It is 4:06 a.m. here in Georgia, and I have been awake since 2:30. Obviously, my body is still on Israeli time. I figured I might as well get up and putter around. So, although in my exhaustion and stupor I unpacked last night, I am sitting surrounded by my undone laundry and, not wanting to start the washing machine which would wake Son#2 up for sure, I decided it was as good a time as any to blog.
Returning home from my epic trip to Israel will be a circadian clock adjustment, for sure. But, I thought I'd take a few minutes and tell you about the people of Israel, because I didn't talk much about them while blogging about my travels. Getting to interact with them was the most pleasant surprise of the trip.
First of all, this trip busted some of my misconceptions. As Americans, most of our opinions of Israel are severely colored by the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. When I told my friends and family I was going to that part of the world they were alarmed for my safety. I have to confess, before this opportunity came up to travel there with Debbie and Chris, my plan was to go with a tour group, led by "a man who would have resources if we fell under attack". So, I understood their concerns.
Israel is a very polarized country. There are Muslims, Jews and Christians from all ethnic backgrounds. For example, Christians make up the smallest population group, but there are Coptic Christians, Messianic Jewish Christians, Arab Catholic Christians, etc. You would think that the 3 religious groups would be adversarial and not support one another. But, that is not what I saw. Everyone I met was kind and friendly to me. However, the three religious groups were collegial in commerce with each other. As a whole, the least "open" group was the ultra-conservative orthodox Jews. I don't say that to be condemnatory; it was just an observable fact.
We stayed in a rented flat in an ultra-conservative Jewish neighborhood. However, most of the orthodox people there pretended not to see us. Any who did look my way I greeted with "Shalom" or "Shabbat Shalom" if on the Sabbath. Most of the time the greeting was returned. On our last day, the mother of a young family living in the building asked us whose apartment we had rented. That was the extent, however, of our verbal interactions with the ultra-orthodox. A highly paternalistic society, the men seemed to move around very confidently in their world. They always seemed to be moving somewhere quickly. So fascinating!
We had lunch with a wonderful Jewish associate of my friend, Debbie, during our stay. He and his legal associate are probably what you'd call in the "reformed" Jewish camp, although I did not ask. Both of the men lived in the United States for a time, but live full-time in Israel now. My guess is that they have dual citizenship. They asked us about American politics and social issues here. We had fascinating conversation.
Our contact with Christians fell into two basic camps: Protestant and Catholic.
We were privileged to worship on the Sunday evening we were there at a evangelical Christian congregation called King of Kings fellowship. It meets on Jaffa St., near where we stayed. Worshipping with an expat and largely Messianic Jewish congregation was amazingly wonderful. I also mentioned in another post that I ran into at Masada a couple of Southern Baptist missionaries who were vacationing from their assigned post in England.
One of the biggest surprises was learning about Arab Christians from our tour guide, Jiries Asmar. Almost all are Catholic. They were proselytized by the Catholic Church during the time of the Crusades. And, Jiries' ancestors have lived in Old City Jerusalem for hundreds of years. We were honored that he took us to visit his parents, who live in a former convent above/beside (I am not entirely sure) the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Old City Jerusalem. At that Church, we saw priests from three other Christian sects performing their ministerial duties there - - - Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Coptic Christian. There is also Russian Orthodox, which we saw ministering at the Church of the Nativity, in Bethlehem. Jiries said that within the Christian sects people were approved to marry, but that the wife would take the particular brand of her husband. For example, Jiries' younger sister married an Armenian Christian. Therefore, she worships in the Armenian Christian tradition, as do their children.
While in Bethlehem, we shopped at a souvenir shop, run by Arab Christians. We bought some items in part because we knew we'd be supporting the Christian community in that Palestinian-dominant area. Nine Christian families depend on that shop for their livelihood.
The Arab Christians I met are steeped in traditions but fully modern at the same time, highly educated, fluent in several languages, very accomplished, successful, open, friendly people.
