It is Wednesday already. It would be ironic to say that time is flying past. We are in a place where time has passed in abundance. On Monday, Walter invited us to join him on a tour he was giving for several Rabbis. We explored recent excavation around the Temple Mount in and under the Old City of Jerusalem. It turns out that the Canonites had considered the Gihon spring that emerges under the area of the Temple to be of quite some importance. They had built defenses of that spring with large hewn stone walls that extended down the valley. These stones weigh tons and were put in place about 2000 BCE, or about 4000 years ago. These Canonite defenses are a fairly new discovery. The discoveries and excavations are ongoing. In fact, I had an opportunity to look at some Herodian ruins that haven’t been opened for public display. We also looked at ruins of the City of David which is south of, and downhill from, the Temple Mount.
I want to add a brief note about Walter. I have had the good fortune to have been on many tours in my life. I have had excellent tour guides. None have come close to the level of sophistication and breadth of knowledge that Walter possesses about Israel. He is familiar with current politics and the historical background. He frequently quotes Josephus as he describes an area, or refers to other texts to provide a backdrop for the historic events. He knows the Torah inside and out and can combine the historic references and read the passages as he goes through the various locations. He also knows the New Testament inside and out and can identify the significant references just as readily as the Torah. If you visit Israel, it would be worth contacting him to see if he has an opening to guide you. Whatever he charges is well worth it. His expertise is unsurpassed in my experience. Thanks again Walter for answering so many of my questions with great patience. (for more Walter info, see: www.walterzanger.net)
I had an opportunity to go to the area around the Temple Mount. The Western Wall is a remnant of the foundation of the Second Temple. What is not known to most visitors is that the stones of the Western Wall were actually put in place by King Herod to extend the Temple Mount foundation, so it is not actually part of the original construction of the temple. The Western Wall is constructed from hewn stones. The largest known stone weighs 400 tons. The Western Wall is a location of worship. It is considered a holy place by many Jews. It is thought that the Second Temple was constructed on the First Temple ruins, and that those ruins were erected next to the city of David. It is also identified in the Torah as the location where Abraham was sent to sacrifice Isaac. There is big, big Jewish history in this place.
Prior to the attack on Israel in 1967 by Egypt and Jordan, Israelis did not think that they would have access to this historic place. They had been allowed to pray there by an edict by the Sultan of Turkey in the 18th Century under the British authority, much to the Arab population’s dismay. Jewish access to this area had become completely restricted later in the 18th Century. The area fell into the hands of Jordan in 1948 when the UN voted to create the Jewish State of Israel. When King Hussein of Jordan joined in with Egypt’s attack on Israel in 1967, the Israeli army responded with a counter attack that cut off the significant Jordanian and Egyptian supply lines. One of those supply lines was controlled by Ammunition Hill. I will discuss this site later, as I toured it and it is worth note. The defensive counter attack by the Israelis moved the border east to the Dead Sea and includes Jerusalem.
I had an opportunity to go to the Western Wall. As I approached the wall, I observed that the men and women approached separately and were placed in separated areas. I walked over to the left side, which is the men’s area, fighting off the overwhelming urge to go into the women’s section. The Wall is an impressive place both because of its mass and also because of its enormous history. Poking out of the stones are caper bushes. Yes, these are the very same bushes that produce the caper flower buds that are pickled and served with lox, bagels and cream cheese. They are tough little bushes and they have nasty thorns that are shaped like fish hooks. Don’t reach in and try to pick one!
Anyway, I’m standing there in front of the wall. I must preface again, that I had just toured the city of King David and walked down to the Siloam pool. This is the pool that is formed by the Gihon spring. Part of the historic sight is now a park, and visitors are able to walk along the path that led into the temple. The wall next to the path is the very same wall as the Western Wall, except is it a little further South and on the other side of the ramp which is where there was a walkway that led from a pavilion to the Second Temple. This area has now been excavated and the researchers have found an arch that extended from the wall a little further South. All of these findings are reflected in a miniature model of the Second Temple that is at the Israel Museum, which I also visited and photographed! Wow!!! After reviewing the history of the place with Walter, seeing the miniature model made the events very powerful to me.
OK, so again, I’m standing in front of the wall. I’m waiting for the glory of my religion to fall upon me. I had open arms, waiting for the light to shine. It didn’t. I am surrounded by people who are tearful at the experience of encountering this profound sight. I saw the religious people standing around praying. I saw them touching the Wall with reverence. I saw them having the sort of spiritual adventure in which I wanted to have the privilege to bask. My hands slid up to my hips and I pouted! What the heck is wrong with me!? Yes, I did feel excited to be a part of the historic place. Yes, I know the connection of this place with my people. Why the heck didn’t the religiosity of the moment spring into my heart and give me the epiphany that I came half way around the world to receive?! I felt spiritually inadequate.
I considered this inadequacy for a long time. I recognized that it reminded me of something that happened a few years ago. I was visiting the Santiago de Campestella while on a trip to Portugal and Spain. It is the location of great Christian religious significance. (Where St. Peter died, I think) and a place of pilgrimage from around the world. There are two pillars in the front of the church that are made of polished stone and people come from all over to touch the pillars and pray for divine intervention. When I saw the pillars, people were lined up to touch the pillars and have their moment to commune with the big three. The pillars have been rubbed so many times that they have been warn in the middle to form a bit of a bow. People would takes scraps of paper and write down their requests for divine intervention and cram them into the little holes that are part of the design in the bases of the pillars.
As I watched people approach the pillars, I could see their reaction to the experience. They were overwhelmed by the spiritual context. The church was dark and there was jewelly dappled light thrown across the floor by stained glass windows. This was their shot to get an E-ticket to the ear of the big upstairs. I found myself wanting to touch the pillars and to share in the spiritual moment. I stopped myself. The notion of my faith came to me in that moment that Jews do not believe in graven images having divine power. Jews cast away the idols of Greco/Roman tradition. Touching the pillars felt to me like a denial of my own faith in God. I had thought that the feeling was engendered because it was a Christian place. I now feel that it is just the notion that a place can be glorified so much that the place gains importance above the spiritual connection. It is the imposition of divine spirit on a place or thing. It felt too much like idolatry for my taste. I don’t believe in a spiritual E ticket.
Don’t misunderstand. There are places that warrant great respect, appreciation and reverence. The Western Wall, as a symbol of Jewish perseverance over adversity and ill will from all around, is an amazing place and warrants such respect. However, I have felt a greater level of spiritual connectedness serving food to the homeless in San Diego than I did standing elbow to elbow with Orthodox Jews at the Western Wall. Jerusalem is not a spiritual loadstone, but it is a powerful place. It contains a mass of people trying to connect with their faith and trying to do good work. I certainly appreciate the efforts of those who come to this place looking to recharge their spiritual batteries so that they can go home to attack their problems more effectively. Perhaps that is the divine intervention. Perhaps amassing the enthusiasm to continue in a positive direction and to grow and do good work is what the divine spirit really is all about. If a person comes here and leaves with a renewed sense of charity or a plan to mend their spirit by moving in a more positive direction, what better epiphany can one have? I have felt moved in that direction and I feel a better person for it. That is all the epiphany I could hope for.
On Wednesday and Thursday I toured various locations with Lee and on my own too. I spent a good deal of time at Yad Vashem. (the Jerusalem Holocaust museum.) It is set on a hill around the corner from En Karem, where we have been staying. The building is designed in the shape of a prism and sits on top of a mountain. As visitors walk through the museum, there are video screens that present clips from what are probably home movies of the various people before during and after the various historical events. The old movies are compelling. There are also interviews with survivors of the various slaughters and horrific events. At the end, there are testimonials by various survivors identifying the dead. They have three million documented Jewish people who have been specifically identified as being killed. They have documentation and estimate that another three million Jews were killed, but that all relatives and records were destroyed so that they cannot be more specifically identified. By the time I had completed the tour, I was whooped. I walked for an hour or so through the Cemetery next to the museum that has the tombs of great leaders of the country and then walked back home. I reflected on the experience as I walked home. Fight for freedom. Don’t let it slip away. Free expression, equality and due process are all fragile rights that can easily be eroded by bad decisions at times of crisis. Baruch Hashem.
We also visited Ammunition Hill. This is a location where the paratroopers had a conflict with Jordanians as the Israelis fought back after being attacked in the 1967 war. Ammunition Hill was a position of power that controlled the supply lines for the Jordanian military. In a conflict in the middle of the night, both sides suffered substantial casualties. The top area of the hill is trenched and would be very hard to approach. The Jordanians sitting in the trenches had an excellent position to shoot down on the approaching Israelis with maximum concrete cover. I don’t know how the Israelis were able to overcome these impressive defenses. It really was a miracle.
