Text and photographs by Muriel Rosenfeld
July Vol. 15, No. 9
Few cars were on the road, no one was in sight. Walking a mile from our hotel, my sister Audrey and I saw a drunk on a corner and several cabs. We had just arrived in Tel Aviv for a ten day tour. Our hotel staff informed us that this was the Jewish Sabbath, a day of rest. Many Israeli Jews do not work or drive cars on this day. Some hotel elevators were set to stop at every floor since orthodox Jews are not permitted to push elevator buttons. Meals are precooked during the day to serve at night and the following day. Wondering Where Have All the People Gone? was not about the 1974 Sci-fi TV movie. It was about flying into Tel Aviv on a Friday evening.
There is a modern and ancient Israel. In reality, the country is Palestine, a land conquered by many cultures over thousands of years. Today, Israelis and Palestinians are still disputing territory. Yet, Jews, Christians, and Moslems all recognize Palestine as the Holy Land. Jews pray at the Western Wailing Wall. Christians come to tread where Jesus lived. Moslems seek to see where Muhammad stood.
Israel is a compact country with cities and historical sights close to each other. Caeseaeia, built by King Herrod between 22 and 10BC, is a coastal city near Tel Aviv. Many wealthy Israelis live amidst its ancient archeological ruins. It contains an aqueduct, an amphitheatre and a hippodrome that date back to Roman times. The city was dedicated to Emperor Augustus who made sure that the upper class Romans living there had a good life.
Haifa is a blue collar city that has no real religious significance with the exception of the B’Hai Shrine, an UNESCO World Heritage Site that is situated on a magnificent groomed hill of gardens and topped by a spectacular gold dome. Originally built in the 19th century as a mausoleum for the religion’s Persian founder, El Baha’u’llah; it honors the B’hai religious faith that emphasizes the spiritual unity for all mankind. Only five to six million people practice this faith worldwide.
Near Haifa is Acre, another UNESCO site, located in western Galilee. It is one of the B’hai’s holiest cities. This city has been continually inhabited since at least two thousand BC and has been fought over by the Greeks, Romans, Muslims, and Crusaders as it is on the road to Jerusalem and a key port city. It is now best known for its elaborate underground passageways built by Templar Knights, who were the Christian defenders of the Holy land in the 12th century AD. They made Acre into the fortress that tourists visit today. It’s grand halls with ceiling cross box arches and Fleur-de-les symbols denote the French royal family. The Ottomans added El Jazzar Mosque and a souk with narrow streets after the 16th century AD.
On the way to the Sea of Galilee, my sister and I visited Cana, which contains the 19th century Franciscan Wedding Church built over the site where Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine. Nearby is Zippori, a town in Lower Galilee, known for beautiful mythological and decorative mosaics. The most striking mosaic is a young woman commonly called the “Mona Lisa of Galilee.” Nazareth contains the Basilica of Annunciation, built over Byzantine and Crusader church ruins, featuring many Madonna and child mosaics contributed by countries worldwide. This is the place where Gabriel told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus, the son of God.
The Sea of Galilee is where Jesus did much of his ministry. Here is where he recruited Simon, Andrew, John and James as his disciples, walked on water, calmed the storm, fed five thousand people, and did his famous Sermon on the Mount. It is where the first Christians were baptized. To this day, Christians flock there and eat a special fish reputed to have been caught by Jesus and his disciples.
While there, we spent a few days at the Kibbutz Lavi Hotel, which is a part of a real Israeli Kibbutz. It was founded in 1949 and has more than seven hundred Jews living there. During a lecture there, we learned how Russian Jewish immigrants first formed Kibbutz collective farming communities around 1909. The residents have gardens that provide much of their food. We had a great meal there with duck, goose, lamb and very fresh bread, vegetables and fruits. Wine came from a local vineyard. In general, food in Israel was excellent.
Jericho, dating to 7000BC, is said to be the oldest continually inhabited Palestinian city. In the Old Testament, the Jewish soldiers were said to have blown down its walls using ancient horns called Shofars. In Jericho, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, is the Church of All Nations. Next to it and surrounded by ancient olive trees is the Garden of Gethsemane where Judas supposedly betrayed Jesus to the Romans with a kiss. Jerusalem is close to the Mount of Olives. Several churches surround it. On its Western edge is a large Jewish cemetery. Devout Jews believe that this is where the Messiah will come to redeem the dead. Many well known Jews are buried there including biblical figures and some previous Israeli Prime Ministers.
