Arriving in Israel - the whole plane cheered
Mezuzahs every where: departing plane, leaving airport, at every hotel room & site we visited
Baggage claim
Leaving the airport - we're not in the US anymore
Finding the correct necher to take me to my hotel
DAY 1 - Trip to Jerusalem & Old City (10 minute walk from our hotel)
The View of Jerusalem from the South side; the route taken by Abraham & Issac
The hills and valleys from Hebron towards Jeru
UN Headquarters in Jeru
Suzie from Melbourne, Australia - the best roommate I could I ask for
Our bus that took us everywhere, except for the armored & bullet proof one we took to have dinner in Ephrat- when we crossed into occupied territories
Entrance to old city - Jaffa Gate. Note excavation and repairs being done to old city walls
How cars wind in and out of the old city walls is a miracle
Entrance to Old City - Jaffa Gate
IDF - Israel Defence Force troops studying & learning. All students age 17 required to serve 3 years (girls 2 yr.)
Our group of 14 meandering through the Armenian Quarter of the Old City
Entering the Jewish Quarter
Jewish Quarter
Boys school in the old Jewish Quarter
Life & soccer in the old Jewish quarter
The view out from the old Jewish Quarter - King David's city
Field trip for girls to Old City. This area commemorates an area where Jews were once barried, but were removed when the city was over taken and Jews no longer ruled this area
Jewish home in the Jewish Quarter of Old City
The largest synagogue being revitalized and rebuilt in the Old City of Jerusalem “the White Dome”
our restaurant for lunch in the Old City overlooking the Rock of the Dome
Cousin Leslie at lunch
A jewish wedding being conducted accross the way from the Kotel (The Western Wall)
The Western Wall, below the Temple Mount - the area to the left of the construction bridge. Security check was required to gain access to the Kotel/Wall
Mount Olives, next to Temple Mount, security check point to left
The Western Wall, security check in foreground, entrance to 150 ft of underground tunnels under archways
trying to smile in the sun - standing at holiest site for Jews to pray at mechiza partition of men & women
Women praying at Kotel
The Kotel - Western Wall
Entrance to underground tunnels of Western Wall
Model of Holy of Holies - Jewish temple prior to 70 BC, current Western Wall is located to right of bridge leading to Temple
Model of original city outside of The Temple prior to destruction by Romans
Exploring the tunnels being excaved under the Temple Mount
Various size and types of rock used to build the original temple, some over 15 feet long
Women praying in tunnels at point of retaining wall that estimated closest to Holiest of Holies
Approaching sunset at Kotel
NIGHT 1 - Israel Museum
sculpture at Israel (Art) Museum
View of Jerusalem hills from museum
The Shrine of the Book - location of the oldest known books of Torah: portions of 98 scrolls found in 1972 & complete book of Isiah displayed inside
DAY 2: 20 minutes outside of Jerusalem you encounter the Judean dessert with the Dead Sea in background - lowest point of sea level on earth
Judean Hills & dessert
An abandoned military fort - site of our lesson on biblical map orientation with our educator Zohare (standing with pants)
The Judean hills at Qumran - area in dessert where Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1972
Qumran
Village and mikvah of Qumran where Jews (only men) lived to escape corruption of Jerusalem prior to its fall in 72 BC
The actual cave where many torah scrolls were found
Yikes - I didn't know the camel was going to stand
DAY 2: Entrance to Masada - Negev Dessert
Tram to take up to explore Masada, Snake Trail in back ground for the adventurous and young
View of Dead Sea from tram platform show seperating of lake into 2 regions due to drought and water management issues - possible to walk to Jordan.
Tram ride up to Masada
Who wants to hike up with me in the desert at noon?
