People Watching

Yemin Moshe--Jerusalem

Yemin Moshe is another Jerusalem neighborhood, close to the King David Hotel, overlooking the Old City and the West Bank (the West Bank is so close we can see it from the hilltop).
In the 1950's British philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore built this residential quarter, the first outside the walls of the Old City, in an effort to bring "indigent Jews from the Old City into a more healthful environment." In addition to the housing, the project included a windmill and flour mill. Today this is a very gentrified small neighborhood whose residents take great pride in their homes, the history, and the magnificient views from their balconies. During our wanderings Stu stopped to take a picture of an interesting door which features a Mogen David imbedded in a cross. No sooner had he snapped the photo than the owner, Scandinavian born, writer and artist Birgittta Yavari-Ilan, opened the door and invited us in to see her home. This is a fully restored house over 140 years old, renovated and upgraded with the original rough hewn stone floors, wood beams, and iron work. Her art hangs throughout, as does her collection of Judaica. Birgitta is a spiritual student-seeker who has been in Israel for over 30 years. We had a delightful 90 minute visit which we cut short so we could be on our way, although it was tempting to stay and enjoy the tea she offered. We took her book along as a momento of our visit. PS. She sometimes rents her upstairs guest rooms, only by word-of-mouth. Sounds like a wonderful place to stay on our next visit.
After our final visit to the suq, where we went seeking macaroons and rugallah, we returned to our neighborhood. This evening we settled for dinner out at the Vegetarian Garden. The people sitting at a table near us, asked about the book we were browsing. Seems that they are friends of Brigitta, had lived in her house for a short time, and see her regularly. Jerusalem is a small town.
Everywhere we go we meet people, a journalist on the bus, writers, artists, religious seekers, and tourist guides. There are so many American Israelis here, we are as likely to hear English as Hebrew everywhere we go.

More Jerusalem Sites

The next to the last day of our trip and we're trying to load up on sites and people. We spent most of the day people watching and wandering about.
Our first stop was the Artist Walk outside the Old City. We visited the artist, Moitke Blum--a holocaust survivor, whose art work we purchased a week earlier. He has the most unusual shop in the Walk, note the sculpture over the door.
We continued uphill--Stu swears that every street in Jerusalem is uphill--in order to meet with Devorah at the AIPAC office. We had an opportunity over lunch to discuss politics, who is coming on AIPAC missions, how to reach out to both Jews and non-Jews, and what might be in the impact of Israel's new government. We were extremely impressed by how much the Jerusalem office does with their small staff of 8. Among other things they arrange for approximately 40 missions to Israel a year--senators, scientists, journalists, students, community activists, Evangelicals, Jewish donors, and more. We're glad they are there.
Across the street from Aipac's offices is Liberty Bell Park with its replica of the Liberty Bell. Inscribed on our Bell is a quote from Isiah, the same one that Ben Gurion used during the declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948.
Everyone in the city, in the country, are beautiful, gnarly olive trees. We could do a photographic study of olive trees that would fill a large album.

Sunday in Jerusalem

Our trip to Jerusalem and Israel is quickly drawing to a close. We spent Sunday morning at the Supreme Court, where we listened to a case against the state, and at the Knesset, which was not in session but was preparing for the new government which will be sworn in on Wednesday.
And then we wandered about town stopping at other important sites--a Gelato in the German colony, Max Brenner chocolate (a chain of eateries), and a bagel shop.
Abby joined us for the afternoon and evening and gave us a tour of her home turf--German colony. This is a very upscale neighborhood, with straight streets--the first we've seen in Jerusalem. Restaurants are upscale, the neighborhood is home to the young and up and coming. We checked some realty listings, a home in the area can cost $3.6 million for about 3000 square feet.
There are so many individual neighborhoods, sometimes one only has to go around the corner to be in a distinctly different neighborhood. We haven't seen them all and are continually surprised when we take a turn we hadn't tried before. We thought we had pretty much seen Jerusalem, now we know we have not.

