Born in the USA

We have been back from Israel since Thursday night, after a 24 hour trek (thank you, American Eagle, for not having a pilot ready and getting us back 2 hours late, and then losing luggage). The El Al flight was great and the security at Ben Gurion inspired confidence. Lessons learned at airport security: taking shoes off is silly; asking questions again and again is not silly; screening luggage and checking passports more than once is smart. The Israelis have it right and I appreciate that, although time consuming and repetitive, it is safer and wiser to ask questions again and again. I spent part of the flight wondering which passenger was the Mossad agent; my image of Mossad has been affected by the character of Ziva David on NCIS, so I think I wouldn't have guessed it even if the guy/gal was sitting next to me.

Life is getting back to normal: laundry, cats, work on Monday, dinner with friends. I joked today with my traveling companion that I'm starting to save for my next trip to Israel as I put 3 quarters in the change dish on my bookcase. Biggest lesson in all of this for me: do not delay joy, even if you believe, as the Druse do, that you die and come back immediately. If you are called to do something, do it. Life is to short not to.

PS to journey's end

If our guide Isaac Dorenbush is reading this, I want him to know that he is also part of our Israeli experience. His sense of humor, patience, and graciousness went a long way to make the first week here a joy. We will be happy to recipricate if he ever wants to return to visit Provincetown!

Last thoughts on Israel

We just watched the sun set over the Mediteranean from the boardwalk along the beach in Tel Aviv. Sad to be leaving, but I will be happy to be home, of course. And what did I learn today (or the past 2 weeks)? I learned that you have to experience life on someone else's turf to truly understand them and that security in the defense of survival is a necessary sacrifice (something Americans learned in a lesser context after 9/11). This country of amazing landscapes, a legacy for Jews that goes back thousands of years, and probably the most determined people on the planet has taught me so much. Things I didn't write about before include the great physical beauty of the people and their love of fresh, locally grown food (we didn't have a bad meal here....food and wine are appreciated and agriculture is a national pride). As opposed to what I was told before coming here, the people are friendly, gracious and make great attempts to speak English (and laugh at their own mistakes!).

This is a country I hope to come back to at some time, but if I am not able to these memories will stay with me forever. From Tel Aviv to Haifa to Safed to the Golan Heights to Jerusalem to Eilat, this country is a marvel. Tomorrow, home to another marvel.....Provincetown.

And you thought Massachusetts drivers are bad

Yesterday was a lesson in patience and bladder control. At a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at Sally and Joan's, I mentioned to Alix that I was going to Israel, including some time in Eilat on the Red Sea. She told me that I should go to Petra in Jordan, that it was a must see. She was surely right, and I am so glad we went. My only complaint is about the journey. First the good news; Petra is a site in Jordan where the Nabatean culture (2000 years ago) carved a city into the cliffs. There were approximately 50,000 people living in this area at the time. The carvings included a huge treasury building, altars to their gods, and a huge amphitheater. Petra (just Google it) is one of the man-made wonders of the world. On the appoximately (this is being written after 2 glasses of fine Israeli merlot), 1.5 mile walk into the site you walk through canyons of rock that have altars carved into it and simple aqueducts for water to run into the city. One can rent a chariot with a horse or a camel to get you into Petra, but the Romans (them again) paved the way in with large stones, making it treacherous for the horses and camels. Walking in is down hill, walking out the reverse. It's a hard trek, but well worth it.

On the other hand, actually getting to the entrance is a pain in the ass. Going from Eilat in Israel, you get driven to the Jordanian border, get your exit approved on the Israeli side, walk through a strange DMZ kind of area and then meet your Jordanian guide, who has a guy take all of our passports and disappear for awhile. Our guide was Hassan, who clearly was phoning it in. Odd thing about him was that he wore ear muffs the whole time; it was about 60 degrees when we started, sometimes warmer. The Jordanians have cops with the title of "Tourist Police" at the border and have a cop on the busses taking tourists to Petra. All very strange. After our group of 17 (we were 2 of 4 Americans; the rest were Israelis, South Africans, and 2 Argentinians on their honeymoon) got on the bus, we went for a nightmare ride of hairpin turns that tested our nerves. Hassan was droning on in unintelligible English (he's also supposedly fluent in Greek, but I don't buy it). Since only a few of us have English as our first language and he wasn't particularly good at speaking English, most of what he said wasn't understood by any of us. We get to Petra and what should have been a 1 hour walk in took forever. Petra is a little chaotic; horses, camels, old guys selling fake ancient coins, and little kids selling postcards. Still it was worth it all. Incredible site and a tribute to the creativity of humans in tough circumstances.


