My Kiwi Torte for 8 NIS (about $2.25)

I'm limited to 5 pictures per post, so here's the close-up of the kiwi torte I bought at the bakery. It can also be seen in the glass case of the bakery with the other tortes on the previous post.

Our neighborhood in northeast Be'er Sheva, Dalet

I haven't written for a while, one, because I've been quite busy with a German-English translation of a dissertation summary, tutoring, and other projects, and two, because I thought that since we haven't been traveling outside Be'er Sheva recently, there wasn't much of interest to friends and family back home to write about. Turns out, I was wrong on that last count. With this post, I'll include some pictures of the immediate 2 block area around our apartment, directly east of the the BGU campus. There are at least three supermarkets, a great bakery for my friend Paul to visit should he come to Israel, a fruit and vegetable market, a florist, a post office, and a school supply store. I splurged on a Kiwi torte at the bakery after I had waited 20 minutes for hot out of the oven (and they were HOT!) pitas for our taco pita dinner the other night.

We have also found the only Christian church we know about in Be'er Sheva (or know where it is, anyway) and have been twice now. It is a Catholic church, and 98% of the service is in Hebrew (everything except for the Gospel reading), but they have Order of Mass books in English that help us follow along more or less. I do not have pictures to show, as I did not think it was appropriate to take pictures, but maybe if I arrive early one Sunday, I will. The congregation meets in a converted house, about 30-40 people, and it is completely full. As Sunday is a workday/weekday in Israel, church begins at 6:15 pm, which barely gives Dawn enough time to come there from the University. By bus and foot, it takes about 35-45 minutes to get there from our apartment, about 20 minutes from the University.

This week's pictures include the grocery store across the street from us, the produce market, and the bakery on the corner. My next post will detail next week's trip to the region around the Sea of Galilee, including Tiberias and Nazareth. I'm looking forward to having a rental car for a week and the freedom that will bring. Though it's a bit unnerving to know that more Israelis have died in traffic accidents than have died in fighting all of Israel's wars combined.

Ben Gurion University

Ben Gurion University (BGU) is where Dawn is completing her post-doc in mathematics. It is named after Israel's first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, who proclaimed that the Negev region (this area) held the key to Israel's future prosperity. Today, BGU is home to about 18,000 students and is one of the most prestigious universities in Israel, and the pride of Be'er Sheva.

Here, finally, are some pictures to let everyone at home know what the campus looks like where Dawn and Josh spend much of their time. The space-age, large, boxy, stair-step building is the university's central library. The small creek, palm-like trees, and grasses are some of the landscaping, though, this being desert, there is more concrete than anything else. The Student Center (entrance pictured) is where the bookstore, cafeteria, and several university services are located. Adjacent to and part of the larger Student Center is our bank.

Heading east across the next driveway is the long, seemingly continuous building that houses physics (near end) and mathematics (far end), though they are actually two separate, but connected buildings. When it is hot, and often at other times too, we duck inside at the far end of the physics building and walk the rest of the way to the Deichmann Building (math) indoors. The Deichmanns are German benefactors of the university who donated the money to build the mathematics complex in 1997-98. BGU is a relatively small campus area-wise, about 1/3 the size of the UO's campus, yet has almost as many students. The buildings are concrete and glass structures that average four stories tall and are spaced close to one another. The large amount of sidewalks, concrete, and pavement cuts down on the need for expensive watering and landscaping. This is my hypothesis, anyway. We always appreciate hearing from friends and family back home!

Israeli Air Force Museum 5.10.2008

On Sunday, October 5th I got up at 5:50 am (we had gained an hour by "Falling Back" Saturday night, so it was really 6:50 am), and caught the 7:15 am bus to the central bus station in Be'er Sheva, followed by the 7:40 am Bus 31 to Hazerim and the Israeli Air Force Museum. The bus was about 10 minutes late leaving, and we arrived at the museum at 8:15. I watched the 15 minute film about the Israeli Air Force in the Museum's Boeing 707. Then I started to make my way around some of the more than 100 planes. There were many F-4 Phantoms, the type which my dad flew in the U.S. Air Force, which made me wonder if the mayor of Be'er Sheva, a retired Air Force general who also founded the museum, flew F-4s as well. I was amazed to see 5 F-4s in a row, interrupted by the lone F-15. There was also a big Boeing Stratocruiser, a PBY Catalina flying boat, and a CH-53 Super Stallion helicopter (aka Jolly Green Giant), as well as numerous French Mirage fighers, and one example each of the MIG-15, 17, 21, and 23. Too many to mention here, but despite the heat, I enjoyed the visit very much. (Almost everything is outdoors in the desert heat, except a small building with displays on search and rescue and Israeli Air Force history since 1948. One noticeable thing is that no current planes in the inventory are on display, except an early model F-15A. I am definitely taking Dad here when he comes to visit!

Whirlwind trip to Jerusalem, Rosh Hoshanah

Monday, Sept. 29th at sundown through Wednesday, Oct. 1st at sundown was Rosh Hoshanah, the Jewish New Year. In the early afternoon on Monday, Ilan and Daniel, the two operator algebraists Dawn is working with, took us to Jerusalem. That wasn't the plan originally. but the national park 20 minutes north of Be'er Sheva was closed, and Ilan was headed to Jerusalem anyway to spend the holiday with family. But, since we were invited for a special Rosh Hoshanah dinner Monday evening with a Jewish History professor and his wife, Bob and Adina, and since bus service would cease for 2 days for the holidays, we had to make sure we made the 16:30 (4:30 pm) bus from Jerusalem back to Be'er Sheva, a 1 hr. 45 minute ride.

We arrived in Jerusalem just before 3 pm, and headed straight for the Old City. We entered through Jaffa Gate, and made our way through the marketplace to where we had a view of the rooftops. We could see the Dome of the Rock in the distance. On the way into town, we also caught a glimpse of the Knisset, the Israeli parliament. On the way back to the car through the market, we stopped at the Church of the Holy Sephulcher, where Christ is believed to have been crucified and buried. We barely made our bus back to Be'er Sheva!

The evening meal was fantastic, but unfortunately, I did not ask if it was OK to take pictures, and so I don't have pictures to post. It is customary to wish "a sweet New Year", and many foods (bread, apple slices) are dipped in honey. Even the barbecue chicken was basted in honey! Yumm! The downside of the holidays and the Sabbath here is that EVERYTHING shuts down. We are trying to adjust, and I just found a great English-language web site with more information on Be'er Sheva: http://my-negev.co.il/show7.php?idp=128&id_new=1583