Israel Adventure - Day 6

Today was Founder's day on our Israel trip. We went downtown to see the patriotic side of Israel. The story of independence is more detailed, full of valor and greater than most people know, or could even guess.

As we drove to our destination it became obvious that the holiday, Shavuot, was over and traffic was crazy! Cars would not stay in their lanes and motorcycles drove all over the place. In Tel-Aviv a driver must also watch for pedestrians and bicycle riders who come out of nowhere into the crosswalks.

We began with breakfast at the Bagel Market - only, the bagel machine of the bagel market had broken, so we had fresh baguettes instead. This was one of the only bagel places in Tel Aviv, which was why we ate there. Even though there were no bagels, the breakfast was excellent. We had lox and a choice of many vegetables.

From breakfast we walked several blocks to Rothschild Blvd. Our first stop was the Haganah Museum. The museum is in Eliyahu Golomb’s old house. He was one of the original founders of the Jewish yishuv. The house was once was headquarters for the 71,000 member organization. This organization pre-dated and became the Israeli Defense Forces. Most of the commanders were members of the Haganah, and the eventual Prime Ministers of Israel all had a connection as well.

The Haganah grew out of the Zionist movement of the 1890s. At that time there was a desire to “return to the homeland.” Farms were established by Baron Rothschild to produce marketable goods. Through the philosophy of Theodor Herzl, European Jews moved to farming collectives called kibbutzim. Although the two were not in total agreement about how to settle the nation (if you have two Jews you have five opinions), in the end both methods of establishing settlement worked for the greater good.

By the end of World War I, the rapid pace of European Jewish immigration was turning the tide in Palestine politically. The Arabs, who did not like the Europeans from the beginning, saw themselves as losing clout. They began attacking the Kibbutzim. The settlers began police forces to protect themselves. Community police began to work together and train together in order to increase skills.

The Arabs continued to push England on the matter, and finally in 1939, the British government caved in and issued what is called “the White Paper” - forbidding Jewish immigration to Palestine. The British would blockade Mediterranean ports, and if immigrants were found, send them back to Europe and Germany in order to suffer whatever fate they may. The Haganah created diversions and found ways to smuggle the immigrants into Israel. They also declared war on England, a sort of revolution, letting the ruling government know they needed to lift the embargo on persecuted people. (Hitler was already in power in Germany!)

Several officers who had served in the army during World War I served as visionaries in this movement and began to strategize Israel’s future (some were members of the Jewish Legion, which was the first organized army marching under the Jewish banner since the destruction of the Jewish homeland in 70-135 AD). They encouraged and nurtured organization between villages and kibbutzim. They organized Jewish leaders around the world with the dream of a Jewish homeland (although the Jewish people had lived in Diaspora among the nations for over 2,000 years, periods of anti-Semitism arise even in nations once favorable to Jewish settlement). Two prominent leaders of this movement were David Ben-Gurion from Poland (he also lived in New York City for three years) and Chaim Weizmann of Russia (who moved to England).

The war between England and the Haganah began as skirmishes...and the eruption of World War II shook the world, including Israel and the Jews’ ongoing conflict with the British colonialists. The Haganah enlisted men and women to fight with England against the common enemy. They also enlisted spies to find concentration camps and release prisoners when possible (and when they found prisoners, released them, and brought them to Israel, there was a high chance the British would turn the ships around and send them back to Germany!).

After the war, planning began again with strategized terror attacks on bridges, trains, radio, and radar stations. The attacks were always planned to minimize loss of life even while accomplishing desired results - and they were successful. Eventually England (who would not make a decision to free Palestine) asked the United Nations to vote on what to do with Palestine. The land was divided between Jews and Arabs, opening the door for a Jewish homeland (although drastic changes to the UN’s plan would be necessary to make this homeland a reality).

The museum shared stories of bravery as the Jewish military was organized, even before the nation of Israel was born, which is fortunate, for the day after the nation’s birth it was attacked by Arabs, and survived (although the first attacks by the Arabs began six months prior, just after the UN plan was affirmed).

A block away, on the other side of Rothschild Blvd, there exists a building known as Israel’s Independence Hall. This was actually the home of Tel-Aviv’s first mayor, Meir Dizengoff.

