Four years ago, our visit to Israel (Paradise News, June 2013 issue) was an enlightened travelogue with many sights from north to south including a stop at the Petra ruins in Jordan.
Our return trip from October 23 to November 1 was more a pilgrimage than a tourist visit as we had a true learning experience as well as stops in both old and new sections of the country. Most important, many of the people we met and learned from were committed to working one to one for future peace between Jews and Palestinians and Arabs.
My wife Bonnie and I traveled with other members of our Temple Beth-El in St. Petersburg, led by our Rabbi, Michael Torop, and a small group from Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue, WA, led by their Cantor David Serkin-Poole. We had a marvelous tour guide, Shari Robins, who made Aliyah (emigrated to Israel) from Cleveland 33 years ago.
Day 2: After a good, but long, flight, we took a short trip to Neot Kedumim, a lovely Biblical Gardens nature park started by the son of Ukraine immigrants who got a 600-acre grant between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv from then Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. Our guide, Michal, had been stationed with an Army camp nearby and returned to the Gardens as a very knowledgeable tour guide. We had a lovely time that including herding a small flock of 17 goats and 15 sheep, seeing an ancient village with a wine press, olive press and cistern from the early 1700’s that still provides well water, and a tour of the “Garden of 7 Species” including willow, myrtle, cedar and Etrog fruit (all Sukkot holiday symbols); plus pine trees and date palms. In the evening, we visited the old city of Jaffa and enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Old Man and the Sea.
Day 3 in Tel Aviv started with an informative lecture by scholar Paul LIptz of Tel Aviv University and Hebrew Union College who spent 35 years as a social historian, as well as serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reserves for many years. He covered the Law of Return after independence in 1948 that guaranteed sanctuary to any Jew from around the world, and the fractured makeup of Israel citizens. Included are 22% Muslims, 10% Christians, 10% Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) who refuse to serve in the iDF. After 50 years in Israel since 1967 he’s encouraged about the future but acknowledged the many challenges to peace. We visited Independence Hall where Ben-Gurion declared the State of Israel in1948 after the UN approved statehood, the Levinsky market for a tasting tour, then the open-air Carmel Market, and a pedestrian mall on Nachalat Binyamin where arts & crafts abounded. Finally that afternoon we went to Yitzak Rabin Square with a memorial to the “peace” Prime Minister, who was assassinated Nov. 4, 1995. Our evening included a visit to a Templar Village called Sarona that includes a new TLV Mall, with a lovely dinner at Pastamia Italian restaurant.
Day 4 on way to Kfar Blum Kibbutz in Galilee drove along coastal highway, stopping north of Caesarea at an ancient aqueduct built by King Herod and within view of the first natural gas plant just offshore. We had a notable visit to Druze village Usfiya for lunch with hostess Gurudh, a charming young lady who graduated with a BA in math and computer science at Haifa University. The Druze sect split from Islam 1,000 years ago and is very loyal to any country of residence, with many holding high positions in the Army and government. We also briefly visited Zippori National Park near Nazareth where Rabbi Judah HaNasi (sometimes referred to as Judah the Prince) codified the Mishnah into 63 tractates in the 2nd Century CE. We had a nice dinner at Kfar Blum, one of the wealthiest kibbutzim with three corporations: hospitality including hotel and spa, agriculture, and manufacture of agricultural equipment. Informative talk by a long-time resident, who started as a communal resident sharing government income, and now a “partner” with other unit owners in any corporate profits.
Day 5 began with a brief walk through the historic 3,000-year-old Tel Dan Nature Park where a cuneiform discovery was the first written proof of the House of David’s existence. We then were picked up in three Jeep Wranglers by former IDF veterans, some still in the reserves, for a dramatic drive to the, occupied territory since the 1967 War, on the Syrian border. One of our guides, Yanim, is a 21st generation Israeli on his father’s side and lives in Metullah, literally with his backyard on the Lebanon border. Many live minefields are all around the area. Ascending to Mt. Bental, we were able to grasp the geography of this region, identifying the intersection of Lebanon, Israel, Syria and Jordan from this mountain vista, including seeing the UN outpost on this outcrop. The day ended with a brief stop at Shaar Yishuv with its impressive and lovely memorial to the 73 Israeli soldiers who died when two helicopters collided on the way to a secret mission in 1997. At the site of the original memorial (an alcove in the woods) we reflected on our experiences during this first week of our trip.
Day 6 drive to Jerusalem along the Sea of Galilee past Tiberias to Kinneret past the Church of Beatitudes where Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount to fishermen (loaves & fish fable). Then past Pinchas pumping station started in the 1950’s to take water from the Galilee way south to the Negev desert as part of the National Water Carrier Project (NWCP). The Galilee is now shrinking with no more water diverted. This includes extracting minerals from the Dead Sea for cosmetics, notably at the Ahava kibbutz. Drove by Tiberias, built by the son of Herod to honor the then Roman emperor, famous for its hot springs and where poet Rachel and Moses Maimonides are buried. It is one of four holy cities — where the Jerusalem Talmud and Aleppo Codes were written — including Jerusalem, Safed and Hebron. Next stop was the Schneiderman Family Farm & Store for spices and dates, where one 94-year-old son of the founders is still active. Travelling along the Trans-Israel Highway, we got our first introduction to the security barrier between Israel and the West Bank, setting the scene for more explorations of this conflict in the days to come. We spent a wonderful Shabbat service and dinner with the small Kehillat Yuval, a Reform Jewish community in nearby Gedera, led by Rabbi Myra Hovav. Our host’s family is descended from one of the 66 families that founded Tel Aviv.
