Friday, September 21, 2007

Leviticus

I am preaching on Leviticus this Sunday... and I have found some interesting notes about the text that I want to remember and share:

The anathemas in Leviticus 18 and 20 are not laws about everyday affairs. They say nothing about marriage, inheritance, divorce, or choice of marriage partners. They are not concerned with wrong conduct in family life so much as with breach of covenant. These are laws about faithfully worshipping only the Lord God and about defilement by idolatry. The verses start with Egypt and Canaan, referring with loathing to Egyptians and Canaanite cults. Both supporting chapters mention Molech worship; the second one denounces mediums and seers. The effects of using these unedifying sexual deviations to build a frame around chapter 19 is to underscore the concepts of justice which are expounded in the middle. The pure and noble character of the Hebrew God is contrasted with the libidinous customs of the fals gods. This does not mean that the sexual deviations are not counted as sinful, but it doe simply that they are less significant than sins against justice, false oaths, stealing, cheating and false witness.

Interpretation 53.4 (Oct 1999) Justice as Cornerstone Mary Douglas

Thursday, September 20, 2007

In God We Trust?

Read the following in the newspaper:

Retain 'In God We Trust'
The Lowell Sun
Article Last Updated: 09/19/2007 11:31:20 AM EDT

Recently the U.S. Mint released the brand new U.S. Coin Dollar for circulation among the populace.
I haven't seen one yet, but it has been described by people who have laid their eyes on it, that it has been well struck.
There is one minor flaw from what I've been told, and that flaw is not so minor in my mind, and I hope not in yours.
This country's motto of "In God We Trust" has been eliminated from the new dollar coin completely. How could that happen? From what I've heard and from what I've read, polls taken indicate that 87 percent of the people in these United States of America want the motto to be saved on all of our money, our buildings, and every other place where it appears as it has since our country was founded. Let the 13 percent that want the motto dropped or eliminated either move to another country or learn to live with the old phrase. Majority rules.
If you are in a store or business where you are offered this offensive coin as change, please politely refuse it and ask for paper dollars.

If we can get everyone in this country to do this and forward this message via e-mail or letters to the editor, maybe the person in Washington who approved this travesty will finally get the message that "We the people want 'In God We Trust" as our guiding light and our way of life, as it always has been, and as it always should be.
We refuse to use any coins without our motto, "In God We Trust" on them.
God bless America.
RON PETERS
Hudson, N.H.
Note: The new dollar coin does include the words "In God We Trust" -- but on the edge of the coin, rather than one of the sides, according to the U.S. Mint Web site.


LOVE the last part that the editors put in. So I wrote a response that might be published in the paper:

After reading Ron Peters' letter, “Retain 'In God We Trust,'” I would like to offer another side of the story, another way to understand this motto on our currency. I am opposed to having this motto presented on our coins and dollar bills for two different reasons.

First, religious freedom. Granted, when religious freedom came on the scene in the early days of the United States, most of those white landowning men actually meant “Christian denominational freedom.” You are free to choose Baptist or Presbyterian or Catholic, but other religions were not actually considered under their idea of religious freedom. However, in our post-modern age, most of us are able to look beyond ourselves and see that not everyone has experiences similar to our own. There are other religions out there, and praise God they are able to live “freely” here in America. However, if we did our World Religions homework, we would see that some religious beliefs include many Gods or do not include a God at all. Therefore, the gratuitous use of the motto “In God We Trust” infringes upon the religious rights of those whose beliefs are different than the beliefs of traditional monotheistic faiths.

Secondly, I believe it is sacrilegious to put the name of God on money. I do in fact have a strong belief in a monotheistic God, and I do truly trust in and love this God, and that’s exactly why I think the motto needs to go. I agree with Theodore Roosevelt, who wrote in 1907, “My own feeling in the matter is due to my very firm conviction that to put such a motto on coins, or to use it in any kindred manner, not only does no good but does positive harm, and is in effect irreverence, which comes dangerously close to sacrilege ... it seems to me eminently unwise to cheapen such a motto by use on coins, just as it would be to cheapen it by use on postage stamps, or in advertisements."

Indeed, a number of biblical commandments forbid the trivial use of God's name, such as Exodus 20:7, Deuteronomy 5:11, and Leviticus 19:12. Money is also often discussed in the New Testament, and not in a positive light. Jesus clearly divides worldly matters like money from the Godly, for example when he says in Matthew 22:15-22, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's.” Jesus commands the rich to give all they have to the poor. Instead, we hoard all of our money that is ironically stamped with “In God We Trust.” If God is truly whom we trust, then we wouldn’t be hoarding our money, but giving it to the one third to one half of our world’s population that lives off of less than two dollars a day, or to the 29,000 children who die each day of hunger and disease. If in fact it is God whom we trust, why are we so defined by and obsessed with money, arguably the antithesis of God, money which breeds selfishness and greed and often violence and war and the like.

Ron Peter writes that “Majority rules,” but is the majority informed? Does the majority check their facts? (for example, like checking the facts to see whether the motto was actually eliminated from the new coin?) Is the majority conforming to materialism and worldly possessions? Does the majority really trust in God?

Jamie Green
2nd year Masters of Divinity Student, Harvard Divinity School
Resident of West Groton, MA

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Israel update #9

9.11.08
Awake at 12:30am. ugh. Crazy security checks at airport. Arrive in Zurich no problem. Consider going into the city by train, but am exhausted and have heavy carryons, namely this laptop and some souvenirs, so I decide to just chill at the airport. its safer that way. I'll come to Zurich one day. Wanted to buy Fondue at a duty free shop but worker told me that it would be taken away frm me at security checks. grrr. Dumb America and that whole liquids ban. It's freakin fondue! So i walked through security and bought fondue after security, they sealed it in a duty free bag and now I get to bring it on the plane. When my bag was xray, the needed to check my olive wood statue.. apparently it looked sketchy :)

10:35AM BOS// 5:35pm TLV
On the airplane, squished behind this man who is practically in my lap, and everytime I so much as touch his seat (when I try to cross my legs, or eat my lunch, he turns around and gives me these dirty looks but doesnt say anything.
Had cheese lasagna for lunch, I really should stop asking for pasta on flights, it's never very good. Had white wine with it... love that wine is free on Swiss Air. Love the Europeans! This flight is MUCH longer than the flight to ZUR, probably because we are going against the wind. My travels home began at 1am TLV and will end at 10:30pm TLV (3:30 BOS), well unless you count the bus ride to actually get home, then its 1am TLV and 6pm BOS, which means it will take me 24 hours to get home! Thats what suck most abput traveling. I also hate the worry that begins to sink on the plane... of all the things I have to do when I get back, which is always so much. Organize fundraiser for youth group, Harvard service, HDAarts, first BC class, read for class, service committee meeting, finish FTE project, eventually write CFTS paper, other youth group stuff, write sermon for next Sunday, figure out my whole tooth problem and insurance and stuff, and so much more. Lovely. I left it all behind when I left for TLV, but it all comes flooding back into my life very quickly. Lovely.

