Moonlight Over the Jerusalem Burma Trail

Just some highlights of the last few days. I am fighting my battery and have no time to sort and think and solve the problems of Israel. Right now I can't even name them.

We had a wonderful few days thinking that we really wanted to go home right then. But things fell into place Sunday we spent the afternoon with Shuli, my second cousin on my mother's side. We ate at an Israeil chain, Aroma, in Kefar Saba and then she drove us around and made it clear how close the borders are to her home. She is very liberal and finds Kadima too conservative but I don't have a fix on her political attitude toward creating peace in Israel. She appreciates the Arabs as people but wants safety for herself and her family. She is not happy with Obama's stance on building in the settlements yet thinks the settlements are a barrier to a solution. The area around where she lives is very close to the Green line and she remembers at a small child in 1948 being afraid to sleep.

After our afternoon I did some email with the son of a friend of mine who lives near Kefar Sabaa and he has no faith in the current PA. I have not discussed any ideas about solutions with him yet but I think I will

On Monday we took the bus/buses into Telaviv to see the Museum of the Diaspora, a truly interesting experience. No pictures. We were just tourists or actually locals out for the day. We strongly recommend the museum restaurant, almost as good as the exhibits.

Tuesday, the last day was as full as the rest. Before our trip to the sea for a last look we walked out behind the village and saw a piece of the Burma Road. Notice that Bonnie is pointing to the trail to validate my words.






We then took off for Ashdod and ended up walking along a beautiful beach and then a market with loads of fresh produce and pastries and just too many wonderful things for the last day of the trip.

We drove by Yavne and waved at the memory of Ben Zakkai and headed east to Rehovot to a cemetery where my mother's father's parents are buried. I had been there in 1989 with Michael and as I remember or don't remember, the trip was an easy bus ride from Telaviv and then a long walk. Fortunately today we had the car because it was a long walk from the center of town and I don't think either place as moved since 89. We had to ask for directions and Allerga, native of Ashdod but living in Rehovot for 16 years got in our car and talked us through the drive to the cemetery. Pretty amazing. An aside, a very important aside, the grave on the left is for Tibe, the woman whose middle name

We passed through Ramla, the town we visited out first day in Israel and headed back to Newe Shalom to finish packing and get to the airport.

Everything is going smoothly including our desire to have a kebab from McDonalds. I suspect the kebab will not be appearing on Micky D's New York or Fort Wayne menu anytime soon.

The moon is almost full.



L'hitraot

Changing Eating Habits--Last Day in Israel

This is our last day in Israel. I will have another post while in the airport I am sure. Today we are driving around the area and seeing sites from the 1948 war. We are going to see pieces of the Burma Road that connected besieged Jerusalem with food and other resources during that time.

May also get to the sea again and see my great grandparents grave in Rehovot.

On the Way to Ben Gurion--Haifa and south

We spent a day and a half in Haifa visiting several Carmelite monasteries overlooking the hills and the Mediterranean Sea. From what we could figure, Haifa is a lovely town. I was surprised to find the cave in which Elijah hid.

Elijah's Cave is at the base of Cape Carmel in Haifa, below the lighthouse and Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery. An important shrine to many religions, the chapel includes the very cave in which the Hebrew prophet Elijah is believed to have lived and taught. Many important events in the life of the Prophet Elijah (9th century BC) are said to have happened in this revered cave: he lived and meditated here before defeating the pagan prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel; he hid here when fleeing the wrath of King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel. The cave is sacred to Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Druze, all of whom venerate the prophet Elijah. There was a mosque here until 1948. Tradition also has it that the Holy Family (Mary, Joseph and Jesus) found shelter in this cave for a night on their return from Egypt. (of course).

Israel is efficient, sites serving multiple religions. An efficient way to generate competition and conflict.

To complete the Elijah tour we traveled east of Haifa to another Carmelite monastery dedicated specifically to Elijah with a large statue of Elijah killing the priest of Baal with a sword of fire. Sorry, no pictures at this time.

I was particularly interested in this site because this story of Elijah and Ahab and Jezebel was in the haftorah I read for my bat mitzvah in 2005. It was like visiting an old friend.

I wanted to visit Beit Shearim, the burial place of Rabbi Judah HaNasi but the GPS got us turned around and we were not able to get there before the grounds closed.

In Haifa we also visited the Bahai Shrine and Gardens. Follow the link to get a glimpse of the spectacular gardens. Bahá'ís believe the crucial need facing humanity is to find a unifying vision of the nature and purpose of life and of the future of society. According to The Lonely Planet, Israeli citizens are forbidden to be Bahai. I have to check that out. It makes no sense to me and I can't find validation on the internet. Follow this link for a discussion of the Bahai belief.