After the United Nations drew up a plan for Palestine’s partition and ended British rule on November 29, 1947, Jewish leaders met to take the opportunity to organize a government. (The Arabs disputed the plan because it did not give them all of the land, so they had not taken the opportunity to draw up a constitution and form a government.  Various terrorist groups rule areas of Arab Palestine today.) On Friday (the Sabbath begins at sundown Friday and continues through Saturday - which is why the meeting did not take place the next day), May 14, 1948, the day before England was to pull out of Palestine, the Jewish people met at the Dizengoff home (in a room that was used as an art museum) to formally read the Declaration of Independence and assert their right to a land which had been theirs for over two thousand years. The event was put together rapidly, so it might be said Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people was formed in a day. (Isaiah 66:8)

After our tour at Israel’s Independence Hall we walked to the Sarona Market, an upscale food market which is mostly contained in a mall. We ate dates and apricots for a snack and also had some ice cream.

We then walked back to the car and drove back to our apartment. We had decided last night to eat at the Aladin restaurant in Old Jaffa with a patio above the Mediterranean. We went just before sunset. We sat down, almost immediately heard the call to prayer from the minaret next door, and seemingly in response the chiming of the hour by the bells at the Catholic church.

I ordered beef kabobs, Chelsea had baked eggplant, and Sarah had mussels. We also ate tabouli. The food was tov meod (very good). The view was outstanding.

After dinner we walked along the wharfs at the harbor. Other restaurants such as the Old Man and the Sea line old warehouses. We looked at the boats, heard some music, visited an art shop (which also had some familiar books…can you read the title above?) and took some pictures.

This is a picture of “Peter the Fisherman.” Although I do not know his real name, you can see the cross around his neck. He was preparing his lines for the next day.

After our walk we went back to Old Jaffa (no, I did not yet find the bag I lost two years ago, but I looked!) for Ice Cream (what else?!) and to plan our day for tomorrow.

Israel Adventure - Day 5

Today started with a walk to the Caffe Yaffo. Akiva served us mini-lox sandwiches with cappuccino. The food and atmosphere were great.

After breakfast we walked through the Jaffa Flea Market. The shops were interesting. All types of merchandise filled the stores from furniture to appliances. There were tourist items, clothing, artwork, and restaurants. Some were packed and others were well organized. The picture below shows a shop owned by a hoarder - Who knows what is there!?! We only stayed long enough to snap a picture, because that was our purpose there! Probably the owner knew where the good stuff was, but we did not … and tourists are impulse shoppers, so we moved on to the next area.

We found some interesting things in some of the other shops. I found a few items we will bring home, for which we bargained Israeli-style. Looking through the shops was an adventure. In the middle of the flea market are tents, and a huge “Yard Sale.” My mother-in-law would like that. As for us, it was cheap stuff that can be found in American thrift stores.

After the flea market we took the car to Machon Ayalon, an underground bullet factory operated by the Haganah. This is an interesting place and a crucial part of the War for Independence. Up above the underground factory it looked like a regular Kibbutz (collective organization for farming). The buildings were there, some of the industries were there … so the Haganah could escape British scrutiny during this intense time period.

BUT, inside the laundry the Haganah had a secret - and many members of the Kibbutz had no idea what was going on right under their feet! Under the very noisy (to cover up sounds) washing machine (which moved from its “permanent place”) there was a trap door with a ladder that went down into the factory under the hill.

They kept the normal laundry crew in the dark by sending them out to hang clothing every time the door opened to let the 45 secret employees come up for lunch. At the end of the day they made sure the laundry workers had gone home. The mission was top secret.

The factory was a place dug out inside the hill; inside were bullet making machines. Four and a half million bullets were produced in four years of production by 45 volunteer workers from a group of just-graduated high schoolers who, upon completion of Kibbutz training, had been recruited sans details by the Haganah for this secret mission. Two ventilation shafts gave air: The first was in the laundry, and the other shaft was at the bakery, which hid smells of manufacture with the smells of baked goods. This was a very well kept secret, which helped win the Jewish war of independence.

After seeing the underground bullet factory, located on Kibbutz Hill in Rehovot, we went to Yavne. This is the place the Sanhedrin of Israel moved after the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. The Sanhedrin held the Council of Yavne where they discussed “what now.” They had a lot of issues to solve, such as how to compensate for the lack of a Temple or proper place to make sacrifices. What was to be done about the Atonement Offering? The decisions made at Yavne set the tone for the observance of Yom Kippur today. Many other decisions were made there as well.

There is a tel under which the ancient ruins lie. An Ottoman tower exists on top of the tel, as does Rabban Gamaliel’s tomb (accompanied by Ali Abu Hurairah). Nothing else can be seen on the top of the hill. There is a Temple on the edge of the tel, pictured above. There is also an amphitheater on the other side of the tel, pictured below. The tower at Yavneh can be seen near the trees on the right in the background.

After looking at the Tel we went out to eat in Yavne. Chelsea’s Hebrew skills came in handy since the server didn’t know much English, and we survived and had a great meal, a donair with chicken and various salads.