Israel Update #8

9.10.08: last tour day in Israel! it seems like I have been here for ever!! i've loved almost every minute of it though!
breakfast: eggs, 2 french toast, chocolate croissant (sound familiar?) but this time I put chocolate sauce on my french toast.. yummy.
Our first stop is the Holocaust Memorial, Yad Vashem.. Our tour guide gives a speil before it opens. When God wants to build something, the enemy wants to destroy it. Their is a bigger context of God versus evil. Their is fine line when considering political correctness... being good and giving up, political correctness is good but borders on giving in. The Holocaust vividly expresses the power of evil. The church failed against the struggle of evil, so people stopped going (the story of Europe), there is no trust in the church. What kind of stance did we take? What kind of people are we? We do nothing, what do we expect, that people will join our church? Christians wanted to convert or destroy Jews, the Jews were betrayed. The church was so weak. But there were Christians who took their faith seriously and there is an alley dedicated to them. It is irrational to risk your own life to save "dirty filthy Jews" but this is the kingdom of God, where God calls for the irrational. We need to be told about the Christians who did help the Jews, they are a powerful witness, a real witness, not just a pamphlet, but real evangelism. Israel is not allowed to have missionaries, but how powerful is it to learn about Christians who did help the Jews, just wish there were more. I got about 1/3 of the way through the historical part and took notes on interesting things that added to, complemented or reminded me of things I already knew from classes.
After the Germans were defeated in WWI, there was economic, social and political crises. Propaganda flooded the country, blaming the Jew. I saw a one million mark note that read, "The Jew has taken our gold, silver, and fat, and left us with this garbage." Children's books about antisemitism: "Poison Mushroom" and board games "Swastika's race for victory." and "Out with the Jews." Christians had a bad image of Jews, blamed for Jesus' death (from class: they said no! [to Jesus]). Painting of Juda, a jew, blamed for death, paintings of Jews blind and degraded, in Hell, the pig as the Jew's mother. Christians rejected the Jews' economic acheivements. Anti-semitism was bred as a comprehensive and simplistic way for an explanation of their fears. Came up with crazy Jewish conspiracies "Protocols of Elders of Zion" a detailed plot of Jews taking over the world, etc. There were plates, beer mugs "foreign, moneyed and exploitive Jews...", ashtrays, statues, and other artifacts degrading the Jews, ads and hotel signs saying NO JEWS HERE, Jews were subhuman. This all paved the way for Hitler. Adolf served in the military and fought in WWI (we are breeding our own criminals!).
Boycott day was April 1, 1933, when Germans boycotted Jewish stores. no voting rights starting 1935. Media censorship - radios had one station, the Nazi station. 1st concentration camp was built- Dauchau for the communists, social democrats, intellectuals, clergymen, .. sent for "re-education" and to threaten others. Next were the homosexuals, Jehovah's Witness and gypsies.
Artifacts from camp: a paper chess set and urns with names engraved and pics of children inside!
Even Jews who had sincerely converted to Christianity were sent away and killed (the Kaulla family). Racial theory was taught in schools, tools were created to take measurements of bodies (diff, sizes used to discriminate) and racial classification charts. Saw a ticket for the railroad that said "one way to Jerusalem, no returns, 4th class." The Euthansia program began in October 1939. 70,000 Germans and Austrian died because they were disabled or elderly (therefore not part of the master race). In August 1941, the camps were closed due to protests frm the Churches!! (if only churches would have protested the killing of jews as well!!!). The personnel from that camp were sent to Poland to kill Jews. (sigh!) The rest of the world thought persecution of the Jews was an internal problem.
On Nov 9-10, 1938, Kristallnacht, mass murder (100 killed) and imprisionment of Jews, destroyed houses and burned synagogue. The museum has the Torah scroll rescued from a synagogue.
Emigration information began to be printed for the Jews about where they could do. Some learned Spanish to travel to S. America. 939 Jewish refugees sailed on The ship, St Louis, to Cuba, but were denied access at last minute. Also denied in America. Some headed to Britian, while others back home to die! President Roosevelt in July 1938 refused to change current immigration policies at the Evian Conference, along with several other countries. (mostly because of the recent war). A cartoon was published in 1939 depicting the statue of liberty holding out a sign that said "KEEP OUT." with the St Louis ship in the waters below. Senator Taft objected to admitting 20,000 Jewish children on June 9, 1939, because their were children in America that needed food and shelter first.
Hitler began to invade and take over countries. There is a picture of Hitler and his men in front of the Eiffel Tower, after conquering the city. Then Poland, the Netherlands, France, Albert Memmi wrote, "all of Europe has turned into a monster." Then Tunisia and North Africa, Romania.
I read an anonymous diary, written from May 5-Aug 3, 1944 at Lodz Ghetto, in English, Yiddish, Polish, and Hebrew in the margins of a french novel. There were 1000 ghettos from 1939-1942. Nathan Alterman in 1942 wrote about how the Pope Pius XII did nothing. There was silence of the issue, he even shelved a letter his predecessor had been writing about racism. What a travesty! Just because he wanted to maintain power of the church in Nazi areas instead of maintaining the power of Christ through love!!
Skipped a big section because not enough time. Saw a room dedicated to the Righteous Among the Nations, those who risked their lives to help the Jews (the alley of trees also dedicated to them. They were the model of heroism, humane and moral behavior, preservation of the sanctity of human life. ie. Schlinder, Germany. Raoul Wallenberg, Sweden, Dr. Adelaide Hautual, France, Zajneba and Mustafa Hardaga. Piotr Bielewicz, Belarus, and Leopold Socha, Poland.
Then I entered the Hall of Names. I went frm being very angry to very sad almost instantly. Above the door way is written: "I shall give them in My house and within My walls a memorial and a name" Isaiah 56:5. On the right side is written: "Remember only that I was innocent and just like you, mortal on that day. I, too, had a face marked by rage, by pity, and joy, quite simply, a human face." Benjamin Fondane, "Exodus" murdered Auschwitz 1944. Inside were binders FULL of names of people who perished. Pictures and names on the ceiling, and a round empty pit below in the middle. Also Isaiah LVI.5 in different languages.
Then quickly visited the Children's memorial, a room full of candles and mirrors, with a recording of all the names of the children who died.

I am SO angry! We did this!! We are capable of doing this! And we are still doing this today! We need to make a museum of artifacts and journals and pictures of other genocides too! If these evangelical christians can feel compassion for the Jews due to this memorial, maybe, just maybe, we can feel compassion for others too! The Africans and Haitians and Indians and SO many others!! I used to think that it was easiest to get people to care when the concern is familiar, based on family (ie. Relay for Life), because people do not take heed to Jesus' words to deny your mother and love ALL. But after seeing American Evangelical Christians' reactions to the Holocaust, I am convinced we can get them to care about others too! Get them to cry! to see children dying, even today! Maybe that will help, But not on TV or the news or even movies, but in a place, to have an experience (like me and the candy art exhibit about AIDS). We need a museum with real pictures and things they can touch and read and live. 6 million Jews died in the the Holocaust, 29,000 Children die due to hunger! So many more die in Rwanda and Darfur, and so many other places! The church cannot STILL be silent like they were in the Holocaust; we have not learned the lesson. We are convinced that preaching about evolution and salvation is enough, but it is NOT brothers and sisters. It is NOT! (ok I am done with my rant for now)

Next we go back to the Old City, to the wall that stands on the former border of Jordan and Israel.. in fact you can see bullet holes in the walls from 1948 and 1967. We go to the Temple Institute (an ... interesting...) place that is recreating artifacts for the temple out of real materials to be used when the third temple is built ("God-willing"), real gold, real string, etc. I am still not sure what to think of it... to think that these outdated artifacts would actually be used in a 21st or 22nd century temple seems mildly absurd... but I suppose it is outlined in the bible...
Anyways, so we see the High Priest outfits, which include under pants and a tunic all woven from a single thread (the sleeves are stitched on later). The string is called shesh, which means 6 in Hebrew because the thread has 6 strings. Over the tunic is a cloth with 12 gems (real!) representing the tribes of Israel (each gem with a letter of the alphabet). Tradition has it that when questions were asked of him, he would consult the gems and the the letters would shine, and he would use the letters to spell the answer. amazing, miraculous, or an ancient Ouija Board?? On his shoulders are plates with 6 tribes each on them, to remind him that he is the connection of the nation to God but also it is a burdern. He must fight for them and serve them. Also a golden crown, written "Holy to God."
See also a golden alter (gold and wood), where the offering of incense happened. Another miracle happened, the incense did not ever burn the wood during the offering. The incense is made of 12 different plants (the tribes), people of every nation.. but also a bad smell was put int, to remind people of the sin in every nation. We have to have the bad, it is an integral part. We still love them and need them (kinda like I feel about the people on the bus), but they have a soul and are a part of God!!
Also saw lyre and trumpets and harps. The lady at the museum gave us an analogy of King David being too busy to write the book of Psalms by asking "when would George W have time to write the book?" The guy next to me said, "George W couldn't write a book if his life depended on it" HAHAHAHAH!!!! perfect! glad someone on this trip agrees with me. A lot of people in Israel seem to really like George W. How odd. Anyways, the tradition is that King David did find time to write the psalms... je would wake up to the sound of the wind blowing the harp and he would write to that tune. The harp has 22 strings for the 22 letters of Hebrew alphabet, each having their own sound and melody.
Next we saw the table for show bread that belonged in the temple, again made of pure gold. [[do you really think God would approve of spending of money on pure gold for a bread showcase, instead of helping the needy?]] Tradition has it that the 12 showbread that were put on the table (of course, 12 tribes again) that would stay there for one week after shabbat, did not mold or smell, but was fresh, as if just baked. The 12 loaves also were able to feed all the priests and they were filled from just a piece of the showbread. Another miracle of the temple. In King Solomon's temple, he put 10 menorahs, instead of just one, makng 70 candles, for the 70 nations, so each country has one candle.
The Institute has not made the sacrificial altar because the altar can only be made in the exact spot, where Abraham was willing to kill Isaac.
So in "The Holy" of the temple is the golden menorah in the South: spiritual blessing of the world, divine light; the Table of Show Bread in the North: physical blessing of sustanance, and the incense alter in the center, both blessings. The third temple is hoped to built for unity, peace and wealth (hmmm wealth.. how interesting). I asked our host about animal sacrifice in the third temple, and she said there are different interpretations of whether animal sacrifice will be done- some say yes, some say no- we will all be vegetarians like in the time of Adam and Eve (though I thought Adam and Eve were given authority to eat meat?) and some say only some sacrifices will be used, like incense. We leave the institute, and I have the weirdest feeling about this whole third temple idea. And I think back to when Herod built the second temple... it was huge, expensive, grand... slaves built in with sweat and blood; it was way more than anyone needed... and Herod did it to show off... yet it is now considered so holy and special by all the Jews. What was wrong with the small humble temple?
Next, we have lunch, on our own... and I felt comfortable walking around the small area of the city we were in by myself, which was so relieving. I liked being on my own, not having to wait for people to catch, not having to be dragged forward, but to go on my owhn pace. Ate a felafel pita with veggies and sauce and hummus, much better than in Galilee. Played with a stray cat, and walked around some of the shops.
Next we walk through the old city and go through two sets of metal detectors to go on top of the temple mount (which is Muslim, where the Dome of the Rock is). We are about to go up the ramp, where the guards stop us. There has been a bomb scare. One guard tells us to stay, the other to go back down... finally we go back down and wait in the little room where the metal detectors are. We are there for at least 15 minutes. Everyone has left the area near the Western Wall, sirens were on and they made announcements over speakers. Finally, we were able to go. Some in our group were really scared; I actually wasn't, considering we used to have bomb scares all the time in high school. Granted, this is Israel, where there is much more likelihood of a bomb, but I really wasnt that scared. Just a twinge of fear. So go up to the Temple Mount, stand on the platform of the temple, which is 32 acres. This is where the temple used to be, but now stands the Muslim Mosque, which is beautiful in its own right. Further down is the Muslim school which stands on the fortress. People of all Abrahamic faiths understand the very tremendous and powerful way God has expressed Godsself in this place, Mt Moriah, the Temple Mount. So many religious things have been said to happen here, there is much power here.