After a false start by the GPS we arrived at En Hod. Very pleasant little artist town with many shops with things to buy and a clean bathroom. I found a wonderful gift for a friend who is very hard to buy for.

As it was getting dark we headed south after En Hod for Newe Shalom or Wahit el Saalom a small town between Telaviv and Jerusalem. It is a planned community with Israeli Palestinians and Jews living together. Kids go to school together.

It is interesting to me that there are so many places for reconciliation in Israel yet so little reconciliation. I read an article by Yagil Levy in Haaretz on January 11 that got me thinking. He referred to all the wonderful and effective human rights organizations such as Machson Watch, Soldiers Breaking Silence, and B’tselm , private organizations that actually act as oversight for the IDF, Israel Defense Forces, might actually be extending the occupation by making it "more convenient." How could that be, you ask? As oversight groups they keep the defense forces on its toes, and perhaps make the occupation more humane. Life readjusts and continues as does the occupation, noticed but maybe less and less as an inconvenience. Or more and more justifiable.

At some level this thinking is a little far-fetched but at another it resonates. None of us it totally free. We have rules and regulations and taxes, so why not an occupation? So the society creates these organizations that fight to make the injustices of the occupation less.

Is Yagil Levy suggesting that we stop monitoring human rights violations in order to demonstrate all the evil aspects of an occupation? I don't think so. Maybe he is saying that monitoring human rights is not the primary way to get this situation changed. The only way to get at the roots of this particular problem is to not just work for human rights but also work to end the occupation.

Personally I want things better for the everyday guy now, not when the politicos decide for him or her. But yet, I don’t want to make things so nice that the occupation becomes comfortable. Even as I write that sentence, it sounds stupid. Even a nice occupation is based on power differences. And no matter how beneficent the autocrat is, he/she is still an autocrat.

(Maybe I should write that in a letter to the editor of Haartz where I read the article in mention.)

Now, as I reread what I just wrote I realize I moved without preamble from reconciliation to the occupation. And they are not the same thing. There are issues between Arabs and Jews in this land the predate the occupation. In many ways the occupation acts as a shield covering up the other issues. At the same time, by using massive resources to maintain, it makes harder to face and solve other problems. And it remains as an underlying source of distress for Israeli Palestinian citizens, at least for those that see a relationship with those in the territories and see that they have benefits of movement and education and social services that those in the territories do not have.

Well, that's that. Fortunately I left out another discussion about the futility of demonstrating against injustices if the injustices do not get resolved and the demonstration becomes an end in itself. That might be another blog or maybe not.

This afternoon Bonnie and I are going to visit my 2nd cousin in Kfar Saba, a town about an hour north west of here. Shuli and I have developed a friendship over the years, I think our mothers were first cousins. But the genealogy does get confusing. Somewhere back in Belarus we share an ancestor in addition to the Chavitz Chaim.

L'hitraot.

Kibbutz Neve Ammin

We stayed at a kibbutz near Akko for 3 nights. It has an interesting history--is Christian, staffed mostly by volunteers, has a social action agenda, is kosher. Many liberal groups stay here including Encounter, a group the supports dialog between Israeli and Palestinian survivors of the ongoing conflict in the area. Also staying here this weekend is a group of Israeli and Palestinian teenagers who are gaining understanding of each other using art. Right now I can't remember the name of the group but Debbie Nathan from Boston area is the executive director.

Nes Ammim founded by a Dutch physician Dr. John Pilon who arrived in Israel in 1950 to work in the Scottish Hospital in Tiberius. He became aware that Christian-Jewish relations had deteriorated and that it was important to promote an improvement in relations.

Dr. Pilon found ideological support for his idea from Dr. Hans Bernath, a Swiss doctor who worked in Nazareth hospital, and Shlomo Bezek, a Dutch Jew from Kibbutz Ayelet Hashahar. Together they searched for financial means to establish a Christian village in Israel. In 1959 Dr. Pilon met with Protestant priest Arich David from Germany and in 1960 Nes Ammim Germany was founded. It was decided that its objective was to concentrate on dialogue between nations and religions and create a space in Israel to carry on this dialog. In December 1960 a proposal was written to the Israeli government that was accepted for the establishment of a kibbutz. In 1962 about 2800 square meters of land were transferred to Nes Ammim ownership. They support themselves through farming and running a guesthouse that has space compatible for large group meetings.

