Earth, Wind and Fire

In the morning, we left Tiberias and headed inland to plant trees at a JNF (Jewish National Fund, otherwise known as Keren Kayemet Yisrael, or Israel’s primary environmental protection organization) site. Each of us selected from among the little saplings we were offered—pine, cedar, oak, and covered the roots with soil. Driving in to the field, we saw trees that had been planted before ours. Some were just a bit bigger than ours; others had already grown to full size. It was exciting to see them and imagine that someday others would look at our trees too.

We got back on the bus, and drove up to the medieval town of Tzfat. It was a lot chillier and windier here than down below. We visited some of the main sites of Tzfat, including the Ari Synagogue, the synagogue of Rabbi Isaac Luria, one of the founders of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah. We then went our own ways and spent some time wandering through the narrow stone streets and supporting the Israeli economy. As we were walking to the shops, it was very windy. At one stand, a display of magnets that a vendor was trying desperately to brace against the wind fell over. It made a huge boom, and everyone jumped.

After Tzfat, we traveled to Akko, the ruins of a Crusader settlement. Since 1992, this site has considerably expanded thanks to major excavations. I was amazed at how much things have changed since my last visit in 1990. We walked through huge, cavernous rooms with high arches and ceilings. In each room there were holes in the ceiling to let out the smoke from the fires that were lit to warm the cold stone rooms. These were the rooms where the knights ate, slept, and relaxed before going off to battle. We also got to see a crusader latrine, and imagined what it must have been like when it was in use. Then we walked through one of the many narrow underground tunnels—not for claustrophobics!

We hopped back on the bus and crossed the bay to Haifa. We got our first glimpse of the beautiful Bahai gardens, terraced on Mount Carmel above. We checked into our hotel, at the very top of the mountain—and from which some of the rooms had a spectacular view of the harbor and Mediterranean Sea below. After check-in, we went our separate ways for the rest of the evening to eat dinner, and to get ready for an early departure tomorrow morning for Caesarea.


Today’s art corner brings you some of Yael Farber’s poetry, written en route. Enjoy!

Modern History
Israel is built on history,
But lives in modern ways.
Cities of stone
And highways too.
Electricity and the Wall
Cell phones and the Dome.
Israel is built on history,
But lives in modern ways.
Office buildings
And secret tunnels.
Israel is built on history,
But lives in modern ways.

Kfar Charuv
A special kind of community,
Family, friends, and love.
A special kind of community,
Only found on a kibbutz.
Sharing a lifestyle,
Sharing love,
Is what a kibbutz is all about.


Shalom from Temple Tikvah in Israel!

The Road North

Thanks again to Steve Reisman, here are a few photos to begin the day's blog. They are from our activities yesterday and today, and alas, they're not in order (I'm still a novice at this!). Narrative follows below...

Our friend Katz

The view from Kfar Charuv
Learning about the Kibbutz

View from my room in Tiberias

Learning about Jerusalem at the David Citadel Museum

David Citadel Museum

Shopping in Jerusalem's Kanyon Mall

At Mount Herzl

Our guide Roni

Beautiful Tiberias

The Golan

Offir Overlook







Today began with a bit more adventure than we had bargained for. We left Jerusalem, as planned, just after breakfast. However, not long after we reached the main highway, our bus’s engine began to lose water. We had to stop at a roadside rest stop for over an hour while the problem was addressed. For a while, to quote Howie Weiss, the “wandering” Jews became the “wondering” Jews—wondering whether we would ever get our day started! Fortunately, we’re a good natured group, and we made the most of our time spent waiting---soaking up the warm rays of the sun (a most welcome change from yesterday!), sampling ice cream from the local vendor, and befriending a purring animal whom Steve dubbed “Katz”. Soon we were on the road again.

Our bus made its way back up the road leading through the Jordan Valley where we had traveled days earlier. However, instead of heading right the Dead Sea and Masada, we turned left and began the journey north to the Golan Heights. The further we traveled, the more lush the scenery. At first, it was parched, dusty hills with only a few bits of dry grasses to feed the Bedouin goats. We traveled through the West Bank. Off to our left, we could see the sprawling city of Jericho. In the distance, off to the right, on the Jordanian side of the River Jordan, Mount Nebo loomed. As we traveled further through the Palestinian territory, we could see an occasional date palm grove or a small vineyard. Beyond the Palestinian checkpoint, back in Israel, the lands became greener still. The hills and valleys were lush with groves of grapefruit, mango, olive, orange, and banana trees, and fields of planted barley and wheat.