It is now Friday, and I am making dinner tonight for Walter, Paula, and a number of their guests. (Rabbis from out of town.) They did not think my initial suggestion of picnic pork shoulder and crab salad would be well received by the Rabbis….though they are Reform. I will come up with something interesting.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Warren - a weekend in salt
Shabbat Shalom. It is Saturday and the day got off to a great start with a hike up to the top of Masada. There is nothing like a long hike up a mountain to the site of a monumental tragedy to get the juices flowing! As we climbed, I considered the legion of 8000 Roman soldiers gathering at the base of this impressive mountain. Here, in the middle of nowhere, at the lowest place on earth, next to an enormous sea that is comprised of liquid salt, the Romans considering how to attack the oddly placed palace of Masada. First, they laid siege to it. They didn’t know of Masada’s enormous hordes of water in underground cisterns, grains and dates. Eventually, the Romans built a siege tower and attacked with fire. There were less than a thousand Jewish rebels in Masada which included women and children. The remaining rebels, after the losses from the battles, committed suicide. Suicide is forbidden in Jewish law, so they drew lots to decide who would do the evil deed of suicide. First, they killed their wives and children, then they each killed another until there was only one man left. That last man was left to kill himself. Hearing of all of this massive destruction and the Jew’s courage to give their own lives rather than supplicate to a false god made us quite hungry. We hiked back down and went and enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel. We are enjoying the Dead Sea and the pool. We are getting massages later. Life is good.
It is now Sunday. We are headed to Jerusalem today. We bathed in the Dead Sea yesterday. The water is syrupy with salt and other minerals and we floated on the top of the water due to the buoyancy.
I think there must be a reason that this place is called the Dead Sea and not the Salt Sea. It is eerie to me that there is no life in this large body of water. Seeing the salt cake on the shore and feeling the sand crunchy with salt was odd, but not troubling to me. However, considering the lack of wildlife in and around the sea was troubling to me. Where are the birds? Where are the fish? Where are all of the other animals that you tend to find around a pool of water? There were none. The salinity of the water is too high for life to survive in it. I have been told that the minerals in the water are very good for the skin. That may be. There is something about this place that gives me the feeling that nature was saying, “hey, don’t touch this!”
I had all but written off the Dead Sea, but on Sunday morning, we went for a hike at En Gedi National Park and visited Nachal David. Visiting this little canyon in the mountains next to the Dead Sea gave me a better understanding as to how people could actually live in this place. There are three springs that produce fresh water that runs in waterfalls off the mountain. There are many little animals and trees that surround this true dessert oasis. As we climbed around the area, I was struck by the contrast between the Dead Sea and this oasis paradise.
We are headed back up to Jerusalem. We are staying either with Walter and Paula, or in a house nearby. Walter and Paula are being wonderful hosts to us and treating us like royalty. Walter knows just about everything there is to know about Israel. He is one of Israel’s top tour guides, an ordained Rabbi and an historical scholar.
I am still wrestling with my overwhelming repulsion to the Dead Sea. Is this the place of Sodom and Gomorrah? Is this a place of death and destruction? Imagine the irony of placing luxury hotels and spas in this spot, if it was. “What are you applying to your dry skin?” “Oh, that is just the mineral remains of my long dead ancestors!” Before I gave the matter any real consideration, I had a feeling of dread about the place. Perhaps I just didn’t like the hotel.
It is now Sunday. We are headed to Jerusalem today. We bathed in the Dead Sea yesterday. The water is syrupy with salt and other minerals and we floated on the top of the water due to the buoyancy.
I think there must be a reason that this place is called the Dead Sea and not the Salt Sea. It is eerie to me that there is no life in this large body of water. Seeing the salt cake on the shore and feeling the sand crunchy with salt was odd, but not troubling to me. However, considering the lack of wildlife in and around the sea was troubling to me. Where are the birds? Where are the fish? Where are all of the other animals that you tend to find around a pool of water? There were none. The salinity of the water is too high for life to survive in it. I have been told that the minerals in the water are very good for the skin. That may be. There is something about this place that gives me the feeling that nature was saying, “hey, don’t touch this!”
I had all but written off the Dead Sea, but on Sunday morning, we went for a hike at En Gedi National Park and visited Nachal David. Visiting this little canyon in the mountains next to the Dead Sea gave me a better understanding as to how people could actually live in this place. There are three springs that produce fresh water that runs in waterfalls off the mountain. There are many little animals and trees that surround this true dessert oasis. As we climbed around the area, I was struck by the contrast between the Dead Sea and this oasis paradise.
We are headed back up to Jerusalem. We are staying either with Walter and Paula, or in a house nearby. Walter and Paula are being wonderful hosts to us and treating us like royalty. Walter knows just about everything there is to know about Israel. He is one of Israel’s top tour guides, an ordained Rabbi and an historical scholar.
I am still wrestling with my overwhelming repulsion to the Dead Sea. Is this the place of Sodom and Gomorrah? Is this a place of death and destruction? Imagine the irony of placing luxury hotels and spas in this spot, if it was. “What are you applying to your dry skin?” “Oh, that is just the mineral remains of my long dead ancestors!” Before I gave the matter any real consideration, I had a feeling of dread about the place. Perhaps I just didn’t like the hotel.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Warren Day 5-7
It has been a few days since we have had effective internet access. Here is an update on our progress.
We slept in Zvat. Zvat is a small mountain town that has a rich history. It is known for study of Kabalah. (Jewish mysticism.) It is a heap of large stones packed together to form buildings and synagogues. In this place of amazing spiritual meditation, Lee and I spent most of our time shopping. In our defense, the city is also an artist’s colony and the galleries are a major source of revenue for this small town. We must have walked into at least a hundred shops and they all had unique little items. We did our part to support their economy. We also got a chance to visit a cheese factory.
It is now Wednesday, and my father’s birthday. (Happy Birthday dad!!!) We traveled first east and then south to Tiberias. It is near the southern tip of the Kinerett (Sea of Galillee) on the west side. We dropped our stuff off at the very nice little place we are staying for the next couple nights. We went exploring and drove to Sephoria (Zippori). There are historic ruins there of a city. It is famous for its water system and the amazing mosaics. There are ruins that date back to the time of the first temple and this spot has a rich Jewish history. It became the capital of Galilee and is mentioned multiple times in the Talmud and much of the writings that led to the Talmud originated there. In looking at the mosaics, there are many references to Roman theology. The researchers wonder if Jews put such mosaics in their homes because it was the style of the time. Another interesting element was the presence of very old olive trees around the entire area of the ruins.
We made a quick side trip to Nazareth. I would like to say that we had some deep meditative reason for going there. Really, I wanted to go to the Halavah factory. We had great Falafal, but we couldn’t find the factory….alas!! I am still complaining about it.
I spoke with Ben a few minutes ago and he is having fun in Mississippi. He is helping cook and doing dishes. If you are reading this from anywhere near Tupelo, go visit the Bistro on Main and have something he made!
As I am sitting here writing, I’m looking at a sweeping panoramic that includes the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee. It is a nice perch from which to contemplate the history that we have been absorbing over the past few days. This is the land of Abraham. The places we have seen are places that I have heard about on Saturday mornings throughout my life. I can’t say that it has provided me a religious epiphany, but it is really stimulating to have the words come to life!!!
We have now transitioned to a really nice little restaurant that sits on a wharf. We are watching the large fish consume our leftover pita. We are considering tossing other items into the water, but I don’t thing the fish will eat the beer mugs…..
It is early Friday morning. I just awoke. The roosters are calling…the mosquitoes are biting! Being near the Sea of Galilee, the mosquitoes are pretty abundant.
Yesterday, we got up early and traveled up the east side of the Sea of Galilee to Qazrin which is an ancient city, and again had great Talmudic importance. The structures were of hewn stone and fit together so well that they are still around today. We saw the wine press and the olive press. There is an ancient synagogue there too. We watched a movie at the Archeological Museum in Qazrin about the fall of Gamla. The Romans defeated the little hill top community, but the residents did not make it easy. It was such a tough battle that the Romans issued a coin depicting the Jews being supplicated by the Roman military.
We traveled further north to the area of Israel that sits between Jordan and Syria. We stopped to go rafting down the Jordan river. The guide told us that we could swim for the first bit of the journey, but after that we had to watch out for big frogs! We didn’t see any big frogs lurking in the water, but we didn’t take any chances!!! I did notice that some of the oars were damaged….were they frog bites? Lee thinks that the guy was actually talking about rocks.
We also had a chance to go up to the shoe factory at Naot-Mordechai. Cool shoes! Naot and Source sandals.
We proceeded further north and hired a guide who took us up through the Golan. The area is beautiful. There are hills on either side of the Jordan river and then further north, there are mountains. The guide explained the water supplies to Israel from the mountains to the north. He also explained some of the interesting changes that are taking place on the modern-day Kibbutz. A Kibbutz is a communal village. He explained that people were taking advantage of the resources without working to generate profits, so many of them went belly up. He told us that they have now gone to a system of individual reward for labor. The housing is still free. If the people who live there work, they receive money. If they do not, they don’t.
At last, a call to prayer. It is Friday afternoon and we have arrived at the Dead Sea. We have now been in Israel just over a week. We have been to some of the most holy of places in the Jewish religion, and I have not had a religious epiphany until today. As we drove down from The Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, we traveled through the West Bank which is a Palestinian area. Lee was a bit nervous, was driving and was in a hurry to get through. As she passed a bus on a blind curve and another car decided to make a left behind the bus, I experienced religion in a new way. Perhaps that is why this is such a religious region. Perhaps the true drive for spiritual intervention and guidance is really a call for better driving. We are now at the hotel, I have changed my drawers and can resume my fairly secular life.
