Days 7 and 8 -- Where'd the time go? 05/20/2009
 The Dead Sea Cliffs Internet connections have been spotty the past two days, and I find myself trying to put into words the final TWO days of our May term trip. I'm finding it impossible -- too much, too fantastic, too beautiful, and too fun. Still, here's the short version, in list form.  The Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls! I also call this "Jessica's special Bible-Nerd heaven." (You can ask the students, I was crazy excited, and kept pointing mutely at the scrolls.)  Masada. At the top, one of Herod's "escape fortresses" (1st cent. BCE) later controlled by Jewish rebels after the fall of Jerusalem (70 CE). According to Josephus, Rome lay siege to Masada for three years, and the rebels eventually chose to kill each other rather than become enslaved.  Students caked in Dead Sea mud. It's supposed to be therapeutic, but I think they just enjoyed playing in it!  Floating on top of the Dead Sea. You can't believe it's possible until you try it, I promise! Day Six -- A Walk Through History 05/17/2009
 How often can one say that she has walked through 2,700 year old water tunnels, touched 2,000 year old stones, and walked BELOW the Western Wall past Second Temple building blocks weighing as much as 500 tons? Today, we did all of those things. It was an unparalleled experience. Our first stop was at the tunnels dug during the reign of King Hezekiah to prevent Assyrian capture of the water supply in Jerusalem nearly 2,700 years ago. Working with ancient tools, workers dug a narrow channel through the rock below ground, successfully diverting the water to within the city walls and out of the reach of the Assyrian attackers. The tunnels still run with water from the Gihon spring, about 20 brave souls from our group (myself included) walked the nearly one mile length in the dark and wet to experience this remarkable engineering feat of the ancient world. The picture above is JP as he walked through the tunnels! After a lunch break to wring out our clothes (!), we walked along the Cardo, a street once populated with merchants which ran the length of Jerusalem in the Byzantine period and which now sits well below street level. Part of the street was excavated after the 1968 war; it now boasts new merchants, as well as ancient columns and paving.  As if this were not historically mind-blowing enough, we then went into the Western Wall excavation tunnels, which lay below the section of the Wall most people visit today. We saw cisterns, passageway, and more of the beautiful Herodian stones. I did not want our walk through history to end, although my feet were hurting and I was exhausted. I hope it doesn’t sound trite to say I have never felt the weight of time so forcefully. I felt small standing next to the massive stones, but not just in size. They have stood for millennia, and I have at most only a hundred years to be here. They stand witness to war, conflict, comings-of-age, death, new life, and eternity. And today, I could touch them. We have begun to say to each other, as we encounter such remarkable things, “Hmm. Look where we are today.” It is intentional understatement, because there is no possibility we could overstate the remarkable experiences we have shared.  First: I apologize for the picture glitch in yesterday's blog post. Technology is not always kind, nor am I always competent. I'm sure it was a combination of the two. The pictures for day four are now fixed. Now, on to the business of the day!  We descended the Mount of Olives via a winding (and slippery!) road to see Dominus Flavit (a church which remembers Jesus weeping over the city) and Gethsemane (a church with thousand year old olive trees commemorating the final hours before Jesus' arrest). At the latter, it seems we arrived during a funeral! Both churches were packed, as many are still following the path the pope has taken in recent days. After stopping briefly at the traditional site of the last supper and David's tomb, we entered the Old City via the Zion gate and walked along the ancient walls to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This church commemorates the traditional site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus, and is shared by Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Coptic, and Ethiopic Christians. Each group has its own chapels, and occasionally fights break out over rights to possession and procession within the church. Quite chaotic! Tomorrow, we will visit the Jewish quarter. Day Four -- Up to Jerusalem 05/15/2009
