Israel: The Holy Land and Timeless Cultures

  10/16/2023 - Parting Thoughts...

I went to Israel to learn and better understand the country, its people, and its history. 

I came away with my life and, unfortunately, a front-row seat to war, disgusted by atrocities to women, children, and the elderly. 

What is gained by beheading children and mowing down 260 individuals on their way to an outdoor concert?

What drives hate so strongly that there is a desire to slaughter innocent people who, just a few hours earlier, were celebrating a weeklong holiday and the Sabbath?

I have no words.

Israel: The Holy Land and Timeless Cultures

 10/7/2023 - Jerusalem

From Andrés R. Martínez, New York Times                               Timeline of Saturday’s attacks and Israel’s retaliation (in black) (My additions are in red.)

6:35 a.m. The first sirens warn of incoming rockets in central and southern Israel. 

7:40 a.m. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that Hamas fighters have crossed from Gaza into southern Israel. 

8:15 a.m. The first sirens go off in Jerusalem, which rarely gets hit by rockets because of the Iron Dome defense system Israel uses. 

8:23 a.m. The scale of the attacks is becoming clear. Hamas has taken hostages in southern Israel and fired wave after wave of rockets. Israel declares a state of alert for war, effectively calling up as many reservists as possible.

9:00 a.m. Our OAT group meets with Arnon, our trip leader (and retired Israeli Army Colonel), in the Dan Panorama Hotel lobby, where we are told not to use the elevators, shelter in place in the basement level, and remain in place until receiving the all clear.

 

 

10:34 a.m. Israel says it has begun its war.

10:46 a.m. Israel fighter jets strike first targets in Gaza

11:35 a.m. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel tells Israelis they are at war.

12:21 p.m. The Israeli military sends troops to southern Israel to reclaim towns taken by Hamas militants. Israel estimates that Hamas has fired at least 2,200 rockets since the first sirens Saturday morning.

1:46 p.m. Israel says it struck 21 buildings that house Hamas military operations.

Overnight: Sirens continue to warn of rockets across Israel.

2:19 a.m. The first phase of the war is near its end, with Israel claiming to have destroyed all the sites used to launch the attacks. 

7:00 a.m. We followed OAT’s directions to board the bus ASAP and head back to the Amman Airport. Tel Aviv (Ben Gurion Airport), our initial departure airport, was under rocket attacks and closed to all incoming and outgoing air traffic.

After several hours, we arrived at the hotel at about 7:00 p.m.

10:00 p.m. I was among the first to leave the hotel and depart from the airport at 1:15 a.m. Monday, Oct. 9th.

 

Israel: The Holy Land and Timeless Cultures

10/6/2023 - Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Mount of the Beatitudes, Jerusalem

Diane and Haywood started our morning drive 

by participating in a Baptism ceremony in the Jordan River.

Haywood was so excited he kept waving despite our efforts 

to tell him to stop so we wouldn't get blurry photos.

Their joy was infectious.

Inside the Church of the Beatitudes.

Rare octagonal church structure.

Monastery.

Another angle of the church.

Capharnaum, the Town of Jesus

The ruins under the renovated church.

The renovated church.

Home of Peter, the apostle and first pope.

The Sea of Galilee.

Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Apostle.

Yigal Allon Center, a museum housing the remains of the famous "Jesus Boat" (AKA the Sea of Galilee Boat), features the restored skeletal remains of this fishing vessel discovered on the muddy shores of Lake Kinneret in 1986, and date back to the first century CE, the time of Jesus' ministry.

Keeping with a fishing village theme, 

we headed to Tiberias, an eclectic seaside town, 

to enjoy lunch at Galei Gil 

(once again, with tilapia looking me in the eye).

Tiberias.

Shirat Hayam Boutique Hotel.

We finally arrived at the Dan Panorama Hotel in Jerusalem, did our usual orientation walk around the neighborhood, and decided to share a pizza at Papa John's. Sadly, DODO, the neighborhood market, was closed due to the holiday and Sabbath, so just the soft drinks in the restaurant were available for consumption.

Little did we know that this beautiful day of Baptisms and multiple churches would end with a war...

 

Israel: The Holy Land and Timeless Cultures

10/5/2023 - Jeep Tour, Yom Kippur War, Valley of the Tears Viewpoint, and Druz Village

In retrospect, this sculpture just outside the Ein Zivan, a kibbutz located in Golan Heights, best summarizes what continues to be an ongoing dispute between Israel and Syria over the ownership of the Golan Heights and the cultural status of the Arab Druze ethnic group that lives in these lands.