We slept in Zvat. Zvat is a small mountain town that has a rich history. It is known for study of Kabalah. (Jewish mysticism.) It is a heap of large stones packed together to form buildings and synagogues. In this place of amazing spiritual meditation, Lee and I spent most of our time shopping. In our defense, the city is also an artist’s colony and the galleries are a major source of revenue for this small town. We must have walked into at least a hundred shops and they all had unique little items. We did our part to support their economy. We also got a chance to visit a cheese factory.
It is now Wednesday, and my father’s birthday. (Happy Birthday dad!!!) We traveled first east and then south to Tiberias. It is near the southern tip of the Kinerett (Sea of Galillee) on the west side. We dropped our stuff off at the very nice little place we are staying for the next couple nights. We went exploring and drove to Sephoria (Zippori). There are historic ruins there of a city. It is famous for its water system and the amazing mosaics. There are ruins that date back to the time of the first temple and this spot has a rich Jewish history. It became the capital of Galilee and is mentioned multiple times in the Talmud and much of the writings that led to the Talmud originated there. In looking at the mosaics, there are many references to Roman theology. The researchers wonder if Jews put such mosaics in their homes because it was the style of the time. Another interesting element was the presence of very old olive trees around the entire area of the ruins.
We made a quick side trip to Nazareth. I would like to say that we had some deep meditative reason for going there. Really, I wanted to go to the Halavah factory. We had great Falafal, but we couldn’t find the factory….alas!! I am still complaining about it.
I spoke with Ben a few minutes ago and he is having fun in Mississippi. He is helping cook and doing dishes. If you are reading this from anywhere near Tupelo, go visit the Bistro on Main and have something he made!
As I am sitting here writing, I’m looking at a sweeping panoramic that includes the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee. It is a nice perch from which to contemplate the history that we have been absorbing over the past few days. This is the land of Abraham. The places we have seen are places that I have heard about on Saturday mornings throughout my life. I can’t say that it has provided me a religious epiphany, but it is really stimulating to have the words come to life!!!
We have now transitioned to a really nice little restaurant that sits on a wharf. We are watching the large fish consume our leftover pita. We are considering tossing other items into the water, but I don’t thing the fish will eat the beer mugs…..
It is early Friday morning. I just awoke. The roosters are calling…the mosquitoes are biting! Being near the Sea of Galilee, the mosquitoes are pretty abundant.
Yesterday, we got up early and traveled up the east side of the Sea of Galilee to Qazrin which is an ancient city, and again had great Talmudic importance. The structures were of hewn stone and fit together so well that they are still around today. We saw the wine press and the olive press. There is an ancient synagogue there too. We watched a movie at the Archeological Museum in Qazrin about the fall of Gamla. The Romans defeated the little hill top community, but the residents did not make it easy. It was such a tough battle that the Romans issued a coin depicting the Jews being supplicated by the Roman military.
We traveled further north to the area of Israel that sits between Jordan and Syria. We stopped to go rafting down the Jordan river. The guide told us that we could swim for the first bit of the journey, but after that we had to watch out for big frogs! We didn’t see any big frogs lurking in the water, but we didn’t take any chances!!! I did notice that some of the oars were damaged….were they frog bites? Lee thinks that the guy was actually talking about rocks.
We also had a chance to go up to the shoe factory at Naot-Mordechai. Cool shoes! Naot and Source sandals.
We proceeded further north and hired a guide who took us up through the Golan. The area is beautiful. There are hills on either side of the Jordan river and then further north, there are mountains. The guide explained the water supplies to Israel from the mountains to the north. He also explained some of the interesting changes that are taking place on the modern-day Kibbutz. A Kibbutz is a communal village. He explained that people were taking advantage of the resources without working to generate profits, so many of them went belly up. He told us that they have now gone to a system of individual reward for labor. The housing is still free. If the people who live there work, they receive money. If they do not, they don’t.
At last, a call to prayer. It is Friday afternoon and we have arrived at the Dead Sea. We have now been in Israel just over a week. We have been to some of the most holy of places in the Jewish religion, and I have not had a religious epiphany until today. As we drove down from The Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, we traveled through the West Bank which is a Palestinian area. Lee was a bit nervous, was driving and was in a hurry to get through. As she passed a bus on a blind curve and another car decided to make a left behind the bus, I experienced religion in a new way. Perhaps that is why this is such a religious region. Perhaps the true drive for spiritual intervention and guidance is really a call for better driving. We are now at the hotel, I have changed my drawers and can resume my fairly secular life.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Day 4 near the border
Day 4
It is Monday. We had the good fortune to start the day with a walk around the city of Yokne’am where Chaim and Margie live. Chaim pointed out the industrial development that is causing this area to thrive. Only recently, the area was declared a city as a result of it amassing a population of over 25,000. We hiked briskly through the forest that was planted by a corps of government workers ala “the New Deal.” It is remarkable how an area can be reshaped by this sort of program. The simple governmental policy of using people who are otherwise not working, and making them useful by having them reshape the landscape is plainly brilliant. The people who are already on social programs, or who would otherwise be unemployed, can actively contribute to the reshaping of the region.
We spoke of many things as we hiked. I immediately asked about government tolerance, as it is a subject that I find quite interesting. Chaim said that the Israeli government takes freedom of speech quite seriously. He pointed out that there is proof of this tolerance by observing that people feel free to speak their mind in abundance. There is no lack of opinion here. I asked about governmental monitoring. He told me that he assumes that the government is observing what people are saying and doing because of the constant battle against terrorism and conflicts with neighboring countries. Tolerance yes, but not ignorance.
We also spoke about property. Property ownership here falls into two categories. Most of the land is government owned and leased to citizens on 99 year leases. There are some properties that are owned outright based on some long history of the purchase of the property by Baron Rothschild. I cannot give you more insight into this right now, because I have not researched it. However, the system seems to parallel the system in China pretty closely, except for the actual outright ownership of property which does not occur in China.
Israel is a country that welcomes Jews from around the world. There is a certain level of control over other immigration, but Jews have a “birthright” provided by the government to come to Israel. It is the Jewish melting pot internationally in that Israel had its arms open to any Jew that wants to immigrate here. Many Russians and Ethiopians have moved here fleeing oppression in their homelands. Before that came the Moroccans. Before that, many others. It is a homecoming to a region that was the ancient homeland of the Jewish people. Internationally, Jews contribute to this cause by supporting Israel.
Israel is a tiny country surrounded by middle eastern giants that make her look like a cute little birth mark on a large middle eastern ass. Despite its tiny size, it has been uniquely successful in providing education, consistent food, consistent shelter and a better life for Jews and its other citizens alike. While the leadership of the surrounding countries talk of destroying Israel, she continues to produce great technological, scientific, agricultural and other achievement that benefits the entire world. It is truly a shame that the other middle eastern countries do not attempt to emulate these successes.
After the hike, we had a quick breakfast and left for Haifa to go see the gardens of the ***BaiHai religion. This religion seems to be a melting pot for all of the other religions. There was a religious patriarch who died and was first buried elsewhere, and then moved to Haifa. The net result was a beautiful garden was developed in his honor. The grounds of the facility run up the Carmel mountainside and are quite extraordinary. I was not moved by its religious significance, but I was by its sheer beauty. The views from it of Haifa are breathtaking. We walked down the 800 or so steps and took a taxi back up to where our car was parked.
We left Haifa and traveled north to go to Rosh HaNikra. On the way, we stopped at Akko to see the Crusader castle ruins and to have a Falafel. The ruins were interesting. The Falafel was a thing of beauty! We then went to see the grottos of Rosh HaNikra. As we traveled up to that area which is right on the Lebanese border, we drove by cities that had been attacked by rockets from the north last summer. What a shame to have such misery befall this lovely place. We traveled back south and grabbed a coffee in Nahariya. The city was beautiful and had been economically devastated by the Lebanese conflict of last summer. Some businesses did not survive. We picked up Margie on the way back down and had a quick dinner with her and Chaim. What a treat it was to share their warm company once again. We then hit the road to the bed and breakfast in Zvat where we will be staying for the next two nights. It is charming!!! (Thanks again to Lee for arranging this amazing adventure!)
I will end this day’s note by talking about a question that was put to me by Chaim. He asked, “what do you think of the country so far.” I gave him a quick reply commenting on how nice the country and the people are. “Nice” is such hollow praise. I have considered the question more as we drove out to Zvat. I will try to answer it here. I am not one to buy into the notion that my DNA is in some way connected to this land. I have no more right to claim this land because of my faith as any other person has a right to claim any “thing” based on theirs. This land is a patch of dirt. Allow me to compare it to the raw earthy material spat by worms. When a person takes that earthy bug byproduct, and carefully treats it, unwinds it, dyes it and weaves it into a beautiful tapestry, then that person has a claim to the tapestry as something that person has shaped from the earth. That person has a claim to that tapestry as something that is now part of him.