 Shabbat Shalom! It is evening on Friday as I write, which means that we have welcomed the Sabbath here in Jerusalem. We arrived in the ancient city late in the afternoon, after a long day of traveling south. Early in the day we departed our kibbutz in the far north and began our trek toward Jerusalem by stopping at the home of Jewish mysticism: Safed. Aside from its importance to the Kabbalist tradition, Safed boasts a beautiful artist's colony.  We also had the opportunity to revisit a city we had previously seen: Nazareth. Yesterday, we spent the afternoon at a family home on the outskirts, but didn't get to visit the Basilica of the Annunciation in the city itself, since the pope was giving there mass at the time! So, we returned to see the many images of Mary and Jesus given by Christians from all over the world. (The picture above is from the Phillipines; the one below is from Mexico.)   We also witnessed Friday prayers in Nazareth. Friday prayers are community gathering time for Muslims; the minarets (tall towers) call the faithful to prayer and then they roll out rugs to offer the Salat. At left is a picture of the men (women pray elsewhere) rolling out their rugs in preparation for prayers. As the minaret called, the Christian Basilica's bells rang ... a wonderfully multi-religious experience for all! On our way to Jerusalem, we saw evidence of the Seam Zone wall. It was erected by the Israeli government to separate Palestinian controlled West Bank territories from Israel. The Seam Zone is a mark of the very sad, very complex, very painful relationship between Israel and Palestine. No one is exempt from blame in the struggle -- there is more than enough violence on both sides. We personally have met generous and kind people who, we know, have quite different political ideologies and deep divides in belief. So, it is appropriate that we arrive in Jerusalem on the eve of the Sabbath, when wishes for peace are on everyone's lips. Shabbat Shalom!  The Church of the Beatitudes  This morning, students and alumni/ae toured sites important to the ministry of Jesus around the Sea of Galilee. We began the day at Banias (left), a spring whose waters merge into the Jordan. Banias is also famous for its archaeological connection to Phillip, Tetrarch of the Galilee (thus it was also known as Caesarea Philippi), and a worship site to the Greek god Pan. The entry to the cave (below) was once a location for receiving sacrifices, which were believed to go down to the underworld to be consumed. Thus, when Jesus says to Peter at this site, "the gates of Hades shall not prevail against you," he might literally have meant this "gate" to the underwold (Matthew 16:18).   We also visited the traditional site of the Beatitudes (pictured above) and Capernaum. Capernaum is known as Simon Peter's hometown, and a church now rests on top of two Byzantine churches, which rest upon the (traditional) site called Peter's house. One can see down the center of the church to the archaeological sites below. We ended the morning with a visit to a 2000 year old fishing boat, found twenty years ago along the Sea in a period of drought (left). Remarkable!  However, the truly best part of the day was yet to come. Through a family connection, the students were invited to a luncheon at the historic home of a Muslim family in Nazareth. The home, on a high hill over-looking the city, has been a family home for generations -- and we were warmly welcomed to share in all the joys of family and home! We ate, and ate, and ate! We laughed, and told stories, and learned of the pride this family takes in being part of the history of Nazareth. The students saw some of the most beautiful views I have ever encountered, and ate fruit straight from the orchard in her gardens. It was a singular experience, I must say. We are so grateful to her family for extending such a generous welcome. Today, the Pope was also in Nazareth. In his message, he implored all people to "reject the destructive power of hatred and prejudice." I hope that we have done a little to reject prejudice and embrace hope and reconciliation in our time with this gracious family today. Day Two -- Along the Mediterranean 05/13/2009
 Haifa Looking Toward the Sea All our stops today gave us spectacular views of the sea: Caesarea, Haifa, and Acre/Acco.  The remains of Herod's pool (the large square in the middle of the picture) jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea.  The Bahai gardens. The Dome in the center of the picture holds the remains of the Bab, one of the great prophets of the Bahai faith.  In the Crusader tunnels at Acre! We have arrived! 05/12/2009
After a full day of flying, we have arrived in Tel Aviv, the first of three "home base" cities on our ten day tour. My traveling companions -- students and alumni/ae -- braved the long hours in various airports with good grace!  |
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