We ascended a narrow, windy road up the Golan Heights to its plateau where several kibbutzim were established in the early 1970s, after Israel took control of the area in the Six Day War. Kfar Charuv, one of these kibbutzim, was our destination for lunch and a tour. What a beautiful kibbutz, and what a spectacular view of the Golan and the Sea of Galilee below! Kibbutzim in Israel today, we learned, have changed considerably in recent years. Although there is still a common dining hall, and a weekly meeting of kibbutz members to decide upon matters of communal concern, there is much more privatization than in years past. Kibbutz members all work, many off the kibbutz, and keep the income they earn—though they pay “taxes” to the kibbutz for common services. Although this kibbutz was built atop a former Syrian bunker, it felt peaceful, and almost idyllic. I watched a group of young boys play soccer on the Kibbutz’s field, and thought to myself—this must be a wonderful place for children to grow up.

After leaving Kfar Charuv, we came partway down the mountain to Offir Overlook, a small rocky point from which you can see the Sea of Galilee and the entire Golan Valley. Two of Israel’s four holy cities, Tiberias and Tzfat, were visible below. From here, Roni (our guide) gave us the history of the Golan Heights, and of Israel’s several wars with Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan. Peace is so fragile in this land where fresh water is scarce, where lands change hands every few years, and where the distances between nations are so very small. Perhaps our prayers can help make shalom just a bit more possible.

Mashiv HaRuach...

Today (Tuesday) I awoke and looked out my hotel room window, expecting to see that beautiful view of the windmill and nearby neighborhood of Yamim Moshe, pale limestone turning golden in the rising sun. But this morning something was different. The windmill was there, the buildings were there—but in place of blue sky and sunlight there were dark, ominous clouds. Oh yes, I reminded myself—this is, after all, WINTER in the Holy Land, the time when we pray for God to cause the wind to blow and the rains to fall. Well, today, God must have heard those prayers. While the rain never became a downpour, the day was chilly and damp. But there was still plenty to see and do…

We began the day with an early morning visit to Mount Herzl, the national cemetery of Israel. The cemetery is located on a hilltop near two other significant sites—Yad VaShem and the Knesset. As Roni (our tour guide) explained, the three sites taken together tell a story: the Jewish people experienced the most horrific of tragedies, but vanquished despair and fought to maintain the right to sovereignty in their own homeland, and are still governing that homeland today. We visited the graves of some of Israel’s most important leaders—Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, Levi Eshkol, Teddy Kolleck, and of course Theodor Herzl himself. As we traveled, we heard stories about each of them and their place in Israel’s history. This country is truly built upon passion and dreams!

For our next stop, we decided it was time to see a bit more of modern Israeli life. And so we went to the Kanyon, Jerusalem’s shopping mall. It was bustling. Israelis busily shopped, drank coffee in the cafes, wheeled their many baby strollers from store to store. Some of the store names were familiar---Toys R Us, Tower Records (yes, it still exists here in Israel), Burger King. Others housed Israeli brands we know--Gottex, Naot, Nimrod. And still others were completely new to us.

Having had our fill of modern Israel, we went back to the Old City. Walking through Jaffa Gate, we entered the King David museum. This museum, housed in the David Citadel, tells the history of Jerusalem, beginning with its earliest settlements, and continuing, room by room and era by era, through the 20th Century. So much history to absorb!

The rest of the afternoon was devoted to walking around in the Old City. Some of us went back to the Kotel for a last glimpse of this most treasured sight. Others tried their hand at bargaining in the shuk, the Arab market. Others opted for more upscale shopping in the Cardo and Judaica shops nearby. And still others engaged in that most popular Israeli pastime—drinking coffee and watching people go by.

We capped off the evening with a stupendous group meal at a restaurant set back from the main street in a residential part of Jerusalem. Our bus driver showed off his driving skill as he backed the bus down the narrow street and squeezed into the parking lot. We sat down to a long table for 20 already piled high with dishes full of different appetizers served family-style ---fresh beets, beef carpaccio, chopped liver with fig sauce, Israeli salad, lentils, two kinds of eggplant stews, and plenty of delicious, doughy bread to accompany it all. The main courses were equally delicious, and somehow we even found room in overstuffed bellies for dessert---vanilla ice cream in techineh sauce topped with halvah shavings, and rich chocolate pudding a la mode. If all kosher meals were this good, there would be a lot more people observing kashrut!