Since the state of Israel came into existence only a generation or two ago, the Jewish people have transformed it from a desert into an oasis. Israel is both the land and the people. They…no….we have made flowers bloom and fruit grow where it was thought impossible. We have created a society that supports its own, while holding out its ideas openly for all those around her to join in and emulate her success. It is the promised land from God, not just for Jews, but for all those who would join her principles and share in her beauty, not necessarily of religion, but the social justice and principles a progressive culture can inspire. The silk has carefully been extracted, colored with Israeli endeavor, sweat and blood, and the tapestry has been woven. I helped to weave it through Zadakah (charitable contributions) I have made since I was a young child. I have threads in this tapestry. As US citizens, so do we all, through contributions of our tax dollars from our government. We reap from what we have helped to sew by the many great achievements by Israelis that have improved people’s standards of living internationally and made the world a better place. I am truly glad that I have a part in this magical place, and knowing that I do, I feel a connection to it that is deeply rooted within me.
Two things happened today that colored my answer, so I will share them. As I walked through a mall today while waiting for Margie to meet up with us near Haifa on our way back to their home, I observed several Israeli soldiers. They were in their uniforms carrying packs and they had their rifles hanging at their sides. They were young and strong. It was hot, and I was uncomfortable in my shorts and t-shirt carrying my water bottle and camera. I would have complained that the rifle was too heavy. They did not. I see Israel carrying a similar burden. Carrying the gun is heavy in my perception because it is the weight of being hated. It is the burden of having to use deadly force to keep others from killing you. Israel is not perfect, but she carries this burden with grace and her people continue to toil to do great things even while carrying that ever present burden.
Earlier in the day, we were trying to park on the top of Haifa up near Carmel. I did not have change to buy a parking ticket. I needed two Sheckles more for the 10 Sheckle parking ticket. A man who had good naturedly responded to my questions about parking in the area, did not have enough coins to change a 20 sheckle note. He handed me a 10 Sheckle coin (about $2.50) and said, “you are tourists. Keep it.” I tried to give him the 20 Sheckle note, but he refused.
So Chaim, if I have not already answered your question, I will simply add that this is a place and people of unique beauty, grace and character. However, they can’t drive worth a crap!
It is Monday. We had the good fortune to start the day with a walk around the city of Yokne’am where Chaim and Margie live. Chaim pointed out the industrial development that is causing this area to thrive. Only recently, the area was declared a city as a result of it amassing a population of over 25,000. We hiked briskly through the forest that was planted by a corps of government workers ala “the New Deal.” It is remarkable how an area can be reshaped by this sort of program. The simple governmental policy of using people who are otherwise not working, and making them useful by having them reshape the landscape is plainly brilliant. The people who are already on social programs, or who would otherwise be unemployed, can actively contribute to the reshaping of the region.
We spoke of many things as we hiked. I immediately asked about government tolerance, as it is a subject that I find quite interesting. Chaim said that the Israeli government takes freedom of speech quite seriously. He pointed out that there is proof of this tolerance by observing that people feel free to speak their mind in abundance. There is no lack of opinion here. I asked about governmental monitoring. He told me that he assumes that the government is observing what people are saying and doing because of the constant battle against terrorism and conflicts with neighboring countries. Tolerance yes, but not ignorance.
We also spoke about property. Property ownership here falls into two categories. Most of the land is government owned and leased to citizens on 99 year leases. There are some properties that are owned outright based on some long history of the purchase of the property by Baron Rothschild. I cannot give you more insight into this right now, because I have not researched it. However, the system seems to parallel the system in China pretty closely, except for the actual outright ownership of property which does not occur in China.
Israel is a country that welcomes Jews from around the world. There is a certain level of control over other immigration, but Jews have a “birthright” provided by the government to come to Israel. It is the Jewish melting pot internationally in that Israel had its arms open to any Jew that wants to immigrate here. Many Russians and Ethiopians have moved here fleeing oppression in their homelands. Before that came the Moroccans. Before that, many others. It is a homecoming to a region that was the ancient homeland of the Jewish people. Internationally, Jews contribute to this cause by supporting Israel.
Israel is a tiny country surrounded by middle eastern giants that make her look like a cute little birth mark on a large middle eastern ass. Despite its tiny size, it has been uniquely successful in providing education, consistent food, consistent shelter and a better life for Jews and its other citizens alike. While the leadership of the surrounding countries talk of destroying Israel, she continues to produce great technological, scientific, agricultural and other achievement that benefits the entire world. It is truly a shame that the other middle eastern countries do not attempt to emulate these successes.
After the hike, we had a quick breakfast and left for Haifa to go see the gardens of the ***BaiHai religion. This religion seems to be a melting pot for all of the other religions. There was a religious patriarch who died and was first buried elsewhere, and then moved to Haifa. The net result was a beautiful garden was developed in his honor. The grounds of the facility run up the Carmel mountainside and are quite extraordinary. I was not moved by its religious significance, but I was by its sheer beauty. The views from it of Haifa are breathtaking. We walked down the 800 or so steps and took a taxi back up to where our car was parked.
We left Haifa and traveled north to go to Rosh HaNikra. On the way, we stopped at Akko to see the Crusader castle ruins and to have a Falafel. The ruins were interesting. The Falafel was a thing of beauty! We then went to see the grottos of Rosh HaNikra. As we traveled up to that area which is right on the Lebanese border, we drove by cities that had been attacked by rockets from the north last summer. What a shame to have such misery befall this lovely place. We traveled back south and grabbed a coffee in Nahariya. The city was beautiful and had been economically devastated by the Lebanese conflict of last summer. Some businesses did not survive. We picked up Margie on the way back down and had a quick dinner with her and Chaim. What a treat it was to share their warm company once again. We then hit the road to the bed and breakfast in Zvat where we will be staying for the next two nights. It is charming!!! (Thanks again to Lee for arranging this amazing adventure!)
I will end this day’s note by talking about a question that was put to me by Chaim. He asked, “what do you think of the country so far.” I gave him a quick reply commenting on how nice the country and the people are. “Nice” is such hollow praise. I have considered the question more as we drove out to Zvat. I will try to answer it here. I am not one to buy into the notion that my DNA is in some way connected to this land. I have no more right to claim this land because of my faith as any other person has a right to claim any “thing” based on theirs. This land is a patch of dirt. Allow me to compare it to the raw earthy material spat by worms. When a person takes that earthy bug byproduct, and carefully treats it, unwinds it, dyes it and weaves it into a beautiful tapestry, then that person has a claim to the tapestry as something that person has shaped from the earth. That person has a claim to that tapestry as something that is now part of him.
Since the state of Israel came into existence only a generation or two ago, the Jewish people have transformed it from a desert into an oasis. Israel is both the land and the people. They…no….we have made flowers bloom and fruit grow where it was thought impossible. We have created a society that supports its own, while holding out its ideas openly for all those around her to join in and emulate her success. It is the promised land from God, not just for Jews, but for all those who would join her principles and share in her beauty, not necessarily of religion, but the social justice and principles a progressive culture can inspire. The silk has carefully been extracted, colored with Israeli endeavor, sweat and blood, and the tapestry has been woven. I helped to weave it through Zadakah (charitable contributions) I have made since I was a young child. I have threads in this tapestry. As US citizens, so do we all, through contributions of our tax dollars from our government. We reap from what we have helped to sew by the many great achievements by Israelis that have improved people’s standards of living internationally and made the world a better place. I am truly glad that I have a part in this magical place, and knowing that I do, I feel a connection to it that is deeply rooted within me.
Two things happened today that colored my answer, so I will share them. As I walked through a mall today while waiting for Margie to meet up with us near Haifa on our way back to their home, I observed several Israeli soldiers. They were in their uniforms carrying packs and they had their rifles hanging at their sides. They were young and strong. It was hot, and I was uncomfortable in my shorts and t-shirt carrying my water bottle and camera. I would have complained that the rifle was too heavy. They did not. I see Israel carrying a similar burden. Carrying the gun is heavy in my perception because it is the weight of being hated. It is the burden of having to use deadly force to keep others from killing you. Israel is not perfect, but she carries this burden with grace and her people continue to toil to do great things even while carrying that ever present burden.
Earlier in the day, we were trying to park on the top of Haifa up near Carmel. I did not have change to buy a parking ticket. I needed two Sheckles more for the 10 Sheckle parking ticket. A man who had good naturedly responded to my questions about parking in the area, did not have enough coins to change a 20 sheckle note. He handed me a 10 Sheckle coin (about $2.50) and said, “you are tourists. Keep it.” I tried to give him the 20 Sheckle note, but he refused.
So Chaim, if I have not already answered your question, I will simply add that this is a place and people of unique beauty, grace and character. However, they can’t drive worth a crap!
Monday, July 9, 2007
The road to Haifa
Today we left Tel Aviv and traveled north along the coast to Zihron Ya’akov which is a quaint little city up on a hill about three quarters of the way from Tel Aviv up to Haifa. We met Lee’s friend Margie with whom we had the good fortune to spend the day. When we met Margie, her son Yoni was with her and his girlfriend Katie. We found a little bakery and purchased some bread. I also found a little restaurant and purchased both green and regular Techina with tomatoes and cucumbers which we ate with the bread. Tehania is a sesame paste of some kind….it was way good! We shopped for a little while and then headed to Qeisarya or Caesarea. Caesarea was first settled by Phoenicians and then was taken by the Romans around 103 BCE. In around 30 BCE, the village was given to Herod and he built a large port city there and gave it its name. The ruins of the Amphitheater that he had built are still in place and sit near the coast. There are also other interesting ruins of his bathhouses and other buildings.