We trekked back up, got on the bus, and were taken to lunch at what Hassan said was a 5 star restaurant: if that was a 5 star restaurant, I'm King Hussein. Then we went back through the mountains to the Arava desert valley, at breakneck speed with hairpin turns that were truly scary. Most of the folks closed their eyes and prayed for sleep. After all this speeding, which included passing every other tourist bus on the road, we stopped 20 miles from the border so Hassan, the driver and the cop on the bus could smoke. THEN we went on an unscheduled tour through the town of Aqaba. By then, we were all almost begging to get back to the Israeli border. When we did, the process to get back into Israel was long and complex: questons, xray machines, metal detectors, more questions. And not one of us was annoyed by this. The necessity for these tight controls is obvious to anyone who spends more than one day in Israel. I was glad that the process was so efficient and thorough.Petra is a must see for anyone traveling in the Middle East. It is worth the money (with the $45 charge for a Jordanian visa and the $150 pp for the guide) and the hassle.


Today Yehuda the guide (who Michele referred to as Yoda after a glass of wine tonight) picked us and our little tour group up to take us to Timnor, the site of Egyptian copper mines during the reign of Ramses II. Very cool site. I struggled with the climb up some steep rocks, but again it was worth the hassle. We also visited the undersea aquarium in Eilat which was lovely, but (not to be a jaded American) was not up to the quality at Sea World (sorry, folks for being so American). We then went off to a Bedouin village for lunch. Our itinerary mentioned that we would learn about Bedouin culture, have lunch, ride camels. Well, the Bedouins gave us a serviceable lunch of hummus, olives, bread, and vegetables, but the only thing we learned about the Bedouins was from Yehuda who told us that they run drugs, don't pay taxes, and suck resources from the Israeli government. Probably all true, but it felt a little odd eating their food and riding their camels (I did not ride a camel, but Michele did and she has pictures to prove it) while listening to someone say how horrible they are. Then the ride to Tel Aviv.....Yehuda drove like the Jordanian bus driver through the mountain pass after the Arava desert crossing. So, 4 times in the past two days we have been driven through the Arava desert and over the mountains by nutty drivers. Twice on the Israeli side and twice on the Jordanian side. I think I'm done with it.

So, here we are in Tel Aviv for our last night and day in the amazing country. Dinner at Miguel's, where we ate our first night here. Tomorrow a little exploration and then off to the airport for a 1 am flight on December 24th to start the journey home. Very sad about leaving, although leaving with a new appreciation for the spirit of the Israeli people and the tragic history, from Massada to the Holocaust, that has made the survival of this little country so important.

South Beach in Hebrew

So, here we are in Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) and I might be jaded, but I think it's a cross between South Beach and oddly enough Downtown Disney. Lovely hotel and a schizoid boardwalk. In one place H. Stern jewelry store, and a few hundred feet away, a Burger King. Upscale meets downscale. Had dinner at an outside place with good food and the first bad service we've had in Israel. Cute guy waiter was busy chatting up girls.

Our trip today was strange; new guide Yehuda is a nice guy, but seems to be ambivalent. We miss Isaac and, as annoying as some of our other travel mates were, there's one woman in our group of 7 who is just a pain in the ass. The fun part of today was our visit to the Israeli Air Force Museum and a fine tour with Yael, a charming young woman IAF member. We then went to a kibbutz where David Ben Gurion and his wife Paula lived. Ben Gurion was Israel's first Prime Minister and was a hero to many American Jews (me included) in the 50's. We went to his grave, which was near a cliff looking into the Negev desert. We had lunch there and witnessed the dreadful woman in our group be rude to the woman in the cafeteria; later she was a little rude to our guide. Two of the women in our group are lovely, so it kind of made up for the shrew.

Tomorrow at dawn was get picked up and taken to the Jordanian border where we get a one day visa to go into Jordan to visit Petra. Must go to sleep soon and store up energy for the 2.8 mile walk into Petra; we can ride a camel or a horse, or even a chariot. Think I'll pass on the camel.

Today's entry might sound disjointed, but the long drive through the desert was exhausting. Our room looks out over the Red Sea and I think I'll fall asleep tonight with the balcony door open and a breeze from the sea. More from Eilat tomorrow....

Farewwell Old City

Shabbat in Jerusalem. All quiet until you get into the Old City which is bustling. It was packed with religious Jews, Christian tourists and tons of Moslems. We went to the Western Wall. I didn't want to leave Jerusalem without another prayer at the Wall or miss the opportunity to see the men (and men only, gals) reading the Torah portion of the day in that holy place. As you walk onto the plaza, there are signs asking that you don't use phones, write messages on slips of paper to place in the Wall, or use cameras, out of respect for those observing Shabbat. Yikes, people were paying no attention. Cameras, phones, etc. One woman (American or European) was using a video camera to record the scene of women on one side of the fence separating the men's section from the women. When the men brought the Torah to the fence so the women could kiss it after the Torah reading for the day, I found it very moving and annoying all at the same time. Moving because of the devoutness of the women and their intensity; annoying because I am so used to seeing women reading from Torah in the US. Rabbi Deanna Douglas, who Am HaYam is fortunate to have for the High Holidays, is as devout as these women, but has full access to her religious expression. But I digress; while this was happening at the fence, the woman with the video camera was recording away on some kind of anthropological quest. I just thought it was rude to disrespect others' beliefs.