First Clue We Are Ready to be Home

Traveling North and East, Avoiding Lebanon and Syria

Today we set off for the Golan Heights. If we had planned this part of the trip a little better or at all, we would have stayed in the Galilee last night and driven around up there today without traversing back and forth across the state, but that was not the case. So using the map and not a GPS we traveled east and north, getting very close to the Lebanese border more than once. The views were beautiful and it was interesting to see how the terrain changed as we moved away from the sea and traveled north. We saw different kinds of agriculture as we as well as remains of Syrian bunkers as we moved east towards Syria. We did not know if the snow capped mountains in the distance were in Israel, Lebanon or Syria but they certainly marked a difference from the Negev and the Ramon Crater. We know we saw banana trees, oranges, maybe grapefruits, and many vineyards. We had two goals for today’s trip—see the Jordan River which we missed yesterday and go east without accidentally getting into Syria. We met both our goals. We got pictures of the river and did not set off an international crisis.

We traveled as far north and east as a town called Mas’ada, a Druse town up in the hills. While up there it felt like it could snow. We ate at a restaurant owned and run by a father and son team. The father was short and had a mustache and would not let us take his picture. The son was tall with a good command of both Arabic and Hebrew and he did well enough with the English. Food was good and relatively cheap and the service was courteous. We wanted to take pictures of something so that we could remember our visit but the town was so unremarkable we were at a loss. I did find a closed restaurant with an array of large cement figures such as men, chickens, and horses in the front so I did have something to snap.

The trip back was quick. Somehow, for the first time we missed rush hour traffic and arrived at Acre, out dinner destination in about one hour from pretty far north and east. We had no trouble getting into this town and made it to the waterfront where we climbed around the ruins and wall (and then read about them) before it got dark. We ate dinner at this upscale place called Uri Buri which came with a high recommendation from some friends who shall remain nameless. Well, the food was good, not the best meal I ever ate, but good. Bonnie liked hers more than I liked mine, too much pepper for me. But the service was awful, just awful, we asked for water twice, never got it,food came fast but then the wait staff disappeared. Well, we got out of there by getting up and asking for the check and then having to take the check up to the desk. For an expensive meal, it pissed me off. So to make up for it, we drove around the old part of Acre, of course after reading the guide book, I said turn right and Bonnie said no, and I said turn right and she finally turned right, right into the Old City. It was like it wasn’t there, it was a Harry Potter experience, nothing is there, and then you walk through a door to a whole universe of activity. The Old City is totally Arab and teeming. Here she was in a car, fortunately a small car riding around on narrow streets made for a horse and wagon, or a donkey and wagon. She continued around trying to get out and met up with a narrow, too narrow pathway but several local men more than willing to help us get out. They were kind and were laughing, knowing hardly any English, but surpassing our Arabic which includes, saalam, Inchal alla, and shogrin. They got us turned around and then she followed some other small car out of the maze and onto a street wide enough to avoid cats or people or knocking off the side view mirrors.

Tomorrow Haifa and hopeful to see a new baby relative. And maybe another trip north, up the sea coast to the Lebanese border. (I was there with Michael in 1989).
Just an aside, we have noticed a lot of military type aircraft flying overhead. Might have something to do with relations with Lebanon?

Continuing the Jesus Path from Tiberius to Capernaum

Tiberius had too much traffic coupled with construction and one way streets to be characterized as it is in the travel book as a sleepy little town. As is our wont, we had no reservations and realized that we were stuck with either the Tiberius Hostel or a $300/night hotel. We chose the hostel and were not unhappy. It’s location was central and accommodations were not bad. The cold shower was its only drawback. Meir, the administrator was helpful and the place was clean but shabby. We had a private room and bath so we were content enough. Neither of us felt that great that day so it really did not matter.

The day included figuring out how to get change to put into parking meters, exchanging our car for a smaller car that was more comfortable and had an AUX jack for the iPod. Let’s hear it for a Mazda 2. [Its small size became particularly useful this evening in Acre (AKKO)--story to follow]. We then treated ourselves to tea on the waterfront, amazed at how warm the day was considering how chilly it had been in Jerusalem and even Nazareth. The owner of the restaurant was from Miami, Florida and was happy to talk about the places I used to go with my father, like Home Depot on 163^rd St, North Miami Beach. I think she was a bit homesick.