Sderot, Ashkelon, & the Gaza Strip

Monday we spent the day with our tour guide, Ron Perry. After a guided tour of the Herzl Museum he suggested a trip across Israel to the Gaza Strip, Sderot, and Ashkelon. We were game.
The drive from Jerusalem west sent us through beautifully, green, lush hilly countryside--thanks to the Jewish National Fund. Before we realized we had nearly crossed the width of the country we were at Sderot, a small city outside the Gaza Strip and the recipient of Hamas' rocket fire. Although the town looked very peaceful and normal at first glance, every street has one or more bomb shelters, every house has, or is in the process of building a bomb shelter. The rockets are not massive, but if they fall on your home, they destroy it, on you and . . . It is the constant threat of rockets which make Sderot unsafe, frightening for the residents, and unstable. No where else in the world would a citizenry accept enemy fire for 8 years without firing back. Even during this latest conflict, Israel stopped all bombing and attack for 3 hours each day in order to provide food and supplies for the Palestinian people even though Hamas continued to fight.
The smoke stacks in the far right picture are a power plant which supplies electricity to the Gaza Strip and elsewhere. The balloon is one of the surveillance balloons used by Israel to "see" what is happening in the Gaza strip. And the military vehicle is patrolling the fence area between Israel and the Gaza strip. Our guide, Ron, said he tried to arrange for an aerial attack during our visit, so we could get the real sense of Sderot, but it didn't work out--to our great delight.
Gaza strip is approximately 45 miles long, almost all coast line, of a beauty to rival the Greek Costa S'Emerelda. If the Palestinians could get their act together, and stop focusing on killing all Israelis, they could develop into the premier tourist destination for Arabs throughout the globe.
From Sderot we drove north to a beautiful, modern sea side resort city. We had lunch at the marina. From the scenery we could easily have been at Redondo Beach or Malibu. It is no wonder residents of Tel Aviv flock to this resort city every weekend and holiday.
In spite of being under constant threat, Israel is thriving, its people are flourishing, and its land and industry is developing.

Christian Jerusalem Sites in Old City

On this very cold Shabbos afternoon we joined Abby and her friend Isabelle, a tour guide, for a visit to the Christian Quarter in the Old City. We learned a great deal about the Christian Communities in Old Jerusalem, and about the correlation to our Jewish traditions. Follow the photos from upper left corner around for the narrative.
(Upper left corner). We were inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which we learned is divided among the six oldest Christian sects: Roman Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Greek orthodox, Egyptian Coptic, Ethiopian, and Syrian Orthodox. Each with its own priesthood and each with their own religious garb--not unlike the ultra orthodox Jewish dress, long, black, with interesting and varied hats. In this photo we see pilgrims to the church kissing the stone on which Jesus was prepared for burial. We remember that Jesus was Jewish. He was taken down from the crucifixion on Friday afternoon and immediately prepared according to Jewish ritual practice, for burial before Shabbos. This is the stone on which he lay while his body was washed and dressed in a white shroud. This same tradition continues today.
(center photo) Replicas of crosses for sale in the Arab/Christian Suq. There is a six foot cross in the courtyard of the Holy Sepulcher Church which pilgrims use when they follow the stations of the cross.
(Upper right photo). During the Muslim occupation of Jerusalem the Shiek needed to pray. He was invited to pray inside the church, but declined. He said that if he prayed in the church that in years to come the Muslims who feel the need to build a mosque at the site at which he prayed and would remove the church to do so. That is in fact what happened at the Temple of the Rock where the Muslims built their mosque on the site of the Jewish Temple.
(Middle Right side photo) Exterior shot of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This remodeling begun many years ago and has not progressed because the six Christian sects cannot agree on how to complete the remodel. Even within the great church, each sect has claimed a piece of the action, with slight deviations. Each claims ownership as the true church. Sounds like 2 Jews 3 opinions, or 6 Christian sects, 7 opinions.
(Large left corner photo) This is a photo of a cave from Jesus' time, a cave next to where Jesus was buried. The original cave was removed piece by piece by pilgrims, and thus no longer exists. The Jewish custom was to be buried in the family cave. A year after burial the family returned, picked up the bones after all of the flesh dissolved, and put the bones using the femur (longest) and hip bones (widest) to determine the size of the coffin. In this way all the family's bones were together in the same coffin when the mesiach arrived. Later the custom changed to have each person in his own coffin so that the person was whole and ready to greet the mesiah. Note that above the cave opening which is housed in the Church, pilgrims put prayers on slips of paper and push them into crevices in the cave wall--much as the Jews do at the Western Wall.
We learned more about the early church, the setting of dogma in the 4th century, the origin of the immaculate conception and angel Gabrielle's revelations to St. Anne (Mary's mother). Much of it very interesting, but varies from the commonly told narrative.
We completed this Christian tour with a visit to King David's tomb, a cave enclosed in a synagogue still in use today.
Although we had not planned to visit the Christian quarter during our limited stay, we were very glad we did.
Due to daylight savings time, Shabbos didn't end until 7:30, too late for us to wait for a Kosher restaurant to open and prepare some food. We took off on our own and had Mandarin Chinese dinner along with two buses filled with Chinese tourists!
Another great day in Jerusalem.