Day 7 Shabbat morning started with a convoluted taxi ride to the 9/11 Living Memorial on Route1 in the Ramot area. It is overwhelming and impressive with all 2,700-plus names on a wall, with a flag sculpture in the plaza atop a piece of the Twin Towers. Dedicated in 2009, it was donated by the city of New York and funded by the Jewish National Fund. Nearby is the new $23 million Kraft Family Sports Campus — including $6 million from Robert Kraft, owner of the NFL New England Patriots. It opened in July for the Maccabiah Games. We then visited the Western Wall of King Solomon’s 2nd Temple and had a brief service at the newly opened egalitarian section for men and women to worship together. We then had a lovely dinner at Tmol Shilshom, a unique restaurant/bookstore in a nearby local neighborhood.
Day 8 began with a talk by Shlomo Balsam, former head of the European Jewish Agency and a Shoah (Holocaust) expert. He now teaches teachers and is a tour guide in Poland and Europe. He is now a Yad Vashem (Holocaust memorial) guide after losing family members at Auschwitz concentration camp. He noted the Shoah officially dates to September 1, 1939, when the Warsaw (Poland) Ghetto Jews began their 43-day fight against the Nazis. That date was officially declared Yom Ha Shoah in 1953. A visit to Yad Vashem, the Shoah memorial, was most rewarding and overwhelming. The Avenue of Righteous Gentiles honors 27,000 plus who aided Jews during World War II, with a tree and plaque for many of them. Still the most touching is the separate Children’s Memorial, with thousands of tiny lights in a darkened interior as you hear the names of the 1.5 million children who died read aloud. That afternoon we had a very informative talk by Hamutal Gouri, executive director of the Dafna Fund, working for social change since 2003 as a feminist first. The Fund is “sunsetting” with most of its mission achieved, and now in the hands of many other groups. An evening visit to the Western Wall included a brief stop at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Jesus tomb can be visited, and a nice view of the historic Favro Ashkenazi synagogue. A short trip through the Western Wall tunnels was most impressive, including a view of the righteous women’s prayer area close to the believed original cornerstone of Solomon’s Temple.
Day 9 opened with an enlightened talk by Prof. Reuben Hazan, head of the Hebrew University political science department, who gave a stark contrast between our democratically-elected president and Congress with personal contests, vs. the Israeli parliamentary democracy election with votes in the Knesset (Congress) for a party – not a person – with the majority party selecting the Prime Minister. There are distinctly different issues with the economy tops in the US. and security number one in Israel. We then took our bus to Bethlehem in the Palestinian West Bank with very knowledgeable guide Rami Nazzal, a Palestinian with a U.S. passport. He is head of both Beyond Borders Tours and the Seeds of Peace organization. The 19 Refugee camps are a big problem and we took a brief walk through Camp Aida, founded in 1948 after the War for Independence, where thousands are housed in cramped buildings with limited power and water. We then visited the Walled Off Hotel with its art gallery and museum, and had lunch at The Tent. Final stop was at Gush Etzion at the main Highway 60 junction between Bethlehem and Hebron to the home of Jewish and Seattle-born Shaul Nudelman, whose family founded the agricultural kibbutz. We had an excellent dialogue with he and his Palestinian friend, Noor, whose family lost their home here after the 1948 War of Independence. They are working together in the Roots/Shorashim project to bring both Jews and Palestinians together on a one to one basis. More than 1,500 are involved to date working on bridge building for two states and one homeland. The evening included a visit to the top-line Mamilla Arcade for dinner, and the stunning digital Light Show at the Tower of David just inside the Joshua Gate of the Old City.
Day 10, our last full day in Israel, began with a talk with Rabbi Noa Shattah, director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), which recently had a Jerusalem open house for the only LGBT center in the country. IRAC is the social justice division of the Reform movement with the goal to build bridges through their 50-plus synagogues. Another key project is the start-up of a Racism Crisis Center, patterned after the Southern Poverty Leadership Center (SPLC) in the U.S. Last stop was at Yad LaKashish, or “Lifeline for the Old”, where since 1962 some 270 from age 65 to 96, mostly immigrants, work to produce many artisan products from embroidery to metalwork. With 11 workshops, all products are sold in the Gift Shop, with profits – and donations – used to continue the very successful operation.
With all the dialogues we had with people of many diverse backgrounds and opinions, one sentiment came through loud and clear – everyone wants peace, which made this visit to Israel a true pilgrimage.
Story & Photos by STEVE TRAIMAN
[Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Rabbi Michael Torop for his editing and added commentary.]
[Steve Traiman is President of Creative Copy by Steve Traiman in St. Pete Beach, offering freelance business writing services. He can be reached via email at traimancreativecopy@gmail.com ]