After leaving the Kotel, we wandered around the Old City and walked too far on the Via Dolorosa and landed in a Moslem neighborhood where the IDF was taking Arab youth and searching them. Michele got VERY nervous and we hightailed it out of there. All is could hear in my head was our guide Isaac saying "stay close to me". I wasn't particularly worried and figured we had the whole Old City experience. I did feel badly that I started to go up a stairway that would have led to a mosque; the guy who stopped me was gracious however and realized that we just didn't know where the staircase was leading. Large police and IDF presence in the Old City today. Once back at the hotel, we realized that we had walked through every sector of the Old City and had walked on almost every street.

We leave Jerusalem tomorrow early in the morning for Eilat. I hope I will come back here some day. The usual Passover phrase "next year in Jerusalem" has more meaning for me now.

Clint Eastwood and the ibex

Just one more thing about Masada. Before ascending, we used the rest rooms and the music being piped in was Morricone's sound track for the Good, the Bad and the Ugly! Cracked us both up. We expected to see Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach to come riding over the cliffs.

The ibex is a type of mountain goat (very cute) that lives in the rocky hills here. A cartoony version is the symbol of the national park service here. We saw some at Qumran and Masada. A couple were hiding in the caves at Qumran when it started to rain.

ps

Here's the postscipt for the day. We just had Shabbat dinner in the dining room at the King David. The food was great, Israeli merlot was fine, and the service was wonderful. What was even more wonderful was that Jewish families who are Shabbat shomer and away from home (mostly Americans) could have their Shabbat prayers in dinner in a public place without any worries that someone will judge or think it's strange. Another joy of being in Israel is that being Jewish is an unselfconscious act. Despite the risk to this glorious country, I feel safer here than I have felt in my life. Forget the guns, the threat of terrorism, the danger that Israelis sometimes feel as they go through their day to day lives.....this country is a gift to folks like me who have gotten used to hearing anti-Semitic remarks (yes, even in our little Provincetown) and faced judgement just because of our beliefs and heritage.

Those darn Romans

Here we are on Shabbat at the King David in Jerusalem. Tomorrow's a free day to explore and we'll walk to the Jaffa Gate and into the Old City again. Today was another great day, although we did have to say good-bye to Isaac, our guide. We get a new person on Sunday for the trip to Eilat. Isaac was great and we will miss him. One of the things we learned about this kind of trip is that guide books can only tell you so much and you can't ask a guide book questions. The other thing is that it's worth it to spend extra so you are in a small group, rather than a bus with 30 or 40 other folks. For our first week here, we never had more than 4 other people in our group. So what did we do today?

Our first stop was a ride out of Jerusalem to Qumran, the place were the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. We saw a short film that was kind of hokey about the folks that were living there then. The Essenes lived in that area; the last settlement there was around 68AD, when the Romans (them again) destroyed the settlement (I think I'm getting this right). The Essenes lived a kind of monastic life: prayer, ritual immersions (mikvahs) several times a day, no women, and lots of record keeping about their community and spiritual beliefs. The area in Qumran is preserved well and you could get a feeling for how they lived. We saw the caves in which the scrolls were discovered. The story is that a Bedouin shepherd threw a rock to get a goat out of a cave and hit one of the jars that held the scrolls and that's how they were discovered, centuries after there creation. Hmmm, then the gold rush happened. Some of the scroll were split up to be sold, so it's good that the Israel Museum has preserved so many of them. I didn't know much about the Essenes before; just that some back to nature folks in the 60s and 70s in the US started what they called an Essene movement. Not sure they got since there was a lot of drugs and sex, not quite a monastic life. They did make good bread though.

