=isreal411 "Israel is real -- Rewrite 11 Feb 04 If anyone has a copy of my old files, =isreal*.*, please send me same. Meanwhile, here's this top-of-the-head rewrite: Things to do and see on a tour to Israel: primarily for non- Jewish visitors, secondarily for Jewish visitors. There are excellent resources available to Jewish visitors (only; primarily because Judaism rejects proselytizaton) who wish to learning something of Israel from a Jewish (strictly orthodox, but cosmopolitan) perspective. These are particularly suitable for young low-budget travelers. They include Heritage House in the Old City [ safe, properly supervised lodging and food ], and Ascent in Tzfat. Lodging in the Old City for non-Jewish visitors: Only a few that I know of are suitable for persons of a religious or even spiritual orientation. Those would include the Christ Church lodging by Jaffa Gate, and the Lutheran House. There is also what looks like a very nice simple Greek-orthodox hotel just to one's left inside Jaffa Gate. Any IYH Youth Hostel is appropriate; those include Bet Shmuel [ affiliated with the USA Reform Movement; and an appropriate meeting place for persons of all faiths and most politics ], and the Bet Agron facility [ affiliated with the USA Conservative movement. ] All IYH Youth Hostels are open to persons of all faiths, nationalities, and age; most have private rooms. All offer a solid breakfast, and dependably mediocre meals if ordered. The West Jerusalem YMCA is a magnificent structure, and a most suitable venue for interfaith gatherings. Includes a front-porch cafe/restaurant (non-kosher). I know very little of Christian religious sites in the Old City. There is a Christian Information Center inside Jaffa Gate. The Church of the Holy Sepulchure is a short and I think safe walk from Jaffa Gate. The various features at Zion Gate are also much-visited by religious tourists. I know practically nothing of Muslim religious sites. Ibrahim, on the Mt. of Olives, should be knowlegeable: maryhawalyn@alqudsnet.com; 050--548-105. Ibrahim is fluent in English and German, and I think other languages. Jewish religion tradition strongly admonishes anyone Jewish, in particular, not to attempt to physically ascend Temple Mount (Har haBayit). (But if you do, you do; life goes on. Still, Saphira tried it and she ain't been back since, alas & alack). It is not something to be done casually; consult first with your religious &/or spiritual advisor, if possible. The restrictions common to all faiths for their holy sites apply. Mikveh are available to Jewish persons within the Jewish Quarter of the Old City; ask any resident for details. As far as I know, there is nothing resembling a sweat lodge; not even a Turkish bath. --------------------- "What can you do in Israel on Shabat?" "Nothing." Visitors of all faiths are encouraged to keep the Sabath. That means: don't travel by motor vehicle, don't spend money [pre-arranged debits are ok], don't change lodgings. Shabat begins at sundown Friday and may [most say: must ] be ended with the appearance of the stars on Saturday night [ unless, of course, the kingdom of heaven on earth has manifested in the meantime ]. It is meritorious to carry the spirit of Shabat into the new week with a festive meal Saturday night; one might then practice using one's money and energy for especially good purposes. Jewish visitors in particular should not depart Israel on the Shabat; "most inauspicous". Although frugality is in general a virture, it is considered meritorious to spend as much money as necessary to safeguard one's Shabat. Speaking of money: Jewish 'halacha' (spiritual/religious road-map; 'Abhandlung'; user's guide) states that one should give some money, with words of encouragement and respect, "with a smiling face", to all who ask. That includes beggars on the street. But one needn't be naive about it. One is encouraged to give a tenth ("tithe") of one's money to victims of economic injustice (that's 'tzdaka'; Cf. Greek, dike); but enjoined not to give more than a fifth; can't be much help to most folks if you go broke. If you are invited to a Jewish Shabat meal, by all means accept. If not, you can make some sort of observance yourself; ninimum requirement is two pieces of bread, salt