The next day we both felt better and took off in search of dead rabbis. We found the tomb of Maimonides and and maybe that of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai and some other rabbis that were within walking distance of the hostel. As stated in the guide book everything was in Hebrew and it was hard to figure out who was buried where. One thing for sure though, it is considered a holy site by the Orthodox and they come here to pray, men on one side of divide and women on the other. If you are curious about how Maimonides got to Tiberius from Cairo where he died, and even if you are not, the story goes that before he died he told his people to put him on a camel and bury him where the camel expired. The camel took him to Tiberius and was buried. Unfortunately we have no information about the fate of the camel.

Outside of town we found the grave of Rabbi Akiva buried on a high hill overlooking the city. A beautiful view and no Romans running up to get him.

After our visit to these Jewish holy sites we made our way to Christian sites. Just like in the United States, the Catholics really know how to pick land with beautiful views. The views in conjunction with a bright, sunny, warm day reinforced the spiritual feeling of the places we visited: Mount of Beatitudes, Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, Capernaum with the remains of a fisherman’s house (could have been Peter’s) and a synagogue from the 3^rd Century built on top of a first century synagogue (Jesus could have preached there). And a Greek Orthodox monastery. While walking through Capernaum we hooked up with an English speaking group and got the story. The guide was very good and humorous. He kept saying that no one could validate that these places actually were the places mentioned in the Christian Bible because there were no signs left saying “Jesus slept here.” We chatted with the guide as we walked towards the parking lot. He asked if we were Jewish and when I said yes he wanted to know if we were Messianic (Jews for Jesus) Jews. He assumed as did everyone that if you visited these sites you were Christian of sorts. He asked us where we were going and we told him we were headed west to Acre but did not know where we were going to stay that night. He gave us the name of a kibbutz with a guesthouse. And that where we ended up.

From Nazareth to the Shores of the Sea of Galilee

I really don't know why I wanted to talk with Maoz Inon, the founder of the Fauzi Azar Inn in Nazareth. But I felt compelled. And it felt compatible with other conversations I have had during this trip to Israel. So much luck or serendipity chatting with Avram Burg or Bernard Avishai or the waiter at the American Colony Hotel or the taxi driver from Silwan, East Jerusalem. All the conversations seem to overlap and reinforce the complexity of Israel or maybe the complexity of life in general.

I just wanted to understand what makes him tick. Why did he start the inn? What were his goals? How did he have the guts to start from nothing? How did a "nothing" become self sustaining in about 5 years?

Well, here is what I found out. Or at least my impressions of what he said. First of all he was an engaging individual and I felt totally accepted and listened to during our conversation. And he related to all the staff and volunteers with the same respect.

As an aside, he spent a part of his childhood in Moshav Neve Haasera, the place we visited earlier on this trip--a moshav on the border with Gaza to understand what life was like under the constant threat of rockets and mortars. I thought that was amazing but maybe it is not; after all Israel is a small country.

Maoz is a hiker, hiking or trekking with his wife in South America and the Israel National Trail which is about 600 miles from the Lebanese border to Eilat. Sometime during all this hiking, he and his wife decided to open an inn in Israel. They believed that Israel had a lot to offer the tourist and that the tourist had much to offer Israel. And when he visited Nazareth, close to the National Trail, he knew it was the place. A place for giving and taking, a theme of mutuality.

He then found the place that is owned by the Azar family, long time Arab residents of the area. By dint of will, personality, and authenticity he was able to negotiate with the owner of the home to use it to create his dream of an inn that served the local community and travelers as well. He feels he has been able to do it because he has no political agenda. He does not want to prove anything. He just wants to make things better for all involved. Everyone he works with are his equals--the granddaughter of of Fauzi Azar who manages the inn to the cooks to me.

And this is the feeling I got visiting Fauzi Azur Inn within the confines of Old Nazareth. I wanted to stay and give and help create something--I don't know what. I understand why people volunteer at the Inn, spending 4 weeks working on projects for the inn and for the community. As Maoz said ( I think) , "if your visit does not give to the community, then you can stay at a big hotel." And I say, if I don't get something from my visit, then I can stay in New York.

There is probably more I could say about my experience in Nazareth. I am sure there is something about how very political this inn is by not being political at all that I could talk about if I had enough way with words. But maybe that does not matter in this case.Whether I say it our not, a job is getting done. As Maoz, says, "A miracle is happening."

But I will make one more plug for Maoz and his enterprise. Check out the Jesus Trail that he and David Landis developed. The Jesus Trail™ offers an alternative for travelers and pilgrims to experience the steps of Jesus in a way that is authentic, adventurous and educational by hiking through the rugged and beautiful landscape of the Galilee in Israel.