When I first thought about coming to Israel, there were three places I knew would have a strong meaning for me: the Western Wall, Safed, and Masada. Today was Masada. Riding alongside the Dead Sea on the highway, as soon as I saw the shape of the cliff, I recognized it. It is now managed by the Israeli Nature and Park Authority (who, by the way, do a much better job with clean restrooms than the Department of the Interior's National Park Service). To get up to Masada, there is a 3 minute ride in a cable car, or you can walk up the "Snake Path", no snakes, just a zigzag route up the side of the cliffs. We took the cable car. Short version is that during the Herodian era, Jerusalem was under siege.and destroyed in 70AD with the Jews driven from the city. Herod had built another McMansion at the top of Massada but left to go to Jerusalem. During the siege, a group of Jews (cheerily referred to as Zealots) moved to Masada and lived off of the water and food left behind by the Herod crew. The Romans built camps at the bottom of the cliffs and surrounded the site (see the movie with Peter O'Toole for drama) and trapped the small group (93, I think). The Romans built this huge scaffolding thing and were pushed back by the Jews for awhile who seemed to have only huge boulders for defense. Trapped, the Jews knew that the Romans would slaughter them, take the kids for slaves, and assault the women. A suicide pact was made and lots were drawn to decide who would kill their wives and children first and then commit suicide. Tragic end. 3 women survived and the story was told. Isaac filled in a lot of details including showing us the synagogue that was created out of one of Herod's rooms and a Byzantine era church where some monks lived until an earthquake (I can't remember the dates).

Masada draws a lot of visitors and the Israelis have made it as accessible as you can with a huge cliff with lots of rubble. Isaac spoke about how Massada and the Holocaust are the symbols for Israelis that explains their determination to keep Israel secure as a Jewish state. Something I always knew, but it hit home with me to hear it again at this sacred spot, where Jews died rather than be taken into slavery or to be slaughtered for being Jews.

We then went to the Dead Sea where I chose not to float in the salt, but Michele did and said the rocks hurt her feet, but that she loved doing it. It was a lovely spot, but sad to hear from Isaac that the Dead Sea is losing water due to the need for water for irrigation.

So today was a success. Leaving Masada, I realized, like Yad Vashem, I could have spent much more time there. I would have like much more time at Masada. Isaac did a good job there and jammed as much as he could in, and I know the 3 women traveling with us had a physical challenge up there, but, selfish me, I could have spent another hour there, maybe just to clear my brain and try to imagine what it was like in the silence. It is a holy spot, a place to say Kaddish and to offer homage to the destruction that has been perpetrated over and over again in this amazing country. Never again, indeed.

Chagall was here

Sandstorms in Jerusalem...it felt as if my glasses would be sandblasted like a windshield at Herring Cove on a windy day. We started the day going to the Hadassah Medical Center; fully funded by Americans, it is one of the 10 best hospitals in the world. They are at the forefront of embryonic stem cell research, moving ahead of US research institutes who were hobbled by the Bush administration policies. The reason for going there was to see the windows designed by Marc Chagall for the small synagogue in the medical center. There are 12 windows, each based on the 12 tribes of Israel and signifcant moments in Jewish biblical history.

After that, we headed for the Israel Museum where we saw the Dead Sea Scrolls. Yup, the real deal except for the book of Isaiah which was the only one of the scrolls that was complete. There is a reproduction of it to be viewed with the original in a location not available to the public. We asked Isaac, our guide, why it was not displayed and he said that there was concern that the scroll could be subject to an attack because of its value to Jewish history. Also at the Israel Museum, is a 1/50 replica of the Old City of Jerusalem as it stood in 70 AD. Herod, being a meglomaniac, had a huge palace (Isaac thought it was funny when I used the expression McMansion for the palace). It was great to have the history lesson from Isaac on what life would have been like at that time in this multi-layered city. Isaac told us that Herod had two passions, killing and building. Makes me want to read more about Herod and that period in Jerusalem.

We then moved on to Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust Museum. We were only given 2 hours there, which was too short for us, but Isaac said it was too long a time for some people who became overwhelmed. Although much of the information was familiar to me, there is always something new to learn about what happened in Europe under Nazi occupation. The museum was filled with new Israeli soldiers; it appears that this is part of their training, for good reason. Isaac (who is the child of survivors) said that the lessons of the Holocaust cannot be separated from the belief that Israel has a right to exist. He is right. After it became apparent that the Nazi goal was to have Europe become Judenfrei (Jew-free) and that millions of people needed to be rescued, almost no countries stepped forward to assist in rescuing the Jews of Europe. Oddly enough, as other countries were turning away people, the Dominican Republic accepted a few hundred; drop in the bucket, but worth mentioning. Hundreds of Jews were also allowed to enter China at Shanghai. Isaac pointed out that if there had been an Israel at that time, there would have been no Holocaust. Michele and I both were at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington when it first opened. Although Yad Vashem is an incredible place with a wealth of information about those years, I think the USHMM has a wider variety of exhibits and is more creative in its approach. Maybe I'm nitpicking and we should all be thankful that both of these museums exist. Friends scoff at me when I say that I think every Jew in America should have a passport and a gun; the lessons of the Holocaust are undeniable and we can never be complacent. Years ago, Nat Hentoff wrote that if he woke up one morning in NYC and heard on the radio that all Jews should pack one bag and go to Grand Central Station, he wouldn't be surprised. Just 'cause you're paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you. On that note, I'm going to tuck in for the night in the lovely King David Hotel. Two more days here. Tomorrow, the Dead Sea and Massada, as well as a visit to Qumran, the site of the discovery of the aforementioned Dead Sea Scrolls. More to come.....