Then we walk through Arab alleyways with shops and stands and lots of people and traffic, to the Garden Tomb, another possible place where Jesus was crucified and buried. The tour there starts at a mountainside that looks like a skull (hard to imagine that exact rock formation would be the same 2000 years ago) but an archeologist, Gordon, saw that skull and thought that this could be Golgotha. Found underneath the "skull" was evidence of Roman executions and other crucifixions...ankle bones with nails in them, skulls with dents to show stoning. The area is a junction of major roads, the cross was not far away. but up close, God with us , Emmanuel, even in death. This is where Jesus would have uttered his last words, it is finished. Then we walk to an area where the 3rd largest cistern (1 million liters) was discovered, proving that ths area would have been a grape/olive grove, a garden once upon a time like scripture says. Nearby, one of the largest wine presses was also found. Then to the tomb that was discovered. Found outside: floor was not original, was part of a church, with a footwashing basin, so other worshippers thought this place was special and built a church there. In the tomb, there is a large chamber, a weeping chamber, which is exceptionally larger than most. Only once place is cut for feet in the body area, proving that only one person was ever buried there, so the tomb was brand new. The tomb is not natural, but is cut into the stone. This tomb could be the tomb Joseph of Arimethea built for his family and put Jesus' body in, and then it was never used again. Perhaps the garnde belonged to Joseph as well. This is the place for evangelicals to worship the resurrection of Jesus, though scholars perfer the Holy Sepulcher area. Throughout the Garden area, tons of people gather in groups and sing songs in different languages. It is very beautiful, so many people worshipping this place. We have a communion service as well, as Joe reads the oldest communion account in 1st Corinthians, we can SEE the things mentioned. Its amazing. Then Mickey gave his testimony, about how as a teenager he was called to "come back to the God of your forefathers." The more and more he knows Jesus, the more and more Jewish he becomes. He charges us to go back home and still remember.
Back to hotel, cant believe its all over. dinner: rice, veggies, turkey with spices (not good), corned beef (good), lots of yummy desserts and gelato (which made up the majority of my meal, haha), said goodbye to everyone... i'm glad to be leaving, but i will miss them. sleep at 7:30pm before my 1am departure for the airport.

Israel update #7

9.9.08
Breakfast: eggs, 2 french toast, chocolate croissant. good but not good for me :)
We go into the Old City again today, this time starting with a tour of the Western Wall tunnel.
. The City is divided into four non-equal corners, largest is Muslim, then Arab Christian, then Jewish, then Arminian Christian. We end at through a gate in the newer wall, built by the Turkish in the 16th century. We walk past the Western Wall (called the wailing way by the Romans as a way to ridicule the Jews who were wailing for their destiny and wailing for the temple) (the gray mosque - Elaxa mosque- and the gold dome can be seen too) into the entrance of the tunnels, which have been dug to do excavations on the land belonging to the Jews. No excavations can be done under the temple mount or on any Muslim property, but there have been tunnels dug near the Western Wall. We come to a gathering room with a cool display, which first shows the topography of the land of Jerusalem with no buildings. The first temple was built by King Solomon but it was destroyed in 586 BC. When the temple was rebuilt, it was small and humble. When King Herod came on the scene, he thought the temple was too small and sought to prove himself as a good Jew, so he made a huge temple. The topography of the land was not good for such an endeavor, but oh well, he just cut off a part of the mountain (our guide removed a part of the mountain on the display.. very educational). Most of the extra dirt went into the Kidron Valley. He leveled the mountain to build a huge platform for the temple. The current Western Wall is actually the Western Wall of the Platform. A huge sanctuary was built on top of the platform built in 25 BC, but was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. The platform was too massive to destroy. In the 7th century AS, the Muslim Moqsue was built and the dome was made gold later. We walk further into the tunnels. There have been several stone arches built to support the ground above us which have Muslims houses on it. We walk along the Western Wall which has basically been mostly buried, but used to be at ground level. It is 80 feet tall... under ground now we are at about halfway, which means only 25-30 feet actually show above ground. At one point, we see a 5000 ton stone made of petrified plaster in front of the Western Wall, which is higher than street level, which shows the level of destruction done by the Romans. Herod had ordered everything to be plastered, but the plastered slid down the walls, so stone pads were built on the walls to keep it up. We see an old gate and ruins of steps that would lead to the temple, the gate was blocked by the Muslims in the 1960's after the digging began. At the Northern end of the Western wall, we are able to come to the street level in those days to where the fortress was built to prevent possible attack. The street is the very street Jesus would have walked. The Roman Garizon was probably located at the fortress. Once Herod died, the Romans did not think his sons capable of ruling the land, so the Romans got more involved and moved Pontius Pilate, a Roman governor, there, and he would stay in the governor's quarters from time to time. So Jesus probably came to the fortress during his trials. The fortress and temple were completely leveled, only thing left is the basement of the fortress and the water resevoir, which we see. By the resevoir, we see carvings in the floor by the Roman Garizon of some of the games they used to play. A Muslim school is now built where the fortress was so no escavations can be done. We also see an aquaduct which predates Herod 150 years. We read John 18:28, the Jews accused Jesus of blasphemy, but the Romans accused Jesus of Treason, which is why Jesus would have visited Jerusalem and the fortress, etc. The tunnels were very impressive, being able to be that close to the walls and the street and everything from Jesus' days. Along the way, groups of women were praying, just like outside. It was very moving. The Jews really believe in the power of the wall and the temple, that that is where God is.

Then we walk the via delorosa, the "traditional" path Jesus walked to Golgotha. There are stations of the cross along the way, different churches. Walk through alley with lots of shops and see lots more stray cats.

Next we walk to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is located on what is thought to be Golgotha. The church covers 3 holy sites: the hill where the cross was, the slab where the body was annointed, and the tomb, so the Cathedral marks the spot (this of course is hypothetical, since no excavation have been done, but this site is agreed upon by many scholar to be the right spot). The church has 6 different denominations: Ethiopian othodox, Assyrian orthodox, Egyptian orthodox, Armininian orthodox, Greek orthodox, and Roman Catholic. Inside is the table slab where Jesus' body was laid. Also a little chapel built on the "traditional" place where Jesus died, and the tomb is not far. Seeing people worship, pray, bow down, touch, kneel, gaze, longing, love, remember, reverance, awe, beauty, families, babies, young and old, is so moving, so magnificent, it moves me to tears, I can feel God in them, this is when I experience God, when others are trying to experience God.

When we leave to walk back to the bus, I see a cute kitty, so I squat down and say, here kitty kitty. Instead of the just up to me, the cat jumps in my lap! It was adorable! I wanted to keep it so bad!! It was just a baby kitten!! We also see a lot of men and women IDF soliders walk by us... I didnt realize until now that men and women are mandatory drafted for 2 years. Thats real equal rights, and I would want nothing to do with it. But I guess its a different culture over here.. maybe if I were born here I would feel differently. We also walk by a wall, that used to be 8 feet tall but is now more like 2 feet. It was built by King Hezekiah during an invasion in 702 BC (in Chronicles and Numbers).

Then we stop by a little museum about the burning of the 2nd temple in 70 AD. The museum is built around the ruins of an old priestly house that burned at the same time. A movie was shown dramatizing a family that may have lived there. It was an interesting movie that portayed a division within the Jews as one of the cause of the loss to the Roman: The Zealots versus the Moderates and the rich versis the poor. The Zealots were convinced in "liberty or death- what is life without liberty." The character in the movie from the priestly class but became a zealot, said, "But what was independence when all are dead? Was there some other way? Did our divisions cause this?" This is an interesting idea... and is more true than people realize. The Zealots burned the food in the storerooms and killed their own people who were not "with" their zealot ideas. If this wouldnt have happened, maybe the Jews, as a unified group, would have had a chance.