Tonight we pack our bags for an early departure tomorrow morning---we’ll head North to the Golan and Tiberias. More adventures await…

JERUSALEM HISTORY HIGH AND LOW

Under the Western Wall Enjoying a Dead Sea float

Under the spell of the Masada Story




In the Hotel Lobby

Today brings a new feature to this blog--photos!! Thanks to Steve Reisman, photographer and tech support par excellence, and to a much improved internet connection (thank you, Cafe Joe!), your blogging rabbi has been able to post just a few views of the past days' adventures. I hope they add some color to the Tikvah in Israel story!

We spent today (Monday) in Jerusalem, exploring the highs and lows, both figurative and literal, of Jewish history. We began the day underground, in the tunnel beneath the Western Wall. The Western wall tunnel is a relatively new tourist site--it opened officially in the early 1990's--and a visit here has completely changed the way I will view the Kotel forever. For, as becomes obvious when you are below it, that which we call the Western Wall is only a tiny fragment of the original wall that formed the outer perimeter of the Second Temple complex. The actual wall extends an additional 35 feet below ground! Here, below ground, it is possible to understand how the Temple complex was constructed, and what it looked like when it was standing. Here we had a chance to see and touch the largest known stone in the world (it's about the length of our tour bus!). And here we walked north beneath the Western wall to reach the point that is closest to where the actual Temple, and its inner sanctum, the Holy of Holies, stood. Underground, far closer to the center of Jewish history than at the Kotel itself, we joined our voices to those of our ancestors and sang out the Shema together.

From below ground we ascended the hills of Jerusalem to visit Yad Va'Shem, Israel's Holocaust Memorial and Museum. Those in our group who had visited Yad VaShem a decade or more before were in for a new experience. The museum has been significantly expanded and updated. Digital technology allows you to hear and see witnesses to the Holocaust throughout the Museum--along with the artifacts (an old pair of shoes, a necklace, a child's drawing, a strap of tefillin leather) that tell stories of their own. To say the obvious--this is not an easy place to visit. To view the exhibit, you have to zigzag back and forth through fairly narrow rooms--it is as if the architecture itself evokes futility and despair. However, that same architecture turns to hope and redemption at as the exhibit ends. The entire back wall of the building is one large picture window through which you can see the hills and dwellings of a thriving, vibrant Jerusalem below. Am Yisrael Chai!

Our last stop of the day was the Israel Museum, where we viewed the Shrine of the Book. In this temperature-controlled building are housed many of the fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran (which we visited yesterday). It is mind-boggling that the words of Jewish scripture that we read today in books and from our own Torah scrolls can be found, with only a few and minor variations, on these pieces of parchment written in the First Century C. E. by a devoted scribe. What an enduring and precious legacy we have inherited!

Tomorrow surely will bring more discoveries---stay tuned….

B'Midbar (In the Desert)

Today we left Jerusalem early in the morning for a day trip to the surrounding desert. A ninety minute drive took us past Bedouin makeshift tents, mountain goats, occasional camels, the biblical city of Jericho, and a lot of dry, rocky earth to our first stop, Masada. We climbed the steep mountain up to the rocky plateau (actually, most of us “climbed” via cable car. But a few of us chose to walk up the winding switchbacks of the Snake Path, with its nearly 700 steep steps. We were rewarded with some magnificent vistas along the way, and a great sense of accomplishment when we finally made it to the top!). The story of Masada and the Jews who chose to die rather than be subjected to becoming Roman slaves is gripping, fascinating, and quite emotional. We marveled at the remains of Herod’s grandiose palace, including the saunas and mosaic floors. We looked down at the Roman road, felt the strong North wind blow, and imagined what battle must have been like under these conditions. And we sat in the remains of the synagogue (considered the oldest post-Second Temple synagogue in Israel), the place where the Jews heard the speech that convinced them to take a vow to kill themselves in the face of Roman conquest, and pondered the meaning of life and death, martyrdom and resurrection.