Now I get it.....

Okay, so now I get it. Today, 3 new people joined us and the two couples who had been in the bumpy van for the past few days have moved on. Isaac seems to like this family of 3 women better (Rae, her sister-in-law and her daughter). Nice women. The five of us bumped through Jerusalem traffic, went into the old city through the Jaffa Gate and amazingly found a parking space. We entered through the Moslem quarter, into the Jewish quarter, with Isaac explaining it all to us. We heard the historical perspective of the old city and visited a Herodian era home that has been partially excavated.

Here's where I got it in oh so many ways. First of all, the destruction that occured in 1948 during the War of Independence was incredible. The old Jewish quarter lay in ruins and Jews were moved out by the Jordanian authorities. Fast forward to the 1967 war, and Israel takes back the Jewish quarter starts re-building and Jews begin to move back to the old city. Population in the old city is 35,000 (17,000 Moslems, 6,000 Jews, about 10,000 Christian Arabs, and a smattering of Armenians)....it is not just a historical site for all three major religions, but home to thousands. As we traipse through the Old City, we see new condos, centuries old houses, and shops selling everything from t-shirts to rosary beads to Qurans to falafel to tallissim (Jewish prayer shawls). It is chaos, but it all makes sense in a strange way. Like most American Jews, I have believed that Israel could accept going back to the 1967 borders; no longer do I believe that. Here's where that all changed for me. After traveling through the West Bank yesterday and seeing the Old City today and listening to Isaac's recitation of the history of Israel, I have come to the conclusion, that one bad decision on the part of the Israelis could cause the permanent destruction of this place that has so much meaning to Jews.

Between 1948 and 1967, Jews had no access to the Western Wall (known by Christians as the Wailing Wall), or the Kotel to Israelis. Now, I'm not particularly religious although I kind of know my Jewish prayers, said Kaddish for my mother when she died and go to services on the High Holidays. When we entered the plaza where the Western Wall is, I became overwhelmed with a mixture of joy and sadness. I walked to the women's section and approached the wall; I instinctively knew what to do. I pressed my forehead to to it, said the Shema, stuck my prayer in a tiny place and kissed the wall. An amazing wave of emotion overcame me and I felt connected to Judaism in a way that I had not before. I stood back and watched the women praying, many with tears in their eyes and knew immediately that this little piece of land and history could not be kept from us. I walked around and looked through to the men's section where a Bar Mitzvah was taking place and knew that I was seeing the continuity of Jewish life.

I reluctantly walked back to our little group, understanding how it is that some people spend hours at the wall. Next lesson in continuity came from our visit to the Via Dolorosa, the stations of the cross and on to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is believed that Jesus carried the cross on the Via Dolorosa, died and was resurrected in the area that is now the Church, controlled by several Christian denominations. An incredible place to be, even for a Jew.

The one place we did not go was to the Al Aksa Mosque. There is a walkway from the Kotel up to the Mosque, but non-Moslems can only go so far. Michele and I talked about going back to the Old City and going up the walkway, but that might not be possible. Yesterday, there had been a confrontation between a group of Jews who went up the walkway and some Moslems who believed they should not be allowed there. A skirmish ensued and, according to today's Jerusalem Post, there will be a planned demonstration tomorrow morning at which possibly hundreds of Jews will go up the walkway. The reason for this action is that many Jews believe a synagogue should be established on the Dome of the Rock, near the Mosque. Recipe for disaster is brewing. As we were leaving the Old City, we saw a couple of large groups of Israeli Defense Forces soldiers entering. This is an ancient place, with layers of violent actions, and we can only hope that there is peace in Jerusalem for all faiths.

We stopped in the Moslem sections for some pizza and to rest. People were smiling at each other, the streets were crowded with both Jewish and Moslem kids; there was a festive air, belying the tension that lives in this amazing section of an even more amazing city.

Tomorrow, on to Yad Vashem and a visit to the Dead Sea Scrolls. A day of museums and perspective, I think. Today, however, is one that will be etched in my heart for the rest of my life.