We left Caesarea and took a brief tour of the British detention camp at Atlit. The British controlled the Palestine area in 1939 and set strict limits on the number of immigrants into the area. Many Jews began fleeing persecution in Germany, but when they arrived in Palestine, the British locked them up in camps like the one in Atlit. This camp continued its operation from 1934 to 1948. During that time, it is estimated that tens of thousands of refugees were held in the camp. Imagine escaping the horrors of the Holocaust in Germany just to land in a camp in Palestine! What better way to follow a tour of a prison camp than to go wine tasting!? We stopped in at the Tishbi Winery and tried some of their wines and had some cheese and nice rye bread. Perhaps the high point of the trip so far was purchasing a bottle of wine at Tishbi and trying to open the screw top. I couldn’t figure out this simple technology….I wasn’t even drinking! The very pregnant waitress came over and asked in a sarcastic tone, “are you going to let a pregnant woman open the bottle when you can’t?” So much for whatever little bit of macho based ego I have left.
We ended the day by doing some shopping in a traditional Druze village. The Druze are somehow in the line of Jethro and are not Jewish, but also not Muslim. They practice a religion that is very secretive. They requested to be allowed to serve in the Israeli military and serve with honor. They are very loyal to the country in which they live. There are Druze in Syria and they are loyal to Syria and serve in their military. Some Israeli Druze women have gone over to Syria to marry Druze men there. Imagine the complicated emotions of Syrian Druze fighting with Israeli Druze! Anyway, there were many hand crafted wall tapestries and other nik naks (ok Lee, Tchotchkes) that were appealing.
Now, it is getting late. We are at Margie and Chiam’s house for the night. Margie and Chiam have been wonderful hosts to us! Margie was our tour guide today and made us a delicious dinner. They are terrific.
A note on traveling with Lee. Lee is very thoughtful about travel. She considers every option for the various activities we could do with an eye specifically toward what will be most entertaining to me. I highly recommend her as a tour guide.
We left Caesarea and took a brief tour of the British detention camp at Atlit. The British controlled the Palestine area in 1939 and set strict limits on the number of immigrants into the area. Many Jews began fleeing persecution in Germany, but when they arrived in Palestine, the British locked them up in camps like the one in Atlit. This camp continued its operation from 1934 to 1948. During that time, it is estimated that tens of thousands of refugees were held in the camp. Imagine escaping the horrors of the Holocaust in Germany just to land in a camp in Palestine! What better way to follow a tour of a prison camp than to go wine tasting!? We stopped in at the Tishbi Winery and tried some of their wines and had some cheese and nice rye bread. Perhaps the high point of the trip so far was purchasing a bottle of wine at Tishbi and trying to open the screw top. I couldn’t figure out this simple technology….I wasn’t even drinking! The very pregnant waitress came over and asked in a sarcastic tone, “are you going to let a pregnant woman open the bottle when you can’t?” So much for whatever little bit of macho based ego I have left.
We ended the day by doing some shopping in a traditional Druze village. The Druze are somehow in the line of Jethro and are not Jewish, but also not Muslim. They practice a religion that is very secretive. They requested to be allowed to serve in the Israeli military and serve with honor. They are very loyal to the country in which they live. There are Druze in Syria and they are loyal to Syria and serve in their military. Some Israeli Druze women have gone over to Syria to marry Druze men there. Imagine the complicated emotions of Syrian Druze fighting with Israeli Druze! Anyway, there were many hand crafted wall tapestries and other nik naks (ok Lee, Tchotchkes) that were appealing.
Now, it is getting late. We are at Margie and Chiam’s house for the night. Margie and Chiam have been wonderful hosts to us! Margie was our tour guide today and made us a delicious dinner. They are terrific.
A note on traveling with Lee. Lee is very thoughtful about travel. She considers every option for the various activities we could do with an eye specifically toward what will be most entertaining to me. I highly recommend her as a tour guide.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Kosher Laws for Dummies… Warren’s tribute to the rules he can’t seem to grasp
It is Saturday evening. Lee and I just got back from walking around Tel Aviv. We walked endlessly around long streets with famous names through little cafes and interesting crowds of young people looking for action. We stopped and had a Beer and salad at Mike’s. We sat outside in the balmy night with the Mediterranean breeze taking the edge off the temperature. The beech restaurants underlight the closed umbrellas so that they glowed in the night like a myriad of huge road crew cones on the dark beech. The lapping waves punctuated the lulls between the various singer’s sets at the little bars that dot the boardwalk.
Saturday night is party night for the locals and everything seems to open at around 10:00 pm. We went out at about 9:00 and it was after 10:00 when people started really turning out on the streets. Friday night is Shabbat. Most places are closed for the Sabbath celebration.
Jewish people have various types of observance. As a kid, I understood it as levels of observance. I thought that the orthodox followed the rules very closely. I thought that
Conservative Jews were sort of in the middle and the Reform Jews just didn’t follow the rules at all. Actually, each group has their own rules that have developed from deep thinking about the Torah and other Jewish texts that have developed over the centuries like the Haftorah, Talmud, Rabbinic writings and other great works.
As I grew up, we belonged to a Conservative temple. My brothers and I went through the tradition of becoming Bar Mitzvah at age 13. Each of us has gone on to experience religion in our own ways. As a kid, I understood the laws of being Kosher to go something like this. 1. We couldn’t eat pork. There were exceptions. If we were in a Chinese restaurant and they gave us Won Ton soup and there was reddish colored meat in it, and we asked the waiter several times if he was really sure that it was not pork and he smiled and he said, “no poke,” then we could eat it. Hey, he said it wasn’t pork! Also, we could eat pork occasionally with friends at a certain Barbeque in downtown Detroit, because the ribs were so great! 2. We couldn’t eat shrimp, lobster, or other shell fish. However, let us not forget the exceptions to this rule. We could eat lobster or shrimp if it was on a buffet or otherwise free. 3. Eating milk together with meat in the same meal was discouraged. Generally, it wasn’t because of the rules about being Kosher. We just didn’t think is sounded particularly good. In retrospect, we considered the Kosher laws to be more of health laws. Pork was bad. There was the problem of Tricinosis, and even if we cooked it well, it was fatty and the lard was considered bad for us even back then. We thought Oysters were just plain gross. Also, have you ever really looked at shrimp and lobster up close….they look like big bugs….bugs of the bottom of the sea….
As you know, we had dinner for Shabbat at the Gelpe’s. They are Orthodox. They follow a long list of rules that were generated by Rabbis to make sure that the Orthodox followers don’t even come close to breaking the rules. There are many things you can’t do on Shabbat. You can’t do any work and there are 39 categories of activities that are restricted. For example, you can’t make fire after the Shabbat candles are ignited. They, as many Orthodox do, interpret this to mean that you cannot turn on a light. The bathroom light is left illuminated. If a guest turns it off…..well…..hard to go after that. Also, there is no writing. So for example, if a guest asks for a pen to write down another guests e-mail, that guest is politely told that it will have to wait until Saturday night. One cannot mix milk and meat at the same meal. Like most Kosher families, they have a set of milk plates and silverware and meat plates and silverware. There are items that are neither milk nor meat which are called Parve. The plates and serving spoons that are in the Parve dishes cannot touch the meat food items or meat plates as they are being used to place the items on the plate for fear that they may then be used later during a milk meal and touch thereby mixing the two. We observed these traditions as we were at their house and wanted to be respectful.
I must say that I am not judgmental of either choices. I understand why people are Orthodox. I also understand why people are Reform. I have chosen to be reform because I believe that it more closely follows my belief system, but I admire the people who choose the harder path for what they are willing to do for their faith. I am also motivated by such interactions to reassess my thoughts on the matter and to refine them. I think that I will try harder to not work on Shabbat. I have never cared much for shrimp or lobster, but I do occasionally like pork….I think I will kick that as well….it will be better for me too.
Talk with you more soon.
W
Saturday night is party night for the locals and everything seems to open at around 10:00 pm. We went out at about 9:00 and it was after 10:00 when people started really turning out on the streets. Friday night is Shabbat. Most places are closed for the Sabbath celebration.
Jewish people have various types of observance. As a kid, I understood it as levels of observance. I thought that the orthodox followed the rules very closely. I thought that
Conservative Jews were sort of in the middle and the Reform Jews just didn’t follow the rules at all. Actually, each group has their own rules that have developed from deep thinking about the Torah and other Jewish texts that have developed over the centuries like the Haftorah, Talmud, Rabbinic writings and other great works.
