Wednesday, June 22, 2011—Temple Emanu-El trip to Israel, last day!

We all awoke early for breakfast.  My roommate and I awoke at 5:30 AM, so we could eat and meet at the bus at 7:30 AM.  We then drove toward the Dead Sea Basin, stopping first at Masada.  This separate flat top mountain had long ago separated from the mountain range, and stood somewhat alone, which gave it a natural advantage of being easier to defend.  We all ascended by cable car to the top.  Although partly built before Herod, he built a mountain palace there.  The mountain had many storage places for rain water. 

Masada became the site of the Jewish ‘Zealots’ last stand against the Romans, after the destruction of the 2^nd Temple and much of the city. Things were calm for a while, and farming was done at the top also.  Then the Romans came and built camps all around the mountain.  On the south side of the mountain, they started to build a ramp which was completed, and then they could bring up a battering device to break down the stone walls.  Eventually this was done by the Romans, which (according to Biblical scholars) then the Jewish Zealots felt they had no choice and decided to draw lots and kill off their families and themselves.  This was done, and all consumables were destroyed.  So when the Romans came up, they found the destruction and all dead.  The real truth was brought forth by Josephus, because a woman and her children hid in a water storage place while the suicides took place.  Either the Romans or time alone tore down most of the walls.  

We then drove over to the Ein Gedi Spa building, and got tickets and towels as well as had lunch there.  Many floated on the Dead Sea, and others watched.  We showered off and changed back into our clothing and had to return to the hotel in Jerusalem to get ready for our farewell dinner Moroccan style at Darna in downtown Jerusalem.  We loaded luggage and checked out of our hotel before dinner at 6:10 PM, and headed for the restaurant.  Slightly before 8:00 we headed for Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Avi for our overnight flight to the USA.  Two families stayed in Israel, one for a Bar Mitzvah and the other to return during the weekend.  What a fabulous trip we all enjoyed so very much! 

Back at the military cemetary, Muki provides some historical perspective in this video on former prime minister, Golda Meir, who took Israel’s relationship with the United States to a whole new level.

Going a few days back into the trip…our host provided us with an overview of the Western Galilee Hospital and surrounding region.

“Hineini” (here I am), and here we stand at Masada at the end of ten glorious days in eretz Yisroel. Masada last stand of 960 Jews, who after a prolonged siege rather than submit to their Roman conquers decided to take their own lives. The story of this place has evolved from puzzling martyrdom, and nationalistic fervor, “Masada shall not fall again” to that of an important footnote. It reminds me of the evolution of the story of this complex, complicated, thorny, and beautiful land we are about to physically leave. How is it that this small piece of land, Israel, settled in waves, from the religious, to the idealist, to the survivor managed to grow and to flower and to prosper?

As I stand here contemplating this question, I also reflect on the past ten days and the questions raised and answered, the bonds made and rekindled, the simchas that we were participants in, and the awakening of my love of this country. I look over the winding Snake Path and am reminded of our windings throughout the land (not to mention the windings of an improbably large bus down, up, and through some improbably narrow and twisting roads). From the sugar-sand beaches and relative comfort of Tel Aviv, cradle of modern Israel, to the eggshell and stark beauty that is the Golan, to the grave of our new matriarch Rachael, to floating down the “mighty” Jordan with the many faces and beliefs that make up the Jewish people, to standing just meters from the Holy of Holies, I am energized—energized to again grapple with the questions of who am I as Jew and what my relationship is to eretz Yisroel.

As we learn from the Chasid whose kippah was bouncing and whose payot were twirling, Jerusalem and all of Israel is seen both with the eyes and with the heart. My heart and my nishama (soul) live both here and in Dallas. I cannot wait to return spiritually and physically to both places.

Our best (homemade) attempt at the delicious veggie salads we ate while in Israel. While tasty, it’s not quite the same, a metaphor for an unforgettable experience! “L’hitraot Yisroel” - until we meet you and your delicious cuisine again.

In case any of our fellow travelers were wondering…cucumberand tomato are in this salad too!

This is all Betsy, Tim, and Joy packed for the return trip to Dallas - including souvenirs and without expansion. Very impressive!

Elizabeth hangs on for dear life as Debbie looks on.

More camel pictures. 

At Avraham’s tent in GENESIS LAND!!!

Hannah is enjoying Shoko - Chocolate Milk in a bag!