Israel update #5

9/7/07 Shabbat Shalom!
9:25am TLV// 2:25am BOS
slept like a baby till 6:30am. went to Dead Sea til 7:35am. water was very warm, think hot bath, very salty, and made my skin nice and slimy! There was "ice" everywhere... and by ice, i mean salt crystals that looked like chunks of ice. It was awesome. The bottom of the sea look like white sand, but it was salt. Saw Lorraine there (she is Judy's friend from NJ, very nice), and she took a pic of me. Then David and his dad and took more pics. Nice cold shower in room. Breakfast with Erica and Gwen; egg omlet with chives and cheese (the kind of egg that is boiled and cracked open in a metal cup that is in boiling water).- yummy!, Israeli cocoa krispies with cold milk, and bread with cocoa spread. Saw 2 kids put cocoa spread it in their bowls, full! to eat like pudding! wow! in elevator, heard mother and baby speak Hebrew (abba ve imma gem? ken. yofi!) SO CUTE! I swear that hearing a baby speak a foreign language is one of the most beautiful sounds ever.
The people here on the tour have been so amazing. While conservative or too Christian for me, they are sweet and nice to talk to and have made this trip really wonderful. While I do complain about some things they do or say, that's mostly to stimulate my own passionate thinking. I really do love them, even though we disagree. And I don't mean to be rude or judgemental in my comments, though sometimes it seems like it when I discuss my criticisms of their thoughts and behaviors...and I admit that I'm not perfect either! It's just interesting to me to blog about things that enliven my thoughts and make me angry. Sure we disagree, and I'm sorry if I seem judgmental, I dont want to be.
We are going to Masada today, which begins at 1200 ft above the dead sea (aka sea level). Masada began as a border fortress of the Maccabees, Jewish priest who rebelled against the Romans in 160 BC. They were successful and became independe people. They built the fortress to protect themselves againts nearby Moab, but conquered them too, so the fortress was unnecessary and abandoned. Masada later is where King Herod built his fortress, of highest standards, complete with a Roman Bathhouse, in the middle of the desert. He was not a legit king according to the Jews, because he was not of the line of David. (this is why he wanted to kill babies when there were rumors of a new king in Bethlehem). He built the fortress as a place of escape, on top of the Maccabee ruins, near his ancestral city of Edom/Moab in the 1st century BC. Herod dies and is buried near Bethlehem at Herodian. Then the Romans take over. In 66 AD, Jews rebelled against the Romans, and Rebel Jews fled here , Masada was a great great stronghold, with water cisterns, food storage. about 1000 rebels lived there until 73AD when the Romans came. The Jews said it was either slavery or death, and they chose death. "let our wives die before being abused." Before the Romans made it into the city, all the Jews had killed eachother. During excavation, 10 shards were found with names of some of the Jewish rebels. These were used for drawing lots to see who would be the 9th man that would kill the second to last man, and then kill himself. Masada is a symbol for staunch resistance agaisnt the enemy.
So Masada is amazing. We take cable cars to the top of the mountain (though now i kinda wish i'd have climbed the mt, whatever I'll do it next time!). I cant even describe to you what the scenary was like... the desert and the mountains are spectacular. And lots of beautiful birds were with us. And I can just feel the spirits of people here- Herod and his people, and the Jews. I feel in a past life I lived here! I love this life- I love the desert. 5 minutes into it and i am hooked! my body adapted really quickly to the heat- I actually really enjoyed it! Was sad to be in AC again. I wasn't hungry but still ate a sandwich and ice cream, which was not a lot but sure feels like it. Anyways, so I must come back here again. I could spend days here. I want to hike up and down the mountain. I want to explore the ancient city in much more detail.Oh so much to do!