As I grew up, we belonged to a Conservative temple. My brothers and I went through the tradition of becoming Bar Mitzvah at age 13. Each of us has gone on to experience religion in our own ways. As a kid, I understood the laws of being Kosher to go something like this. 1. We couldn’t eat pork. There were exceptions. If we were in a Chinese restaurant and they gave us Won Ton soup and there was reddish colored meat in it, and we asked the waiter several times if he was really sure that it was not pork and he smiled and he said, “no poke,” then we could eat it. Hey, he said it wasn’t pork! Also, we could eat pork occasionally with friends at a certain Barbeque in downtown Detroit, because the ribs were so great! 2. We couldn’t eat shrimp, lobster, or other shell fish. However, let us not forget the exceptions to this rule. We could eat lobster or shrimp if it was on a buffet or otherwise free. 3. Eating milk together with meat in the same meal was discouraged. Generally, it wasn’t because of the rules about being Kosher. We just didn’t think is sounded particularly good. In retrospect, we considered the Kosher laws to be more of health laws. Pork was bad. There was the problem of Tricinosis, and even if we cooked it well, it was fatty and the lard was considered bad for us even back then. We thought Oysters were just plain gross. Also, have you ever really looked at shrimp and lobster up close….they look like big bugs….bugs of the bottom of the sea….
As you know, we had dinner for Shabbat at the Gelpe’s. They are Orthodox. They follow a long list of rules that were generated by Rabbis to make sure that the Orthodox followers don’t even come close to breaking the rules. There are many things you can’t do on Shabbat. You can’t do any work and there are 39 categories of activities that are restricted. For example, you can’t make fire after the Shabbat candles are ignited. They, as many Orthodox do, interpret this to mean that you cannot turn on a light. The bathroom light is left illuminated. If a guest turns it off…..well…..hard to go after that. Also, there is no writing. So for example, if a guest asks for a pen to write down another guests e-mail, that guest is politely told that it will have to wait until Saturday night. One cannot mix milk and meat at the same meal. Like most Kosher families, they have a set of milk plates and silverware and meat plates and silverware. There are items that are neither milk nor meat which are called Parve. The plates and serving spoons that are in the Parve dishes cannot touch the meat food items or meat plates as they are being used to place the items on the plate for fear that they may then be used later during a milk meal and touch thereby mixing the two. We observed these traditions as we were at their house and wanted to be respectful.
I must say that I am not judgmental of either choices. I understand why people are Orthodox. I also understand why people are Reform. I have chosen to be reform because I believe that it more closely follows my belief system, but I admire the people who choose the harder path for what they are willing to do for their faith. I am also motivated by such interactions to reassess my thoughts on the matter and to refine them. I think that I will try harder to not work on Shabbat. I have never cared much for shrimp or lobster, but I do occasionally like pork….I think I will kick that as well….it will be better for me too.
Talk with you more soon.
W
Saturday, July 7, 2007
On Death and Pillars --Lee
July 6
I have always been close to my father, who grew up among the ranchers of rural South Dakota. In fact, his brother, Leet, and my cousin, Ty, still ranch. They are real life, Stetson-wearing, truck-drivin’ cowboys. I think they’re pretty cool even if raising cattle for the slaughterhouse requires them to maintain a certain emotional distance from four-legged creatures, most especially cows.
That familial ranching connection must have resulted in the mistaken notion that someday, I too, would be able to approach the eventual death of our own four-legged critter, Baby, with calmness and detachment. After all, I am genetically related to cowboys. In that world, critters die each year and ranchers, well they just deal with it. Apparently, they haul truckloads of cattle to the stockyards during a particular season each year, with no more thought than I give to the purchase of Coppertone in June. And, well, that’s the cloth I’m cut from, genealogically speaking.
So when Baby became really ill recently, I had already conjured up images of myself as the whole family’s Pillar of Strength. Ego has a way of dismissing those small, distinguishing details like, herds of cattle live in pastures and pets sleep next to your bed. My vision was clear. Everyone would fall apart but ‘The Rock,’ (that would be me, by the way) Baby was, after all, just a four-legged critter. Never-mind the fact that we had rescued her when Kara, who is now heading for college in August, was in third grade. And never mind the endearing peculiarities like the way that Baby had taken it upon herself to join us on Friday nights for bruchas. She whined her request for a piece of that fresh-baked challah like it was a prayer.
I have to admit that I don’t remember ever seeing a cuter little flop-eared Jack Russell Terrier. Yup, just a cute, but rather dumb dog, with no more sense than to try to mix it up with other four-legged creatures, some of whom were far larger and stronger than she. And it was a good thing for that bison in Yellowstone that Baby was restrained behind the window of our vehicle. Lucky bison. I often say, with looks like hers, who needs brains? Dumb-assed dog.
*** *** ***
It’s my first morning in Israel. At 7 a.m., it’s already hot and muggy. I actually slept on the plane ride here, but I think I may now have an Ambien hangover. Warren and I are out for a stroll on the Tel Aviv boardwalk. As is my habit, I call to check in with my husband, Danny. It’s nighttime in San Diego. It’s Friday night, the start of Shabbat. He’s probably having a rough time of it, at home alone and a sick dog to deal with.
“I had to put Baby down yesterday afternoon,” he says gently into the phone. “I didn’t want to wake you in the middle of the night.” He and I had already discussed end-of-life issues, our own and the dog’s. We had agreed that letting her suffer was not an option, nor was spending thousands of dollars unnecessarily prolonging her life. She was, I had reminded myself, only a dog. Emotional distance? Ready, check.
“I held her the whole time,” he continues bravely. “In a few weeks, we’ll get her ashes from the vet. You and Kara and I will spread them somewhere special.” I am listening and looking out onto the calm of the Mediterranean Sea where I will spend my first Shabbat on this trip to Israel. Imagine my surprise as I begin to sob. I am blubbering something about “loving her” and I can barely mouth my disbelief that her cute, puppy-like face will no longer be a part of our lives. Tears are streaming down my cheeks and I don’t cry pretty like they do in the movies. I am noticing about myself, an unusual lack of self-consciousness regarding the concerned looks of passers-by.
With the weight of my heart, I am leaning into the phone, I lean into the comforting pillar of Danny’s words. “I know,” he whispers, “I loved her, too.”
I have always been close to my father, who grew up among the ranchers of rural South Dakota. In fact, his brother, Leet, and my cousin, Ty, still ranch. They are real life, Stetson-wearing, truck-drivin’ cowboys. I think they’re pretty cool even if raising cattle for the slaughterhouse requires them to maintain a certain emotional distance from four-legged creatures, most especially cows.
That familial ranching connection must have resulted in the mistaken notion that someday, I too, would be able to approach the eventual death of our own four-legged critter, Baby, with calmness and detachment. After all, I am genetically related to cowboys. In that world, critters die each year and ranchers, well they just deal with it. Apparently, they haul truckloads of cattle to the stockyards during a particular season each year, with no more thought than I give to the purchase of Coppertone in June. And, well, that’s the cloth I’m cut from, genealogically speaking.
So when Baby became really ill recently, I had already conjured up images of myself as the whole family’s Pillar of Strength. Ego has a way of dismissing those small, distinguishing details like, herds of cattle live in pastures and pets sleep next to your bed. My vision was clear. Everyone would fall apart but ‘The Rock,’ (that would be me, by the way) Baby was, after all, just a four-legged critter. Never-mind the fact that we had rescued her when Kara, who is now heading for college in August, was in third grade. And never mind the endearing peculiarities like the way that Baby had taken it upon herself to join us on Friday nights for bruchas. She whined her request for a piece of that fresh-baked challah like it was a prayer.
I have to admit that I don’t remember ever seeing a cuter little flop-eared Jack Russell Terrier. Yup, just a cute, but rather dumb dog, with no more sense than to try to mix it up with other four-legged creatures, some of whom were far larger and stronger than she. And it was a good thing for that bison in Yellowstone that Baby was restrained behind the window of our vehicle. Lucky bison. I often say, with looks like hers, who needs brains? Dumb-assed dog.
*** *** ***
It’s my first morning in Israel. At 7 a.m., it’s already hot and muggy. I actually slept on the plane ride here, but I think I may now have an Ambien hangover. Warren and I are out for a stroll on the Tel Aviv boardwalk. As is my habit, I call to check in with my husband, Danny. It’s nighttime in San Diego. It’s Friday night, the start of Shabbat. He’s probably having a rough time of it, at home alone and a sick dog to deal with.
“I had to put Baby down yesterday afternoon,” he says gently into the phone. “I didn’t want to wake you in the middle of the night.” He and I had already discussed end-of-life issues, our own and the dog’s. We had agreed that letting her suffer was not an option, nor was spending thousands of dollars unnecessarily prolonging her life. She was, I had reminded myself, only a dog. Emotional distance? Ready, check.
“I held her the whole time,” he continues bravely. “In a few weeks, we’ll get her ashes from the vet. You and Kara and I will spread them somewhere special.” I am listening and looking out onto the calm of the Mediterranean Sea where I will spend my first Shabbat on this trip to Israel. Imagine my surprise as I begin to sob. I am blubbering something about “loving her” and I can barely mouth my disbelief that her cute, puppy-like face will no longer be a part of our lives. Tears are streaming down my cheeks and I don’t cry pretty like they do in the movies. I am noticing about myself, an unusual lack of self-consciousness regarding the concerned looks of passers-by.
With the weight of my heart, I am leaning into the phone, I lean into the comforting pillar of Danny’s words. “I know,” he whispers, “I loved her, too.”
