Catching up on things I could not fill you in on.

Hi,

I have much to write, and I still have pictures and videos that I need to get on here.

Bedouins

The Bedouins are ethnic Arab tribes (similar to Native Americans) that live most of the Middle East countries. They are or were a pastoral group of people, living in tents, and taking care of flocks of sheep, goats and camels. Moses' father-in-law, Jethro of Median, was a Bedouin.

In Israel most Bedouin live in southern Israel in the Negev Desert. They have a few towns, but many are living in "Unofficial villages", that are without basic services such as water, electricity and schools, even though they are located near electric and water lines. Unlike other countries, the Bedouin are not allowed to own their land. Given that the Bedouin were here long before Abraham (considered to be the first Jew) ever came to Israel, they are not being treated fairly.
I was able to visit Bedouin in both Israel and Jordan. While Israel, we met with the mayor of an official town, and listened as he told us how he wanted to improve the lives of his people. We also visited a weaver's co-op, where women are working on traditional Bedouin items to sell to tourists. We also drove far out into the middle of nowhere, to have a traditional Bedouin lunch, in a tent, sitting on the floor. The Jordanian Royal family had Bedouin roots, and are proud of this heritage. Bedouin in Jordan live as they please, and it is not uncommon to see their tents and and pens for animals in any given area.

Islam

In Islam, there are two main factions, Sunni (orthodox) and Shia'a. The two groups consider each other to be Muslim. However, there are off-shoots, that are not considered to be part of the Islam religion. Islam was started when a merchant named Mohammed, was wondering why his people, the Arabs, had not been visited by God. He knew Jews, and Christians, and often wondered why his people had been left out. After much searching, he received a visit from the Angel Gabriel. (For Mormons reading this, our leaders have said that Mohammed did receive visitations.)

Bahai'a
The Bahai'as are an off-shoot of Shia'a Muslims. They are not considered to by Muslim. Their headquarters are in Haifa, Israel.

Druze
The Druze are an off-shoot of Sunni Muslims. They believe in reincarnations, which is not part of Islam. They have a very secretive religion, and not alot is know about their religious beliefs. Druze live in Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.

Judaism

There are four main types of Judaism, Ultra-Orthodox, Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. (And there are subgroups within these four groups.) It is the Ultra-Orthodox men that usually make the photos in newspapers in magazines and newspapers. The long curls, called Pay-oat, are in observance of a scripture in the Old Testament that states not to cut one's hair. Most men curl these long tresses of hair, and I have even seen one man with curlers! I have also seen one man who did not curl his pay-oat.
Most Jewish men from conservative to Orthodox where a kipa, or yarmulke, the small skull cap. This is reverence to God. Orthodox women cover their hair, usually with scarves. Some ultra-orthodox women shave their heads and wear scarves, wigs, or hats.

Shabbat

Hebrew for Sabbath, the entire country of Israel follows Shabbat law to one point or another. In Hotels, one elevator is designated as a Shabbat elevator, meaning it will stop on every floor so that Jews do not have to push buttons, which would break Shabbat law of building on the Sabbath. Pushing a button starts a circuit, and this is considered working. Most stores and restaurants are closed on Shabbat.

Kosher Laws

Kosher or Kashrut, are the laws that govern food and this can get quite complicated.

Fish: only those with fins and scales are kosher
Meat: Comes from animals that chew cud and do not have cloven hooves
Fruits and Veggies: all kosher, unless they have bugs on them. Bugs are not Kosher.
No mixing of milk and meat. We often found that butter was not available when meat was served. No cheeseburgers.

With processed foods this can be very complicated. Some Orthodox Jews will wash dishes with meat in one dishwasher load, then do an empty load, and then wash any dishes that touched dairy.

The Old City of Jerusalem

Old Jerusalem is a small area that dates back over 3000 years. It is walled, and about 20,000 people live there. The current walls date from the time of Suleiman the Great. He built the walls around 1537-42.
Today the Old City has four loosely defined quarters of Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Armenian. The Armenians come from a country, Armenia, that was the first country to entirely convert to Christianity. They have had a presence in Jerusalem from the 300's A.D. and on.
The Old City has traditional sites such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where is sacred to Catholics and Orthodox Christians as the place of Golgatha/Calvary. Most Protestants and Mormons believe that Golgatha/Calvary are located at the Garden Tomb, which is located outside the city walls. Golgatha is Aramaic for Place of the Skull, Calvary means the same thing in Latin.
The Via Dolorosa, or Way of Sorrows is the Traditional path that Christ took when he was crucified. Religious scholars now know that this path is not accurate, as the streets were different at the time He was alive.
Most of the Old City is comprised of a great market place that is great for tourists. However, there are many Holy places for Christians, Jews, and Muslims.
At the east of the city is the Temple Mount (Mount Moriah) . On the top of the mount, the Muslims have built Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock. (which covers the rocky projection of Mt. Moriah) We did not get to go to these sites, despite several attempts by members of the group. We had Israeli, and American Jewish guides, and they were not going there, and kept us busy so that we could not. Our Israeli guide said that money used to see these sites goes directly to terrorists. Well, I've been there before, ten years ago, and I do not recall being asked for money to enter the Dome of the Rock. Not being Muslim, I could not enter the mosque, but I have looked inside it.