If there is a g-d

Another spectacular day. Yesterday in Safed, I thought, it can't get better than this. We started off having breakfast in Kibbutz Lavi(a kibbutz founded by those who were part of the "kindertransport"....kids who were rescued from Germany and taken to England and who lost their parents in the Holocaust. These kids were relocated by the British after the war) in the Galilee and then Isaac, our guide, gathered us into the van and we went on to visit Capermaun where Jesus stayed with St. Peter and the remains of St. Peter's house have been excavated. There was also an ancient synagogue that showed at least 2 layers of construction through the centuries. The site is the home of Franciscan monks who maintain the ruins of the synagogue, an ancient olive press, and St. Peter's home. We then went to Nazareth, which is an Arab and Christian town and home to the Church of the Annunciation, which shelters the spot where Mary received an angel who told her that the savior was coming. We both felt comfortable in Nazareth and wandered around, eventually finding a small Arab restaurant for lunch. Great chicken shwarma and hummus sandwich, a charming host and a great view of a middle eastern fender bender argument that rivals any similar encounter on Commercial Street. After Nazareth, we moved on to a kibbutz, Beit Alpha to see the remains of an ancient synagogue (yup, they are everywhere!) with a well preserved mosaic floor.

Then the long ride to Jerusalem through the West Bank and Jericho. We passed the Allenby Bridge to Jordan and saw Israeli settlements alongside Palestinian villages. Coming through the checkpoint from the West Bank into Jerusalem was a lesson for me about life in Israel. We had seen camels, Israeli soldiers, Bedouin villages,and went into sensory overload by the time we entered Jerusalem, passing the Jaffa gate on our way to the King David Hotel, where we are now. It is Michele's birthday and we had a great dinner, bottle of Israeli wine, and are now ready to tuck in so we can meet Isaac in the morning for our visit to the Old City.

Being in Israel for Hannukah is wonderful. Each place we have stayed has a menorah lighting ceremony in the lobby with a rabbi and cantor leading us all in the prayers and songs. To have this experience in Jerusalem tonight was a gift that I will never forget.

Observations on Israel: Everything I have been told by Americans about the people is false. The people are lovely, funny, friendly and proud. We have seen some Israeli Defense Forces soldiers, few police, and little tension. After going through the Galilee, the Golan Heights, the West Bank and coming into this amazing city, I totally understand the need for security. That Christians, Jews, and Moslems can live together is a reality in Israel. The countries surrounding Israel, that have worked so hard to destroy this dream, are the problem. We have found that there is distrust of President Obama and a fear that this country will be abandoned by the US. That cannot happen. Golda Meir once said that (paraphrase here, folks, but you can look it up) when the Arabs love their children as much as they hate the Jews, there will be peace. Clearly, a simplification of the situation, but some words of truth lie within that statement.

Tomorrow, the Western Wall, the Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We both hope that we hear the Moslem call to prayer to make it a complete experience. A prayer for peace in this country is different than anywhere else on this planet.

Sleep now....the adventure continues tomorrow. The lights of Jerusalem are outside of our window, which is open to a gentle, optimistic breeze.

It all makes sense

Slept poorly waking up at 1 am with men singing on the street. I went out on the balcony of our hotel room and looked down on Haifa lit up, all glittery, and my bad mood blew away on the breeze. First stop was to the center of the Bahai faith surrounded by beautiful Persian style gardens. Lovely view until the woman in our tiny group asked (as she did about the Druse), but what are they? Isaac, the sometimes not so patient tour guide, said (as he did about the Druse), they are their own religiion. He sighed, I sighed.

Onto the highlight of the trip so far. We arrived in Safed (pronounced sfud), the home of the kabbalah. I had seen an Israeli movie on IFC a couple of weeks ago filmed in Safed and felt drawn to it. We visited an ancient synagogue and Isaac told us the story of the city. It is ancient and once was partially Arab, but after the 1948 war, most of the Arabs left. Safed is now home to many Hasidim and has a very gentle spirit about it. Built on a hill above the Galillee, it is made of lovely sand colored stone, with ancient steps connecting buildings. We had time by ourselves and visited another synagogue and spent time talking with the Hasidic man who was there. He moved to Safed from South Africa 14 years ago. He said his family and friends thought he was nuts. Nice man who was appreciative of our visit. Neither me or my traveling companion are shoppers, so it was odd that we were drawn to a gallery by the photographs. We spoke with the Hasidic guy who turned out to be the photographer. Yaacov Kaszemacher is a fine artist and photographer who made aliyah to Israel 30 years ago, first living in Jerusalem, but now in Safed for many years. I asked him where he lived earlier, and it turns out that he lived in the East Village in NYC at the same time I did, only 6 blocks apart. He did sound for rock shows at the 2nd Avenue theater and we talked about a vegetarian restaurant on St. Mark's Place and the shvitz (baths) that were just down the street. The owner of the restaurant, Moshe (I can't remember his last name just now), was kind of an East Village character, even in those heady days of lots of strange people living the Village in the 60s. Yaacov told me that Moshe now hangs out daily at the Kotel, the western wall in Jerusalem, but in the mens' section, so I couldn't approach him. Small world indeed. He spoke a little with me about his spiritual journey in Judaism and how so many of our generation (I think he's probably a little older than me) got lost in drugs, alcohol and chaos. We talked about how some of us made our way out and how we found ourselves despite the chaos. Great guy, but of course I couldn't hug him, or even shake his hand, since it is inappropriate in his beliefs. My traveling companion purchased a print of one of his photographs for me for my birthday. As we were leaving Safed, I felt this wave of sadness that my time there was so short. The beauty of the city, the people, and the spiritualism left me knowing I had been in a place like no other on our seemingly smaller planet.