to dip it in, and something to drink first for an aperatif; preferable wine or grape juice (which is considered equivalent to wine). Jewish travelers abroad can make kosher grape-juice by buying a bunch of grape and smooshing them. One offers a blessing, a prayer of thanks, before the drink, then washes one's hands (cold water is best, especially in the heat of summer), says a blessing, says a blessing over the bread, dips it in salt, and sits down to a leisurely, luxurious meal, especially if there is something else to eat. Religious songs are always appropriate at table. Oh, and before sundown, one lights candles (in the old days, oil lamps; olive oil if you're rich enough to burn it) on the evening of Shabat; oughtn't eat in the dark. Conversation should of course be what the Indians call "good talk". "We'll protect each person's dignity, guide each person's pride" as the Sjalers samg. ----------------------- One should of course visit the Western Wall (Kotel) Plaza. There are no restrictions beyond common courtesy on personal prayer or, I suppose, meditation (at least in undemonstrative forms). The best guidebook at the Kotel would be the Jewish prayerbook, in a bilingual (Hebrew/English) edition. I find the Metsudah Interlinear most helpful; (I have reservations about ArtScroll.) An invaluable spiritual guidebook, but maybe rather a learning-curve. The Jewish calendar associates a sequential reading from the first 5 books of the Bible (Chumash) with each week (and if you like, even day) of the year. Feldheim publishes a good learner's interlinear Chumash. There is a very good English-oriented Jewish book store in the Jewish Quarter (Rova) just above the steps to Kotel Plaza. And in the New City, at Shmuel HaNagid 4, just above the 'Midrahov' (Ben Yehuda pedestrian street; becoming a bit Greenwich Village) is Pomeranz Bookstore, agents for Jason Aronson Publishers; an excellent resource for serious English-language students. There is, as I recall, a good Christian-oriented bookstore near the main Post Office. Jerusalem is intoxicating, but very intense; in large part from the glut of automobiles. Rehavia is the most quiet, old area to walk in. The streets are in general safe -- I mean, it's not liking walking 3 blocks cross-town in Manhattan, or driving out on the L.A. Freeway to buy a bottle of milk -- but be sensible. Women, in particular should hesitate, I think, to wander alone in the Old City [except for the Rova] at night. Like Brecht said, not everything's quaint. And don't be too ladylike to refuse a shopkeeper's invitation to examine his etc. Jerusalem is small enough to walk around (at least for non- smokers); which is a good thing, because taking public city buses is generally considered a bit risky (tho not quite as dangerous as hitch-hiking in the USA). Taxi's are usually readily available, and some taxi-drivers show the creative entrepreneurial spirit associated world-wide with the trade. (Crossing Central Park via Columbus Circle, etc.) Incidentally, it's generally considered bad manners, even for Americans, to attempt to haggle over price in Jewish (and I think most Armenian) shops; although this is traditional (or neo- traditional) practice in the Arab Quarter of the Old City. ------------------------------- If you do not go to the Old City of Jerusalem, you have missed Israel; and if you do not get outside Jerusalem, you have missed Israel. The best time to visit Israel is of course the rainy season; espcially at the peak of mid-winter, from Tu B'Shvat (the mid- winter full moon) when the first trees, almonds, come into blossom). The views of bare, greening hillsides, especially from the Golan-side shore of the Kineret, with partial cloud throwing down patterns of light, can be very beautiful. The summer heat can be quite difficult, at least for us northerners. One wears barefoot sandles and a broad hat, and loose clothes, and carries a bottle of sweetened water. (Shorts aren't much to the point, except in humid areas.) Follows Muslim custom in getting up shortly before daybreak. Naps through the mid-day heat. Then either drinks black coffee, or joins the lizard phylum. And then maybe follows Israeli (and Greek) custom is staying up late into the fragrant cooling evening, outdoors, with