Many books have been written about Jerusalem. It is perhaps the holiest city in the world. It has been the sole subject of travel guides. During sunset, we visited the Western Wailing Wall or Kotel, the last remnant of the Second Jewish Temple, perhaps the most sacred Jewish site in Jerusalem, and we strolled through the Jewish Quarter. The Second Jewish Temple was destroyed by the Romans in the first century AD. Jews go to this wall to remember and worship. It has two sections: men pray on the left, women on the right. People were touching, crying and praying on the wall.
Nearby is the Dome of the Rock. Muslins, Christians and Jews fought over it. It is considered the third most sacred site in Islam after Mecca and Medina and is built over the remains of the Second Jewish Temple in 687 AD which was fifty years after Muhammad died. It marks the site where he made his Miraaj or night journey into heaven.
A sacred Christian pilgrimage site is the fourteen stations of Via Dolorosa in the Christian Quarter. It begins where Jesus was condemned to death and ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher also known to the Eastern Orthodox religion as the Church of the Redeemer where he was entombed after being crucified. The Church is built over the site of the Temple of Aphrodite and has been destroyed and rebuilt several times since its original construction in the fourth century AD. The 14 Stations was first popularized in the fourth century AD and remains a major Christian pilgrimage to this day.
Later in our Jerusalem hotel lobby, we noticed many young Jewish couples in conversations. The men were dressed in black with white tassels or tallits hanging from their pants and wore large hats. The young ladies were modestly dressed. A female acquaintance, familiar with Orthodox Jewish customs, told us that marriages are often prearranged and that soon after this meeting many couples become engaged.
In Jerusalem, we visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum, a gray and black structure, with a zigzag path depicting a chronological account of Hitler’s holocaust in World War II in which six million Jews were murdered by the Third Reich. The Israeli people want to ensure that the world will never forget this tragedy.
Near this museum is the Shrine of the Book. The building, shaped like a ceramic jar lid, used to hold the original Dead Sea Scrolls which were discovered by an Arab boy in a Qumran mountain cave while looking for his lost goat in 1947. These scrolls represent perhaps the most important biblical discovery of the last century. The originals are now securely stored by the Israeli Antiquities Authority.
Driving through a check point to the West Bank to visit Bethlehem was alarming. We passed by the wall separating Israel from Palestinian territory. The neighborhoods looked run down and impoverished. We were not allowed to leave the bus. The wall had political graffiti depicting the plight of the Palestinian people and mocking the Jews. Finally we arrived at the Church of the Nativity. The long line was worth seeing the major attraction, the Silver Star on a grotto floor marking Jesus’ birthplace.
We traveled up a one thousand foot high cliff on a cable car to Masada, another UNESCO World Heritage site and a geological fortress. It was built by Herod between 37BC and 31BC. About 66 AD, 960 Jewish zealots fought off three Roman legions for ten years before committing mass suicide to avoid Roman slavery. Only a few survivors were left to tell the tale.
Enroute to the Dead Sea, our group stopped at a Bedouin camp, tented with cushions for all, to eat and rest. Traditional Arab foods such as lamb and rice were served and the food was good. After the meal, some traditional dancing occurred and we were able to ride on camels. Not unlike like the Jews, Muslims, and Christians, 170,000 citizen Bedoiuns, a desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group, have lived in Israel for the past 2,000 years.. Originally, the term referred solely to tribes who raised camels. Nowadays, Bedoiuns raise sheep as well.
Audrey and I also went to the Dead Sea which at 1,237 feet below sea lever is the lowest place on Earth and is one third salt. It is impossible to sink and the water if swallowed is toxic. Its water and climate are said to mitigate some health conditions. The only reason to visit this barren area is to experience the Dead Sea.
No matter what your background or faith, you cannot help being touched by the religion and history of Israel.
If you go: Israel is a desert climate. The best time to go is from November to April. We went on an organized tour but one could rent a car and go unescorted but should stay within key tourist areas. Muslim and Jewish tensions can be high in the West Bank, the Gaza strip and other unsafe areas.