On next to the Golan Heights. Syrian bunkers left over from the period when it was under Syrian control. There is now a DMZ protected by UN soldiers, but the tension is still obvious in the area. As Isaac was explaining the 1967 borders and how it came about, a light bulb went on over my head and I realize that as much as it seems easy to criticize Israel for their actions, I surely understand. With Syria funding Hezbollah in Lebanon, and chomping at the bit to move back into the Golan Heights, once I stood 1/2 mile from the Syrian border, I thought about how vulnerable the Israelis must feel. We, as Americans, need to support this country of optimistics, lovers, and caretakers of the dream that every Jew is born with.

We are now at Kibbutz Lavi, in a nice hotel the Kibbutz manages. Dinner soon and a lecture on the Kibbutz movement and then rest. Tomorrow Sea of Galillee, Nazareth, and finally Jerusalem, where we will spend 5 nights. Jerusalem tomorrow, but tonight I'll dream of Safed.

One thing I forgot about yesterday....long day. Our first stop for the day, was Jaffa. Part of modern TelAviv (which is celebrating it's 100th birthday), Jaffa was once solely an Arab town, but has diversified. It was a major port for many years, due to easy access in and out of it's small harbor. Now it has some tourist boats, some fishing draggers, and in the 20th c. became a haven for artists. Sounds familiar? Our room in Haifa last night has an incredible view from our aerie on top of Mount Carmel. Guys singing loudly all night, however, forced us to close the balcony door. Shucks. Off to breakfast and then the Golan Heights.....words I never thought I'd say in the same sentence.

The Roman Empire

We were pleased to find that our "tour" includes a guide (Isaac, a Sabra with the edgy sense of humor I imagine all Israelis to have and with an incredible knowledge of Israel's history), and 2 American couples. One of the couples is from Queens; the other from Tampa with a non-stop talker who seems to be missing the social graces gene. We have two more days with this crew, but on Tuesday, our group changes when the two couples leave and we are joined by a family of 3 for our time in Jerusalem.

After an incredible Israeli breakfast (smoked fish, cheeses, olive, frittata, etc.),We started off the day with the Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv. The history of Jewish dispersion isn't always pretty, but usually inspirational. We had a couple of hours there and, although I know about a lot of the history, there is always something else to learn. There were models of many historical synagogues and I was pleased to find the Touro Synagogue in Newport, RI was one of them. Also pleased to see that the lovely sand floor synagogue in Curacao also rated a model; I was there for Shabbat services many years ago and it is lovely. Jews settled there after the Inquisition, when they settled in the Netherlands and then some moved on to the Antilles in the 17th c.

After leaving Tel Aviv, we moved on to Caesarea, a city built by Herod on the Mediteranean coast between Tel Aviv and Haifa. Amazing city with an amphitheatre and an area for chariot races. The marble and mosaic floors somehow survived the centuries, along with part of a fortress sea wall that protected the harbor. We also saw a Roman aqueduct that runs from Caesarea for 8 miles and has also survived. The excavation of Caesarea has occured in the past ten years which is a tribute to the antiquities folks here who are commited to preserving the historical sites and making them available for tourists. There was so much information about Caesarea, that I can't imagine doing this without a guide. It was a brutal time; Herod's reign created chaos throughout the empire with a cruelty that included dispatching his only family when he believed that his power would be threatened. A visually spectacular site that definitely adds to the feeling that our time on this earth is but a minute in the history of our sometimes brutal planet.

On to a Druse village afterwards. One of our traveling companions had trouble with the concept of the Druse; neither Jewish, nor Christian, nor Muslim, but a religion of its own with a belief in reincarnation that is simpler than the Hindu belief: You die, you are reborn. She kept asking our guide "but what are they?" and he answered "they are their own religion, the Druse." After a few go arounds with this, with me trying not to pop her one, she finally realized that a shopping opportunity was presenting itself and gave it up. The Druse village on Mount Carmel was lovely; friendly people with a gentle demeanor. After that, on to Haifa, also on Mount Carmel. We were pleased to find that our hotel room was upgraded to a room with a view of the harbor, with the lights of the city below. We are perched on the side of Mount Carmel, where the prophet Elijah lived.