Next we drive out of the city into "Genesis Land," where Abraham and his family came and lived when they moved from Ur. We are greeted by very cute Israelis in costume (we put on costumes too). One is "Eliazar" and he tells us that the most important mitzvah (commandment) is hospitality. A group of us ride camels down to where we will be treated with hospitality with a meal hosted by Abraham himself. So I got to RIDE A CAMEL!! It was actually really cool... the only scary parts are when the camel raises up from his knees once you are on him, and when he kneels down to let you off. The ride was bumpy, but fun. When it ended, our camel walked a little to close to the edge of the mountain for my liking, and when I got off I guess I got a little to close to his face and he growled at me and tried biting me! other than that I would definitely ride a camel again. We arrive at the tent for lunch greeted by Abraham (a man in costume) who washed our hands to wake us up, to take away the tiredness, because he wants us to enjoy our time in the tent and he cannot fulfil the good deed of hospitality if we are sleeping! We all sit around knee high tables on cushions.. not too uncomfortable for me but all the older folks didnt like it. Abraham explains that he came frm Ur (which is in current day Iraq). He was supposed to do what his parents did, which was work in a shop where he made and sold idols. (Abraham made a comment about how our idol is the tv.. haha so true!). However, Abraham left the ways of his father with his wife and nephew, Lot. And he came to Canaan. He knew this was the promised land because he read the signs. The signs were two bodies of water which represent different types of people. The Sea of Galilee gives water to the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is full of life (fish) yet the Dead Sea is dead. So the map of the land teachers us to share, not hoard. If he could learn hospitality here, then this was the place he knew he was to come to. Abraham is a man of peace, he would put muzzles of his sheep and goats when they crossed others' lands, because if the sheep ate grass from their lands, that would be stealing. He also did not want to fight with his kinsman, even though he and Lot's men did not get along. So they divided, Lot went toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham went in the other direction. He explained that living in the hills of Moab, tents would generaly be pitched on the side of the mountain with four openings, but this tent was made specially for us, on top of the mountain with one opening, to see the beautiful views of the mountains. We are served our first course (which we thought was the entire meal, but there was MUCH more to come!) There was pita (with some amazing spices on it), seeded bread, veggies, and sauces- all was amazing. The second course was chicken legs, lamb kabab meatballs and rice. And dessert was dried fruits, dates, tea and coffee. We also had unlimited fresh lemonade and water. He said that we were to eat with the hearts of appetites and eat as much as we wanted so we would be "salem" or complete, full like the circle. So our plates were never empty! Very good! But I ate way too much :) Then I got my camel license... hehe.

Next we drove back towards Jerusalem, but passed through the town where our tour guide lives. The first part of the city was the labor part. There was a checkpoint and places to park for Palestinian workers who worked there but could not live there. They rely on Palestinian labor because their labor is cheaper. Which makes me really angry and reminds me of the Haiti/DR situation, and the Mexican immigrant situation, and so many others... just because people are different and will be paid less to do dirty work doesnt mean they should be paid less.. they should be paid a fair wage! His community has 3 check point, 1 is paid for by the government, the other by private security companies, which costs everyone $15/mo. It is a middle class town, lots of children and playgrounds, average age is 35 and 3.2 kids in average family. And apparently they discriminate against the Palestinians.

Next we go walk along the Northern Wall of the Old cityand visit the Church of St Anne, where traditionally Mary, mother of Jesus was born (St Anne is Mary's mother.). The church is the only Crusader's Church this well kept... built in the 12 century. The church is simple but elegant, very large. Has acoustics that last 7 seconds! We sang Amazing Grace to hear the echoes... but after done singing, they didnt wait the 7 seconds to hear the acoustics! Patience!! It's only 7 seconds!! Sad!! Sad to hear people say "wow" before it was all over! And people couldn't sing together haha. Imagine what a great choir would sound like! Such wonderful resonance, the sound of heaven, but can people really wait 7 seconds?

Next we see the pools of Bethseda, which were actually resevoirs that collected rain water. The gospels tell a story of a disabled man who wanted to get into the waters, which would heal him (the waters would be stirred and an Angel would heal you), but he couldnt get in. Jesus came by (and as a Jew, the best Jew thing to do would have been to lift him into the waters), but Jesus spoke to him and healed him! It was the Sabbath (no work to be done) but Jesus told the man to lift up his mat and walk (which was actually okay by sabbath laws if the man lived outside of the city and needed his mat while far away in the city). Later, Jesus met the man in the temple performing a sacrifice for the healing, and Jesus said, "now you are healed but you can be even further away from God." Churches were built in the area -Byzantine and Christian to remember the miracle.

Next we walked through the Muslim cemetary along the Eastern Wall and saw the Eastern Gate and to the excavations that are being done around the wall. We go to a little museum explaining the ruins and excavations and saw a short movie. Helpful timeline of the rule of Jerusalem over the years. (1948- State of Israel, 1917- British, 1517- Ottoman, 1260- Mamluk, 1099- Crusaders, 638- Muslims, 324-Byzantine, -63 -Roman, -332 -Hellenistic, -528 -Persian, -586 -Babylonian, -1006 - Israel, 1st temple, -3300 - Canaan. Jerusalem attracts love, passion, and longing. The 2nd temple was the largest structure ever built in the country... so many people came to visit it. The small stones used to build it were 2 1/2 tons! Walked around the ruins, saw an old stone with a Hebrew inscription: "to the place of trumpting to...", which probably was at the SW corner. Also saw more of the Herodian street, which is in total 1 KM long. We saw stones that originally supported Robinsons Arch on the SW corner. And a ritual bath (mikvah) that people would have used before going to do sacrifices at the temple (one side down, for unclean, other side divide up for the clean). Then saw the Western Wall again, still so very powerful... but so much in the day with tourists. Walked to bus and saw more stray cats! :(
Dinner was rice, peas, chicken, and yummy assortment of desserts.
Went online for a long time after dinner, trying not go to bed so early, ended up falling asleep around 10:30pm.