Dinner in our tiny Jersalem Apartment

Some reflection

During these past weeks of our visit we've talked to many people, listened to opposing political views, observed, done some reading, and are coming to understand the complexity of Israel. We see the contrast between the rich development of this progressive country and its Arab neighbors. We've seen a dry desert turned green with miles of greenhouses growing vegetables for internal consumption and export while across the Jordan the same landscape remains arid. We see towering cities and the Israel national bird--the building crane, a sky line that changes each decade. And always there are contrasts-- on the one hand, but on the other hand.
The religious, a small minority, have a great influence on the country. Jewish shops close early Friday afternoon, the streets are nearly deserted except for the religious going and coming from synagogue. In the areas where we have stayed, in Tiberius and in Jerusalem, dress is modest (it's also winter and not a good time for shorts anyway). Politics dominate conversations, the country is waiting for the formation of the most recent government. There's at least 13 political parties that hold more than one seat each in the knesset. When you aren't talking politics, you can discuss religioun--how much, who should be in control, how Jewish should the country be? What happens when you continually invite the downtrodden to find refuge here, as is happening with the Sudanese and Darfur refugees who walk through Egypt seeking asylum in Israel (and working in large numbers in the hotels in Eilat). They are not Jews, but they are refugees. How can you stop their entry when you were once a seeker yourself.
We view the excavations and the multiple civilizations that have laid claim to Jerusalem, nearly all gone now but the Jews, in spite of being in exile, remain relatively unchanged. They continue to be the people of the Book, trying to find a way to live out this covenant with G-d. They make contributions to the world far in excess of their numbers, yet remain scorned by nearly every nation. They respect the multiple religions practiced around the country, even when some of those other religious sects systematically desecrated Jewish monuments and holy places.
Wherever we have gone there is evidence of soldiers, of the mandatory draft, of machine gun toting young men and women in the market place and on the buses. In the mid-70's I was in Madrid, during Franco's time, and on every street corner there were soldiers with guns. In Israel we have felt totally safe and secure, in Madrid our car was robbed and we were in fear. Israel has been a safe place for us to tour. Everyone invites you to return, to bring your friends, to make aliyah, or just visit again.
When the occasion arises we talk about our involvement with Aipac and are always greeted with a warmer welcome. Returning to Israel from Jordan, it was the Aipac photo of President Clinton, and Stu's reference, that got him through the security that had stopped his re-entry when the magnitomitor went off (Stu's has metal hips.) They recognize Aipac as an important political ally. The national Jewish charities, however, elicit a different response. In the US we are always told that Israel needs our donations, yet it is a very strong country economically. Their national budget is approximately $83,000,000,000. American charities contribute about $900,000,000. While important, the country is not dependent upon us, except as a political ally. It was suggested that the national organizations, perhaps, perpetuate this image because the organizations are dependent upon this downtrodden struggling view of Israel for their own survival. Again, food for thought and another contrast for us to consider.
All building has to be at least partially in Jerusalem stone. To the unskilled eye, we don't always know what is old and what is new. The Israelis welcome newcomers but are also upset that they cause housing prices to rise and push the Israelis further out into the surrounding towns. One of the couples we met during our wanderings with Moshe live in a Mushav, a rural community that is developing housing on land once used for agriculture in the kibbutz. The government encourages the Kibbutz to take part of their land, land they were given by the state, and develop rural housing keeping the profits to support the kibbutz.
During Jordanian occupation of Jerusalem they desecrated our synagogues, prevented Jews from visiting the holy sites, including the Western Wall. In return, once in control, Israel's government has been extremely conscientous to maintain the integrity and sovereignity of all non-Jewish religious sites. They don't do this in hopes of getting world-wide recognition, but because it is the ethical thing to do. This is another of the contrasts inherent in living the Torah.
Stu asks how Israel has affected me because I've done a considerable amount of traveling. Israel is not just a collection of old buildings and excavations, it's a living people who are all connected to me and to whom I feel emotionally and spiritually drawn. Will this feeling remain once we board our El-Al flight back to the states? I can't answer that at this time, i don't know.
We will leave Israel knowing more about the country and its people than when we arrived, but still with many questions that remain unanswered.