Next to En Gedi: 1 Samuel 24: David hid from King Saul in this area; had the opportunity to kill Saul but didn't. En Gedi means Spring of the Wild Goat. And there were adorable goats there! And such a beautiful spring- I must hike up there when i get the chance. Its like a waterfall in the middle of the dry desert. Can imagine David hiding in the caves and mountains, with the goats :) Down the hill are the ruins of an ancient synagogue... beautiful mosaic tile floors intact! Around the synagogue were these unique apple trees called the "Apple of Sodom trees." While there, my no-evolution friend said this, which i agree with, "ignorance of the past is distorting our knowledge." mmmm so true.
Next we drive into Jerusalem. We see Bedouins tending their pastures, another checkpoint with armed soliders, and we drive into Jerusalem. We stop on top of a mountain next to Hebrew University to have a view of the city. Can see Dome of the Rock, a Muslim mosque where the Jewish temple used to be, the Old City, the Eastern city (Arab) and the Western city (Jewish). Mt of Olives in the W, a gold Russian church, and the Garden of Gethsemene behind it. We walk down the mountain to see an old tomb, much like the tomb Jesus would have been buried in. We learn about Jewish burial ritual. The body must be buried the same day (before the sun touches the sea [sunset]). The body is carried into the family tomb (like a cave) and put on a table there, and is annointed and washed. Then the body is put into one of the niches in the wall and left there for a year. Then you come back, collect the bones, and put the bones in a bone box or a depository area to save space for future generations. When Jesus died, he was put into Joseph of Arimethia instead of his family's tomb, because they only had one day to move his body and Nazareth is a long journey so they found other arrangements. Because it was the Sabbath, no one could wash or annoint the body because that is considered work and one must keep the Sabbath, even while in mourning. You must celebrate because God celebrated. So the Marys came to annoint his body after sabbath (maybe sat eve, or sun morning). Joseph of Arimethia was a powerful influential man, and wealthy. He had purchased a brand new tomb for his family that hadnt been used yet, and he was able to get the body of Jesus from Pontius Pilate. It is important that the tomb was new so that no one else could be claimed to have raised from the dead from the tomb. So around this whole area of Jerusalem, we were attacked by hecklers trying to sell us anything imaginable. They are everywhere and will not give up!! They follow you everywhere! oh geez. And the people on the tour are buying all kinds of stuff from them, all made in China prolly by child slaves. It makes me sick.
Next we drive to this really expensive store, where most people get sucked into buying expensive stuff. I do too unfortunately, though now that I think about it I wish I would have waited to see more shops around here. I bought a really beautiful olive wood statue of joseph mary and jesus. I really love it... but it was expensive. But that will be really the only thing I buy here (that and a communion set which wont be too expensive.). The only other stuff I've bough here is a sim card, food, internet, postcards and stamps, and books on the parables. I will not be sucked into buying anything else.. just looking for a communion set and maybe something cute for chris.
Arrived at new hotel, The Olive Tree, in Jerusalem. Very nice. room 541. Free internet! Dinner: chicken, brisket and rice, green beans, bread, and awesome desserts! Then a group of us took a walk to the Western Wall (or Wailing Wall), the only remaining section of the temple. The walk there was nice.. the temp here is SO much cooler, very breezy. Orthodox Jews everywhere... very different world here. Walked through metal detectors to get to wall. Could hear Jewish chanting over loud speakers for awhile. Arrived at wall... amazing. Very powerful experience. Men on one side, women on the other. Almost no tourists, just Jews. All praying and doing rituals at the wall, even children. Touched the wall... so much history, so many people have touched this wall... amazing. Tucked in every little nook and cranny were prayers written on pieces of paper in Hebrew. They were littered on the ground in heaping piles, a janitor was sweeping them up. started to walk away from the wall... couldnt stop looking at it, powerful grasp on me... walked backwards towards the exit. So were other women... because that is the tradition, you cannot stop looking at it... and I couldnt! It had a hold on me. wow. walked back to hotel... through sketchy alley way and near gang of boys. (group was scared because of Arabs in the alley-ah the stereotypes, i was scared because of gang).
Back at hotel now... talking to Chris and ready for bed. TTYL!