Alexis' Israel Observations

Israel: An Amazing Journey

Last month was a time that will forever be etched in memory. It was a time of travel to the land of Israel, Eretz Ysrael. Our group was small, but mighty, just like our ancestors. With the exception of Rabbi Jonathan and his wife Ginny, we were all Israel first-timers. Our group consisted of Rabbi Jonathan, Ginny and Judah; Pam & Alexis (shabbat school teachers and long-time TBY members); Lori & Sydney (mother / daughter from Reno’s Temple Sinai); and Ron & Judy (part-time temple members who live in the Bay area).

We had the great fortune to have Youvall, the most knowledgeable tour guide one could ask for, take us to as many incredible places as the day would allow (thanks to our very patient bus driver, Yoseph). His love for history, and for the land of Israel was inspiring to us all. We had the opportunity to travel from cities in the north to the south and places in between. We even went east, into Jordan to explore the seventh wonder of the world, Petra.

After arriving in Tel Aviv, we traveled north to Tiberias located right on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret). Although the weather was not always cooperative, we still stuck with the planned itinerary making the best of it. As Youvall needed to say, “what you are NOT seeing would be…“ Many of our pictures show umbrellas and hoods drawn tight. For our first day of exploration, we went to the mystical and holy city of Safed (Tsfat) and explored the narrow cobblestone alleys, hilly streets (think San Francisco), different synagogues, and of course the Safed Candle Shop. From here, we stepped back in time and began our tour of the many ancient sites to be seen in Israel. We went to Qasrin, an ancient Jewish village, that once flourished from the fourth through eighth centuries C.E. This began our ancient history lessons.

Although Israel is geographically small, it is tremendous in history. And after visiting the many archeological sites, we were shown how history was built upon history. When one civilization was destroyed, whether by war or natural causes, a new civilization was built directly on top of it. This buried the older cities, only to be discovered later on in time through excavations. One such settlement was Beit Shean. This ancient site has uncovered over ten different settlements, the oldest from the Bronze Age. We explored the ancient Roman city of Beit Shean that dated back to the 1st century BCE - the 3rd century CE. Pam particularly enjoyed the theater, while Alexis enjoyed the streets (although the shops no longer existed). From here, we continued on with some more history. We visited Kumron, the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

Each day was incredible and unique. There were thoughts of ‘how could this day be topped’. And the next day seemed to be that day, until…The next morning, we were floating in the Dead Sea, by afternoon, we were climbing the Snake path up to Masada. Not only was this an indescribable experience, but the weather was finally glorious. We spent the rest of the day exploring and learning about Masada. From here we drove south to Kibbutz Yahel, in the Negev desert, which would be our “home” for 4 days. Although not nearly as luxurious as our other hotel accommodations, the kibbutz experience was a comfortable one (and equally tasty).

We were given a tour of the kibbutz and some of its agricultural components. We picked pomelos right off the trees. It was interesting to see how their pomelo groves are literally across the road from the Jordanian border. We also visited their dairy farm. From here, we kept within the animal theme and went to Hai Bar, a biblical wildlife reserve.

Waking up early to drive to the Eilat, Israel / Aqaba, Jordan border crossing, we embarked on our journey to see Petra, the newest wonder of the world. It was an ancient city carved out of the colorful sandstone mountains. Many breathtaking views to be seen here.

Some of the other places we went to were Timna, or Solomon’s Mines and the Underwater Observatory in Eilat. We even had the opportunity to swim in the Red Sea. Again the weather was in our favor, which made the swim more enjoyable. On our drive north to Jerusalem, we went on a jeep tour of the Makhtesh Ramon Crater. We also visited the Ben Gurion Institute. This day we went from prehistoric to contemporary history.

Spending numerous days in Jerusalem, we toured many museums and places within the Old City and Jerusalem area. We even managed to get back into Tel Aviv and Jaffe. Jerusalem is a wonderful city with much to offer, not to mention it’s ancient historical sites. We went to The Wall or Kotel more than once, placing our prayers in the cracks. We walked down the cobblestone streets within the Old City, really getting the feeling of eretz yisrael. Passover will never be the same, for when it is said, “next year in Jerusalem”, there will truly be that connection.