Warren’s thoughts about day 1
Flying Jews
My concept of the wandering Jew is of a nomadic tribe of people cameling their way across an arid patch of wilderness, endlessly toiling with the tent set up and tear down, feet washing, and sheep herding and the like. As I boarded the plane in San Diego bound for NYC, and eventually Israel, there wee no Camels, tents, or sheep. Instead, we crawled out of bed at the crack of dawn….actually, it was still dark….packed up the car and drove over to Dan and Lee’s house. Dan then took us to the Airport. (thanks Daniel!!!).
Let me tangent for a moment and say that my son is an amazing kid! First, I will shamelessly brag that he got four As and two Bs on his final report card for last semester and has thereby earned a reward of an Air Brush machine which he has wanted and worked hard to get for a year. Ben is spending the next two weeks working in Tupelo Mississippi. He has already started working there, and is having a blast. He is being mentored by my friend Giovanna who is the Executive Chef/Owner of the place. I spoke with him the other night, and she had him making hand rolled pasta. Yum! Keep up the good work Ben! The reason for this tangent is that we took Ben to catch his plane on the way to ours. He left about an hour before us bound for Mississippi and we found out that he had arrived when we landed in NYC.
I can’t talk about Ben without mentioning how amazing Melissa is too….humor me….Melissa graduated in White (meaning she had a great over a 4.0) and has recently found out that she passed all three of her advanced placement tests from last year. She will be attending SDSU in the Fall. She is working two jobs. She works for Foster Freeze and is a Camp Counselor at The Kroc Center. Keep up the good work Melissa!!!
OK, back to business!
On the plane, as we taxied to the JFK terminal, the flight attendant requested that everyone who had NY as their final destination to please stay seated so that the people who had international connections could get out quickly and not miss their flight. We arrived at the gate, and of course, everyone got up and pushed into the isles of the plane. There was no irony in this….it’s New York!
We arrived late into NYC and had to take a train to the El Al Terminal. Lee was very nervous that we may miss the El Al flight, and if we did, we would have to wait until Saturday afternoon for the next flight. We were scheduled to take the last flight before Shabbat. While Lee fretted about it, I was considering which show we should see and which restaurant we should try in NYC. (Don’t misunderstand. I was sympathetic to Lee’s nervousness, and I was quite confident in the airline. However, I do like a backup plan, and there are lots of shows and restaurants I’d like to try in NYC.
We went back through security and several more lines, and then waited for the flight. It looked like they were letting us on….so much for the good grub and a Broadway show! As I sat waiting, I amused myself by people watching, which I love to do. There was my initial scan for generally interesting looking people. I first noticed the Hasidic Jews dressed in black suits and hats with tzittzit falling from their waists and the curled locks hanging from their sideburns. (OK, this is not completely accurate. I first noticed several pretty young women, assessed their figures and their outfits, and then casually passed on to notice the other interesting people.) The Hasidic gentlemen were not all dark haired, but rather, there was an assortment of grey, blonde and dusty haired Jews waiting for the plane. I imagined Fruma Barbi doll and the Dovening Ken…or Moishie…and their six infant dolls. There would be no end to the fun of dressing up the Moishie doll in his black suit and the Barbi doll in her various frocks. I laughed at the idea of putting the big black hat on one of the kid dolls….then I really did notice a kid dressed in the Hasidic garb….he must have been over 13, but not much. I also noticed that there were people simply wearing yarmulkes who appeared observant, but not dressed in the Hasidic outfit. I made a mental note to try to find out why the Hasidic men wear the black suits, hats and the like when I get back.
I also noticed that other religions were represented in the crowd. There were nuns, but I didn’t notice any priests. I did not observe any traditionally clothed Muslims. I would guess that it was a pretty eclectic crowd.
They called our flight and we all got up. We were in about the middle of the line. Then, as if on cue, half the crowd completely ignored the line and rushed the four ticket takers, thereby putting Lee and I near the back of the line. Lee led a charge up to the front by going around the mass of pushing people. (We had assigned seats, and there were about 40 open seats, so it all seemed a little goofy!) We sat down, and waited for a couple hours for the flight to take off. It was very hot while we sat on the runway, and then cold once we were finally in the air. Ahhhh well…..we were in the air. We flew East over the Atlantic, across some unknown stretch of land, across the Mediterranean and landed in Tel Aviv. We spotted a few Islands in the Mediterranean, which Lee guessed were Greece….mental note to study the flight path later.
After we took off, they slopped us. I would comment about the airline food, but it was just as typically unappetizing as one would anticipate of Kosher airline food. “Would you like the bad chicken of the bad beef,” asked the very pleasant flight attendant. Trying to make the best decision I could, I asked, “which is less bad” The flight attendant paused reflecting on this question and politely said, “have the chicken.” The plane was loud with talk, and the sound of a woman screaming (yes screaming) at one of the flight attendants, another passenger, and then the managing flight attendant...never Thorazine around when you need it. Some 12 year old apparently got to a set of open seats before she did and was therefore able to lay down instead of her. She reacted by yelling and throwing water on the horrified girl. They eventually calmed the woman down.
As we flew through the night they dimmed the lights and everyone slept, with the exception of the child behind me who amused himself by playing a game of soccer with the back of my seat. He was told 437 times to not do it by his mother, me and several people around him. He also liked chewing loudly on a plastic cup which he was also told not to do by several people until the lady sitting next to him took it from him. I am proud to say that I did not murder the lad.
As people awoke on the plane, people donned their Tefilan and Talit and dovened. I had the passing notion to go pray with them…..passing notion…it passed. They slopped us again and we landed.
We got our rental car. El Dan rental cars provided us a micro car. It is a car that one would expect if one considered the infant offspring of a Ugo and a Pinto mating. Our drove to our hotel in Tel Aviv, got cleaned up and went to the Gelpe’s family Shabbat dinner near Jerusalem. It was an hour drive. Pretty scenery. We stopped on the way and delivered some items to Paula and Walter. (Zip Lock bags and other items that are are either difficult to obtain or expensive in Israel) Walter made us a cup of coffee which we gulped down and rushed out to get to dinner on time. The Gelpes and their family were very sweet and the dinner was excellent. I stuck to vegetarian food. Their were stuffed grape leaves, hummus, assorted Challahs and breads, and lots of other good things. I was delighted at the shredded Halavah for dessert. We also got to saw their son Joey who is a delightful young man that I had met in San Diego. The Gelpes keep kosher, so we talked about some of the rules of keeping kosher. I will report about this more another time, but I find it all very interesting. We said goodbye and returned to the hotel in Tel Aviv.
We awoke this morning and realized that we have a beautiful view of the Mediterranean from our hotel room. We sunned on the beach, met some nice people, had some delicious breakfast. I swam for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea. The water was salty and the sand was fine. There were waves, but not as large as in San Diego.
We heard from Dan. Lee and Dan’s dog Baby died. I loved Baby…the sort of dog that was universally loved and admired….Danny’s best friend. I am so sorry for their loss. Shabbat will not be the same without her wandering around for Challah scraps. Lee has been crying off and on since. We will miss Baby.
I will report more later.
My concept of the wandering Jew is of a nomadic tribe of people cameling their way across an arid patch of wilderness, endlessly toiling with the tent set up and tear down, feet washing, and sheep herding and the like. As I boarded the plane in San Diego bound for NYC, and eventually Israel, there wee no Camels, tents, or sheep. Instead, we crawled out of bed at the crack of dawn….actually, it was still dark….packed up the car and drove over to Dan and Lee’s house. Dan then took us to the Airport. (thanks Daniel!!!).
Let me tangent for a moment and say that my son is an amazing kid! First, I will shamelessly brag that he got four As and two Bs on his final report card for last semester and has thereby earned a reward of an Air Brush machine which he has wanted and worked hard to get for a year. Ben is spending the next two weeks working in Tupelo Mississippi. He has already started working there, and is having a blast. He is being mentored by my friend Giovanna who is the Executive Chef/Owner of the place. I spoke with him the other night, and she had him making hand rolled pasta. Yum! Keep up the good work Ben! The reason for this tangent is that we took Ben to catch his plane on the way to ours. He left about an hour before us bound for Mississippi and we found out that he had arrived when we landed in NYC.
I can’t talk about Ben without mentioning how amazing Melissa is too….humor me….Melissa graduated in White (meaning she had a great over a 4.0) and has recently found out that she passed all three of her advanced placement tests from last year. She will be attending SDSU in the Fall. She is working two jobs. She works for Foster Freeze and is a Camp Counselor at The Kroc Center. Keep up the good work Melissa!!!
OK, back to business!
On the plane, as we taxied to the JFK terminal, the flight attendant requested that everyone who had NY as their final destination to please stay seated so that the people who had international connections could get out quickly and not miss their flight. We arrived at the gate, and of course, everyone got up and pushed into the isles of the plane. There was no irony in this….it’s New York!