Our next stop was another archaeological marvel—the caves of Qumram, where only 61 years ago, a Bedouin looking for a lost goat accidently stumbled upon one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th Century—the Dead Sea Scrolls. We learned a bit about the Essenes who created the scrolls, viewed a film and a small exhibit. And then we sat outside looking at the caves themselves in the distance. As I gazed at the rocky cliffs, I wondered how many more secrets lie hidden in how many more caves, and what we will learn in the future about our Torah and its history.

After lunch and a bit of a break, we capped off the day with a visit to the Dead Sea itself. Many of us braved the cold water of the Dead Sea (it wasn’t that bad once you got used to it!) to experience its hyper-buoyancy. It was fun to float along effortlessly, with legs sticking up out of the water. Some of us were so buoyant it was hard to get our feet down when it was time to go! But we did finally make our way back to Jerusalem, tired and full with the day’s experiences.

VIEW FROM JERUSALEM

We have only been in Israel for a little more than 24 hours, and yet it feels like much longer than that. The day + has been packed with sightseeing, davvening, eating (we’re Jewish, right?), and more than a few emotions. I am going to try to capture a few highlights…
We landed safely, if a little sleepily, at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Friday afternoon. We got our luggage without mishap, and walked outside. Bright sunshine, a clear blue sky, sixty degrees at least, and friendly faces---Yitzi, our bus driver, and Roni, our tour guide—greeted us. We loaded the luggage into the bus, and made our way west to Jerusalem. Along the road, we saw groves of orange and olive trees, some with the remnants of last year’s harvest still on the branches. The white blossoms of the almond trees signaled the approach of spring.
Before we entered the main part of Jerusalem, we stopped at Mount Scopus, one of Jerusalem’s many hills and site of Hebrew University, to get a glimpse of the Old City from afar. There, with the Dome of the Rock, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the Kotel (the Western Wall) on the horizon, we shared wine and challah, and said the shehechiyanu in gratitude for being able to come to this beautiful land.
Last night, some of us made the trek uphill from our hotel to the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem for kabbalat Shabbat services. A huge, beautiful, and ornate sanctuary, with separate seating for men and women (the women in the group will come back in better shape than the men---we have to climb more stairs!). A cantor and all-male choir sang, a cappella, through the service. Prayerbooks were scarce in the women’s section, so for much of the service I just closed my eyes and let the beautiful melodies carry my spirit into Shabbat. What magnificent singing!
We had a festive Shabbat dinner at the hotel-- all 21 of us at a big long table in the dining room. Tables surrounding us would occasionally break into Shabbat zemirot (songs) or prayer. Then it was time to turn in early and try to shake off some of the jet lag…
This morning (Sat)began with another wonderful worship opportunity, this time at HUC-JIR’s Jerusalem campus for Shabbat morning services. Another joyous and moving Shabbat service, completely different from the one the night before. Whereas in the Great Synagogue the voices were male, and a cappella, at HUC the voices were female (HUC teachers and first-year cantorial students), accompanied by piano. Some melodies were familiar, and we sang and clapped along with ViShamru and Adon Olam. Others were not, --but some of them I would like to bring home to our worship at Temple Tikvah. and the voices!! Every prayer was beautifully sung, with the cantors harmonizing with one another and with us—the room filled with song! Sitting in the midst of the joyous tranquility, we added special prayers for the wellbeing of the Israeli soldiers, and for Jerusalem—a sober reminder that, despite the “shalom” of Shabbat in Israel, this is a land that still greatly needs our prayers for peace.
We spent the afternoon walking in the Old City. How can you begin to speak of this relatively tiny corner of the world that is in the hearts of so many billions of people worldwide? Every step, literally every stone, has a story to tell. If you walk down a flight of stairs, you travel through 1700 years of history. Take a few more steps, and you are back 1000 years further in time. And yet, in the midst of all this history, the Old City is teeming with modern life. We saw a group of Orthodox boys playing ball above the Cardo. We saw little children, still in their Shabbat finest, climbing on playground equipment overlooking the Kotel. The shuk, the outdoor market in the Arab Quarter, is alive with vendors hawking their wares. In the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built on the site where Jesus is said to have ascended to heaven, we witnessed a group of Armenian monks, clad in black robes, chanting prayers and filling the air with smoky incense. And then there is the Kotel—the Western Wall itself. Here too it is crowded, but there is a hush to the crowd, a feeling of reverence. This is the place to which Jews have made pilgrimage for thousands of years—and the air is thick with their (our) prayers. We will return here again before our trip is through.
More tomorrow…..