Galilee, Part I

We're returning from a salmon dinner, walking along a ridge of the Golan Heights that overlooks the blue Sea of Galilee. This is Kibbutz Haruv, and accommodations here really are a cottage industry. Each cabin is surrounded by manicured lawns intermingled with sculptured flower gardens. Birdsong punctuates the sunset. Tomorrow morning, the Kibbutzniks deliver breakfast to our individual cabins. This is like a Disney movie. I think I'm gonna like it here.

It's been a couple of days since my last report, so I'll summarize some highlights.

BAHA'I, AND HOW ARE YA?
Reaching down toward the port of Haifa, the Baha'i Gardens is one of the beauties of northern Israel. The Baha'i faith, a relative newcomer among the mighty theologies of the region, holds this as a sacred site. A testament to color and serenity, the garden's 19 perfect terraces cascade in concentric waves. The photo doesn't do justice to its symmetry and grace.






NAZARETH WAS MORE THAN EXPECTED
At the time of Jesus, Nazareth was an insignificant village of about 300. It was several hundred years after his death that events important to Christianity were identified as having occurred in his home town. So I wasn't anticipating a major find in the Basilica of the Annunciation. This church turned out to be one of the most interesting architecturally and spiritually. The latest of five structuresu on the site, the 1969 complex impressed in many ways, including its status as the largest in the Middle East. An "upper church," almost anachronistically modern in design and scope, dominates an area filled with original art and mosaics from all the countries with major Catholic populations and rises to a 200 foot dome shaped like a white lily. But it was the "lower church" that had the most impact. A dimly lit sunken enclosure is built around the apse of a 5th Century Byzantine church previously on the location. This, in turn, is built around the grotto of Mary's annunciation, traditionally also her home. Overall, the site left quite an impact.






ROMAN RUINS AND CRUSADER FORTS
Caesarea was a pet project of Herod the Great, who wanted to create a Roman harbor to rival Alexandria. He proceeded to build an artificial enclosure that became an engineering marvel. Once completed, he expanded the area to allow Caesarea to become one of the major cities in the Province. A hippodrome, as in Rome, provided chariot races and gladiator bouts. But it was the large amphitheater, currently restored to its former state, that provided me the most interest. While I was there, they were setting up a big rock concert. But I also was aware that this was the site, in front of a cheering crowd, of the torture and execution of ten Jewish sages, including Rabbi Akiva, following the Bar Kochba revolt in the 2nd Century. It was hard to reconcile the two spectacles.

Caesarea also hosted a significant period under the Crusaders. But its archeological finds paled in comparison with the treasures of Akko (Acre). Here the Crusaders dominated for 400 years, creating one of the greatest ports of commerce in the Middle East. Remarkably, many of the Crusader structures remain undiscovered. As in much of the Middle East, entire levels of civilization are created over the ruins of a previously dominant resident. Such was the case of the Crusader ruins of Akko. We traversed miles of beautiful Gothic fortifications and reinforced tunnels, yet most are still claimed by sand and stone.






And the Crusaders were such an influential entity in the Middle East, until the Mamluks, an unruly Arab hoard, arrived in the 13th Century, outnumbered the Crusaders 10:1, obliterated them to a man and leveled all their construction. So much for sustainable urban planning.

Coming up: more from The Galilee

Ambiguities

We're in small bus, tearing our way towards Nazareth via Haifa. The day began with our departure from Tel Aviv. I've enjoyed this city, with its high energy level. But there's also ongoing large construction everywhere, as the city limits continue to expand and traffic congestion presages future urban challenges. Along today's route, terrain is rocky. Villages and small towns peek out between the hills and atop its ridges. Out of nowhere, and seemingly out of place, emerge small industrial centers; tall buildings hosting the Israeli headquarters of Intel, IBM and Google, among many others. Am I climbing Mount Carmel or entering the Silicon Valley? I feel like I'm between two worlds.

Israel is a country defined by its ambiguities. Down one side of the street Jews and Arabs of both genders demurely walk, garbed in the strictest of religious attire. Up the other side caper similarly youthful men and women out of another era: ours. Although most of the Israeli population supports efforts to secure a strong Jewish state, a vocal and influential minority would prefer that Israel not exist at all, and consults publicly with Arab opposition. Most of the country's Jews are secular and moderately observant, as contrasted to the Ultra-Orthodox, whose rigid adherence to tradition brooks no deviation from the Law.

Nothing brought this into focus more than two lengthy conversations within a 24-hour period with very different representatives of Jewish Orthodoxy.

MY WAY, OR THE HIGHWAY
Dinner last night was in the dining room of the yeshiva (place of learning) of the Jewish Orthodox Community of B'nei Brak, outside of Tel Aviv. After a tasty traditional meal of cholent, a stew slow-cooked for twelve hours that's typically reserved to conclude Shabbat, we interacted with a representative of the student body. The philosophy I anticipated was the philosophy delivered, but I had never been exposed to this line of fundamentalist absolutism and found the experience more than a little disturbing. This encounter wasn't designed to be confrontational, and no one in the group, Jew and Gentile alike, was judgmental. But my impression, reinforced throughout the evening, was that this 19-year-old had been brainwashed into espousing facets of an almost cultish religion. He challenged us repeatedly to ask the hard questions. His answers, however, were repeatedly out of the same playbook, prefaced by "Well, the Rabbis explain ..." None of his comments dispelled the impression that a fundamentalist, of any religion or political bent, has an interpretation that completely justifies his definition of reality. There's no argument necessary; it's the law. As we departed the yeshiva, I privately inquired why he did not begin the meal with a "hamotzie," the traditional blessing over bread. He confided that it would have been inappropriate, as there were non-Jews present. Unstated, of course, was his perception that no one in the room, save his community members, was in any way Jewish, as even those who profess to observe the religion in a less than Ultra-Orthodox fashion are not adherents of the true religion.