Bonnie and I however rented a car and drove to Tiberius.

L'hitraot

Another Best Day-All Day in Nazareth

After a couple of days of seeing what we wanted to see but not feeling particularly good about things, we caught a winner today. We had a perfect tourist day. First of all, Fauzi Azir Inn is wonderful. The space, the staff, the volunteers, the other guests all have been delightful. We actually ate breakfast with someone who lives on 184th and Fort Washington, just 4 blocks from where I live.

The granddaughter of the former owner of the building for whom the inn was named, Suraida, who manages the inn spoke to us after breakfast. She gave us the story of the family and the house and how it became an inn. Fauzi Azar Inn. Tomorrow we hope to me the owner of the endeavor, Maoz Inon.

A highpoint of many highpoints was a tour given by a volunteer, Sandy, who walked us around the Old City explaining how it is changing and growing as well as some of its problems. We wandered through the souq, market as she chatted with us and the local merchants. After the tour Bonnie and I went over to the restaurant of Abu Ashraf, called Diwan Hasaraya who serves freshly made Ramadan pancakes and coffee daily. We sat around and talked with him and he told us his family story and how hard his father worked and how much the family values education. He just wanted us to know that he was a good man and had raised wonderful children who are successful and also giving him grandchildren. He was generous of spirit and shared much of himself.

We then went to the The Basilica of the Annunciation. The church stands on the site that most of Christianity believes was Mary's home and where the Angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she was pregnant with the son of God. But typical of everything here, it is not universally believed to be the site. The Greek Orthodox have identifies another site for the annunciation, not far from this one but nearer to a well. There is a story that associates the finding and giving of water with Mary so they think it appropriate that Gabriel would have come to her near the well. I was struck by the association of Mary and water and that of Miriam finding water for the Children of Israel while they were in the desert. I think it is another goddess story of water/life/women. I am sure that the motif is present in other cultures as well.

Dinner tonight was good, not as excellent as it was last night but good nonetheless and we both hardily recommend Tishreem. Click on the link for reviews. But the wonderful thing about eating there were the staff. We had a young woman as a waitress and she was willing to talk with us. She is Palestinian I guess but that is not how she thinks about herself. She sees herself as Israeli. She was born here and this is her home. " I am not Palestinian. If you think you are Palestinian, then go to Palestine. Here is where I live." She is Arabic speaking but lives in Nazareth Illit, a town close to Nazareth which is 75% Jewish and 25% Christian and Muslin Palestinian. The young woman is a flutist and plans to go to Tel Aviv to study music when she can afford to do that. She is a committed Israeli and her presence strengthens the state. Yet I am sure that she is looked on with suspicion by many in this country.

From my perspective, another category has been destroyed. Not all Arabic speaking Israeli citizens see themselves as Palestinians. Now, how do we talk and think about these things? What generalizations can be made? It just gets more difficult and interesting.

Abu Ashraf, with whom we had the Ramadan pancakes felt Israel is his country. He is born here in the 50s. Yet in 1973 during the Yom Kippur war when he was at the Technion in Haifa, he and other Arab students were kicked out of school. They were considered the enemy. The expression that flashed through his face suggested that the pain of that loss and humiliation remains with him. Because of the war and Israel's reaction to her Arab citizens, he lost his opportunity for a higher education.


These Arabs/Palestinians are Israeli citizens. They are energetic and bright and could be part of Israel's future. They are her natural resource. May they be valued and used well.

L'hitraot.

This is not the Crown Plaza

Our expectations were to leave Jerusalem around noon, renting a car and heading north to Nazareth, getting there before dark. We were going to leave after a quick stop at the Temple Mount which is open at only specific times. Unfortunately we got there after it closed but it would be reopening at 12:30. So we had time to kill and ended up at the Rockefeller Archeological Museum "just around the block." We saw some stuff from Jericho's , Hisham's palace (8th C CE) and some other things but we really needed a guide for the experience. We just did not know enough about anything. We got back in time to get up to the Mount, walk around, and experience the wonderful energy of the space. I was glad to return after only 2 years and to share it with Bonnie.

At about 3 we headed north in our rental car and GPS for Nazareth. (I cannot say enough good about the GPS. She [her name is Dame] was responsive, did not do all that recalculating stuff and got us where we needed to go. ) We got here around 6 getting caught in traffic and being a little confused about how to get around in the Old City once we parked our car. I will talk more about the place we are staying in after we have been here for more than 2 hours. The name is Fauzi Azar Inn. I wondered what I had gotten us into as we dragged out luggage over old walks and up hills and steps to get to the Inn which is more like a hostel. We do have a private room, however. There is something strange and interesting about this place and its founder and I really don't can't write about it yet. All I can say is that is not the Crown Plaza, but it is also not the Venus Hotel in Petra (although it has the same heating system.)