 

The eagle is a symbol or analogy and usually represents speed, strength, security, and care. In Exodus 19:4 and Deuteronomy 32:11, the eagle represents God and his loving care towards Israel. The serpent was a symbol of evil power and chaos from the underworld, as well as a symbol of fertility, life, healing, and rebirth. 

We boarded off-road jeeps for an excursion through Golan Heights to learn about the area’s history. We visited the Valley of Tears Memorial, which overlooks the 1973 Yom Kippur War site, a four-day major battle in which Syrian forces launched a surprise attack on Israel during the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, The Day of Atonement.

The legal status of this region and the citizenship of 40,000 residents (primarily members of the Druze religious community) have remained disputed since the Six-Day War of 1967. The government formally applied Israeli law to Golan Heights in 1981, but the UN rejected its authority.

After the Ottoman Empire broke up in the early 1920s, the Druze lived in several countries. They are a unique religious and ethnic group whose tradition dates back to the 11th century and incorporates elements of Islam, Hinduism, and classical Greek philosophy.

Today, 1 million-plus members of this community live primarily in Syria and Lebanon. They are a close-knit community active in public life, comprising roughly 2% of the country’s population in the northern regions of Galilee, Carmel, and the Golan Heights.

Israeli Druze rarely marry across religious lines nor accept converts. Their religion is seclusive, closed to outsiders since 1044. Today’s population descended directly from its 11th-century followers and adherents. They believe that anyone who wanted to join had a chance to do so in the first generation after the religion began and that everyone alive today is reincarnated from a previous generation. Therefore, they concluded that people today already had their chance to join centuries ago, and proselytizing is not allowed under Druze law.

Israel: The Holy Land and Timeless Cultures

10/4/2023 - Baha’i Gardens, Church of Annunciation, and Peace Vista Lodge Kibbutz

Daytime panoramas of the Baha’i from the top of Haifa.

Previous photo of night view from the bottom of the gardens.

You cannot miss the Baha’i Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and possibly the most distinct and most visited tourist attraction on Mount Carmel in Haifa. This is the most holy site of the Baha’i faith. 

The Baha’i faith was founded 200 years ago by Siyyid Ali Muhammad Shirazi, a Persian who tried to spread his beliefs under the moniker prophet Bab (meaning “gate” in Arabic). The Shia clergy shunned him even though he amassed thousands of followers. Six years later, he was executed.                           

There are three sections of the Baha’i Gardens. The lower section includes the German Colony. The middle section consists of the gardens surrounding the gold-capped Shrine of the Bab, where his remains are kept. The upper section, just off the Louis Promenade and main gate, is where the tours begin. It is six-tenths of a mile from the German Colony to the top, with 19 terraces of flowers, waterworks, and small sculptures.                

The Gardens, designed by Iranian architect Fariborz Sahba,  encompass 11 square feet containing nine concentric circles filled with flowers, small trees, small sculptures, water fountains, and pools. To the sides of the gardens are wooded areas designed to house wildlife and to cut down on urban noise. 

A walk through the historic Galilee Mill.

Ricky, Susan, and Alice had no trouble finding the sweets.

I followed my nose to the wood-fired bread oven.

There were spices and herbs.

And dried fruit.

So sorry to leave the mill.

The Basilica of the Annunciation is a Catholic church in Nazareth, northern Israel, commemorating where the angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her she would bear God’s son. 

Main entrance to the Basilica.

Incredible bas relief of entry door.

Ecumenical Meeting of Pope Paul VI (right)

and Patriarch A. Tenagoras I (left)

in Jerusalem on January 5, 1964.

Two photos of the diverse background on the hill near the Basilica. 

Catholic monastery, Greek Orthodox Church, Mosque minaret and dome. (left to right).

Inside the Basilica.

The Immaculate Conception by sculptor Charles L. Madden (USA).

THE WOMAN CLOTHED WITH THE SUN IS THE PROTOTYPE 

FOR MARY AND THE CHURCH. 

MARY IS THE EXPRESSION IN MULTI-FACETED SPLENDOR THAT THE GRANDEUR OF GOD WILL FLAME OUT

 LIKE SHINING LIKE SHOOK FOIL. 