King Herrods palatial village on top of Masada - much excavation and recreation has been done in the last 15 years to rebuild the site to original form
Model of the kings palace
View from the top - the dead sea is now physically 2 lakes
Enterring the “do it yourself” Dead Sea spa
Kids area at the Dead Sea spa. Not long ago the water from the “sea” came up to the resort - now you must take a bus to access the water areas
Pools at the Dead Sea resort near Ein Gedi
Vactioners in the sulfur springs washing off the mud
playing in the mud baths
floating in the Dea Sea - lowest point on earth; high salt content
DAY 3: Arriving in to Tel Aviv. The newest and most modern city of Israel
Tel Aviv - Miami & San Francisco like
The old Jaffa port of Tel Aviv
View up towards Haifa
Theodore Hertzl's home where Ben Gurion declared Israel a state for Jews in 1948 - at the actual table in background - listening to a recording of the historic event
Learning about the Art Deco architecture style of Tel Aviv (pre/post 1920s)
Downtown Tel Aviv
Downtown Tel Aviv - marks spot where Yizkak Rabin was murdered, now covered in grafitti “Sorry” “Peace”
Site being renovated to commenorate Yizkak Rabin
DAY 4: venturing out into Jerusalem neighbors. The 14 year old boy Alene and I interviewed that was home alone baking Challah with his 11 year old brother to get ready for Shabbat while his parents were workling and 5 other siblings were at school/work
DAY 4: Market at Ben Yahuda - busy getting ready for shabbat
food at the shuk
fresh Challah at the shuk
fresh spices at the shuk
Fresh dried fruits and nuts at the shuk - observing shmeeta (certificate hanging) - the custom of allowing farm land to lay fallow every 7 years (mitzvah)
Steaming hot ruggalah at the shuk
Day 4: the German colony neighborhood. Our interview of locals at the art market
Our hotel - The Inbal
Daily breakfast at the Inbal
courtyard for breakfast at Inbal - our room is above
A chance to swim at our hotel in the morning
My room with Suzie
more food for breakfast
fresh honey at breakfast
....more food
DAY 5: Shabbat evening stroll - Moshe (Rothchild) Windmill
1 minute walk from our hotel, just outside walls of Old City overlooking King David's Tomb
Same view to the south - shows Security Barrier that separates proposed border for Palestinian state (entire lenght = 70 miles)
Walls to the Old City from southern corner
Jersusalem near our hotel
Jerusalem
Old City and King David's tomb as we near time for Havdallah
King David's Tomb nearing sunset
DAY 6: Mediterranean Ocean at Ceasarea - a 7km aquaduct from hills to palace with only 5 inch gradiant
The aquaduct at Ceasaria
The view towards Ceasaria (and an Israeli power plant station), named after Ceasar - this became Roman Port capital of Palenstine 2000 years ago
Mediterranean Ocean
The amphitheatre at Ceasaria - slightly modernized from 2000 years ago
King Harrods ruins at Ceasaria palace
A view of Ceasaria fortress landscape
Ceasaria
The built in tidal reef to protect from storms
The 4 Aussies from Melbourne
second half of DAY 5: visit to Bet She'arim: The Jewish Necropolis of the Roman Period
25 acre park of tombs of prominent Jews, all built into the side of a hill in caves
The large cemetery of Beit She'arim contained many tombs and catacombs, some of them family tombs, others public burial places
Over the centuries, the caves were broken into, damaged and their contents robbed
Farms in the Galilee area observing Shmeeta - not farming land every 7 years per commandment in torah
Fallow farms
Mount Arbel is a mountain in The Lower Galilee near Tiberias in Israel, that has split into two after an earthquake.