I talked to a young man there who was interested and excited that someone would come to Yavne because of the council and because Gamaliel lived there.

After returning to our Apartment we walked up the street to the main plaza at Jaffa. Sarah took pictures at the Zodiac Fountain. We plan to go back there tomorrow or Wednesday to see the things on the Plaza.

I lost my passport, a book, my kindle, and a camera in the square at Jaffa two years ago. It was either taken when I walked across the plaza to join our tour group or I hid it very well just before trying to surprise them. I asked the girls to look for the white Lechi bag, and they laughed. Chelsea said, “Why don’t you check with the Police, we filed a report.” So I went to the Police station, where I had a great visit with the officer. He said if found, it would be turned over to the US Consulate. Then we talked about Tel Gezer (he lives near there), and how we have enjoyed our visit.

The police asked if I was Jewish, I answered “Yes, but I became a Christian.”

He asked, “Why?” I told him that someone shared Psalm 22 with me. He asked if that was in the New Testament. I told him, “No, it is in the Tanakh.” I jotted the scripture down for him to look at when he got home.

We then went down to the beach and walked along the water. We walked to Tel Aviv proper, crossed the main road, and went to an old train station (the Tachanah). We looked in some of the shops and then ate ice cream, Halva Gelato … it was good!

Israel Adventure - Day 4

My day started with coffee, learning about Tel-Aviv and a Bible study with Pam Herman, with whom we are staying on the first part of our trip. We had a chance this morning to sleep in some, and begin getting over jet-lag and work.

After getting ourselves up and around we ate breakfast at Finnegan Kitchen & Cafe near our apartment. We had Aig’h, an Arabic omelet with herbs, cauliflower, onion, eggplant and roasted peppers served alongside bread, cream cheese, feta cheese, tuna salad, olives, tahini, jam and butter. We also had Shakshuka and coffee.  While we were at breakfast Sarah finished the videos from the Tel Gezer dig and began to upload them. The videos are available here and here.

After breakfast we went to the Eretz Israel Museum which is on the campus of Tel-Aviv University. The museum has many exhibits of the land including an archeological dig from Tel Qasile, Mosaics from the 6th and 8th centuries, a museum of ethnography which holds exhibits on Jewish holidays and the Rothschild Center, a museum dedicated to the efforts of Baron Rothschild to settle the land. We saw a special exhibit on the Bar Kochba rebellion and how it inspired future strength of the Jewish people.

We stopped for lunch at the Italian cafe at Eretz Israel Museum. We ate pizza (which is Mediterranean, but not necessarily Jewish … but it was in Israel in Jewish surroundings).

Afterwards we drove around Tel Aviv-University and the areas around the museum. We ended up at Yarkon Park. We took a walk in the park, enjoying the zoo, the river and people in the park. The park follows the Yarkon River from the western edge of the city to the sea. This park is like the Central Park of Tel-Aviv with multiple ball fields, an amusement park, and other amenities. We took some pictures along the river. Chelsea and Sarah laughed at how I was dressed, like an old Gezer waiting for people to talk to him. I told them the socks with a mountain and animals represented Mount Sinai, for this day is Shavuot in Israel, a holiday.

Following our walk we drove downtown to see Independence Hall and passed the Haganah Museum, which we will see on Tuesday, when it is opened. We enjoyed walking along Rothschild Blvd., and stopped for a drink at…

No, not there … at Aroma Coffee. The Israeli Coffee was a great end to our night. We might have to stop there again on Tuesday, when we return to the area.

Israel Adventure - Day 3

After a good night’s sleep, we arose early to take Felipe, one of the students digging at Tel Gezer to the airport. While we were out we decided to visit Latrun Junction and other sites in the vicinity. After stopping at Mini Israel (they were closed, but we looked through the gate) we went to breakfast at Si, a coffee shop

connected to a gas station at the junction. Chelsea & I ate avocado and egg sandwich, Sarah had a bagel with lox and Israeli Salad. The breakfast was great, and got us going for the day.

I asked some bike riders in the shop if they knew of an ancient synagogue found at Modi’in, and they directed us to the archeological findings of Emmaus. I took a picture through the front gate. This is the place Cleopas and his friend (Luke 24:13-35) were probably headed after Jesus was crucified. Emmaus is a resort at a hot spring. It is also the site of one of the battles (1 Macc. 4) of the Maccabees.

Just past Emmaus we entered Canada Park. The park is so named because Canadian Jews donated money to the Jewish National Fund to plant trees in this park. Again, we talked to some bike riders who directed us to the top of a hill for some panoramic views. We were well rewarded for following their directions. Attached you will find a photo from the scenic overlook toward Modi’in.