To get a feel for this place and what it could mean for Israel, read the recent blog by Bernard Avishai about his experience staying at the inn where some of his students had helped develop a business plan with the owner. Arab Nazareth, Israel Democracy -- Bundist Dreams.

The Old City is difficult to figure out especially in the dark. But we found a restaurant which for me served one of the best meals I have ever eaten. Al-reda is in a restored 120 year old Ottoman mansion. Food and the atmosphere makes this one of the better restaurants in northern Israel.

Will be walking around Nazareth tomorrow, because according to a sign, Jesus did not take a bus.

L'hitraot.

Beyond the Green Line

Saturday Bonnie and I hired what we thought would be a guide to take us to Bethlehem and then Jericho. What we got was a very nice and competent driver but not a guide. When we asked him questions he told us to look it up on the internet when we got back to the hotel. At least he was safe and only conned us out of a few shekels when he got us some figs.

We visited the holy Christian sites in Bethlehem and were fortunate to be at Shepard's Field at the same time as students from Bethel College, a Mennonite school. They were singing in the chapel and sounded professional. We also visited an acquaintance from my Rabbis for Human Rights trip in 2008, the family of Ghaida' R. Rishmawi where Puah, Yocheved and I stayed while visiting Bethlehem and Beit Sahour. It was a nice meeting; we had a snack and saw some of the interesting art work that her mother is doing. I will send a picture when I can.

After Bethlehem we traveled to Herodium, Herod's fortress. I know there was indication that Bar Kochba's rebellion ended there in 136 CE but when checked it out I could not find anything to verify that. If anyone has any additional information, leave a comment.

We then traveled south to Jericho, the oldest city in the world, whatever that means. Follow the link if you are interested. I am glad we got there but it was not a remarkable experience. There was a 6 Century CE synagogue mosaic that I wanted to see but it was in a locked building. It was locked because some Jews tried to go there to pray and the locals got angry. I could have gotten in if I went to the Department of Interior in Jericho and got a permit. Needless to say, I did not bother. But I wish I had.

We passed some refugee camps in the Jericho area but could not see much. They looked just like crowded, poor towns.

That's about it folks, not much to say. Getting tired again.

L'hitraot.

Jordan and Back

Petra is Petra. The light and the stones defy description. (that took care of that). Our guide and driver were delightful and told us what we wanted to know and got us back to the border in good time. Crossing from Israel to Jordan and then back from Jordan was easy but then the questions started. I might have mentioned that we got no questions when we entered Israel at Ben Gurion Airport, not one question. Got our luggage and got out of the airport in no time at all. But here at Eilat we were grilled and grilled and grilled (3 times). First at the border which was more or less routine. But since we were flying back north we were grilled again by two different people at the Eilat Airport. I can tell you that if I wasn't nervous before the interrogation I was afterwards. Suddenly everyone looked like a terrorist, even Bonnie. Both airport personnel acted as if they could not understand why we were coming into Israel. Either we were transporting in toxic substances or where naive dupes of the enemy. Their level of anxiety was contagious unfortunately and I really regretted not taking the bus north. You all remember in the 50's in NJ: skip the bother and skip the fuss, take the Public Service bus. (maybe you don't, so trust me). Well, that was what I was thinking.

Today was an uneventful day. We are both tired and fighting some germ or other. We walked over the Ben Yehuda to buy father-son yamulka's for Emmett and Aidan and walked back to your new hotel for a nap. We have moved from the Guesthouse in the Old City to the YMCA on King David. The YMCA is a fine hotel. Of course after the previous night in the Venus Hotel in Petra, anything would look good. We think the Y has been refurbished recently. Nice bathroom, comfortable bed and most importantly, really nice staff. And they charge for laundry by the kilo not the piece and that made me very happy.

At 3 this afternoon we walked the Stations of the Cross with the Franciscans. There were 1000s of people there and it was a fascinating experience. I tried to get some pictures but I could not get a good vantage point.

Afterward we went to the American Colony Hotel for dinner. It was delightful. We came too early for the full meal in the dining room but we had good meal in good surrounding in their "cafe." American Colony Hotel History

Raining again like last week and even colder.