We arrived late into NYC and had to take a train to the El Al Terminal. Lee was very nervous that we may miss the El Al flight, and if we did, we would have to wait until Saturday afternoon for the next flight. We were scheduled to take the last flight before Shabbat. While Lee fretted about it, I was considering which show we should see and which restaurant we should try in NYC. (Don’t misunderstand. I was sympathetic to Lee’s nervousness, and I was quite confident in the airline. However, I do like a backup plan, and there are lots of shows and restaurants I’d like to try in NYC.
We went back through security and several more lines, and then waited for the flight. It looked like they were letting us on….so much for the good grub and a Broadway show! As I sat waiting, I amused myself by people watching, which I love to do. There was my initial scan for generally interesting looking people. I first noticed the Hasidic Jews dressed in black suits and hats with tzittzit falling from their waists and the curled locks hanging from their sideburns. (OK, this is not completely accurate. I first noticed several pretty young women, assessed their figures and their outfits, and then casually passed on to notice the other interesting people.) The Hasidic gentlemen were not all dark haired, but rather, there was an assortment of grey, blonde and dusty haired Jews waiting for the plane. I imagined Fruma Barbi doll and the Dovening Ken…or Moishie…and their six infant dolls. There would be no end to the fun of dressing up the Moishie doll in his black suit and the Barbi doll in her various frocks. I laughed at the idea of putting the big black hat on one of the kid dolls….then I really did notice a kid dressed in the Hasidic garb….he must have been over 13, but not much. I also noticed that there were people simply wearing yarmulkes who appeared observant, but not dressed in the Hasidic outfit. I made a mental note to try to find out why the Hasidic men wear the black suits, hats and the like when I get back.
I also noticed that other religions were represented in the crowd. There were nuns, but I didn’t notice any priests. I did not observe any traditionally clothed Muslims. I would guess that it was a pretty eclectic crowd.
They called our flight and we all got up. We were in about the middle of the line. Then, as if on cue, half the crowd completely ignored the line and rushed the four ticket takers, thereby putting Lee and I near the back of the line. Lee led a charge up to the front by going around the mass of pushing people. (We had assigned seats, and there were about 40 open seats, so it all seemed a little goofy!) We sat down, and waited for a couple hours for the flight to take off. It was very hot while we sat on the runway, and then cold once we were finally in the air. Ahhhh well…..we were in the air. We flew East over the Atlantic, across some unknown stretch of land, across the Mediterranean and landed in Tel Aviv. We spotted a few Islands in the Mediterranean, which Lee guessed were Greece….mental note to study the flight path later.
After we took off, they slopped us. I would comment about the airline food, but it was just as typically unappetizing as one would anticipate of Kosher airline food. “Would you like the bad chicken of the bad beef,” asked the very pleasant flight attendant. Trying to make the best decision I could, I asked, “which is less bad” The flight attendant paused reflecting on this question and politely said, “have the chicken.” The plane was loud with talk, and the sound of a woman screaming (yes screaming) at one of the flight attendants, another passenger, and then the managing flight attendant...never Thorazine around when you need it. Some 12 year old apparently got to a set of open seats before she did and was therefore able to lay down instead of her. She reacted by yelling and throwing water on the horrified girl. They eventually calmed the woman down.
As we flew through the night they dimmed the lights and everyone slept, with the exception of the child behind me who amused himself by playing a game of soccer with the back of my seat. He was told 437 times to not do it by his mother, me and several people around him. He also liked chewing loudly on a plastic cup which he was also told not to do by several people until the lady sitting next to him took it from him. I am proud to say that I did not murder the lad.
As people awoke on the plane, people donned their Tefilan and Talit and dovened. I had the passing notion to go pray with them…..passing notion…it passed. They slopped us again and we landed.
We got our rental car. El Dan rental cars provided us a micro car. It is a car that one would expect if one considered the infant offspring of a Ugo and a Pinto mating. Our drove to our hotel in Tel Aviv, got cleaned up and went to the Gelpe’s family Shabbat dinner near Jerusalem. It was an hour drive. Pretty scenery. We stopped on the way and delivered some items to Paula and Walter. (Zip Lock bags and other items that are are either difficult to obtain or expensive in Israel) Walter made us a cup of coffee which we gulped down and rushed out to get to dinner on time. The Gelpes and their family were very sweet and the dinner was excellent. I stuck to vegetarian food. Their were stuffed grape leaves, hummus, assorted Challahs and breads, and lots of other good things. I was delighted at the shredded Halavah for dessert. We also got to saw their son Joey who is a delightful young man that I had met in San Diego. The Gelpes keep kosher, so we talked about some of the rules of keeping kosher. I will report about this more another time, but I find it all very interesting. We said goodbye and returned to the hotel in Tel Aviv.
We awoke this morning and realized that we have a beautiful view of the Mediterranean from our hotel room. We sunned on the beach, met some nice people, had some delicious breakfast. I swam for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea. The water was salty and the sand was fine. There were waves, but not as large as in San Diego.
We heard from Dan. Lee and Dan’s dog Baby died. I loved Baby…the sort of dog that was universally loved and admired….Danny’s best friend. I am so sorry for their loss. Shabbat will not be the same without her wandering around for Challah scraps. Lee has been crying off and on since. We will miss Baby.
I will report more later.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Warren’s final pre-trip words
Some of you have expressed concern about me traveling to Israel at this time. The chaos, the political uncertainties, the constant tension, people hurting people, angry words flying, but I have insisted that my office really isn’t that bad and leaving it for a while may resolve some of those problems. All kidding aside. I am hopeful that there will someday be a great time to visit Israel. For now, the dangers cannot overwhelm my opinion of how important it is to support Israel and to take this trip. I have traveled to Detroit, Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Fresno to visit my family and I have somehow survived. I have been many other places that are dangerous, and I have made it through. I have to place my faith in the good fortune that I have been blessed with and pray that it continues through this trip. I ask that you do not worry for me. However, I do ask that you worry about all of us. I have shared stories about going into stores and seeing backpacks sitting near the front door unattended and I have taken the time to inquire about its ownership. Most of the time, no one has any idea who brought it in. There was a time I found a cooler near the escalator at the county courthouse. No one was around it. When I called a bailiff to the area, he had no idea who owned it or from where it came. They eventually determined that it belonged to someone doing construction in another area of the building. (My guess is that it was brought in by a crew that didn’t have to go through security. Just a few years ago, someone tried to blow up our federal court here.) At least in Israel, there is a strong awareness of these dangers. We all need to be aware of the danger, because it isn’t just in Israel.
I will sign off by saying that I welcome all of you to pray for our safety. Hey, we'll be in Israel! It can’t hurt!
I will sign off by saying that I welcome all of you to pray for our safety. Hey, we'll be in Israel! It can’t hurt!
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Packing
We leave tomorrow and I haven't finished packing. As I casually consider stuffing my belongings into as small a bag as possible, I imagine myself in the land of my ancestry. (OK, this is where I segue into a thought provoking discussion, stolen from a Haggadah I read as a teenager, about an exhausting trek through the Sinai....yes, it is just simple procrastination....rather than type it all out, just go ahead and place your own thought provoking message here, and I'll continue watching T.V..)
My clothes are strewn across my bed. I'm saying to myself, "it's Israel, keep the bathing suit, a shirt and some shorts, and chuck the rest of this stuff." I will continue my personal struggle and complete my packing now.
Lee has provided me a copy of her packing list. At first I considered the Patio Furniture and the Gas Patio Heater as unnecessary. Now, after careful consideration, I'm thinking that perhaps I should take a few of those things that truly are comforting to me. The cappuccino machine should go in my carry on, in case they lose my suitcase in transit. It would suck to not be able to foam my Macchiato when we get off the plane. Who knows, if I can plug in, maybe I can brew up one as we cross the ocean! I'm eyeing my Jacuzzi longingly.....perhaps.....nah.
My clothes are strewn across my bed. I'm saying to myself, "it's Israel, keep the bathing suit, a shirt and some shorts, and chuck the rest of this stuff." I will continue my personal struggle and complete my packing now.
Lee has provided me a copy of her packing list. At first I considered the Patio Furniture and the Gas Patio Heater as unnecessary. Now, after careful consideration, I'm thinking that perhaps I should take a few of those things that truly are comforting to me. The cappuccino machine should go in my carry on, in case they lose my suitcase in transit. It would suck to not be able to foam my Macchiato when we get off the plane. Who knows, if I can plug in, maybe I can brew up one as we cross the ocean! I'm eyeing my Jacuzzi longingly.....perhaps.....nah.
4th of July -- Lee
It's Erev Eretz Israel Adventure and the United States is so happy to get rid of us that they are having fireworks celebrations nationwide.
Today's Hebrew word is tov, which means good. Warren says that we are going to have a good time in Israel, even if my back went out Sunday morning. I think seeing me suffer is why he now thinks Israel will be a fun trip. He's kind of sick like that. But so am I, which is why I know we'll be great travel partners. For example, I think it will be fun watching him struggle to lift and carry my suitcases, pictured here,long after my back has healed and well into the 'fake-it and milk-it' phase of recovery. Would stuffing the baggage with sand bags be a bad thing? Would making his cell phone ring as he carrying our bags up a flight of stairs be wrong? I find a whole, previously unconsidered area of life questions arising in my consciousness. There is much to ponder. My spiritual expedition has begun... Shalom 4 Now.
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