We continued up the road, and then took a trail at the top which led us to a Hasmonean Fortress. There are wine presses and cisterns in the ruins of the fortress. We took some pictures from the top in the direction of Gezer, where Sarah spent the last three weeks digging. (http://sjsimon.blogspot.co.il/)

Coming back down the hill from Canada Park, we stopped at Latrun Junction again, where we got some water, and I walked up to the entrance of the Tank museum. This area was hotly contested during the 1948 war with Jordan. Remnants of the conflict started this museum.

After leaving the museum we drove around a trappist monastery to Neve Shalom, where Sarah stayed the last three weeks. She gave us a tour, and showed us places where she took pictures.

From Neve Shalom, we went to Tel Gezer, where Sarah was part of an archeological team from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary - http://nobtsarchaeology.blogspot.co.il/. We visited the Tunnel, Eli’s House and the Canaanite Gate, which Sarah (and Dr. Parker) detail on their blogs. We spent some time looking at this site.

Then we came home. The GPS took us on a strange route through farms with grapes, peaches, harvested wheat, and other crops. It was interesting. We went through a small village, then to the main road. When we got home we took a nap.

After our nap it was time to go to the beach. On the way we saw a Pentecost Parade put on by the Joppa Catholic Church. They had bagpipes and a band. The band played “When the Saints go Marching In.” Sarah felt as if she was in New Orleans.

After the parade, we continued to the beach where we went swimming. The water was cool at first, but after being in it was great, for a warm day. The waves were choppy, but the water was fun. We swam for about an hour, then walked through old Joppa on the way home.

For dinner we went into the Florentine district and found a place that served Shawarma. The dinner was excellent, and the wait staff patient.

Afterwards we went to the old train station in Tel Aviv and ate ice cream. I had date and banana halva ice cream. Tomorrow is Shavout, so we will see what we can become involved in.

Israel Adventure - Day 2

Today was almost totally up in the air. Our day actually started in the evening at JFK Airport in New York City taking a six hour flight to Paris. People from all over the world flew with us. The third person in our row of seats was a man from Poland. We watched movies on the plane and tried to sleep some and ate two meals.

As we flew I read some of Mark Twain’s Innocents Abroad. Samuel Clements travels to the Mediterranean by ship. He talks about a man who bought a new watch before taking the trip, and was totally frustrated with the time piece because once he left the United States it stopped working. Every three days it lost an hour (they crossed a time zone), and he couldn’t get the regulator to adjust for it.

On our flight we lost an hour for every hour of flight. Six hours time change from New York to Paris, then one more as we flew to Israel.

After checking through Paris we boarded our flight to Israel. We sat next to a man from Jerusalem. He told us of some interesting things in Israel.  We ate a lunch of pita with mushrooms, Lox on English muffins, potato salad and cheesecake.

The flight was beautiful. We flew over the snow-capped, green-valleyed Alps. We were able to sleep on that flight also.

When we landed, we rented a car, and drove to our accommodations. Sarah was there, as was Philippe, one of the other people who worked at Tel-Gezer. (To see Sarah’s trip, visit http://sjsimon.blogspot.co.il/) We are staying about two blocks from old Joppa. The place we are staying is in the picture. After settling in we went to a Shabbat Dinner at the Jews for Jesus Rosen Center in Tel-Aviv. It was great! We met some new people and had great discussions.

Israel Adventure - Day 1

The day has finally arrived. Chelsea and I are on our way to Israel. After an early morning trip to the airport and farewell to Denise, we were off to our adventure. First stop New York City. Travel time 1 hour 14 minutes (so they said, then they said we were arriving 25 minutes early!!) We took the train to Manhattan.

Breakfast was at Russ & Daughters on the Lower East Side. We met my cousin Jamie and nephew Benjamin for a plate of Lox (Nova, Scottish, Pastrami and Grave), Liverwurst, and the trimmings. I had Cucumber Soda, Chelsea had Pineapple, Jamie and Benjamin had Cherry. The food was FANTASTIC!!

From there we went to the Lower East Side, Chinatown (for bubble tea and a red bean roll), and Little Italy. With a connection to be made we headed to Jamie’s house via Madison Square Park and Chelsea. On the way we gave our regards to Broadway at 5th Avenue.

We made our way to JFK via the Long Island Railroad (first time I have taken them, the trip was very quick). On the airtrain we met a man leading a dig at Hebron (must be that season). As I write today’s post we are awaiting our flight to France, then to Israel.