Tomorrow we are off to the territories, Bethlehem and Jericho with a Palestinian guide. Might even get a refugee camp in if it doesn't rain too hard. For a good time, call Judy.

Across the Border in Jordan

We began our trip to Petra, Wadi Musa, Jordan taking the bus to Eilat. The ride down was uneventful and fast. Especially fast for me since I slept part of the time. We passed the elegant Dead Sea resorts and the salt mining businesses. Crossing the border was a fortunately uneventful but we had to wait almost an hour for the guide because the bus was so early.

Bonnie, I and the driver and the guide drove to Aqaba and sat by the water drinking tea and talking.

I asked the driver, Sofrin, and the guide, George about the Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan, just out of curiosity not even thinking that I might be stepping into something. George, whose family has lived in Jordan for many generations told me there were several large ones here but they are no longer tents, but real buildings. He named a few but said nothing else. As it turns out 60% of the Jordanian population is Palestinian. And as it turns out the driver was from a Palestinian family who left Haifa when war broke out in 1948. He was born in Jordan and sees himself as a Jordanian. He said his father talks about Haifa and the old home but it does not seem to be a controlling idea like some of the Palestinians we have met or read about. He said that in 1948 his family had a choice as to whether to keep his Palestinian papers or surrender them and become a Jordanian citizen. His father elected to become a Jordanian citizen. Sofrin's attitude was very pragmatic. "This was a war; we lost; get on with life."

I had a weird feeling talking about this with these people. It seemed like the natural progression in my conversations during the last few weeks. First we talked with a man on a a moshav on the Gaza border who deals with personal safety on a daily business, then we met with Palestinian Israelis who deal with prejudice and unequal delegation of resources within the State of Israel; then a Palestinian who lives in the occupied territories; and now a Palestinian who lives in Jordan. They are all connected.

Well, folks, never have me choose a hotel. I found the most basic hotel for the one night in Petra. It makes the Guesthouse in the Old City look like the Ritz.

L'hitraot

After the Party's Over

This is my first post since you all left and I must say that Bonnie and I miss the friendship and stimulation of our 10 days together. But don't worry for a minute; we are persevering. On Sunday we met with a friend of a friend and went again to Machina Yehuda when it was not just before Shabbat; and then ate at Emek Refiam. Then we checked into the Christ Church Guesthouse just inside the Jaffa Gate. Rooms are clean and comfortable; bathroom is clean but not lovely; food is basic. The staff which are probably mostly volunteer lack personality. That says it all.

Tomorrow we head for Petra via Elat on the Egged bus, go over the border ourselves and will be met with a guide and driver set up by Da'at. We'll do the whirlwind tour of Aqaba, drive to Petra, sleep, wake up, do the ruins until about 2-3, drive to the border, go over, fly to Tel Aviv and then bus it back to Jerusalem. Believe it or not, I am looking forward to the long bus ride and being a captive audience. I can't go anyplace else and I can't do anything else.

Yesterday Bonnie did her maiden voyage driving in Israel for the first time. She did great. We were told that getting to the Dead Sea was "no problem, you can't miss it" and you really don't need a GPS. So me being me ( a little tight) took his word and I wrote down the very clear directions--"just follow this road to the end and turn right" and we were on our way. Things got a little strange when we found the separation barrier to our right and everyone looked Palestinian and we saw signs for Ramalla. So we did the first of many illegal U turns and got back to wherever and finally saw road signs for the Dead Sea.

It was quite an adventure and we had a great time. It was a day absent of political discourse until be passed many unauthorized Bedouin villages along the way. We were very proud of ourselves, knowing this fact.

Our first stop was Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Of course I got a picture of "the" cave. The stop was interesting, not exciting but is was a place I have wanted to go to for years so it was worth the trip for me. We then drove down to Masada, waved and turned around finally stopping at Mineral Beach on the Dead Sea for a float, a mud, and a bath in hot sulfur waters. Unfortunately for my Facebook fetish, I did not have my camera and could not get a picture of us mud-ed up.

After the trip we had a drink in the lounge of the King David Hotel and then ate dinner at the YMCA across the street.

Today we met Renee and she walked us through the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and then Bonnie and I spent the day in the Old City. We climbed the tower of the Church of the Redeemer for a 360 degree view of the Old City including a close up the Dome of the Rock. We followed Renee's advice and did some souvenir shopping at a store owned by Palestinian Christians who live in the Old City. They even offered us Turkish coffee which I could drink. I have been forcing myself to drink coffee when offered even though I don't like strong coffee. I am getting used to it.