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Israel update #6

9/8/07 Shabbat Shalom!
Only got 6 hours of sleep... which didn't seem like much at all! Breakfast was cold today because it is Shabbat, and it is forbidden to cook. So I had a cold quiche with carrots and peas, and cold cheese cake thing, some feta and tomatoes and cucumbers, the best part- a chocolate croissant! yummy!! On the bus, climbing to 2500 ft to the Mt of Olives. Going to walk down through a Jewish cemetary to Gethesemene to see a Cathedral put in the place where Jesus traditionally wept for Jerusalem. Jesus rode the down the Mt of Olives on a donkye, as a symbol of humbleness.
Mt of Olives used is prophecy in Isaiah (splitting the mountain, etc), expressed the miracles and supernatural with the use of common things to show how different it will be. Prophecy that- all the stone will weep (most everything is stones here!). Use local language and reality to show how things will be. And now we are seeing that local reality, which is immensely helpful when attempting to read the bible. People lived (and still live) from battle to battle, so they lose hope for something in the future. But the bible gives them hopes for the future. Beautiful views from the mountain, can see the Dome, the Eastern Gate, the Old City Walls, Russian Orthodox Church, and so much more.
Then we head down to the cemetary and learn about modern day burial rituals. The body goes in the ground, no coffin, stone case above ground. Written on it is the name and inscription and the date of birth and death according to the Jewish Calendar. [random segue fact: Russian Orth. Church celebrates easter one week later to not coincide with Jewish Passover. ugh]. Hole in box for the soul candle, to remember souls. Across the street is the Muslim Cemetary, build outside the walls of the city, in front of the Eastern Gate, so only the Messiah can enter, prevents others from claiming the land.
Walked to Garden of Gethsemene, on the way saw some authentic bone boxes and the cathdral where Jesus wept, called the sanctuary of the dominus flevit (more beautiful views, especially from inside the church facing out). The garden is now a few olive trees and flowers, but it once upon a time would have been an entire grove of Olive Trees. All the trees were cut down, and used or burned by the Romans, so these trees are not from Jesus' day. It is hard to imagine the actual place where Jesus would have been. The church on the Garden called "The Sanctuary of Gethsemene is beautiful, paintings are wonderful, ceiling mosaics great.
On the way back to the bus I was heckled into buying some jewelry.. started at $15 for one necklace.. ended at $4 for necklace and bracelet. I am SO good at bargaining!! ha!
Next to St Peter in Gallicantu cathedral, where Jesus betrayed and denied Jesus. It was build on top of anicent byzantine ruins of another church, and it is very cool to see the old church underneath the new church.
Next we go to Mount Zion, to see where David traditionally was buried. There is LOTS of crazy traffic here on the tiny roads to the tourist sites. Lots of big tour buses- crazy driving to squeeze into parking. Mt. Zion used to be a part of the old city, but stands outside of the Turkish wall taht was built in the 16 century. As we stand by the wall, we can leave the lovely sounds of buses honking. The sidewalk we stand on used to be a minefield, as it was the Israel-Jordan border. We see traditionally dressed Jews walk by. One is wearing a tahlit gadol (the large scarf) and a tahlit kitan (the small undershirt with tassels (as mandated in Numbers 15 and Deut 6). The stockings he wears are an 18th century Polish holy tradition. We see a church building that has an old Muslim mosque in a room, and a synagogue in another room, and lots of beautiful courtyards.
a good thing to keep in mind: We are told that there are several sites in Jerusalem that are "traditional sites" because Christian people lived under Muslim dominion and needed a building to keep territiory, so buildings were erected on sites traditionally thought to be holy. The Crusader's church is on the ruins of a Byzantine Church, to remember the Lord's Supper, but it is just a memorial.
We go to the Israeli Museum next, to see a model of the Old city of Jerusalem, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The model of the old city is so helpful in trying to recreate what the old city would have looked like in Jesus' days. The model was built by Hans Kroch, owner of the Holyland Hotel, whose son died in Israel's war of independence. The model took 4 years to complete and is based on literary works, the bible, and archeological discoveries. Our tour guide points out the via delorosa to us, which is the "traditional" road Jesus walked to his death and all the stops he may have made. Starts with the Garden on the Mt of Olives, goes to the Fortress to see Caiaphas, then to Palace to see Herod, then back to the fortress for the cross (one horizontal beam) and thorns, then to Golgotha, the place of the skull, outside the city wall near the road and gate for more passerbys to be warned. Somewhere nearby would be the tomb of Joseph of Arimethea, where Jesus' body was laid. This path has not been excavated and confirmed, so only a tradition. Next we see the Dead Sea Scrolls. I am very disappointed- there are barely any there- just a few columns of a few scrolls... and a facsmilie of the Isaiah scroll!! I feel cheated! I should find a way to study the real ones, wherever they are! I'm at Harvard, I am a "scholar", I can play the Harvard card... I'll find a way :) The few columns I did see were very cool.. parts of the Sons of Light and Darkness scroll, about the end of days, the Thanksgiving Scroll, hard to read, describes divine love, predestination, God's greatness and justice, the Temple Scroll, which includes the laws of the temple- this is the longest scroll with 66 columns (of which 4 were on display) this is either an alternative to or complement to Mosaic law, and the community scroll, with the community's way of life and rules. Now off the Bethlehem.
Bethlehem is actually a part of Palestine, so we had to go through a checkpoint and leave behind our bus, our bus driver and our tour guide because no Israeli citizens are allowed in Bethlehem. This made the entire trip scary. I did not like being on a new bus with a new bus driver and a new guide. I was not of my comfort zone completely.
Bethlehem in Hebrew literally meant House of Food (bet- house/ lehem- god of food). However, the Arabs were mostly shepherds so their main food was meat, so in Arabic, it is translated House of Meat. Jews were mostly farmers and made bread, so they translate it House of Bread. "There is always a struggle."
We go to a store for shopping (I buy some stuff... switch price tags on an item instead of bargaining, haha, and it worked!) and to an expensive and not so good restaurant for lunch ($8 for pita and salads that did not taste good, with baklava that was okay.) It is a kind of scary atmosphere and I don't want to be alone. I think it might be group thought/group fear... because I know some people were really scared.
Then we head to the church of the nativity, with another new bus, driver, and guide. ughhhh! One the way, we see the Field of Boaz.. the same field the Xmas story shepherds would have been in. The church is a 6th century church. It is the oldest church around here because in 1614 the Persians damaged all churches except this one, becausethe outside wall had a mosaic of the three wiseman, who were Persian, so the church was spared! The church is shared by Catholics, Greek Orthodox, and Arminians. To get inside, you mist enter a very small door, maybe 4 or 4 1/2 feet tall. The door is small to keep the horses from going inside from the marketplace outside in the courtyard. Inside is a beautiful old mosaic floor, almost complete! and Mosaics on the walls from the 12th century. We go downstairs to see some beautiful old paintings of the three wisemen and the manger. One area has a beautiful 14 point star that is in the traditional place where the star was shining for the wisemen.
So I have determined that I don't like sites that memorialize an event that may or may not have happened there, or ever. I prefer sites where things actually happened. These cathedrals are nice, but are not that old or spectacular. They do no have as much historical value compared to some other things here. I love the paintings, some of the architecture and statues are cool, but I prefer God's beauty and the ancient beauty of ruins that are in God's beauty (like Masada). Maybe I also need to have a better background in church building history to appreciate them too....but I can go to Europe and see old churches.. I come here to see older ruins!
Interesting convo with Cindy, where I had to articulate my research project, I said basically this:
I don't just want children to learn these bible stories in Sunday School and Youth Group, I want them to act on them! Faith without works is dead, it's not enough to just "know" the stories, the stories should live in you and mold you and change you and create in you a motivation to ACT!
Found out departure information: I will be leaving the hotel at 1am on Tuesday to go to the airport in TLV. Lovely!
Got back early, around 4:30, talked to Chris online, ate dinner: rice, chicken, lamb meatball, and gelato/ice cream, and passed out at 7:30pm.

Friday, September 07, 2007

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!

