Israel and Jordan (Part 2) - Holy Land

Israel and Jordan (Part 2) Slide Show

Traveling to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and the Sea of Galilee was a dream come true for Jennifer and I. In 2001 we had a trip scheduled with our church, but we had to cancel after the events of 9-11. We felt fortunate to be able to go 7 years later with our 2 sons, Aaron and Noah, and our nephew Drew.
It was wonderful to spend Christmas Eve in Bethlehem as a family. But, as each of you watched the news in the days following Christmas, you saw how the spiritual significance of this land is often overshadowed by political and religious issues. As I write this, the missiles, bombing, and ground battles continue in the Gaza Strip. After only 2 weeks in Israel, we still have much to learn about this complex situation. What we do know is that we care deeply about the welfare of the Israelis and Palestinians that we met. Please pray for a quick end to the conflict and a long-term solution for Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
The Old City of Jerusalem is split into Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Armenian Quarters. The wall surrounding the Old City was constructed between 1537 and 1542 by Suleyman the Magnificent. You  enter the Old City through 1 of 8 gates. It is very difficult to describe a walled-in city that is split into 4 different religious quarters that carries so much religious significance for the 3 major monotheistic religions of the world. Christians can walk the Via Dolorosa to see the Stations of the Cross, the crucifixion site and the burial place of Jesus. The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount marks the spot where the Muslim Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven to take his place alongside Allah. The wall supporting the outer portion of the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock stands is the Western Wall (or the Wailing Wall) where Jews come to pray, inserting their prayers into the wall.
Prior to receiving a guided tour, we walked on the top of the wall that surrounds the Old City. It was a good way to view the city from above, seeing the winding streets with locals going about their daily business. Our tour was guided by Noam, who was extremely knowledgeable about all three religions and conducted a very informative tour. We walked the 14 Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa, ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Inside the church are the final 5 stations where Jesus was stripped of his clothes, nailed to the cross, crucified, died, and was buried. Whether or not these sights mark the exact locations of these events does not diminish the significance of walking the Stations of the Cross in Jerusalem.
The Temple Mount includes the beautiful Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Jews are not allowed to enter the Temple Mount and non-Muslims are not allowed in either building. This was our first exposure to the separation between religious groups in the Old City. On the other side of the Temple Mount wall we saw Jews praying by the Western Wall. We walked through each of the sections of the city, visiting buildings that have changed between Jewish, Muslim, and Christian places of worship depending on who was in charge of Jerusalem at the time. It was confusing, but the longer we spent in the Old City, the more we learned about the role that politics and religion have played in forming the Old City of Jerusalem today. You could spend days walking in the Old City, visiting places of worship, shopping in the souks, eating mounds of pita, falafel, hummus, and shwarma, and trying to gain a better understanding of the history of this incredible city.