One last thing today--we did the Tower of David Citadel and Museum of Jerusalem which was wonderful. Gave an in depth history of Jerusalem from a Jewish perspective from the Canaanite period to the present day, using the Bible as it source for historical details. Oh well, we all have our myths.

You can see if you have following my writings that this part of the trip is more concrete and less emotionally and intellectually challenging. But we are having fun.

L'hitraot

The Last Supper

You are all about half way home, some sleeping, some wondering about all the crying children or wondering how kosher food could be so bad.

Bonnie and I are packing with the expectation of meeting a friend and going again to the Makchina Yehuda to shop and then get lunch. Our plans for the next couple of days are not firm but in process. Waiting for a call from Danielle of Da'at.

Here are some pictures just to keep you warm in the cold North East.

The Last Shabbat

Just a quick summary of our last day. Most of us walked along the top of the wall surrounding the old city of Jerusalem. It was interesting and fun. For a change I have no self searching indepth comments--just fun and interesting. We followed the morning with a trip to the Israel Museum where we saw the actual Dead Sea Scrolls from between 200 BCE to 68 CE and the Aleppo Codex, the oldest pieces of Torah we have from about 1000 CE. Really interesting for anyone who studied about the establish of the official Jewish canon like I have with my study group.

A final wonderful farewell dinner to the official CBST Israel group and off they went to the airport. Bonnie and I will be here for another 2 1/2 to 3 weeks and will keep you posted.

Behind the "Green Line"--Ramallah

Friday was our day in Palestine. We traveled with a Palestinian bus driver to Ramallah because Israelis are prevented by Israeli law or regulation to travel to Palestinian controlled land. We were met by Mohamed, a journalist. He escorted us around the town and then showed us "the facts on the ground," how close settlements are to the city. Seeing the actual geography helped understand why settlement growth is such a sore spot for the Palestinians. We passed by poverty and we passed by growth--a lot of building financed frequently by Palestinians living abroad.

We started off the formal tour with a visit to Arafat's grave and a look at his compound. Ironically right next to the compound was a new building. Mohamed likened it to the past and the future. The old Palestine wanted war to get the land; the new Palestine wants peace and just live. We don't have to be friends; we just have to live. If only the Israelis would cooperate. I am sure that Mohamed believes what he says and is the kind of person who could make a peace work. It was interesting to compare his words with those of the tour guide in Independence Hall in Tel Aviv. She also wants peace and seemed to be like the kind of person that would make it work too. Like him she too believes that her people want peace and if it were not for the other side, there would be peace. Ha, such is life. It's always the other guy.

We then met with business men intent on bringing business to Palestine. They told us about a new planned community just outside Ramallah. It was like stepping into the 23rd century. I had trouble wrapping my mind around the plan. Check out the link for Rawabi. The project is well underway. But there are several literal and figurative roadblocks for the project. The first and most important is the development of a decent road linking Rawabi with Ramallah so that trucks providing the raw materials for this new town of 60,000 inhabitants can be built. They have been working on it for over a year with promises from the Israeli government but nothing finalized. The issue is that the road will pass through Area C which is land under total Israeli control. I polled the group when we returned to the bus: yes or no, Israel will let the road be built. What do you think?

We returned to Jerusalem for lunch. After lunch we checked out the weekly protest at Sheikh Jarrah. It is an area where Arabs have been evicted to the street with settlers moving to their homes.

The attempts to colonize the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem are backed by the city mayor, Nir Barkat, and by the Israeli government. As we know Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused president Obama’s demand to halt construction in East Jerusalem until the city’s final statues is decided.

Among the protesters today were former Knesset speaker Avrum Burg, and author David Grossman. And my favorite blogger Bernard Avishai. I spoke with both him and Burg for a few minutes. I was totally excited: such a groupie. I recommend subscribing to Avishai's blog. But what kind of groupie am I? I didn't even take his picture.

The demonstration was small due to hard rain and ended early but for me it was a dream come true. I have been following home evictions and the protests. It was nice to see Jew and Palestinian working together to make change. I got a ride to synagogue after the protest with Noam and she talked to me about the history of the protest and how it has changed over the almost 2 years it is has been going on. The details escape me but what I understood again that in Israel nothing is as simple as it looks at first blush. Many groups support the demonstration but often they are also marginalized groups with their own agenda which might be in conflict with the Palestinians. It remains important that the Palestinians run the show since the evictions effect their lives directly. We can support but must remember, we are guests in their home.

As in all demonstrations there was a small counter demonstration, in this case, Orthodox Jews.