Erev Shabbos--Spiritual Day in Jerusalem

Today was a day filled with surprises and a spiritual journey in Jerusalem. We planned to rise early, which we did, to join Abby and her family at the Cotel (Western Wall) for her cousin's pre-bar mitzvah. We arrived at the wall promptly at 8:30 only to discover everyone was gone because it was actually 9:30. We are now on Israeli day light savings time.
Moshe Geller was there waiting for us. (upper right photo) We had met the day before at the Mehane Yehuda Market and he offered to show us another side of Jerusalem. When I expressed my disappointment at having missed the bar mitzvah, he laughingly said, Hashem has other plans for you today. No regrets, no sympathy, just be in the moment and be prepared to receive what G-d has to offer. We decided to go with the flow and allow ourselves to be in this stranger's hands for the day--although he never felt like a stranger.
Moshe is a delightful, joy filled, modern orthodox rebee who dresses like a Grateful Dead follower, which he was for four years. He was raised in New York in a modern Orthodox family, very scholarly, a father who is an academic and a mother who is in society. He joined a major wall street corporation and moved up the ladder. And then one day he was walking with Rebbe Shlomo Carlebach and they were passing a smelly, homeless man. The Rebbe hugged him and said a few words of welcome. That moment struck a cord and Moshe felt that there was more than the life he was living. Moshe had made many trips to Israel since his youth as his father was a camp director bringing children to Israel for summer camp, he was always a zionist. He did aliyah in 1994.
There is a large American modern religious group in Jerusalem. During the day we hung out with Moshe his phone never stopped ringing-people calling with questions (I found a chocolate bar in my apartment. I know that I didn't buy it. When is it important to seek the owner and when it is alright to use what I found.--people really trying to live the Jewish ethical life). Other callers invited him to Shabbos dinner, or to join them for other simchas, to check in on how he is, and just to say hello. He kept the calls short telling his callers he was with two beautiful people, Stuart and Adrienne, and would get back to them. Moshe has a few hundred students here and in the US.
The first thing we did together was visit the Wall. He encouraged me to take the time to deliver the prayers I had written on small pieces of paper for some friends and family and he took Stu to the Wall with him. Stu was headed for the Wall when Moshe instructed him to sit down and think for a while. He told him to forget the superficial thoughts and to consider the essence of what he wanted to say to the people he loved. After reflecting for a few minutes, Stu very much got into the moment and was able to turn off the external distractions and approach the Wall and his prayers for healing, for safety, for what he wants to pass on to his sons, and more. Stu prayed for strengths within himself, something he rarely does. He hoped that someone was listening because he gave this communication his best shot effort.
On my side of the wall I struggled more. How do you pray? How do you let Hashem into your life? How do you let go? I kept going back to trying to control the moment and was never able to really let go. I was aware of the women around me and their fervor. These were mostly young women, orthodox and modern orthodox from their dress. I wished I had the inner spiritual attachment that they have, or seem to have. I returned to Stu and Moshe more somber and more seeking.
I don't recall all of the details of our conversation, but felt Moshe's sense of his place and his comfort with his G-d, to be genuine and deep. There was so much activity in the courtyard. This area before the Western Wall is an integral part of the community, many activities happen here. Today there was a first grade graduation, the children were receiving their first sedor, book of prayers. (lower left photo) At another site a 3 year old was celebrating his first hair cut, a tradition among the orthodox (lower right photo). There was enough going on to fill a morning for even the most avid tourist.
Continuing through the Jewish Quarter we passed the Chabad Spiritual Learning Center, open for everyone. (center right photo)The 9 foot menorah is held in position here in preparation for the building of the third temple--the religious believe that will happen and that the time is not far off, so they are making preparations just as others made preparations for 50 years for Israel's independence and return to Jerusalem. All the time we walked we talked, about our spiritual life, about the questions whose answers we seek, about learning. We went to a Jewish book store and purused the racks for some good sources for Stu and I to study from--I know so little about Judaism. And all the time I felt touched and yearning and wanting to know more, to believe more to be more. One of the booklets about the bliss of Shabbos has this quote from Rebbe Cardlemach: "Shabbos is Paradise. Paradise is a place where everything is good, everything is holy, and everything is beautiful. In paradise, suddently it's clear to me that I can fix all my mistakes. Even more so, everything that I thought was a mistake wasn't, and every street I thought was the wrong street, was the only way to get where I was going. Shabbos is the deepest healing of the world."
Wouldn't it be amazing to actually live this deep love for Shabbos, to be renewed every week. It is said that Shabbos kept the Jewish nation together, because if on one day a week no one hated the Jews, the Jews were connected to one another, than why not on two days, or three. . .
Wherever we walked Moshe knew people and they knew him. Lots of young people, in their late 20s and 30s, with spouses and children, and so happy. I have always heard about the poor Chasidic young women, barefoot and pregnant all the time, but we didn't see that here. We saw lots of children, but we also saw lots of joy, preparation for Shabbos that was excited and active. Maybe we were fooling ourselves, but we really did feel the joy of Shabbos preparation all around us. Moshe introduced us to a half dozen people, and everyone spoke highly of him and welcomed us. A woman, Leila called, and Moshe put me on the phone. Leila couldn't be more welcoming. There is a definite community here even though the members live in different directions, Moshe lives an hour away, from the city center. We met many more of his friends just walking around the Suq. Friday the hustle and bustle was even more pronounced than it had been the day before during our shopping visit. We stopped at Marzipan bakery (Charlie had insisted we make this a stop on our trip) for warm rugala (sp?), rich with butter and sugar from the ovens. This was the first day since we began our trip when I wished I had a second stomach so I could eat more. How could we bring these home? And the macaroons we ate the day before called to us again--so much to taste and eat, so little time.
Over lunch at an Israeli-Moroccan restaurant we continued our talks with Moshe. We learned about Hebrew names and how they indicate the core of our being. My job now is to reflect deeply on my personal qualities so that Moshe can recreate a name for me since my given Hebrew name is lost. Stu's Hebrew name is Shlomo Baer--meaning at peace with one's self, in balance. And that is the first quality I came to know about Stuart, that he is at peace with himself. There may be something to this Hebrew name thing after all. We think my Hebrew name may be Miriam (my middle name is Marilyn), but we're not sure. We entered a friend's name, one who is in need of healing, in the international prayer circle, imagine thousands of people around the world praying together for your improved health. When we parted at 3 it was with a loose plan to meet again after Shabbos, to continue our connection.
We spent Shabbos evening alone together in our little apartment. Stu is fighting a cold and needed some time out. Saturday we are meeting Abby for a long afternoon walk around the city.
Good Shabbos friends.

