Cool Spring breezes at Yafo

Today’s journey started in Yafo, with a walk to the old city and then breakfast just beyond our apartment. I enjoyed the cool breezes and the quiet morning in the old city.

Viewing the Old Joppa City Square from above

After breakfast we went to meet our group at the airport. There are 90 of us on the trip, 13 from North Carolina. We will enjoy the next two weeks together. Luggage was collected, several people grabbed some lunch at the airport, then we took the bus toward the Palmach Museum.

A visit to the Palmach Museum

The Palmach Museum told the story of several soldiers who took specialized military training together, and afterwards were split apart and experienced service in different parts of the military. We saw how each part of this specialized military force contributed to Israel’s independence.

The declaration from Amos of a future Israeli State

We then went to Independence Hall, where the dream of Zionism was shared, and we were told of the birth of the state of Israel. Our guide said, “This is the place where seventy years ago the nation of Israel was born.” He showed us the UN Partition maps, and played audio clips from David ben Gurion’s speech, Rabbi Fishman-Maimon recitation of the Sheheheyanu (a Jewish blessing of thanksgiving) and the initial performance of Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem.

Close to 150 people learned about Israeli Independence

Our touring activities concluded the day back up on the hill in Old Yafo, where as a group we walked through the narrow streets and saw the old buildings (they look older than they are, but some do date back to the time period of Napoleon.)

Some older remains in Yafo with residences in the background

We also saw the gate built by the Egyptians for Pharaoh Raamses, which genuinely is very old.

The Egyptian Gate to Yafo

We then went up on the hill that overlooks Tel Aviv, and from there departed for our hotel. Tomorrow we journey to the Shefala.

Jaffa and History

Joppa, Jaffa, Yafo, Yaffe, however you spell the name, is a city with a history. Last week in my class we looked at the events which occurred in or around this city, which was built on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

The view from Joppa

Some of the most popular stories claim that Jaffa was founded by Japheth, the son of Noah. Although there is no proof of this matter, we do know that people (probably Canaanites) lived upon the hill of Jaffe by 2018 BC (not AD!) these people sought the hillside location for safety, and eventually built a wall around their community in order to defend themselves from attacks. By day they would grow crops, hunt, or go out fishing, and by night they would sleep safely inside the closed city gates.

A historic picture of Joppa

But history was not kind to Jaffa, because neither their hill nor their walls were high enough to keep intruders away. Pharaoh Thutmose III captured the city in about 1600 BC. It is said that he orchestrated an “inside attack” by offering the citizens 100 baskets of Egyptian “treasure,” carried in by 200 Egyptian “porters.” Both the “treasure” and the porters” were really Egyptian soldiers, and once inside the city gates, the city was an easy capture. Ramesses II was there in 1258 BC, as evidenced by a lion scarab and other archaeological finds. Both before, after and in between these two Pharaohs, other Egyptian rulers also called this city a possession and collected tribute from the people in Joppa.

Pharaohs visited Joppa

Along history’s path, the Bible tells of others who visited Joppa over the course of the centuries. It is recorded that Joshua and the army of Israel marched toward the sea along the Aylon River in Israel. This river used to empty into the Mediterranean near Joppa (it has been rerouted). From this march, Joshua turned south and captured other Canaanite villages, including Gezer and Lachish. King Solomon, likewise visited Jaffa in order to retrieve Cedar for the Temple which entered Israel at the port of Joppa.

The Harbor at Joppa

Joppa saw action as Assyrian kings Shalmaneser III, Tiglath Pileser III, Shalmaneser V, and Sargon II conquered Israel and fought against Egypt along the coastal highway. The prophet Jonah sought to escape a preaching assignment to Assyria during this period by taking the first ship out of Joppa to Tarshish. The prophet’s escape did not last long, because God brought up a storm which forced Jonah to be thrown from the boat, where he was saved by a fish who safely returned him to the beach near Yafo.

The story of Andromeda

In 412 BC, another story is told of a young woman who was saved from the sea. As the story goes, King Cepheus and his wife Cassiopeia, who ruled the city of Joppa, used to brag to everyone about the beauty of their daughter, Andromeda. They once said she was even more beautiful than the daughters of Poseidon. This angered the sea king, who demanded that Andromeda be chained to a rock in the harbor in order to save King Cepheus’s city from destruction. Andromeda would have been eaten alive by a giant sea creature, had not Greek god Perseus saved her.

A New Book on Israel

Over the years, Joppa has never been out of the limelight, and many other stories could be told. I have written a few more in my book, Israel: Stories for Your Journey. I will tell and learn others on a future trip to Israel. For more information, check out my webpage at www.KosherCopy.com.