Bethlehem brought another level of learning for the five of us. It was Christmas Eve in Bethlehem. Thoughts of Jesus in the manger and the Star of Bethlehem were quickly replaced with walls, security, and checkpoints. Bethlehem is a walled-in city in the West Bank consisting of Palestinian Muslims and Christians. Our tour into the West Bank was run by Fred Schlomka, owner of www.toursinenglish.com. Fred runs alternative tours not found on the typical tour bus route. For example, we spent time at a large Palestinian home that had been shot up during fighting with Israel and now is vacant.
Fred is an Israeli. We were also joined on the tour by Tamir, a Palestinian guide living in the West Bank. It was incredibly insightful getting both perspectives on the conflicts regarding the West Bank. It was enlightening to see the friendship that these two men have formed. If only the governments involved could follow their example. The wall surrounding the city and the gates and checkpoints are controlled by Israeli armed forces. We visited a Palestinian Christian family that no longer has access to the olive grove that has been in their family for hundreds of years due to the wall. The graffiti on the inside of the wall tells quite a story. Destroyed homes and refugee camps tell more stories.
We did go to the more visited parts of Bethlehem. There was a celebration in Manger Square that included Christmas songs by marching bands, complete with bagpipes. We went to the Church of the Nativity, which marks the spot where Jesus was born. It was special for us to be there on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, management of the church is divided up meter by meter between the Orthodox, Catholic and Armenian Christian clerics and they do not get along. This fact put a damper on the Christmas spirit for us. As a result of the conflict that we witnessed, our trip to Bethlehem was not quite the Christmas experience that we were looking for, but due to the knowledge and passion of our tour guides, Fred and Tamir, we came away with a deeper understanding of the situation in the West Bank.
Christmas Day was spent in our apartment, opening gifts that we purchased in the Old City market. We cherished the last day with our son Aaron as we took him and nephew Drew to the airport later that evening. Being together on Christmas, regardless of where we were was the best present of all. After their departure, Jennifer, Noah and I drove to Nazareth, the city where Jesus grew up. We saw the Basilica of the Annunciation, which marks the spot where the angel Gabriel told Mary that she was pregnant with the son of God. The Sea of Galilee was a special place where we saw where Jesus walked on the water and gave his Sermon on the Mount overlooking the Sea. We even drank some Cana Wedding Wine to commemorate Jesus' first miracle.
Special thanks to Sunita and Fred, who took us into their home, fed us, and patiently answered our questions about Israel. Sunita is a friend of Jennifer's from high school. She is a professional harpist that lives in Kfar Saba with her husband Fred (our previously mentioned tour guide) and their two children. Sunita even helped me find a baseball game to play in on December 28, the day before we left Israel. Unfortunately, the game was canceled due to bad field conditions. Oh well, the cancellation probably saved me a hamstring injury.
We spent a very informative and interesting two weeks in Israel, highlighted by being together as a family and seeing sights that we have always dreamed about seeing. As we were leaving Israel for Jordan, we drove by a convoy of tanks on flat-bed trailers making their way to Gaza. As stated earlier, we can only hope and pray that a cease-fire comes soon.
To see our slide show of Israel and Jordan (Part 2), click on the following link ==> Israel and Jordan (Part 2) Slide Show.