It is one thing to read about or hear about something or someplace. It is definitely another thing to experience it. It becomes a part of you. This has been a trip of a lifetime, but not just the one and only trip there. It has become the inspiration to go back and visit again.

Rob Ruby's Trip Notes

ISRAEL TRIP

December 22, 2008 Leave SFO

December 23, 2008
Arrive in Tel Aviv,
Rabbi Jonathan & Yuval (guide) picked up at airport, and met rest of tour group who arrived earlier
Drive to Tiberias, Stop at Rest Area on the way,
Check in at Gai Beach Hotel, Buffet dinner, Thunderstorms overnight and hear waves from room

December 24, 2008
Buffet breakfast, lots of cheeses, fruit, fish,
Drive to Tsfat (Safed), 1 of 4 Holy Cities (Jerusalem, Tiberias & Jericho), 2 old synagogues: Ha’Ari – founder of Kaballah & Joseph Caro,
Lunch at café on main street overlooking rain,
Drive to Golan Heights – rainy, foggy,
Drive to Katzrin – ancient city from 5th century,
Yarden winery tour
Return to hotel for dinner buffet

December 25, 2008
Buffet breakfast, check out of hotel,
Drive to Kibbutz Nehara, Yuval’s (guide) mother greets us,
Drive to Beit Sha’an – ancient city /archeological dig, first settlement 5th Century BCE
Visit Qumram / Kumran, location of Dead Sea Scrolls, first settled 8th Century BCE
Drive to Dead Sea, check in Le Meridian David Hotel, 10th floor room facing Sea, buffet dinner

December 26, 2008
Buffet breakfast,
Float in Dead Sea,
Check out of hotel,
Drive to Massada, walk up snake path and tour focused on northern section,
Drive to Kibbutz Yahel in the Negev Desert,
Check in room – small bungalow with kitchenette,
Dinner at Kibbutz – family style

December 27, 2008
Buffet breakfast,
Misplaced camera,
Tour of Date & Pomelo farm,
Tour of dairy farm,
Lunch at Kibbutz with ice cream (?),
Drive to wildlife park – Hai Bar safari,
Buffet dinner at Kibbutz Yahel,
found camera

December 28, 2008
Leave Kibbutz at 6am (no buffet breakfast),
Drive to Eliat border with Jordan, Cross border into Jordan – no real security,
Meet Jordanian guide Mamood and bus to Petra,
Drive thru Jordanian towns, looks like bombed out buildings, many empty, most with rebar on roof,
Arrive at Petra visitors centers – Indiana Jones gift shop,
Walking tour of Petra – incredible,
Return to border at 630 pm and cross into Israel – heavy security,
Drive back to Kibbutz Yahel for buffet dinner


December 29, 2008
Breakfast buffet at Kibbutz Yahel,
Drive to Timna / Solomon’s mines, walked up pillars,
Drive to Eliat, lunch at beach, shwarma, walked in mall, Underwater observatory, Eliat stone factory tour & purchase necklace,
Dinner buffet at Kibbutz Yahel

December 30, 2008
Buffet breakfast and Kibbutz Yahel check out ,
Drive to Crater – jeep tour, air force training? (yea, right),
Lunch at Mitzphe Ramon,
Drive to Ben Gurion’s tomb,
Drive to Jerusalem,
Check in Crowne Plaza & buffet dinner

December 31, 2008
Buffet breakfast,
Drive to Old City near Zion Gate
View of Mount of Olives, Upper Room (Last Supper), King David’s Tomb, Roman Cardo, shopping in Jewish Quarter, Lunch at Quarter Café,
Davidson Archeological Dig, Hulda Stairs, Western Wall & Tunnel Tour
Buffet dinner

January 1, 2009
Buffet breakfast, drive 10 minutes to Knesset Tour, heavy security, no cameras, no knife,
Drive to Ayalonin Rehovot, bullet factory tour,
Drive to Jaffa, lunch at city center, saw red car, walk to Abrasha Park, view of Mediterranean & Tel Aviv,
Roman Catholic Church, Muslim Tower, Rocks of Andromeda, Persius pissed off Posiden,
Walk thru Jewish Neighborhood,
Drive to Tel Aviv, Bow House Area,
Drive back to Jerusalem hotel for buffet dinner