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Israel #4

9/6/07 7:45am TLV //12:45am BOS
Didn't get much sleep due to cochroach incident. Talked to Chris til 12:30am in the lobby of hotel because too scared to go back to my room. Back in room finally, I watched this awesome British reality TV show called "Ladette to lady" till 1:10am. Tossed for awhile, hearing creepy noises and feeling creepy crawlies. Woke up at 6am. Today is going to be rough. Ate good breakfast: french toast, poppy seed croissant, and cocoa spread (like nutella without hazelnut) on homemade bread. Lots of carbs. Stole some cocoa spread to bring home. When walking to the bus, I saw two peacocks!! wild peacocks!! not in a zoo!! :) very cool!! makes up for the cockroach incident--almost.
Jordan River:
We head to the Jordan River. There is a place called Yardenit, which is a baptismal site on the river. This river is where John the Baptist and Jesus, among others, were baptized. Yardenit says is not far from where Jesus was baptized. Well not far means 120 miles away. The reason for this is because the actual place Jesus was baptized.. one bank of the river is on Jordan's territory and the other half is Israel's. Yardenit is MUCH safer because the river is fully in Israel's land. So we get and I reaffirmed my baptism in the Jordan River. Water felt amazing after being in the sun for just the few minutes I was. No wonder baptisms were so holy! very wonderful experience. water clear and beautiful... however there were tons of fish in the water (because it's supposed to be living water) and they bite!!
One thing about some of these sites: they are almost tourist traps like in America. Completely exploiting some historical and beautiful to make money. The baptism part was very inexpensive ($6 for renting a robe, towel and receive certificate). But the gift shop-- terrible! makes me ill! And so many people are actually buying some awful junk... like my tour guide says: made in China. I understand buying authentic stuff, like statues carved of olive wood. But buying a little jar of "holy" water from the Jordan? C'mon!
On the bus, old guy behind me yells out "I want some Southern Fried Chicken!:" He tells his wife he doesn't like this Israeli food. He has liked everything on the tour except the food. He didnt eat any breakfast because his french toast was cold. All he ahd was cereal. "At least they can't ruin cereal," he says. UGH UGH UGH!!!! [And you'll hear more about this guy later.]
Bet She'an:
Next we go to one of the ancients cities of the Decapolis, Bet She'an or Scythopolis. (On the way, we drove along the Jordanian border with Israel.) Bet She'an is one of the best preserved cities in Israel. After being destroyed in an earthquake in 749 AD (the city lies in the rift valley between the African and Asian continents), everyone was afraid to go back, so no one went back to live or build there or destroy anything. So far only the downtown area has been excavated (1/10th of the city), surely there is more waiting to be unearthed! Older parts of the city, that date back to as far as 5000 BC are on top of a HUGE mountain, which of course I climbed. The city became Egyptian in 1600-1200 BC, and Israel was defeated in trying to conquer it (1 Samuel 31), the story where the bodies Saul and his sons were hung on the walls of Bet-She'an. King David later took over the city but it was destroyed by the Assyrians in 732 BC.
Below the mountain, is the New Testament city dating from 333 BC to 749 AD, built by Alexander the Great. He liked the liocation, at the end of the Jezreel Valley (Meggido was on the other end), on the Via Maras which connected Israel to the trans-Jordan region, so there was lots of traffic and merchants.
The area was absolutely beautiful, definitely one of the best things we have seen so far. The ruins were so intact, it was amazing. You could really picture yourself in an ancient town, in the temple and the ampitheatre... and the best.... the latrine!! The public latrine is where most people went to the bathroom. You did you business right next to other people, men and women, into a stream of running water beneath the seats. And you would use a leaf with a twig attached to it. I got lots of pictures! :)
Sad News: There was a McDonalds on the next mountain over that you could see and had to try not to get in any ancient ruins pictures. UGH.
Qumran:
Next we drove about an hour to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. On the way, we passed an Israeli checkpoint (with soliders with guns) (I took a picture even though you're not supposed to). The tour guide asked why we thought there still needed to be checkpoint even though this land belongs to Israel now. And the guy behind me said, "Because Arabs have guns!" Seriously, the overgeneralizing of an entire group of people is still starting to anger me. grrrr.
We see soldiers, and Arab bedouins, and Palestinian villages, as we pass from the Galilee region to the Dead Sea/Jerusalem region. The vegations starts to die out, everything looks so dry... we enter the desert lands. The grass is wispy and a dry tan/yellow color. Trees are sparse, and the land is much more rocky and sandy. The landscape changes very quickly.
We arrive at Qumran and eat lunch at the expensive tourist trap restaurant. Ate chicken and rice and salads and watermelon. Pretty decent. And then I bought some soap made with dead sea minerals. Then we visit the Museum.
The Dead Sea Scrolls were found by a Bedouin boy in 1947 in a cave here at Qumran.
The Dead Sea Scrolls were written by the Essenes, a group of Jews who moved away from Jerusalem about 4 BC and settled in Qumran. Qumran is literally just a bunch of mountains and caves in the desert, Very barren, very hot. So our tour guides asks what could make you motivated enough to want to move out here from Jerusalem. The Essense withdrew from Jerusalem for religious reasons, because they thought it was unclean. Isaiah 40 is a passage that could be interepreted as "prepare in the wilderness the way of the lord." So they moved to the wilderness. They were ascetics, and did lots of ritual bathing and purity. The wrote all kinds of manuscripts. In 68 AD, the Romans slaughtered them; hours before, they hid the scrolls in pots in caves. The scrolls include books of the OT, the Apocrypha, and works by the sect. Much of the biblical material matched our modern day bible, which is amazing and miraculous to say the least. The Dead Sea Scrolls are basically the same bible Jesus would have read 2000 years. (one interesting note: John the Baptist may have been as Essene.
The site of Qumran is amazing. This is also one of the best things I have seen here! We went up the caves... I didn;t go all the way because I was wearing flip flops, but this would be a great hiking site... must do next time! Saw their latrine, and ritual bathing sites, and aquaduct, and other remnants of their community. Again, so intact, and so beautiful. The views of the Dead Sea were unbelievable.
While climbing to the cave, I had an interesting conversation with a man about how the Earth is young, around 7000 years old to be exact. He had read a book that he believes has all the scientific answers supporting this. 1- An element has been discovered that has the half life of 30 minutes, which proves the earth was created quickly. 2- Evolution can't be possible because if you change one of our chromosones, we would no longer be able to exist. 3- a fossil was found in texas of a man's footprint inside of a dinosaur's footprint, proving dinosaurs lived with man. 4- when you are looking into the stars (astronomy), you are not looking back in time, but are looking God stretching the universe and stretching time (Job says this). I really did think everything he said was interesting... but I like how he picks and chooses what science he likes. He beieves the half life of the chemical but not of discovered dinosaur bones? It was interesting and he wholeheartedly believes it. He says the world is simple, and whenever a theory becomes too complex, it moves into the realm of fantasy. This is the exact opposite of what I believe... that God created so many very intricate and complex systems, some we will never understand. This guy seems to think everything is simple and we are meant to know all the answers.
Dead Sea:
Next we drive to our hotel on the Dead Sea. It is 75 miles long and 12 miles wide. The Dead Sea is 33% salt, which is 10 times the amount in the ocean. Silver will turn black in it, and your eyes will be completely irritated and you will float.
There is no plant or animal life anywhere near it because it is so salty. Currently, the Dead Sea is disappearing, because of evaporation (elevated by global warming) and the dam. According to tour guide, most people arent concerned because there is no life there. There is an interesting prophecy in Ezekiel that when the messiah comes, fish will appear in the Dead Sea.... which is a great symbol of resurrection and life coming back anew. By the way, this is also the absolute lowest place on earth, at 1200 ft below the sea level. Sad news: Burger King is here, and their billboard says: The Lowest Place. The Highest Taste. EWWWWWWWWWWW! :)
On the bus, we saw a sign for a gas station that said 12 NIS a litre. A woman said, we think gas is expensive in America, but really it isn't. But I remember when it was 25 cents a gallon" And everyone nodded their heads and reminisced on how great it was back then. But sadly no one ever remembers other countries when they make comments,.. they only think of their life and their land, and their experiences, but not anyone elses. It's so sad.
Our hotel, Novotel, is great. Very new .. I'm on the 7th floor.. which equals... NO COCKROACHES! Also a very cool pool outdoors, and whirlpools indoors... and the best: a pool with water pumped in from the Dead Sea. I went in it to practice before going in the actual Dead Sea, which I will be doing tomorrow AM. you seriously FLOAT on top of the water; I cant even describe to you how cool it is; no where else on earth does that happen. You can float on your back or stomach, or sit upright like in a chair, only you are in water. It is amazing. And I can't wait to do it in the real Sea!
Also at the hotel is a spa service... so I got a pedicure... though now I wish I got something more creative, like a mud wrap. Oh well.. maybe next time :) My feet do feel really nice now!!
Dinner was another hotel buffet... I had more lamb kabob- seriously its my favorite, with rice... and some salads (tabouleh with pomegranite seeds), and yummy desserts!
Now it's bed time and I will sleep amazingly well because I am exhausted!

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Israel update #3- in progress

(TBC still means to be continued)

