Part II: A Window Into Our Trip to Israel

Seemingly returning to normal life, and getting back into the routine, with jet lag diminishing moment by moment, I want to chronicle our trip to Israel so that it can be preserved here, and to share with you all. Let me make a philosophical comment about this trip: It was indeed a life changing experience, and each day, it felt as if I had invited the dead to my home to have dinner with me, or to share a space in time that I knew existed in theory, but not experience. Jerusalem is such a special city, and carries with it all the history, tragedy, longings, passions and love for a Europe long lost, but brought to life once more inside of this amazing place.

We were on a tour, and there were only eight of us who were brave enough to continue with our plans to see Israel. As you all know, we arrived there in the middle of the war, and were also there when the cease fire was declared.

When we arrived in Israel, we were at the new Ben Gurion airport, a modern complex whose structures were carved from Jerusalem stone. We were picked up and taken to our hotel, which was quite opulent, and we had a room on the 14th floor overlooking the Mediterrenean sea. Every individual doorpost, to each room, had its own mezzuzah affixed to it. Each and every morning, at about 5:30 am (still a creature of routine), I would go walk on the beach, passing by faces that looked familiar to me. It was as if I had brought back my grandparents, and long lost relatives. There was a beach, which allowed for separate swimming, men only on some days, and women on the others. This is because mixed swimming is prohibited according to a strict reading of the Torah.

We then went to the Biblical Gardens at Neot Kedumim where there were plants that existed in Biblical times. Then, on to Neve Zedek, where we walked along quaint narrow streets, as we made our way to the old port city of Jaffa. The rest of the day was spent at Nachlat Benjamin, which had its traditional craft fair on Friday. Of course, there were many unique treasures to find there, which were exclusively made in Israel. In the evening, we went to a Shabbath dinner in the hotel. There were large tables, and each one soon filled up with a group who was celebrating this special day individually. We then went for a walk on the beack, and the next morning, we went for a walking tour and saw where Rabin was murdered. The rest of th afternoon was spent at the Tel Aviv museum, which had quite an unusual and well preserved collection of art, ranging from that which depicted images in Biblical times, to more modern pieces by Chagall, Reuben and a powerful painting by Maurycy Gottlieb from 1878 called Day of Atonement. This was the first museum in the entire world where I had visited and there was not a picture of Jesus.

The next day, we drove to the Haganah Museum, former home of the organizer of the Haganah movement. We continued by bus to the Martyr's Forrest, settled in the peaceful forests where there was a brilliant bronze monument called The Scrolls of Fire which soared in the scenic Judean Hills as a tribute to those who died during the Holocaust. Experiencing this tribute with my own eyes was actually one of the great highlights of the trip, and the sculpture was done by an artist Natan Rappaport. Here you can see a bit more of it and learn about its meaning:
http://www.gemsinisrael.com/e_article000007328.htm
We then went on to the military junction at Latrin, then on to the Tank Division Memorial and the day concluded with a visit to Mini Israel Park, which was like a Disneyland where Israel was re-created in miniature scale. Because of the war, it was the closest we could get to Safed and Haifa. We also saw the Diaspora Museum, the Weizman Institute of Science in Rehovot, and went to Kibbutz yad Mordechai, which played a pivotal role during the War of Independence where we saw a reconstructed battlefield and museum.

We then headed towards Jerusalem, but first stopped in the caves, where there were all types of old excavations that existed, and we saw some of the breathtaking tunnels, and Soreq Caves. Then we went to Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Some of the chronology of this tour may be off, but I remember seeing the Chagall Windows inside the Hadassah Medical Center, where the colors of the stained glass illuminated and jumped out at you as if one was sitting next to the artist himself. Then we checked into our hotel in Jerusalem, which was beautiful, but a bit chaotic, unpacked, and got ready for our trip to the Old City. We walked to the kotel (the Western Wall), which had a heartbeat of its own, with so much history and meaning. We went to view the Dome of the Rock, and drove to mount Zion to visit the Tomb of King David, another electrifying experience, as we were able to pray and touch this holy coffin. We also went to the Room of the Last Supper and on to the Jewish Quarter of Cardo. At night, after dinner, we russed to make it for a walk through the extraordinary Hasmonean Tunnel, and ended up seeing walls and rocks that were more than 2,000 years old. We also sat at the holiest place in the world where one can pray inside of this tunnel.

We also saw Yad Vashem, memorial to the Holocaust, which overlooked the entire city of Jerusalem. The two and one half hours we had to spend there were clearly not enough, where there was a museum which set out to retell the persecution of the Jews beginning in 1933 when Hitler came to power. The museum started with a re-creation of the happy times, life as it existed inside of Eastern Europe before it was terrorized by Hitler. Of course, this was a very emotional time, and I often found myself crying and having to take a moment to recover. After Yad Vashem, we went to the new Herzel Museum, which was a rather high tech and illuminating tribute to the man who had the first vision of a Jewish state.

Of course, there was shopping on Ben Yehuda street, and the surrounding areas, an activity that took up quite a bit of my time. Since I bought a new watch, I gave my old one to a group who helps soldiers in the IDF (Israeli Defense Force), and also made a donation for them.

On to the Judean desert, and we ascended by cable car to Masada, a place created by King Herod, who was a rather colorful character, as I learned, as this place was the last stronghold of the zealots against their struggle with the Romans. Then, we went to the Dead sea, where we were able to 'swim' in an unsinkable manner. There were also sulfer pools and we had an opportunity to rub mud onto our bodies as well.

Shabbath in Jerusalem is like nothing else I have ever experienced. We started with a dinner in the Sheraton Hotel. The room filled up, with families, and each one had their own way to honor this holy day. There were men with black hats, others with stremils (a very expensive fur hat used only for Shabbath.) I sat mezmorized watching these rituals. Prior to going to dinner, I went with my husband to the Great Synagogue for Friday night service. After dinner, we went to the hotel, were tired, and I reminded my husband that it might even be a double mitavah (Blessing, good deed), to have sex in Jerusalem on Shabbath! The next morning, I woke up early, and went back to the Great Synagogue for almost 3 hours, and afterwards, our group went on a walking tour to the Museum of the History of Jerusalem and the Old City. We said goodbye to our wonderful tour guide, Etan, and went back into the hotel to wait for Shabbath to end.

The next day was a free one, and we went with another couple, Morely and Rifka to walk the streets of Mea Shearim, which is this one of a kind city. It feels as if one is walking back to a sheditl in Eastern Europe, where there are cobblestone streets, with old world character. The city is self contained, there are butchers, bakers, store-keepers, just like those that existed so many years ago. I was mezmorized by this street, and did not want to leave, and bought a new Siddur (prayer book) there, and a 3d picture of a violin and a psalm book, illustrated in Hebrew.

Of course, there was the shopping, which I cannot leave out, and if the truth be told, I spent way too much money, but did end up with some wonderful items of jewerly, judaica, clothing and unforgettable memories from this place, Israel, which changed my life.

My wish is to return, possibly retire in Israel, and in the meantime, hope that so many of the soldiers have returned safely, or will do so, to their homes.

Thank you for your minds.