January 2, 2009
Buffet breakfast,
Drive to Yad Vashem,
Historical Museum only 5 years old, very crowded,
Hall of Remembrance – remains of Holocaust victims, emotional,
Fighters & Survivors Memorial, Childrens Memorial,
Mount Herzel, Herzel tomb & Prime Ministers tombs & presidents’ tombs, military cemetery,
Jerusalem market crowd before Shabbat, shofar guy, closed early, Western Wall, high security & lots of hats
Drive back to Jerusalem hotel for buffet dinner

January 3, 2009
Buffet breakfast nothing cooked on Shabbat,
Hebrew Union College Shabbat service, Reconstructionist, mourners kaddish for Libby, Dad & Mark,
Visit King David Hotel, YMCA,
Old City thru Herod’s Gate, stations of cross 1 – 9,
Lunch at Papa Andrea’s overlook Holy Sepulcher & German Lutheran Church,
Only 1 entrance to Holy Sepulcher, stations 10-14 inside,
Center of church is dome of tomb #14, Muslim family has only key to church, status quo ladder,
Walk to Jaffa Gate, 2 builders of wall buried, tower of David built by Suleiman
Drive back to Jerusalem hotel for buffet dinner

January 4, 2009 Buffet breakfast, Check out, shuttle to airport, fly home

Day 3 - Heading South

While we still faced some rain, the weather began to improve as we headed south.
We began the day on Kibbutz Ashdot Ya-akov, one of the oldest settlements in the Sea of Galilee Area. We met our guide Yuval's mother, and heard about the history of the Kibbutz movement and early Zionism in Israel.
From there we went to Beit She-an, one of the most amazing archeological digs - with a full Roman coliseum, Roman bath houses, a marketplace and Roman streets. We saw the damage done to the street by the terrible earthquake that destroyed the city in the 8th century, and stood underneath the massive 'tel' - the artificial hill made by ancient cities being built on top of one another.
After Beit She-an we continued south towards the Dead Sea, visited the caves of Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, and a settlement of Essenes who wrote them dwelt 2,000 years ago.
From there we headed to our spa resort at the southern end of the Dead Sea.

Day 2 - Tzfat and the Golan - Rain!

We awoke to lots of rain in Tiveria this day, had breakfast, and headed out to Tzfat, where we toured the synagogues of the Ari and Yosef Caro, as well as the famous candle factory. Yuval explained about the history of Tzfat as a center of mysticism, a place where Jews had lived continuously since ancient times, and a place where Jews fought and defended during the Israeli War of Independence.
After lunch in a cafe overlooking the great view of Tzfat, that we could barely see, we headed through the finger of the Galilee, up into the Golan Heights. There we visited the ancient town of Katzrin, an archeological site, and the Yarden winery - see the videos!

Day 1

Arrival in Israel - Lori & Sydney, Alexis & Pam arrived on the evening of December 22, after Ginny, Jonathan & Jude arrived on December 21.
We spent the morning exploring on our own, and then in the afternoon, all of us who had arrived already met in the cool Tel Aviv neighborhood around Shenkin Street. After lunch at a cafe, we went shopping. Ginny visited an Israeli music store, got tons of recommendations, and brought back some great new music.
While Ginny was shopping, Jude and Jonathan got to explore a nearby playground.
Quickly headed back to our hotel, met our wonderful guide and driver, Yuval and Yosef, and boarded the bus to the airport to pick up Rob and Judy.
Picked up Rob and Judy, drove north via the newest Israeli highway, a toll road, Route 6, stopped at an Israeli style rest stop for snacks, and continued to Tevaria (Tiberias), where we found the hotel already celebrating Chanukah big time - the videos from that evening will be posted soon too.

OK - here it comes!

First videos from the trip being uploaded right now.
Enjoy!

More to come

So the trip is finished, and we will start to post photos and videos as we return home. Everyone except Ginny, Jude, and me, left by this morning. We will be in Israel until early Tuesday AM, Israeli time.
As we get back, I will begin to post diary entries from each of our days on the trip.
Can't wait to see everyone on our return!
Jonathan