Lovely city; very urbane and safe, much like Tel Aviv. Dinner at an Asian restaurant, fine sushi and Israeli white wine. Now sleep. Tomorrow off to the Golan Heights, Safed (the home the Kabbalah, without Madonna present, I assume). We also will be going to a center for the Ba'hai faith and the Persian Gardens, before settling in at a kibbutz in the lower Gallilee. We have been told it will be a long day with a lot of history to learn. I'm sure it will be another magical day.

I think I'll got out on our balcony to gaze on the hills of Mount Carmel before calling it a night. It's only 9 pm here, but I'm exhausted, and my traveling companion has dozed off while watching CNN International. Believe it or not, Tiger Woods is also a story here, a country that didn't even have a golf course until 20 years ago or so. Who knew?

Morning has risen....

Another thing about young folks in TelAviv; they sure like their pubs. Right next to our hotel is an Irish pub that rocks late into the night. Lots of Stella Artois (good taste in beer). Next thing about this generation here is that there are so many beautiful men and women. Very forthgoing, probably due to mandatory military requirements. Last night walking back to the hotel (where there had been a lovely menorah lighting ceremony), we saw a group of orthodox guys climbing a menorah in a small park area on Ben Yehuda Street. Hmmmm....they seemed tipsy. Too much post Sabbath wine, perhaps? Off to Haifa.

Justlikehome

Tel Aviv has won my heart. Friends had told me that anywhere in Israel would feel like an armed camp. Not true here, at least now. In 36 hours, granted not a lot of time, I have seen people surfing, walking on the boardwalk along the sea, lighting menorahs, laughing on the street and filling trendy restaurants. Since we have been here, I have not seen a police car or an IDF presence. We have been cautious on the streets at night, but not fearful. Today, the Sabbath, we wandered around Allenby Street and I hope to have more time when we come back here the week after next.

Not to dis my home town restaurants, but I have just had one of the best seafood meals of my life, and I'm a Rhode Islander who has only lived on the east coast of the USA. The food was spectacular, good Israeli wine, and the service was fun since everyone who worked in the place was under 30 and friendly. More interesting was the fact that the service was attentive until we started to look for the check. This happened last night also, and we realized that Israelis tend to linger after dinner, drink more coffee and relax. A lesson for Americans. As opposed to the tendency to hustle customers out the door of restaurants, Israelis kind of expect that you'll hang out for awhile.

Tel Aviv is a filled with young people, which is heartening, when you think of the future of Israel. It's a city I want to spend more time in. Tomorrow, off to Haifa, another seaside city with a rich history. Today there was a tragedy when a freighter coming to Haifa from, I think Cyprus, broke up in the rough seas. Several people lost at sea, a familiar story to those of us who grew up in New England. Off to sleep now, with a smile. Great way to spend a 62nd birthday.

The new world

Okay, so I knew an eleven hour flight on a packed Boeing super size jet to Tel Aviv would be nerve jangling....praying in the aisles and competitive overhead compartment stuffing galore. Food as bad as any other airline. But, despite the lack of sleep, it seemed all worth it once we landed at Ben Gurion. Tel Aviv is a mixture of old and new....hip 25 year olds working in restaurants and old buildings. The energy of youth is palpable in this city. Lovely beaches (actually reminds me of Daytona strangely enough) that are clean with dreamy sailboats off in the distance. Too tired to do much tonight and it is the Sabbath so options are limited. No elevator button pushing in the hotel on the Sabbath; it's programmed to just open doors on every floor. No Shabbas goy needed here. Traveling companion in bed already at 5:30 pm, but then again neither of us slept on the plane much and the 7 hour difference is jarring. Great cheap dinner in a funky place with decent wine and Stevie Wonder in the background. Palm trees blowing lightly and motorbikes racing on the road next to the beach. Israelis are funny and serious all at once. We were grilled getting on the El Al flight at JFK, but thankful for the security. Looking forward to tomorrow, my 62nd birthday in Israel. Tomorrow, a free day to roam Tel Aviv and then on Sunday, on to Haifa.

daybefore

Stalling packing, but thinking about all the times I've wanted to go to Israel and now that I'm actually going, I can't figure out the mundane stuff. Usually I'm an OCD-ish kind of gal, but just looking at the map of Jerusalem, I got overwhelmed. Maybe I'll just watch CSI reruns and take a nap and pack later. Winds dying down outside. It's been a Cape Cod kind of day with high winds, rain and lovely whitecaps on the bay. Other than getting wet, a perfect day for the bearable kind of Provincetown drama.

People have asked me to bring back photos, but I don't have a camera and have boxes of old photos I never view. Writing suits me better and I will try to keep this up throughout the trip. Now I think I must pack to alleviate last minute chaos.