Shalom. Happy New Year from Tel Aviv, Israel.
A couple of days ago our El Al 747 flight from JFK airport in New York landed in Tel Aviv. It was a long flight, about 10 hours, but El Al is a great airline, and they served two meals along the way. Ben Gurion airport is very sleek. I was especially glad to arrive in Israel because I was interrogated by Israeli security officials at JFK airport for more than an hour. They grilled me over and over again with the same questions, all of which I answered honestly and straightforwardly, but to no avail. When they finally let me through the gate, another Israeli official called me back for more interrogation. If Israeli airport security is that thorough with a cherub faced young man from Utah, I imagine that actual terrorists would have a very hard time sneaking through.
I met a nice Israeli couple near the terminal, which presented me with the opportunity to practice speaking Hebrew with them for a while. The husband Shmuel told me about his travels, his life, his family, and so forth. Then he taught me a kind of proverb in Hebrew: "Et avoda, et lanuach, et letayel" ("A time for work, a time to rest, a time to travel"). In essence, there is a time for every purpose under the sun, just like The Byrds sang.
We had an orientation meeting during which the leaders of the Philos Project introduced themselves. I have already posted information about the vision and itinerary of the Philos Project here and here. One of the first speakers was Herb Keinon, an American-born Israeli journalist who writes for the Jerusalem Post. He shared the story of his life, and his decision to raise a family in Israel. He is the son of a Holocaust survivor, and his devotion to the State of Israel is obvious. He spoke about the collective longings of the Jewish people, including the yearning of his ancestors to touch the stones of the Western Wall.
There are more than 6.3 million Jews currently living in Israel, and the history of their migration is in many ways miraculous. Mr. Keinon gave a brief account of the establishment of the state of Israel, recognizing the hand of God throughout it all. He also explained the nature of the Israeli psyche to us: Israelis know what it means to feel insecure, and they know how to rapidly resolve short term problems. They are innovative and resilient. Finally, he touched briefly on Palestine and conflict with Iran.
By the end of the presentations we were all so exhausted from travel and jet lag that we went right to sleep. This morning we went to Jaffa. It is a city with a long and interesting history that can be learned about in the Bible and in other books. Here are a few pictures from our stroll through Jaffa:
After visiting Jaffa, one of the oldest cities in the world, we drove South along the coast and then inland to work on an archeological dig in Beit Guvrin. Beit Guvrin is a national park in central Israel that encompasses about 1250 acres. There are approximately 3500 underground chambers in more than 400 different caves. Excavations are a slow and tedious process that turn up very few treasures and a lot of dirt and rocks, but a few of us found pottery shards, bones, and even pieces of small lamps. I found a few scrolls with ancient Hebrew inscriptions, but I figured that they were worthless, so I tossed them in the trash.
Just kidding about the scrolls. After the dig, we proceeded to Kfar Aza, a kibbutz in Southern Israel, for lunch and a tour. Our guide, a woman by the name of Chen, taught us about life under the constant threat of Qassam rockets and mortar shells. She recounted harrowing stories of survival on the kibbutz, and we learned about the need for bomb shelters.
A view of Gaza, the area from which Hamas launches many of its missiles, was sobering.
From Kfar Aza, we continued on to Sderot, which is the bomb shelter capital of the world. Sderot is less than a mile from Gaza. Rocket attacks on the city have killed 13 Israelis, wounded dozens, and caused much physical and psychological destruction. Rabbi Shmuel Bowman led us through some of the bomb shelters, and introduced us to some of his friends who assist children whose lives have been altered by the dangerous conditions. We even visited a rocket museum where we hefted the remnants of detonated Qassam rockets, Ketusha rockets, and Iron Dome projectiles that were deployed in defense of the city. Rabbi Shmuel shared a story about a man whose life was saved by the very bomb shelter that he paid to have built. (see www.operationlifeshield.org) Some playgrounds have also been transformed to make them safer in the event of an attack.
After Sderot, we returned to Tel Aviv, to the Metropolitan Hotel, for a delicious dinner and some games. This is a ten day adventure. Tomorrow we will visit Caesarea, Armageddon, and Nazereth.