Israel and Jordan (Part 1) - Now There Are 5 of Us

Israel and Jordan (Part 1) Slide Show

After 3-1/2 months of travel as a triple, we were joined by son, Aaron and nephew, Drew. Aaron is a sophomore at Williams College in Williamstown, MA and Drew is a sophomore at Stillwater High School in Stillwater, MN. Aaron and Drew joined us for 9 days of their Christmas break. It is an understatement to say that Noah was happy to travel with someone besides his parents. It is also an understatement to say that Jennifer and I were ecstatic to have the family back together again. The reunion initially did not go as planned as Aaron and Drew arrived in the Tel Aviv airport and there was nobody there to pick them up. Bad planning, an incredibly turtle-slow rental car company and a classic Tel Aviv traffic jam all contributed to us arriving 45 minutes late. Sorry Aaron and Drew!
There was an adjustment to traveling with 5 people. Instead of a triple room in a hotel or hostel, we stayed in an apartment. We rented a car instead of taking public transportation. And with 3 growing young men, our food budget went through the roof and getting going early in the morning was a challenge. It was all worth it though as we thoroughly enjoyed the time that Aaron and Drew joined us.
Part 1 of our travels in Israel and Jordan cover Tel Aviv and trips to Haifa, Caesarea, Petra, Mitzpe Ramon, Dead Sea and Masada. Part 2 (forthcoming) will include our travels in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Amman. This second post will talk about our visits to Holy sights in the area where we learned about past and current political and religious conflicts.
We rented an apartment on the north side of Tel Aviv, a few blocks from the Mediterranean Sea. Much of our time was spent walking, talking, shopping, exploring and eating large quantities of pita, hummus, and Shwarma. We stayed close to Tel Aviv so that Aaron could go to physical therapy sessions for his hand at the Wingate Institute. Thanks to the help of my good friend friend Vijay Mehrotra, Aaron was able to receive quality treatment from a great therapist while in Israel. Tel Aviv is a very modern city with all the amenities of a big city in the USA. It was a nice change for Jennifer, Noah and I coming from developing countries and probably not enough of a change for Aaron and Drew coming from the United States.
One day trip out of Tel Aviv took us to the beautiful city of Haifa. The city sits atop Mt. Carmel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in Northern Israel. From the sea, you can walk up through the picturesque German Colony with wonderful cafes and restaurants. Looking straight up the mountain from the German Colony, there are the stunningly manicured Baha'i Gardens and Temple. Baha'i is the most recent of the world's religions, founded in 1844 by Baha'u'llah. According to the handout we received at the temple, their founder, "brought an essential message of unity, teaching that there is only one God, one human race, and that all the world's religions have been progressive stages in the revelation of God's will and purpose for humanity." On the way back from Haifa, we visited the ancient ruins of Caesarea, which was built by King Herod in 22 BC.
Israel has plenty to see, but since we were so close, we wanted Aaron and Drew to join us in Petra, Jordan. A peace agreement between Israel and Jordan in 1994 make the border crossing between the two countries relatively easy. Going into Jordan, the guards took a fascination with checking out Noah's PSP and broke 2 games in the process. They had machine guns, so we didn't put up too much of a fuss. On the way back, Jennifer, Noah, and I all had our bags checked thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly. It was also strange walking with our rolling luggage in the "No Man's Land" area surrounded by barbed wire after leaving Israel and before entering Jordan.
Petra goes down as one of the highlights of our trip to date. The Nabataeans built this city in the 3rd century BC. To build their homes, palaces, temples, and tombs, the Nabataeans chiseled and bored out of the sandstone mountains. The city itself was secluded and hidden deep into the mountains. Our guide stated that 35,000 people lived in Petra. The most famous structure is the Treasury, but the Monastery and other tombs and temples are equally impressive. We could have spent days walking through the caves and hiking to remote areas of the city. Aaron, Drew, Noah, and I took one side trip up the back of the Monastery. I am not sure if we were supposed to be on the top of this 4,000 year old structure, but it was sure fun.
While walking around Wadi Musa, Jordan we came across a pool hall filled with local arabs. There were pool tables and a snooker table. After getting over the initial shock of having a woman (Jennifer) enter their pool hall, the locals welcomed us with games of snooker and pool and hot tea. Aaron even got invited to come back from 11 pm - 3 am to "drink with them." He didn't go back, but it was a nice offer. Our next stop was a cafe where once again Jennifer was the only female. After a Fanta, stares, and our fair share of second hand smoke, we decided to call it a night.
On our way back to Tel Aviv, we stopped at Masada, an ancient fortress overlooking the Dead Sea in Israel. It was built by Herod the Great in 43 BC, but is better known in Israel as the location of Jewish freedom fighters who fought against the Romans. Between 66 AD and 70 AD, Jews fled from Jerusalem to Masada to avoid Roman persecution. in 73 AD, the Romans brought 8,000 troops to take back Masada. The Jews, who numbered 960 at the time fought for a few months, but when they realized that the Romans were about to conquer the fortress, "Eleazar Ben Yair gave two speeches in which he convinced the community that it would be better to take their own lives and the lives of their families than to live in shame and humiliation as Roman slaves." The Romans entered the fortress to see only 2 women and 5 children.
After a lot of driving, sightseeing and unusually chilly weather, we just did not have enough time to take a float in the Dead Sea. We drove by it though, reading our guidebook that states that the Dead Sea contains 20 times as much bromine, 15 times as much magnesium and 10 times as much iodine as regular sea water. This contributes to the sea being 33% solid substance, which is why you float so easily.  Maybe next time?
To see our slide show of Israel and Jordan (Part 1), click on the following link ==> Israel and Jordan (Part 1) Slide Show