Jerusalem:
Although Jerusalem represent three relgions prominantly: Christianity, Judiasm, Islamic, - it evident that this is the cradle of Judism in many respects. In Jerusalem (considered holy of holy cities to the Jews) is where you'll find most of the strict orthodox Jews making their home. The most popular color of clothing is grey or black. The more othordox of the population wear dark/grey attire and women skirts only. The ladies cover their heads (after they are married), either with a wig or scarf. The men wear either their Kippahs (depending on the age) coinsistantly. The aspect which I appreciate is the fact that their diet is much like the SDA diet - no pork, etc and they keep the Sabbath similar to my religion. The orthodox Jews, however, do refrain from doing 'any work' on the Sabat and when they eat, they seperate their meats from their dairy, waiting 6 hrs in between to eat the two. This is something quite percular to this faith, which makes it fascincating to me.
Sabat on a Yeshuv:
I had quiet the unique experience for the weekend, when we, along with the family, was invited to spend Sabat at a Yeshuv.This Jewish settlement located in the West bank, apprx 1/2 hr from Jerusalem. The land which they occupied, like many Yeshuv's was originally on Israely land which was handed over to the Arabs in recent years. These areas are protected by high fences and some miliary presence. It feels quite isolated - as if these dwellings are trying to make a life apart from the busy city centers. In the center of this Yushuv was 35 track houses, along with the social & religious center, the Synagoge (i'm learning so much being here, as you can tell) During every meal, we (about 20 various family members) sat around the table and ate items such as Challah bread (blessed by the head of the household, manuall broken off and passed around first) Gefeltafish, Hummus, Brisket and more. Strick Jewish practises where in place for the entire Yeshuv during the Sabat hours (no work, phones, etc) It was a time devoted to prayer, worship and genuine fellowship. During the meals, the men would break out in song every now and then and time was spent reading the Torah. It was a very initmate and exceptional experiences I've had in my lifetime.
Masada climb:
This, unlike previous vacations, had little planning so I spent much time on the internet looking for the next days lodging online. Having others there to travel with sort of slowed me down but since I didn't have any specific sites to see, it wasn't a worry. After returning from the Yeshuv we headed south, through barren lands, with Gracie and Estelle to the famous Dead Sea. About an hr into the drive, the topography completely changed, the landscape offered up the grand sea surrounded by mountains/hills made of dirt. Unlike anything I"ve seen before. This was the warmest weather we enjoyed so far -splendid! The following am we got ourselves up before sunset - apprx 430am, to make our way up, by foot, up the famous 'Masada' mtn. Two, strenous kilometers later, we found ourselves at the historic Jewish stronghold. I remember seeing the movie based on this story, apparently hollywood wasn't too accurate in the manner of the final death (big surprise to me:-)
Eilat & Petra, Jordan:
After the Dead Sea stop, we headed to Israel's resort on the Red Sea: Eilot, located in the southern tip of Israel. This was also one of the borders into Jordan. This is the biggest resort area in Israel - with modesty being less of a concern then in Jerusalem. Even though there were some US favorites here - still haven't found the elusive Starbucks - will keep you posted when I find it.
After another late night, we awoke quiet eary to catch the tour bus to the Nubian built sites of Petra, Jordan. "Indiana Jones, final crusade' was going to come to life for me. Most people will know Petra by the famous 'Treasury' building. This is probably the most in tact structure however, there was so much more to see, more than the 4 miles of sites we walked in the 5 hrs we were there. I was privy to a 10 min. mule ride, but the hike out was gruling, yet survivable on this especially warm day.
The Jordanians are quite proud of their King (King Hussain) as his photo, next to his late father, was posted everywhere. I had plans to hang out in town, but after this full day, we could only muster up a phone call to the local Kosher pizza place, eat in and rest.
Dead Sea (again):
The 3 hrs return drive back north was probably the most monotoneous I'd ever drove. No greenery, no buildings, nothing but miles of land covered in mtns/hills made of dirt. We passed by what was considered to be 'Sodom and Gomorrah' on the way back to the Dead Sea. No surprise it was located close/under the Dead sea. I convinced myself to actually take a dip in the Dead sea - because well, had to take a photo of me floating in it, right.... I was told NOT to touch my eyes upon entering, advise which I took seriously. It was a surreal experience indeed, floating as if I were carried on wings on the surface of the body of H2O. Wish I had taken a newspaper w/ me to add to the photo opp. Trust me guys, when they say salty, they mean SALTY. I could have used the dried salt on my skin to add flavor to more than a few tomatoes Although we washed the salt off in the outdoor shower, the pain, in places where I'd scratched before, seemed to accelerate to a crescendo by the time we arrived back in Jerusalem. Yawza!
And the adventures ontinue.....