9/5/07
8:30am TLV 1:30am BOS
Breakfast- eggs, olive and cheese pizza, chocolate pudding, and this wonderful mango juice.
Boat ride of Sea of Galilee: It's beautiful! lots of HOTT sun-I'm gonna burn because I'm dumb and forget my suntan lotion. Oh well- it'll only be my face and arms.... haha just kidding, I asked over the PA system on the boat and someone let me use some lotion. I'm all good now :)
-just saw a man in a kayack with his dog!- cute! made me think of Chris
-oh gross, they are putting an American Flag on the mast of our boat--- is this really a good idea? Won't we get attacked? I hate the way it looks up there with the Israeli flag. Now we are singing the Star Spangled Banner. Or, well, THEY are, I'm respectfully observing my right to refuse. Ugh X 1000000000. Seriously. This is not America. We are not in America, we do not eat McDonalds here. This is Israel. We eat falafel here! Shouldn't we be Christian first and then American? I think so! Why is it so important to have an American identity?
-better music now playing- God of Wonders. mmm i love it! especially on this boat on THE sea of galilee. .. this is where Jesus walked on water.
-boat gude is telling us history of the area: The city of Tiberias was founded my Herod Antipas in the 1st century AD. It was a pagan city, full of gentiles. Other cities around the sea that we can see: Magdala (where Mary Magdalene was from), Capernaum (where Jesus lived during his ministry), Bethsida (where miraculous healings and feedings were done by Jesus), and Godera in the Golan Hts (where Jesus healed a demon possessed man). Herod Antipas ruled the west (Tiberius, etc) and Herod Phillipus ruled the East (Golan Hts). Phillipus was more tolerant of Jesus so Jesus often went there. He would take a boat on this sea from Capernaum to Godera, but would have to pay taxes once crossing the border of the kingdoms (story of Jesus taking coin out of fish- give to Caesar what is Caesar's).
About the sea: (its really a lake) it is 40 miles long, 7 miles wide, and 120 feet deep. Not too big, but it provides, 40% of Israel's freshwater by pumping out water to irrigate the desert in the south. It is Israel's only freshwater lake and is very important. Everyday, Israeli newspapers will post what the level is in the Sea. The Sea is created by snow melting off the mountains, forming springs (like Dan and Panius), which form the river Jordan.
-now they are playing Open the Eyes of my Heart and some Jewish songs.
Wow, I am on the sea of Galilee, where Jesus did like everything! Do I really believe Jesus actually walked on water right here? I honestly don't know.
Jesus Boat: We got off the boat to go The Ancient Galilee Boat exhibit at the Yigol Allon Centre. in 1986, two men found an ancient fishing boat in the sea of galilee during a drought season. With the help of many experts they got it safely out of the water (using polyeurathane) and it now lies preserved in a museum. While no one knows whose boat this is, it is definitely from Jesus' time, and it is definitely just like one Jesus would have sailed in, which is so cool to think about. It's made of 12 different times of wood from trees... and is just very different looking than I would have ever expected. A great picture in my mind now for all the story of Jesus in his boat.
Capernaum: ancient ruins of the town where Jesus moved to when he left Nazareth. We saw the foundation of the synagogue in Capernaum, and of Peter's house where he lived with his in-laws. On top of the synagogue ruins is a church that was built in 400 AD. On top of Peter's house are the remains of several different layers of churches. The ruins also included foundations of houses and tons of artifacts, like an olive press.
Jesus came to Capernaum for several reasons: to fulfill prophecy in Isaiah (Mt 4), the Jewish presence (this was a Jewish town, as seen my the synagogue, mikvah and menorah found in ruins), this was a more populated town on the international highway (Nazareth was too poor to even have a Roman solider stationed to collect taxes, however Capernaum was not a poor town and had tax collectors (Levi), and there were Gentiles in proximity (Jesus came to preach good news to Gentiles too.) Merchants who traveled would take stories of Jesus with them to other towns, Jewish and Gentiles. [by the way, the thermometer in the shade here said it was 99 degrees outside! ahhh!!]
Mt of Beatitudes: The Church of the Beatitudes is somewhere near the possible location of where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. All we know is that Jesus preached it outside of the ubran environment, but we have no idea where in the countryside exactly. Our tout guide made a nice comment: the bible is not written as a historical book. For the West, the time and place are important, but for the east, the event itself is important. So in the 1930's, the Catholics built this church, with an octogonal shape (8 sides for the 8 beatitudes), with a beautiful garden and green grass (which you see nowhere else in Israel). Interesting fact: Mussolini gave money to fund the building of this church. Our tour guide made this comment that it is interesting that Mussolini killed lots of people on one hand and on the other he tried to buy his way into heaven. The guy sitting behind me said, "Sounds like the Muslims!" OOOOOOOOH that made me so angry... he completely generalized an entire group of people... when there were PLENTY of Christians in history, and even some today, who do THE SAME THING!!! Luckily our tour guide is more sensitive that this other guy, so he said, "Well there are lots of group of people who do this" and then went on to the next subject. But ooooh I was angry!
Dan: went on a very nice hike the Tel Dan Nature Reserve, saw the Spring of Dan which feeds the Jordan River which feeds the Sea of Galilee. Then we arrived at the ruins of the city of Dan, which was created by King Jeroboam as a border town to Phoenicia in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. (1 Kings 12) Jeroboam changed the religion of Israel. He made anyone priests (traditionally only Levites could be priests), he constructed golden calves and an alter and shrines in Dan for sacrifice (traditionally only sacrifice could be done in the Temple in Jerusalem) [note on sacrifices: animals sacrificed in many different ways- the complete burning of the animal is called holocaust] Jeroboam also celebrated festivals differently. He made the God of Israel a territorial God. In 722 BC, the country was destroyed. The 10 tribes of Israel that were living in the Northern Kingdom were lost, mixed, etc... so the two remaining tribes are Levi and Judah. [Jesus calling 12 disciples : reference to the restoration of Israel's 12 tribes].
Then we saw the Gate to a Canaanite City called Laish, which was built around 1800 BC, before the tribe of Dan moved in[Judges 18:27-29] . The Gate is made of mud-bricks (straw and mud mixed by hand and set out to dry), and amazingly some of the bricks are still well defined! This city is the near where Lot lived after he and Abraham went their separate ways and is where Abraham looked for him after he was captured. (Genesis 12-14).
Then we saw the Gate to the City of Dan, which was built in 800 BC. Samson, the most famous judge of Dan, was constantly fighting Philistines. After the fighting, the tribe wanted to move out, so they sent spies seeking land, and they came all the want to the outskirts of the country and created the city of Dan.
This was all way before Jesus' times... which makes everything here REALLY OLD! :)
Caesarea Phillipi: This is where Jesus said: Who do people say that I am? This city is not a part of Galilee controlled by Herod Antipas who did not like Jesus, but is a part of Golon Heights, so Jesus and his disciples often escaped on retreat here for safety (especially since he was speaking about being the Son of Man!).
Here at the city, there are remains of pagan temples, worshipping Pan, Zeus, Nemesis (the goddess of revenge), and dancing goats.
Bethsaida: TBC
Dinner, I had lamb kabob--- mmm sooo good... I really like lamb here... much better than when I've had it in the states. Maybe the lamb I've had had different spices in it because it was greek. Well Israeli lamb is the best. Also had spanish rice, potatoes, lentil soup, and assorted little dessert cake things... and another native peach. The food here really is amazing.
Tonight after dinner, a girl and I fed some stray cats. And my some stray cats, I mean like 6... they are seriously everywhere.
And they were so cute!! But it was SOO sad... they were crying and rubbing my legs for more food and fighting with eachother for the food I gave to them. Apparently though this hotel spays them, which is good, and keeps them on the property to kill mice. But they dont feed them, so the cats will actually kill the mice.
Ps: I just want to say that I am kinda moron.... so i come into my hotel room tonight, and its very hot. so i turn on the AC. I did the same thing last night and in the middle of the night... and all THREE times... I put the AC in HI, thinking that HI means lots of AC, while LO would be not a lot of AC.... kinda like in a car I guess. But like I figured out the previous two times... LO in fact means a LOWER temperature of AC and HI means a HIGHER temperature.... and if it is HOT in here I should in fact put the AC on LO. oh Jamie. what am i gonna do with you.
PPS: OMG OMG EWWWW>>> it's 10:50pm and I am finishing typing in the bedroom when this HUGE cockroach bug crawls into my room!! it is soooo huge!!! I noticed a bunch of ants earlier, but w/e they are just ants... but a cockroach... this is WAY too much for me... I dunno if I am going to be able to sleep now. It was SOOOO gross. I'm pretty sure they dont bite... but I definitely do NOT want that thing crawling on me. Maybe I'll go down to the lobby. Yes, I think I will. So I went and they told me there is cockroach spray under the sink. and there is. So i spray half the bottle in the kitchen area where it was. And I'm keeping the bottle with me so further attacks. And I am now officially freaked out.
Ok just now i saw it crawl by my closet. Hopefully it is the same one I saw earlier. I spray it until it dies... which actually takes a really long time. Now my room smells like cockroach spray. When it finally dies, I take a hotel towel and pick it up and put it outside. It was SOOOO BIG!!! It reminded me of these South American ones that my friend Kjirsten had as pets. Though this one was much fatter. IT IS DISGUSTING!! I guess I am finally getting my taste of Israel. ugh. I just wish it could be in another way! I guess I'm really not prepared to be away from my comfort zone. I am so creeped out... and I keep feeling crawling on my legs and the smell of the spray is nauseating. I just did NOT want to hear it crunch... so I sprayed it to death. Sadly, I feel no remorse. I really have a lot of respect for the Jains. I just dont know how they do it. I mean, I love most animals and really try to respect nature.... but mosquitos? and flies? and cockroaches??? The Jains are truly holy people.

Israel update #2- in progress

still trying to type it all... but here's some of what I have ... this will be updated :)
TBC= to be continued!


9/4 7:45am TLV //12:45am BOS
Adjusted to time change already! hott! went "swimming" in the Mediterranean Sea at 6am... i say "swimming" because there were lots of waves =scary, so really I waded in the water and let the waves splash on me. The water was wonderful and refreshing- it was already so hot and muggy outside. Nice coldish shower cuz my room was already boiling and I needed to cool down! Breakfast with two women- Claudia and Sue- from Springfield, MO. They are so cute and very friendly! Ate eggs, cereal, very good casserole with spinach, mushroom, cheese, potatos, etc, and desserts (chocolate cake and crepe). LOVE Israeli buffets.. best idea in a foreign country, get to try a little of everything! Very hot already- oh boy! Talked to Chris online and phone yesterday- I love technology! There wasn't even a delay! It's nice to still be connected when we are so far apart. Excited for today! On the bus now, actually got good leg room today- yes! Sweet! and thank GOD for AC!!!
What I did today:
Caesarea:
King Herod founded this city during his reign in the late 1st century BC. He founded the city as a pagan site, not a Jewish site. Throughout history, it has changed hands with the Muslims (638 AD), Christian Crusaders (1099 AD), Bosnian Muslims (19th century AD), and now belongs to the state of Israel as of 1948. In Caesarea, we saw Herod's theater, a Roman Ampitheatre, and that is still amazingling intact (it was built between 22-10 BC... so it's over 2000 years old!). We also saw the remains of the palace that was built for the Roman governor, so Pontius Pilate, lived there (and there's a stone with an inscription for him there too!) We also saw the remains of the hippodrome, a horse racing stadium, also built in the 1st century BC. This is where chariots fought, horses raced, gladiators killed each other, and the spectators gambled. This of course was all Pagan, for the Talmud prohibits Jews from gambling. We also saw the remains of an aquaduct, which Herod built as a pipeline to bring freshwater into the city.
In the bible, Caesarea was the place where Peter and Cornelius met (in Acts 10:23). Paul was in jail here, and Phillip was taken by the spirit to here (Acts 7). Jesus did not come here, mostly because it was a strictly pagan city, but after his death, his disciples came here. Faith in Jesus spread from here because it was an international city of trade.
Mt. Carmel:TBC

I met some really nice people today- Alton- a youth minister, graduates in December and has been called to Grace Bible Church in Portage, WI. Sharon is from the South and has the sweetest accent! and David Ortega, who always offers to take pictures of me! Yummy Lunch in a Druze village: $6 for a big pita with falafal and chicken schnitzel and all the veggies you could fit, and a big bottle of water. Lots of people were too scared to try the falafal and had never even heard of it!! One woman said, I'll just have chicken, you can't screw up chicken" and another woman said, "i'll wonder if we'll ever stop at a McDonalds, you can't screw up McDonalds." Ugh ugh ugh!! why is it that people wont try foreign food?!?
One more quick funny/upsetting note: saw a T-shirt for sale that said : J E R U S A L E M with the USA in red white and blue. hahahahahaha... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Meggido:TBC
Nazareth: TBC
4:50pm TLV// 10:50am BOS
Traffis is terrible here! Can't believe there is a rush hour in Nazareth! CRAZY!
Get to hotel- it is amazing, right on the sea of Galilee. beautiful! room is not too bad.. comfy bed, huge rooms, but slightly sketch (ants, holes in furniture, stains, etc)
went swimming in the pool and the sea! made friends with Erica and her mom Gwen (Erica is a little older than me and never finished college and stays at home with her baby and her husband is in the military, and Gwen is her mother). They are little too conservative for me (they are southern baptist, but consider themselves more liberal than other SBs because they drink alcohol and like Christian Rock. but they are very nice. Dinner- ate rice, potatoes, chicken, stuffed eggplant, tomatoes, yummy cookies, a pudding/flan thing, and a very ripe sweet native peach. Talked to Chris online and posted my pics on Facebook. Enjoy!