Mount Arbel - with its 110 meters vertical drop, is the only known mountain in Israel to serve as a base jumping site
Near the mountain remain the ruins of an ancient Jewish settlement including a Synagogue from the fourth century C.E. with extend pews and columns, and dug into the mountain itself are a number of cliff dwellings. Pictured with our leader - Zohar
Near Arbel
Near Arbel - at our learning session where we observed caves the Druze live in the hills
Muslim city with it Minuet near Arbel as we were heading toward Tiberias & Sea of Galilee
Approaching Sea on Galilee in bus
Sea of Galilee - know at the Kinneret
Approaching Tiberias
Ending of DAY 5 at our hotel
The view from our hotel in Safad
Safed is one of the four holy cities in Israel, together with Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias. The old part of town consists of narrow cobblestone alleys revealing artists' galleries, medieval synagogues, private homes and small guest houses. Despite its small population (ca 27,000), Safed is once again making its mark on the map.
Sunset The city flourished in the 16th century, when many famous Jewish religious scholars and mystics moved to Safed following the Spanish Expulsion,, fleeing from the horrors of the Inquisition. Safed then became the spiritual center of the Jewish world, where Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) reached the peak of its influence.
Na Nah Nach Nahman - The religious Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, says that the Messiah will come from Safed on his way to Jerusalem. The Ari HaKodesh said that until the Third Temple is built, the Shechinah (God's Manifest Presence) rests above Safed.
We ate well in Safad ... and all of Israel
more food
dessert - a former Turkish building was our hotel
DAY 6: touring Safad and its artistic streets and old synagogues
Heading towards the artist village
A beautiful street and home in Safad
Safad
Entering Artists colony
Art every where
Heading to raft the Jordan river - to the North since it flows into the Sea of Galilee
The Kinneret, with the Golan towards our other side
Suzie in our hotel room at the Kinneret - a family style kibbutz
The view of the Galilee from our hotel at the kibbutz
The hotel swimming pool
Israelis on holiday at the Kinneret
A view towards the Golan from our hotel - the Sea on Galilee/Kinneret
Kadeema at the Galilee beach at Magen Eden
Our hotel room
Heading north to Tiberias for diner
The Golan Heights in the distance
Cemetaries full of life - Rachael the zionist poet
sunset
DAY 7: Leaving Kinneret with my roommate Suzie from Australia to head to Golan Heights
Hamat Gadar - the Syrian & Jordan triangle border with Israel; view of Jordan
View to Syrian - note lookout barracks at top of hill & land mind signs
Mechanical equipment used to clear all tracks in patroling border area
Israeli IDF border patrol
Our sabra leader Zohar (went under cover recently for IDF) with 3 Israeli soldiers: Druze, female,and non-Jew
The view towards Jordan with a shared water dam
Reaching the top of Golan Heights
Kafar Haruv kibbutz on Golan - where Zohar lived previously
The fertile Golan
The view from Kfar to are hotel Ma'agan & Sea of Galilee
breath taking views from the kibbutz
Leaving kibbutz
Meeting in Golan capital, Katzrin, with the Mayors wife. Also pictured is my leader Haim
“monuments” on the Golan from the 6 day war of 1967
DAY 8: The new Yad Vashem museum (exit area) in Jerusalem - showing life continuing out the window view of the city
Yad Vashem art in the musuem park grounds
Life stopping in art reinactment of travel to concentration camps
The tree in Yad Vahem park honoring Schindler for saving so many Jews. The days after his movie was released, mounds of rocks were put at the base of tree in a tribute to his humanity and life
Roof line of Yad Vashem museum
Learning about the haulocast
The entrance to the museum honoring the 1.5 million children that perished from Nazis at Yad Vashem Museum
Last Day - DAY 9: visit to mount Hertzl; all IDF trainees must spend time learning about military history by visiting park
Israeli students visiting Mount Hertzl - military burial park
Israelis getting ready to start - school was being held 20 days extra due to teacher strike earlier in year
Hertzl's burial site - highest peak outside Isreal. Father of zionism - his body was brought here from Vienna when Israel was declared a state in 1948
uniform graves for all ranks of soldiers in IDF - resting beds with pillows for those that defend the country
Final day of shopping with Suzie in Jerusalem
Farewell group dinner at outdoor restaurant in Jerusalem - with skits by all participants to distribute awards for superlatives