Mehane Yehuda Market

In spite of our plans to explore another museum after we left David's Tower Thursday afternoon, our noses and appetites took over. We traveled on a local bus back to Ben Yehuda street where Stu picked up his repaired eyeglasses, and then onto the Thursday market where the city seemed to be shopping in preparation for Shabbos to come.
What a challenge for us. What salads to choose, which macaroons to eat--definitely the best we have every eaten in our life time, moist, fresh, flavorful, live real smells. The macaroons never made it out of the market.
We saw radishes as large as apples, fresh breads coming from the ovens, more varieties of halvah than we have known to exist, and bins of fresh red peppers. I bought three red peppers for 2 shekels, about 40 cents!
Then it was on to fresh olives by the kilo, cucumbers for another 2 shekels, fresh salads we have grown to love--beet, carrot, cabbage, humus, and tahini. It was a struggle to keep from buying too many fresh strawberries, we have to remind ourselves we can only eat so many and there will be more tomorrow.
While we shopped for our dinner, we met Moishe, he did aliyah 14 years ago and has a mission--to help Jews. Today he translated for us and assited us with our purchases. Tomorrow we are meeting him at the Cotel for another tour of the old city from Moishe's view point.
We taxied home with our purchases and then out again for the pita we had forgotten. Instead of turning right from our apartment, we turned left. One block from our studio is the old wall that separated the Palestenians of the west bank of Jerusalem from the Israel held city. That one block could be another country. From there you can see the Damascus gate, the golden Dome of the Rock. It is a Muslim area where we are assailed, again, with other smells, bins of fava beans, schwarma and falafel take-away stands, Arabs playing cards, while their women shopped for their sabbath which is on Fridays. We stood on the monument that marked the Israeli section of the city.

David's Tower

Thursday morning and we were off to see David's Tower museum in the old city. The first thing our volunteer guide Rivka told us was that King David didn't build the tower, King Herod built it. It was misidentified during the Crusades and the name stuck.
She took us through approximately 2500 years of history of this edifice. Through the centuries it was controlled by Greeks, Romans, Jews, Turks, Christians, and probably one or two I've forgotten. Each owner added, renovated, left their mark on the buildings and grounds. You can see the different architectural styles. I am resolved to learning more about our history, about the disaspora, about what it means to be a Jew. We'll see if I can keep that resolution when we return and get caught up in our life style.
The volunteer guide, Rivka, made aliyah with her husband and five children (child 6 was born in Jerusalem) 25 years ago. Her driving motivation was to provide a safe life for her children. That surprised me, because Israel has been in multiple wars, and is continually having to defend herself. Rivka defined safe as being safe from a selfish life, from interfaith marriage, and from living Jewish values. I am not endorsing her comments, only reporting them.
David's Tower housed the Chihuly exhibit 2 1/2 years ago. There remains a large Chihuly chandelier in the main entrance to the Tower buildings and his glass Iris installation in the center courtyard. You can see the Chihuly Irises in the lower right hand photo.

