Tomorrow is Election Day in the US, so y’all will be in our thoughts and newsfeeds as the day and results proceed. I haven’t touched on the election here in Israel, not being as versed in the electoral mechanics or full slate of candidates beyond the most notable names. “Complex and contentious” covers most elections and election results these days, and it has been no less the case here.

In the meanwhile, we’re staying busy here on the ground in the Holy Land – tests, extracurriculars, worship, and general observations about our current surroundings. So on we go…

Here are two election posters I thought would be of interest to folks back in the US in general and the NY-NJ area in specific. The text of the poster below translates as “We have one chance. Win!”

This next poster features New York City’s Mayor Zohran Mamdami along with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem. The text translates as “They want Netanyahu to lose. Don’t let them win.”

I forgot to include a photo in the last post from my trip to Ecce Homo. Here was the view from the rooftop patio.

So…here’s a thing. Didn’t think that Papa Johns was a thing here either, but we did in fact drive past a brick-and-mortar…restaurant?…in West Jerusalem the other night.

ASCI Paul says: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Heritage Day at the Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Sahour. On stage was a group of older performers playing/singing traditional Palestinian songs. There where two young students also on stage getting into the spirit, as well as the older woman visible on the right who was waving her hands in the air like she didn’t care and showing off her dance moves to the crowd.

Here is Christy participating in the Reformation Day service in the big church at Redeemer. The service was a joint-worship of the Arabic, English and German congregations.

And here is Sadie taking a piano lesson in the chapel where we usually worship on Sundays,

This past Sunday was All Saints Day worship. That pot you see may look familiar – it is the pot where we buried Seamus, the stray kitten we attempted to rescue our first week back in Jerusalem.

You ride enough buses to and from our neighborhood you see plenty of artwork on the back of the seats. I’m going to go with the names Zaineb, Shadin and Stella.

And finally, Sadie and Riley attended a Trunk-r-Treat at the US Embassy with some of their school friends. Sadie and Riley went as the Wild Kratts, for those in the know.