outlets have been taking up most of my time and energy.  Perhaps in this new year I'll try to get back to blogging more often, but pray don't be too disappointed should I fail.  At least I'll try to get off to a good start with a look at the highlights of this last year.

January:
It didn't start off very exciting.  I spent a lot of time at the MBC library, cataloging book after book.

Towards the end of the month, however, I did receive the exciting news that Israel had granted me a visa, so I began preparing to return there.  There were, however, a few complications that needed to be taken care of, so my exact date of return was still uncertain.  

February:

It was a month of beautiful snowflakes.  

 It was also the month of the boy.  Yes.  That one in the middle.

We just started hanging out more...and then...suddenly... 

We were dating.  Still not quite sure how it happened so fast, but God seemed to work things out just right, and for our first official date, we built a snow fort.

A week later I left for Israel (with little warning), stopping only for a few days to visited the coolest niece and nephew a girl could have.  They're parents are pretty cool too.

 But then I was off, heading back to Israel.

 Where it promptly snowed on me.

(Yes, this is the Hinnom Valley. <Insert joke about hell freezing over.>)

March:
I enjoyed becoming reacquainted with the land (especially the surprisingly green Judean Wilderness) and seeing old friends.

I also enjoyed getting to know new people - all the Spring Semester students.  

April:

In my continuing kitchen adventures, I decided to experiment with making very simple cheese.  I made ricotta a few times, and it was surprisingly simple and tasty.  Why did I never think of making this before??

I also went to a sunrise service on the Mount of Olives for Easter.  

May:

In May I bid a fond farewell to all the semester students, and welcomed the first of several short-term groups.  

My friend Nicole also visited for a little over a week and we went to the Biblical Zoo.  Apparently it is "Biblical" mostly because it has a large ark?!  At any rate, it was a fun place to visit.  

Also in May, I took the opportunity to join some of the short-term groups on full and half days.  On one of these I made it back to Samaria/Sebaste for the first time since 1998.  It was good to see it again and work on improving my understanding of that geographic region.

June:
A group from my church came to Israel and I got to meet up with them one day in the Old City.  It was fun to catch up with several of them.  I think they were rather surprised to find a familiar face in a strange city.

July:

It was a month of changes.  Short term groups finished up, giving those of us who were left a little more time to hang out and relax.  

It was a month of many sad good-byes, as several in our group left Jerusalem and would not be returning in the fall.  

It was also a month of glad hellos as I also got to go home for a break.  It was great to see family and friends again, and it was especially great to finally get to date my boyfriend in person.  

August:
Probably one of my favorite parts of the year was in August.  I got to attend Family Camp with various parts of my ever extending family.  It was such a blessing to spend time with people I don't often see, including my niece and nephew.  They're so great.  It was also nice because I got to see much of my "camp family."

 It wasn't long before I had to head back to Jerusalem, though, and prepare for the incoming Fall Semester students.  

September:
Sometime this month I finally figured out everyone's name.  I sat in on a class on "Christian Communities in the East" and was able to go on that field study.

I tried to join in on all the field studies and activities I could, including the Student Activity Day, when we hiked down the beautiful Nahal Amud.

October:
It was a good month for visiting "new" places.  I finally got to go to Ramallah for the first time!

I also joined the Joshua class and went (among other places) to one of the "Sandal Sites" in the Jordan Valley.  I remain somewhat unconvinced as to its significance, but it was interesting to visit.

A small group of us made an attempt to visit Mt. Ebal, which would have been exciting.  Those plans, unfortunately, fell through.  Still, we did get to visit the region of ancient Bethel, as well as some other interesting places, so it wasn't a total loss.

In October we also started a salvage dig on campus, and our students got to participate.  I dug one day and was sore for about a week!

November:

We celebrated Thanksgiving in our own way with a little "Turkey Bowl" and a delicious meal.  

 The next day (with the semester almost over) we celebrated Christmas.

December:
It was a busy and exciting month.  With finals over, I took advantage of a few free days and went exploring with four students.  We went down south and to the Shephelah and had many adventures, both large and small.

Shortly after that, I flew home to see my family.  I only got about a week with them, but it was a blessing.  

Then I went with my boyfriend to HIS home and got to meet many of his friends and family members.  It was a whirlwind, but also very enjoyable.  

The end of the year found me back home in Jerusalem where we rung in the New Year with a new group of short-termers.  

Lord willing this will be my home for roughly another year, and I look forward to seeing what new adventures He brings my way in it.