Monday, September 03, 2007

Israel #1

Hello everyone! I will be journaling about my travels in Israel for the next 10 days. I'm doing a HolyLand Tour with a group called "Pilgrim Tours." I left Sept 2 from Boston (BOS) at 6:55pm, transferred planes in Zurich (ZUR), and then arrived in Tel Aviv (TLV). I will be in Israel until Sept. 11 and whenever I get wireless, I will be posting notes and pics! Enjoy! If you want, I have an international cell phone... give me a call! ( i get free incoming texts and calls). Just remember I am 7 hours ahead of EST. Just dial: 972-52-658-7462.
9/2 7pm BOS
Sad goodbye this afternoon- fatal flaw in Jeep backseat, already miss him so much. Sad that I want to be near him every moment of my life! on plane now, 2 seats, 4 seats, 2 seats. I'm in 31K, next to a large, bald man. I'm looking forward, excited, no clue what to expect, looking for mystery and love and history- a glimpse into the past, into the life of Jesus, looking for answers, a path, a way of life, a clue, for God. Wow, I miss journaling a lot, even on the back of receipts[which is where I wrote these notes]- I need to start this again.- recording my life, my hopes, my dreams, my fears, my mistakes, my most blessed and cherished memories.
9/3 1am BOS
Watched Pirates of the Carribean 3, need to watch it again though cuz I kinda fell asleep. Large bald man's TV wasn't working so he left soon after the plane took off and never came back, so I had both seats to myself- lots of space! Slept a little. Forgot how much shorter flights to Europe from Boston are than from Chicago like all other int'l flights I've been on. Want to travel to EUR way more often now that it is so close! Good food and service on Swiss Air, definitely would travel with them again. LOTS of food though- so full!
9/3 3am BOS// 9am ZUR
Hello from Switzerland! I love journaling! haha. Airport is nice here, small and simple, pretty view of the mts. Fun gift shop with COWS on everything- saucers, ash trays, pot holders, etc. But the best- a mug that mooed! Guess Zurich is a lot like Wisconsin! Time changes suck- I only slept a few hours- hopefully can sleep on this next flight to Israel. Don't want to sleep in Israel til bed time- want to enjoy the Med. Sea and the hotel, etc. Hope the airplane views are awesome- this morning flying to Zurich I saw huge mountain peaks above the clouds with us- it was beautiful! Anyways, I'm going to read some til our flight boards. TTYL!
9/3 4am BOS //10am ZUR
On the plane to TLV. Was moved from seat 27A (which was originally on my ticket) to seat 24A. Is that a bad omen? It's still a window seat but on the wing! ugh! Sitting next to 65 year old man who lives in Montreal and Israel. how cool is that ... French and Hebrew just like me. He liked to talk a lot and he told me about his girlfriend, and traveling, and where he used to live, etc. Got a little annoying cuz I was trying to watch a movie. But he was very nice. Slept a little and ate more plane food.
9/3 9:21am BOS// 4:21pm TLV
Arrived in Tel Aviv. Got Israel New Shekels (NIS) for my dollars. Bought a SIM card for my phone with some minutes which was about $38 (155 NIS). Figured out basic exchange rate- a 100 NIS bill is $25, a 20 NIS bill is $5). Bottle of water was less than $2 (7NIS). Met tour guide, Michael (who lives in Jerusalem), told me we would leave airport around 5pm. Wireless is not free at any airport- grr! Hopefully free at hotel. Called Chris internationally, no answer, left message. Lots of water here at airport- water falls and water walls- which is ironic because they don't have much water or rainfall here in the summer. Beautiful airport, lots of signs in Hebrew! yay! Michael came and talked to me for awhile about my schooling and stuff. Talked about how religion was so integral to the politics here, and how unfortunately religion is fueling the conflict instead of calming it. He said he just went to this Unitarian conference where MLK Jr's son spoke about world peace. He talked mostly about nonviolent peacemaking, and Michael said he just doesn't get... "it doesn't make sense here in Israel.. it won't work here." He also said "why do we need to have justice here now? There hasn't been justice here in the last 5000 years, so why now?" He wants to wait till the Messiah comes to have peace. [i wish we had had time for me to mention the bringing about of the Kingdom of God here on earth even before the Messiah comes]
9/3 10:20am BOS// 5:20pm TLV
On the bus- very tight leg room. But I have two seats for myself. Our tour guide is awesome though. Lots of older people on the tour. We drive one hour to the hotel and will have dinner there at 7pm. Michael speaks to us for most of the drive. Says he will be our Jewish mother. The group is 120 people on three buses; I am on bus one. Our bus driver's name is Avnar. Michael tells us dinner will be awesome (and Kosher- no mix of dairy and meat, no pork, etc); he says "forget about losing weight, they will feed you here! Unlike American diet though, it is heatlhy, with many of the fruits of the land." Tomorrow the plan is wake up at 6pm, breakfast at 7pm, leave at 8pm.
We drive down Hwy 6, which is the only toll road in Israel. It follows the "green line" which used to be the border of Jordan and Israel until 1967 when there was a war and Israel took some of Jordan's land, aka the West Bank, Palestinian land, Samaria. Took lots of pics. Along the drive it was cool to see Hebrew graffiti and Hebrew Bumper Stickers, and Hebrew on trucks and road signs... cuz I'm a dork. We drove by lots of banana, orange, grapefruit and date orchards.

9/3 1:06pm BOS// 8:06pm TLV
Arrived at hotel at about 6:30pm. Blue Bay Hotel in Netanya, a small Jewish town on the Med. Sea. The hotel is beautiful, my room is 711, on the seventh floor (the highest). I have an amazing view of the town and of the sea. i wish we could stay here longer but we are only here for a night.
had dinner at the hotel at 7pm. buffet style so I tried a little of everything. mostly typical middle eastern food, very good: lamb, rice, potatoes, hummus, tabouleh, split pea soup, bread, chocolate cake, watermelon. weird appetizers: eggplant stuff, fried onions, very spicy cold carrots, other weird conglomerations.
one woman on our tour was sitting at a nearby table and she was extremely rude to the waiter. She complained about how no one knew how to talk around here (meaning some people know Hebrew here better than English). Apparently she expects to have everyone be fluent in English. It was annoying. Then the waiter told her a bottle of wine was 80 shekels. And she flipped out! "I';m not going to spend 80 bucks on a bottle of wine!!" Her friend and the waiter tried to calm her down and explain that 80 shekels is about 20 dollars. This woman definitely seemed very small minded and unprepared for being in a foreign country. Hopefully I won't want to kill her by the end of this trip!
afterwards took a walk on the beach of the mediterranean sea (it got dark here really quickly... sunset at around 7:30pm)... my second time on this sea (the first was in Barcelona, in March 2006, which was very cold.) The sea here now is so warm! It was amazing and I will be waking up early tomorrow to go swimming before we leave on our tour.
on the beach, met this guy on a horse who offered to take me for a ride. I politely refused, because I didnt want to spend the money (im assuming it cost money) and it seemed wicked sketch considering it was dark and I was alone. So instead we talked for a good ten minutes, about me being from the states and how I am studying to be a minister. We talked about the differences between Protestant and Catholic churches, and about how I can get married and have children even though I will be a minister. He said he was Jewish, but didn't wear a kippah or did many typically Jewish rituals, but he said he kept God in his heart, so religion was very personal to him. He also said he had good mitzpah with God, since he has saved 14 people from the Med. Sea. He told me that when get to Jerusalem, I am going to feel God... he says the feeling is so amazing because you go from being at sea level to 800 meters above the sea... so you literally go up to Jerusalem...and it just feels holy... he assured me that I would feel it. This I am excited for. He also encouraged me to get my doctorate degree now and not wait until after I'm married with children because by then it will be too late. Nice advise, but I'm really not interested in my doctorate.
Going to hang out in my room and watch Hebrew TV and then crash. TTYL!