First afternoon Jerusalem

After we settled into our new garden studio apartment we were ready to go exploring. It was images of the religious popular that first absorbed our attention. We are in a section of Jerusalem where there are many religious, living side by side with the Muslims and with secular Jews and Christians. We wandered wherever our feet and our interest took us.
Two blocks from our home we saw a hand drawn poster of this section of the city with an invitation to view an art exhibit. We followed the red arrows into a private residence where we were greeted by the artist, a young man about 27 years old. He invited us in, offered us tea, which we accepted, and then we visited talking about our visit, his art, and his views of the Palestenians. After a short while his friend and roommate joined the conversation. This was the first time that Stu or I had actually spent time discussing Israeli Palestenian politics with a pro-Palestenian Jewish Israeli. They were not raving lunatics, they admitted they were in the minority, but they were passionate about their beliefs. Basically, they spoke to the individual Palestenian, their feeling of being a lesser citizen of Israel and not having the same rights. Some of this is true. We spoke to the need for peace first, that tossing rockets into Sderot was not an acceptable way to get your voice heard. They spoke of the anger of not having access to jobs, of their democratically elected Hamas government which we (Israel and US) are now trying to discredit and throw out even though they were democratically elected. They spoke of the Israeli Naval blockade of goods and medical supplies and we spoke of Hamas stealing the UN and US aid sent to the Palestinians.
The artist had a wonderful installation piece of art. He had taken a eucalyptus tree, an import to Israel brought in to dry up the swamps but under which nothing grows, and cleaned out a rotten hole on its side that developed after a branch dropped during a storm. Into this cleaned out hole he poured concrete and created a tortured face, which he said symbolized the face of Palestenians. Of particular interest was a small lemon tree which he had grated onto the side of the eucalyptus. The symbolism for him was that Israel is like the eucalyptus, growing quickly but killing off all vegetation and growth beneath it. The lemon tree symbolized the people of Palestine that want to grow and flourish and live peacefully. It is a powerful symbol, this lemon tree grated to the eucalyptus. We proposed, what if the eucalyptus tree is really the Arab nations, growing quickly in number through their high birth rate, and slowly killing everything around in with their terrorism and bombs. Israel, in our proposal, is the peace loving, life giving neighbor trying to survive under very harsh conditions. That was the end of our conversation as it was evident, while we listened, we did not change one another's minds. Both the young men think that the vast majority of people in the US support the Palestenains, we said no, that was not the case. We do have some very liberal areas, and the university middle eastern studies departments certainly support the Palestinians, but not the average American. That surprised them. All in all, we did hear other opinions, and we were open to their ideas.
By the way, they are renting a former Palestenian home, three stories high with tenants above them, and unused space above them. The house once housed Palestinians who fled in 1948 believing that the new Jewish state would massacre them. They had tried, unsuccessfully, to find the original owner. What we know about much of this area, is that the original homes were owned by Arabs, with Palestenian tenants. When Israel declared its independence and before the Jewish National Fund, with a great deal of money from our parents and grandparents, purchased these homes from their Arab owners, at very inflated prices. The tenants were not considered by their Arab landlords. The Arab leadership left with their money, the poor fled in fear with no leaders to tell them to stay, that they could continue to live in these homes, the landlord only changed. There are so many misconceptions that continue to foster bad feelings. How to know and to communicate the truth.
This 90 minute period was but another chance encounters we have had. To do this, one needs time and the willingness to explore the off-beaten path.
The rest of our afternoon was spent wandering in the central city, making our way to Ben Yehuda street, shopping at a take-away restaurant where we purchased delicious soup, breads filled with feta, mushrooms and onions, and a marvelously moist apple cake. then it was home, dinner, and an early evening. And this was only the first day!