ORTHODOXY ON A COMMUNE
Today lunch, and a relaxing afternoon, were spent with a family on an agricultural commune in Galilee. Here, we experienced a different view regarding religious observance. But first, a word about a commune vs. a kibbutz. The latter is a socialist construct, where everyone shares work on the community's projects and its products. The commune is a structure of individual farms (or other endeavors), each privately owned, but where neighbors interact as a community regarding common needs and defense. (More like our pioneer communities in America.) I was surprised to learn that kibbutzim never exceeded 3-4% of the Israeli economy; communes were more the norm. I guess kibbutzim had better PR. In any case, we began the meal by preparing our own focaccia bread and toppings from scratch (up to our elbows in flour, but pleased with the results).




Following a lunch of very fresh foods, we conversed with our host, whose farm harvests around 1,000 olive trees. An observant Jew (Orthodoxy is the only sect in Israel), his family encouraged him to travel extensively, and he graduated from Stanford. Yet, he returned to work and ultimately manage the third-generation business. His take on observant Orthodox Judaism was considerably more open than those at the yeshiva. Working to support his family (as opposed to participating in continual adult studies), completing compulsory military service and contributing to sustain the state were part of his lifestyle, although these are all refuted by Ultra-Orthodoxy. I was more comfortable with his acceptance of Judaism in the varied forms practiced in the U.S.

This dichotomy of religious belief will be prominent in upcoming experiences at the center of Orthodoxy: Jerusalem.

Next: Caesarea and the Crusader city of Akko.

First Impressions Aren't Deceiving

It's a long shlep, no matter how you slice it. Around 24-hours after locking up the condo, I stared through the window of a packed Boeing to just make out the emerging coastline of Israel. I was tired, more than usually crabby and overfed on that swell Delta cuisine. But this is my first trip back since the early '70s. I was more than a little excited and, well, rather moved to witness Tel Aviv, much larger than I remembered, filling the horizon.

We swooped south to Lod, where David Ben-Gurion International Airport resides, about halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. I anticipated long delays during the heavy three-phase security program required on entry, but after sailing through the passport line, my bag was ready for pickup. It was fun chatting up affairs of the day with the many Birthright students making their first, and highly anticipated, journey. There were hundreds of them at Passport Control, and the streets of Tel Aviv are filled with kids in this program. I'm glad it's still viable, post-Madoff.

A cursory observation confirms that the demographics of Tel Aviv are skewed to the young. Most everyone on the streets, in restaurants and in front of or behind the counters are energetic 20-somethings. True, the university is here. But so are the jobs and other opportunities. And the sense of Sabra pride! Residents walk tall and with focus. There are things to be done and these are the ones who will do it. It's more than their nationalism, which is considerable (I've never seen so many flags on display, outside of Disneyworld). There's also a running theme of courtesy that prevails. I've met no one who hasn't gone out of his/her way to be hospitable and helpful. I understand that this is the norm throughout Israel and on the West Bank. I look forward to finding out.

THE TOUR
I'll go into detail on this tour later (sorry, I'm only in Day 2 of adjustment to the 10-hour time change). For now, I can report that the other 15 folks in this group are fine and fun, the guide is articulate and I believe we'll all enjoy the experience. Discussion of domestic politics almost reared it's two-headed form this afternoon, and we immediately established a no-fly zone ground rule. Will we ever get over the antagonism?



Here's a photo of sunset over the Mediterranean during a beach dinner with the group last night. The food was almost as delicious as the atmosphere.

JAFFA
Today we did a lot of walking around the City of Jaffa. It's probably the oldest seaport in the world, once servicing Jerusalem. When I was here last, I purchased the Kiddish cup used at my sister and brother-in-law's wedding. The markets are completely unchanged. Why not? There's 5,000 years of mercantile behind them. We enjoyed a fantastic lunch. I ordered shaved lamb (shwarma) and a salad plate; the person next to me chose falafel and an additional salad plate. What eventually made it to our table was a buffet of so much Middle Eastern food that we could barely push ourselves away from the table. The proprietor insisted, "Eat this. You must try that. If you don't like it, you don't have to pay for it!" Needless to say, we liked it all, including the extra humus, baba ghanooj and a myriad of spiced, pickled and fried veggies, each served on separate dishes. Have I mentioned the breads? Well, post-feast the bill converted to $12.50 each. I think I'm gonna like it here.

ART
Final note for today, then a power nap before we visit a yeshiva for dinner and a roundtable with Orthodox students. We spent a bit of time in a couple of art galleries in Jaffa. This community is strongly into the arts (think Montmartre). One sculptor, who shared some time with us, is very much into life-sized works. I'm pictured here informally conversing with, and inadvertently fondling, some of her denizens.



Tomorrow: overland to Nazareth, Caesarea, then Haifa.

Location:בן יהודה,Tel Aviv District,Israel

On The Road Again

I'm heading back to the Middle East on May 24 for a month, to tour Israel for 16 days, the Palestinian West Bank for 6 days, then back in Jerusalem for another week, joining friends from San Francisco.

Travels will take me to Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Golan and the Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, Masada, Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus and Jericho.

Stay tuned, for what I hope are somewhat regular reports, by linking to:

http://alzupdate2.blogspot.com/.