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Travel Tales: Israel
by
findingDulcinea Staff
I never had strong feelings about Israel until I heard about the Birthright program, at which point I started to have very strong feelings about the possibility of a free vacation. The Birthright program sponsors trips for 18–26 year old Jews who have never been to Israel. Although I’m no longer a practicing Jew, I was intrigued by Israel, and three weeks after graduating college, I was off to explore my roots.
The Old City
As soon as our group disembarked from the plane, we gathered in a circle to start playing bonding games. Apparently, Israel was the land of milk, honey and no-time-for-jet lag. I did my best to learn everyone’s name and stretch my legs (cramped from the nine-hour plane ride) at the same time, but by the next morning, I was exhausted.
We had the choice of waking up early the next morning and walking to the Western Wall for a Sabbath service or sleeping in; I selected the latter option. Luckily, we visited the Western Wall, or the Kotel, as a group two days later. At the Kotel, security is high and strict religious rules are in place: I had to cover my head, arms and legs. At the Wall, people write notes with prayers and hopes and leave them in crevices.
Source: The Western Wall Heritage Foundation
Next to the Western Wall is one of the holiest sites for Muslims, the Dome of the Rock. The proximity of the two structures exemplifies the complexity of Israel’s religious issues. Both structures are in Old City, Jerusalem, which is divided up into quarters. As a curious traveler, I longed to explore the Muslim Quarter, but our Birthright leaders forbade us from crossing the border.
Source: GreatBuildings
Before we visited the Western Wall, we viewed the entire city from above, where we could see the Dome of the Rock as well.
The North
We left Jerusalem and headed north, where we spent the night in “a Bedouin tent.” While a Bedouin was teaching us songs, an irreverent member of our group raised his hand and asked, “is this a real Bedouin tent?” which of course, it was not. However, we really rode camels, really drank Turkish coffee and slept really badly on the mats they provided.
Source: Israel Ministry of Tourism
After a few hours of fitful sleep, an abrasive alarm bell went off at 4 am, waking us up so that we could board buses for Mount Massada. The plan was to ascend the Mount before dawn so that we could watch the sun rise over the valley; however, our groggy group mobilized very slowly. We watched the sunrise en route; but at the top, we toured ancient ruins of the fortress.
Source: Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority
The climb down the Mountain was surprisingly worse than the climb up, but I got to soothe my aching muscles a few hours later in the Dead Sea. We coated ourselves with rejuvenating mud and enjoyed the luxury of floating in the famously salty water.
Source: The Living Dead Sea
Remembering the Six Million
A far more somber expedition was our visit to the Holocaust Museum, Vad Yashem. The galleries tell the story of the Holocaust from start to finish, as the idea of remembrance is essential to the Jewish community. In fact, modern Israel was established to ensure that Jews would have a refuge in the event of persecution.
Source: Vad Yashem
From this picture, you can't tell how tired we were as we began ascending Massada; probably because you can't see our faces.
Mysticism from the Middle Ages
We uncovered another aspect of Jewish history in the town of Sefad, which is deeply rooted in the traditions of kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. After Ferdinand and Isabella expelled the Jews from Spain in 1492, many of them ended up in Sefad. I loved Sefad; the history buff in me was blown away by the medieval synagogues.
Source: Virtual Israel Experience
L’chaim!
Israel’s complicated and intense past doesn’t prevent it from having a vibrant and youthful present. Our last night of the trip was spent bar-hopping in Tel Aviv. My memory of the evening is a bit foggy, but I’m pretty sure that a good time was had by all.
Source: Tel Aviv Insider
Rachel Balik
Writer, Web Guides
Writer, Web Guides
© 2012 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