Our home in Jerusalem

This is our garden studio. Look closely to the left of center to see a glass door, the door to the studio. The studio is a step down. We walk from the garden into the tiny kitchen and dining area, then 6 steps down to the great room, which is not great in size, but great in fulfilling our needs. The bathroom is fairly modern, well equipped. There's even a hair dryer.
It is perfectly suited for us and the location is fabulous.
We are only blocks away from the Old City, about 10 blocks from Ben Yehuda, and two blocks from the wall that used to separate Jerusalem into the Israeli and Palestenian sections. The war in 1967 brought Jerusalem in total to Israel although Menachim Begin said that each of the major religions would get to control their own property. Hence, there is a Muslim quarter, a Jewish quarter, an Armenian quarter, and a Christian quarter within the walls of the old city. The Christians are not always in agreement over who owns what as there are several Christian groups.

Ben Gurion -- road to Tel Aviv

Our final touring day and we are driving back to Tel Aviv, stopping along the way to view some final sites. Ben Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, retired after 6 years in office. He chose to join a kibbutz in the Negev in the hopes that he would be setting an example and that others would flock to the desert in southern Israel and revitalize this desert environment. Sadly, few followed him. He chose to be buried in the desert he loved.
Ben Gurion was a visionary, envisioning a country, envisioning the birth of the desert, which is beginning to happen as well.
Coincidentally our brief visit to Ben Gurion's grave site was the same day a group of young soldiers were graduating from boot camp. Upon graduation each gets a rifle and a bible. Here I am talking to the 20 year old commander. She has contempt for the increasing number of Israelis who are opting out of military service by claiming they are religious, or getting married at 18 (and then divorced), or claiming other illnesses that prevent their participation. On the books Israel requires two years of active service from everyone.
The commander we spoke with said that she sees the American young people she meets as being so much younger, and more self-centered than the Israelis who serve and grow up during their two years defending their country. We think that mandatory national service would help our country, stop or at least slow down some of the "all about me" that is so prevalent. Although, in Israel there is now a movement toward "all about me."

Petra--a wonder of the world

We spent Monday getting to Petra, in Petra, and finally returning to Eilat. This is an amazing site, and an equally fascinating story. Petra, dating to about 200 BC, was built by the Nabatean Arabs, a group about which little is known. They do not have a written history. This part of the world is on the ancient trade route and thus experienced great wealth. Petra was an inhabited city, its citizens living in caves carved from the sand stone. These amazing structures, carved from the limestone (the one in the center of the picture is about 140 feet high), were not only burial places, they were the halls where the wakes were held, gatherings to celebrate the recent dead, recall their lives, share food and drink with family and friends. The Treasury, called so by the modern Bedouins, was never a repository of wealth, but local legend believed that there must have been great wealth secreted in the walls. None has been found.
Upper left hand horse drawn cart is a prime means of transportation for the 4 mile round trip from the visitor center to the major sites. The road is covered with limestone stones which makes for a very kidney shaking ride. Most of us walked.
The local Bedouins operate all of the concessions in Petra, including the camel rides. These are large, not friendly animals, but they are work horses worthy of study. The only university studying the camel is the Hebrew University in Eilat. Right picture is the opening of the ravine that leads to the main sites at Petra. The first European to view these sites, well known to the local Bedouins, was in 1827 or thereabouts. I can only imagine the awe with which he viewed these sites.
The trip through Jordan was an experience in itself. We drove by Israeli tour bus to the border between Eilat and Aquaba, disembarked, walked across the border, through the former no man's land (now cleared of mines), then into Jordan and their security check points. Jordan and Israel are at peace, but it is a peace between governments, not the peoples who continue to distrust one another. Jordan has begun to be developed since the 1994 peace with Israel. Israel partners with Jordan in sharing irregation technology, as well as other valuable industrial techniques. One can only be proud to see what Israel has done to regain the desert, build a strong, economically sound country.

Our View of Eilat from Sheraton Hotel

We have arrived at our final destination with the tour group--Eilat.
Eilat is a thriving, coastal city situated at the mouth of the Reed Sea (Yes, it is actually the Reed Sea that was erroneously called the Red Sea through a typo). This is a vacation destination for French, German, British, and Israeli tourists. The boardwalk is bustling every night with vendors, strolling visitors, music, and lots of junk for sale--the same stuff you can find anywhere in the world--carved sea shells, baseball caps, inexpensive sun glasses, etc. The fast food vendors have an Israeli flair--crepes with Nutella, roasted corn on the cob, gelato--wait a minute, Israeli? This is truly an international resort destination.

Blooming in the Negev

Israel is working its wonders in pushing back the desert and bringing productive life to the Negev. There are acres of date palms, and thousands of pounds of peppers, every color imaginable, growing in the Negev. Much of the vegetables produced here is watered from the salty Dead Sea, and thriving nevertheless. The hot, salty springs make alfalfa sweeter, the cows eat this alfalfa and produce the sweetest, richest milk and cheese in the country. The peppers are shipped throughout Europe. The dates are thriving on this salty water.
Israel shares its growing expertise with Jordan in order to help this poor, but now peaceful ally, to feeds its people, and develop industry. Another hands out to the Arab world that Israel doesn't get credit for.