Most of the Christian religious sites Jiries took us to had Catholic roots. That is, of course, because Protestantism has only existed from the day Martin Luther nailed his 15 theses on the church door in 1517, thereby starting the Reformation. By then, most of the religious sites (beginning around 325 C.E. with the efforts of Emperor Constantine's mother, Helena) had been identified and built upon by the centuries-old Catholic Churches - - some Eastern Orthodox, some Western Orthodox (Roman Catholic). I'm indebted to the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches for their preservation of these sites. The churches they built are stunningly beautiful.
The Muslim call to prayer rings out over the city of Jerusalem and various parts of Israel 5 times a day. In fact, as we walked away from the Western (Wailing) Wall of the former Temple, the Muslim call to prayer rang out. This is one of the many paradoxes of Jerusalem.Two of the merchants we purchased from in Old City are Muslim. When we got to the shop of one of them, we had to wait until he finished his prayers before he could wait on us. This was a man who sells all kinds of tee shirts, including that GA Bulldogs tee shirt a sweet friend of mine from home requested.
We spent a lot of time in a jewelry/antiquities shop in the Old City, on the Via Dolorosa. Youssef, one of the shop owners (along with his brother) live and have their shop in a house that dates back over 900 years. (Youssef is pictured at the top of this post.) There is a well in the shop which dates back to Roman times, and generations of Youssef's family have lived there for around 400 years. Youssef's brother studied and taught at the University of Chicago's art school for a time. I mention this to illustrate the amazing blend of history, tradition, education and culture of these Israeli people.
Underlying everything, in most of the country is a strong religious vibe. Except for Tel Aviv, which is very cosmopolitan and more secular in its people, the people we met had a strong, moral core, focused on the worship of the god they adore. It shows in their behavior, how they live their lives, their commitments to their families, how they treat others.
Oh my goodness! If you have the resources to take a trip to Israel, please, by all means, do so! And, don't go with some big tour group on a huge bus. Go with a knowledgeable, Christian tour professional as my little group did. Take about 3 friends with you, as four can fit in a taxi, and call Jiries to let him know when you'll be coming! Jiries attended Hebrew University and worked at the Israeli museum for 25 years. He is not only knowledgeable about the sites you will see. Due to his connections, he can take you anywhere you would like to go (except the Dome of the Rock, which is forbidden to Christians) in Israel. Hit me up, and I'll gladly give you his contact information. Plan ahead. He is very popular, because he's so good at his job. Jiries is also a fantastic photographer. Most of the pictures Debbie and I posted from our trip were made by him.
I will also say that this time of year is perfect for traveling to Israel. We had some days (and most evenings) when I wore a short, wool coat. But, most days, I dressed in thin tops with sweaters/scarves, which I could easily put on or remove as needed. The climate is much like ours in Georgia, actually. I told Jiries I was glad to see Masada in early February, not in the summer, when it would have been too blazing hot to tolerate. Plus, crowds are worse in the summer, and around religious holidays (of which there are many, given the 3 separate religions).
I have just a few regrets about my trip.
1. That I did not get to see Petra. There was just not enough time! And, Petra is a two-day trip, because it is in Jordan (the country), which is, maybe, 3 hours away? Anyhow, it just makes sense to stay overnight when you travel there from Jerusalem-area.
2. That I did not "swim" in the Dead Sea. (It was too cold that day for my Southern blood. Chris swam, but I just was "not feeling it", lol!) . Maybe next time, the weather will be warmer. There are some amazing spas on the Dead Sea. I'd love to check them out.
3. Not getting to spend more time in the Israeli museum, see the Bible Lands Museum (right next door) or the Holocaust Museum. I wish I'd had time to chase down my (supposedly) Jewish heritage, on my mother's side of the family.
4. I'd like to watch the Knesset in session, although they may not allow that.
5. I'd like to explore Hebrew University, there by the Mount of Olives.
6. I'd like to stroll through the Yad VaShem, where all the famous Israelis, including the prime ministers, are buried.
I'm sure there are many more things I would have loved to have done.
No doubt about it! I'm just going to have to return to The Land.
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