A couple of days ago our El Al 747 flight from JFK airport in New York landed in Tel Aviv. It was a long flight, about 10 hours, but El Al is a great airline, and they served two meals along the way. Ben Gurion airport is very sleek. I was especially glad to arrive in Israel because I was interrogated by Israeli security officials at JFK airport for more than an hour. They grilled me over and over again with the same questions, all of which I answered honestly and straightforwardly, but to no avail. When they finally let me through the gate, another Israeli official called me back for more interrogation. If Israeli airport security is that thorough with a cherub faced young man from Utah, I imagine that actual terrorists would have a very hard time sneaking through.
I met a nice Israeli couple near the terminal, which presented me with the opportunity to practice speaking Hebrew with them for a while. The husband Shmuel told me about his travels, his life, his family, and so forth. Then he taught me a kind of proverb in Hebrew: "Et avoda, et lanuach, et letayel" ("A time for work, a time to rest, a time to travel"). In essence, there is a time for every purpose under the sun, just like The Byrds sang.
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| Welcome (in Hebrew and in Arabic) |
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| Can you see the Israeli flag on the tip of the wing? |
We arrived in Tel Aviv at approximately 4:30 pm, and gradually made our way to the Metropolitan Hotel. The meals at the Hotel are elaborate and delicious. There is such a variety, and so many choices, that we could spend all day eating without being able to sample every item.
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| This is just the salad bar |
There are more than 6.3 million Jews currently living in Israel, and the history of their migration is in many ways miraculous. Mr. Keinon gave a brief account of the establishment of the state of Israel, recognizing the hand of God throughout it all. He also explained the nature of the Israeli psyche to us: Israelis know what it means to feel insecure, and they know how to rapidly resolve short term problems. They are innovative and resilient. Finally, he touched briefly on Palestine and conflict with Iran.
By the end of the presentations we were all so exhausted from travel and jet lag that we went right to sleep. This morning we went to Jaffa. It is a city with a long and interesting history that can be learned about in the Bible and in other books. Here are a few pictures from our stroll through Jaffa:
After visiting Jaffa, one of the oldest cities in the world, we drove South along the coast and then inland to work on an archeological dig in Beit Guvrin. Beit Guvrin is a national park in central Israel that encompasses about 1250 acres. There are approximately 3500 underground chambers in more than 400 different caves. Excavations are a slow and tedious process that turn up very few treasures and a lot of dirt and rocks, but a few of us found pottery shards, bones, and even pieces of small lamps. I found a few scrolls with ancient Hebrew inscriptions, but I figured that they were worthless, so I tossed them in the trash.
Just kidding about the scrolls. After the dig, we proceeded to Kfar Aza, a kibbutz in Southern Israel, for lunch and a tour. Our guide, a woman by the name of Chen, taught us about life under the constant threat of Qassam rockets and mortar shells. She recounted harrowing stories of survival on the kibbutz, and we learned about the need for bomb shelters.
 |
| A sharp piece of shrapnel from mortar shells launched from Gaza |
A view of Gaza, the area from which Hamas launches many of its missiles, was sobering.
From Kfar Aza, we continued on to Sderot, which is the bomb shelter capital of the world. Sderot is less than a mile from Gaza. Rocket attacks on the city have killed 13 Israelis, wounded dozens, and caused much physical and psychological destruction. Rabbi Shmuel Bowman led us through some of the bomb shelters, and introduced us to some of his friends who assist children whose lives have been altered by the dangerous conditions. We even visited a rocket museum where we hefted the remnants of detonated Qassam rockets, Ketusha rockets, and Iron Dome projectiles that were deployed in defense of the city. Rabbi Shmuel shared a story about a man whose life was saved by the very bomb shelter that he paid to have built. (see www.operationlifeshield.org) Some playgrounds have also been transformed to make them safer in the event of an attack.
 |
| The remains of an Iron Dome missile |
After Sderot, we returned to Tel Aviv, to the Metropolitan Hotel, for a delicious dinner and some games. This is a ten day adventure. Tomorrow we will visit Caesarea, Armageddon, and Nazereth.
awesome
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