BACK IN TIME TO SAFED
Safed or, depending on your Hebrew pronunciation, Tsfat, is a time travel experience located just north of the Sea of Galilee. Here a robust population of Chasidic Jews and Kabbalists (Madonna (contemporary version) nowhere to be found) mix mysticism with a Bohemian community of Israeli artisans. On entering the center of town via winding cobblestone paths, we were met by friendly, engaging yeshiva students, many from the U.S. Each was dressed in traditional Chassidic garb: wide-brimmed black hats, black jackets and slacks over white shirts, and the ever-present curling hair locks (pais) and prayer shawl fringes (tsitsit). They were eager to answer questions on life experiences and plans for followup study at their Chassidic center of gravity, Brooklyn. A short walk to a couple of small, ornate synagogues allowed us to look back in history on the home turf of some of the biblical scholars whose writings I recognized. This was one town I wish I had more time to explore.
A SHRINKING RESOURCE
We arrived at the Dead Sea area of Israel after five nights in Jerusalem. This is the lowest elevation on earth, and one of the most desolate except, of course, for the oases and large tracts irrigated for agriculture. Climate change has claimed part of this terrain, as the Dead Sea is much changed since my last visit. It now is reduced to two basins, connected by a canal; water from the Jordan River feeder has a diminished flow. Clumps of chalky white salt collect along the coastlines. But it's still a major resort, with mud baths and its palliative mineral water an international draw.
CAVES AND FORTRESSES
We began today with a tour near the caves of Qumran, an area not too far from Jerusalem, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.
We earlier viewed restored scrolls at the Israel Museum, and it was exciting to see the area where this benchmark of antiquity was originally uncovered, quite by accident, by Bedouin goat herders. The scrolls are the oldest copies of the Old Testament, and its Hebrew lettering is remarkably readable. It was pretty warm to be roaming the desert (the temp was well over 100), and we welcomed a break at the Ein Gedi oasis, where tall desert waterfalls cool the soul, if confuse the eye. Then on to the cliff fortress of Masada, site of the last resistance to Roman rule around 70 C.E., where 1,000 Jewish zealots chose suicide over capture and slavery. These were the last free Jews in Israel prior to the diaspora. Although we were on the summit in late afternoon, the thermometer was highest for the day, and an hour was about all we could tolerate. But it was a wonderful experience to be in such an historical highlight.
SUNDOWN ON FRIDAY IN JERUSALEM
The Sabbath in Jerusalem is observed like nowhere else in Israel, a country which, on the whole, is not religious. But in the Jewish Quarter, late Friday afternoon begins a flurry of preparation for Shabbat. Observant Jews, dressed in the finest attire, hurry to the Western Wall, their children in tow, to be certain to arrive ahead of sundown. Orthodox men sport long black jackets; their sons mirror the style. Head coverings, however, reflect the area of Europe from which they emigrated. The most interesting were the Eastern European Orthodox Jews, whose round fur hats are elegant, if exotic. We asked if there was a special historic significance to the style. No, they replied, it just was cold in Eastern Europe!
One beautiful tradition, of which I was unfamiliar, is the desire to separate the workweek from the Sabbath by enjoying the aromas of mint and rosemary, both of which were at the individual worship areas, and sniffed throughout the evening prayers. I was also moved by the graciousness of these devout Jews, who characteristically take every twist and turn of their rituals with great solemnity. Nevertheless, every one of the men I spoke with was pleased to take the time to answer my mundane questions and include all of us in the joy of their Shabbat.
PERSPECTIVES
We had the good fortune to spend an hour today chatting with a young Palestinian woman, a journalist, who shared her take on the conflicts of this region and the future of the Palestinian people. Her perspective on the history of this troubled area was quite different from mine, but it was refreshing to engage with an educated and articulate advocate of the Palestinian position. I am not optimistic that the complicated territorial issues facing Israel and any future Palestinian State will be easily resolved. Everything here is either black or white, with lots of heavy historical baggage dragged behind. It appears that most Israelis now support the establishment of a Palestinian State, but under what conditions and within which borders is anyone's guess.
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