View from Masada

Masada

Masada had an elaborate system of storage rooms, cisterns for collecting and holding water, patios situated at mountain edge to catch the breeze, a ballroom for entertaining, and a synagogue as well as elaborate homes for the gentry and lesser homes for the workers.

Bobbing like a cork

Here I am floating in the Dead Sea, or on the Dead Sea. Hands, legs, and head up without any effort. Great oily feel on the skin. I could have enjoyed the entire day at the Sea.

Road to Eilat--the Dead Sea

Sunday's road trip to Eilat included multiple stops along the way. We saw the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in Qumran, then onto the Dead Sea. Although the Dead Sea is dead, and drying up because the water from the Jordan River has been diverted into Jordan, it is rich in minerals which are continually mined by both the Israelis and the Jordanians. Rich potash used for fertilizers, magnisium, borium, and many other minerals are found here in vast quantities. Bathing in the Dead Sea was as bouyant as we have heard from others. You can't sink. Drowning can only happen if you purposefully lie face down, but the salty water is so vile, a few seconds on your tongue will make you want to go upright. On my skin, the water felt oily and smooth, quite delightful. We followed our short period of bathing with a complete mud bath, face, back, arms, legs. A few minutes to allow the mud to dry, then a wash with more dead sea water, and the wrinkles were gone--well maybe not gone. I figured we would need a few days wrapped in mud to make a substantial difference.
From the Dead Sea we went onto Masada. There was no opportunity to climb as we only had a few hours in total at the site. We road the cable car to the top. Masada, built by King Herod as a castle, was never designed to repel attackers. It was a pleasure spot, atop the mountain to catch the cool breezes and escape from the desert heat. No expense was spared. An elaborate water system brought water to the cisterns holding tanks. They were filled, bucket by bucket, by their slaves or workers. Can you imagine the first porter eyeing the empty cistern and being told to fill it carrying the buckets of water up the side of the mountain. Amaqzing what you can do when you have unlimited free help.
There are questions about Masada. Were the 965 Jews actually there? Only 28 bodies have been recovered from the site. Our friend Elliot warned us that this was a tourist hoax to create an attraction and earn money. Perhaps, although the narrative of Masada has been told throughout the ages and are referenced multiple times. We enjoyed our cable car tour, and walking about the mountain top.

Jerusalem in 57 CE--or thereabouts

This is a scale model (50:1) of what ancient Jerusalem might have looked like 2000 years ago. The temple and platoform was rebuilt by King Herod, a master engineer and designer. 60,000 residents were believed to have living in Jerusalem during this period. The upper city, red tiled roofs, was the wealthier Jewish quarter. The lower city, small flat topped buildings in the lower right hand photo, was the poorer district. Several different walls surrounded different parts of the city.
In 60 CE the Roman army lay seige. After one year they destroyed the city and flattened all but one building, a tower Herod had built to commemorate his wife Miriam. They left this tower standing to show how mighty was the Jerusalem city and how much more powerful was Rome in being able to destroy Jerusalem.
The model is housed alongside the National Museum which also houses the Dead Sea Scrolls.

More Scenes from the Western Wall

These photos were from our first Thursday visit to the Wall, when photos were permitted. There are no photos allowed during Shabbos. Upper left shows groups of men dovening. Note the variety of ways to prayer, the different dress, from full tallit covering to casual t-shirt.
Upper right photo are groups of Bar Mitvah preparing.
Lower left, one of several arks housing Torahs.

Great Synagogue - Jerusalem

We attended services in the Great Synagogue, Orthodox, on Shabbos morning. No pictures allowed inside the building. The stain glass window stretches about 3 stories in height. The lobby houses a massive collection of international Mezuzot, ancient and contemporary, donated by a family in Monsey, New York.
Everything in Israel, it appears, has a name on it signifying the donor or donors. These contributors come from around the world, many from the US and South America, but representing all the countries of the diaspora.

Man With a Hat

This was our favorite statue in the Billy Rose sculpture garden near the National Museum in Israel.

Billy Rose Sculpture Garden

One of the many sculptures donated by the estate of theatrical agent Billy Rose during the 1950's. The sculpture gardens, along with the model of ancient Jerusalem and the Shrine of the Book, comprise most of the museum areas in West Jerusalem.