Mary’s altar.

We ended our fantastic day with a drive to the Golan Heights, where we had dinner in the kibbutz dining room and stayed two nights at the Peace Vista Lodge.

A kibbutz is a "gathering" in Hebrew, a communal living situation unique to Israel. The first kibbutz was established in 1910. Today, Israel has about 270 kibbutzim. They are small towns with 100-1,000 residents, initially centered around collective farms but now focused on modern industry and tourism. 

Historically, many were formed by young Eastern European Jews who believed in the Zionist mission of creating a Jewish homeland in Palestine, which was once part of the Ottoman Empire and later under British control. Others came to escape antisemitism and, later, the Holocaust.

Kibbutz residents have never made up a majority of Israel's residents. (Less than 3% of Israel's population live on one.) Despite their small numbers, kibbutzim have had outsized cultural and political influence on Israel for much of its history, with many politicians, military leaders, intellectuals, and artists coming from kibbutzim. Politics in kibbutzim are associated with the left-wing and peace solutions.

 

The Peace Vista Country Lodge is situated on the high basalt cliffs of the Southern Golan Heights above the untamed gardens of a beautiful nature reserve with spectacular views of the Sea of Galilee, Mt. Hermon, the hills of the Galilee, Mt. Tabor, and the fields of the Jordan Valley. It is a village with wooden cabins, luxurious suites, studio rooms, and a unique holistic experience.

 

A kibbutz would never work for me. I envision a merger with a dictatorial HOA + 1960s Flower Children. One thing we benefitted more than once was enough, courtesy of the Peace Vista Lodge, was the 7:30 breakfast delivery of enough food to feed an army! 

What lies in wait under the burgundy cloth napkin?

Massive amounts of food!

It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to guess what I ate first. 

The hard-boiled egg was still hot to the touch, 

so I started with the chocolate croissant (sigh), 

quickly followed by the little bread loaves.

 

Israel: The Holy Land and Timeless Cultures

10/3/2023 - Acre (Akko) and Rosh Hanikra

Underground tour of the Templar tunnels.

Underground tour of the Templar tunnels.

Acre (Akko), a historic port Phoenician period settlement city in northwest Israel on the Mediterranean coast, is best known for its well-preserved old city walls and tunnels, especially the Treasures in the Walls Ethnographic Museum, depicting daily life from the Ottoman times to the 20th century.

The Old City of Acre is on the UNESCO World Heritage List thanks to its exceptional historic town of Crusader substantial medieval remains beneath the Moslem town, dating from the 18th and 19th centuries; its excellent picture of the layout and structures of the capital of the medieval Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem; and an Ottoman walled town with typical well-preserved urban components like the citadel, mosques, khans, and baths partly built atop the underlying Crusader structures. 

The present city is characteristic of a fortified town dating from the Ottoman 18th and 19th centuries, with typical urban components such as the citadel, mosques, khans, baths, and

the remains of the Crusader town dating from 1104 to 1291. They lie almost intact, both above and below today's street level, providing an exceptional picture of the layout and structures of the capital of the medieval Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem.

The mosaic-covered Torah (Tunisian) Synagogue 

has 7 Torah arks, and the 18th-century Al-Jazzar Mosque 

has marble pillars and underground pools. 

The gardens.

Inside the mosque.

You go to the entry room from the patio area to enjoy a hilarious 15-minute movie with the worst dubbing of any Asian film I've ever seen. The movie focuses on the history of Acre and the building of bathhouses during the Ottoman Empire. The audio tracks come in eight languages: Hebrew, Arabic, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Russian. 

Hamam al-Basha, the Old Turkish Bathhouse Museum.

Hamam al-Basha, the Old Turkish Bathhouse Museum.

The Templars Tunnel.

The grottoes and caves developed over a geological process lasting hundreds and thousands of years. They started with a chain of underground shocks that opened cracks in the rock, allowing rainwater through, melting the rock, and creating sea caves and caverns within. Expanding continued, grounding the rock and carving shapes into it.

The Way Out.

I'm not a fan of fish, and I like them less when they stare at me 

like this tilapia.

A new way to clear the table in one fell swoop.

Almost there.

Made it!

Views from above:

Cable cars.

Mediterranean Sea.

Mediterranean Sea vs. Limestone Caves Entry.*

*For wave action and the crashing sound of two caves, check Barb Totaro's Facebook feed for the videos.