friends. Ein Gedi, by the Dead Sea, is very nice, and I think quite safe; a sort of neutral ground. The Youth Hostel is good; so is the Field School above it. For affluent travelers, the Kibbutz Ein Gedi Guest House is said to be very beautiful in a natural way. Although Nahal David is not open until what the USA calls a civilized hour, you can walk down there at daybreak and maybe see the yaelim, wild goats, come down to feed. Nahal David is a very beautiful walk, and short; intermediate hikers can branch off at the mid-point climb up, and descend to Nahal Arugot, scarcely a kilometer from your starting point. There is some sort of Calcolithic site on the top. Might be special. All well-oriented toward ecologic tourists. Eliahu Gal-Or, of Moshav Me-or Modi'in, tells me that Miztpeh Dragot, a bit north of Ein Gedi just off the Jerusalem--Dead Sea-- Eilat "Arava" highway, is a nice play to stay, with a progressive Shabat celebration. Mitzpeh Ramon, in the high Negev, about an hour's bus-ride beyond Beersheva, toward Eilat, is quite special. Spectacular vistas. A quiet town, last time I was there, maybe 10 years ago. Some say that a nearby mountain must have been the biblical Mt. Sinai; and that it was surely a sacred site in prehistoric times. Before Mitzpeh Ramon, on the bus route from Beersheva, is the Sde Boker Field School of the Society for the Preservation of Nature in Israel (Haganah HaTeva). Inexpensive tourist accomodationms. Nice nearby hikes around Ein Avdat. Haganah HaTeva runs supervised hikes; from easy to challenging. A set are guided in English; but many of the more interesting are guided in Hebrew. But rocks and birds and stars are multilingual. If you have an opportunity to meet members of the Ethiopian Jewish community, do so; a very special people. I've not been to the Sinai in years; but the snorkeling is spectacular, and the desert is astounding. Returned to Egyptian sovereignty, it has become something of a multinational tourist area; crossing the border at Eilat should be quite simple Tiberias is a bit of a honkey-tonk town, but the boat rides on the Kineret ("Sea of Galilee"), especially on replica wooden boats should be nice, unless the boat plays loud music. There is a much-used Christian baptismal site on the south- west side of the Kineret; this is the headwater of the Jordan River. With canoe rental for the slightly more pagan amongst us. Of course the Kineret is associated with Jesus. The north shore would seem the best place to go for that ambience. The old Kere Desh Hostel was very nice; I think it became a Christian hostel. Nearby is Tabgha, traditional site of the miracle of the loaves and fishes, a rather nice Christian community now, as far as I know. From the north-west corner of the Kineret, the road winds up to Tzfat. Kibbutz Ayelet HaShar offers a very nice Guest House (or did 20 years ago); with horeback riding I think. The upper part of the town of Rosh Pina is quite old, and charming; there are various bed-and-breakfast's in Rosh Pina, a quiet town. Tzfat is of course very special; and one of the nicest places in Israel in the dry summer heat. The heart of Tzfat is the Old City. I particularly like the Caro synagoguge. As noted, Ascent, in Tzfat, is very oriented toward young Jewish (only) tourists. From either Tiberias or Rosh Pina, one can get a bus to the Golan Heights; it's quite narrow, maybe 10 miles or so (wasn't much more than a Syrian shooting-platform until 1967), but has a bit of the feel of the USA SouthWest. Relatively undeveloped, thank heaven; a bit of suburbia, as in the Modi'in region, goes a long way (toward the USA). The Gamla Nature Reserve has eagles (vultures, actually), trails, and a waterfall. The Banias nature reserve is also quite nice; associated under Roman occupation (a few thousand years ago) with the god Pan. Full of caves and brush and fresh-water springs and olive trees and such. On the Tiberias-Kiryat Shemona road/bus-route (almost everywhere in Israel is accessible by inter-city bus service, which is about as safe as anything is in today's world, and relatively inexpensive) is the Hula Nature Reserve, spectacular with migratory birds; also a few water buffalo. [Which had to be brought back. Unlike the wild boars, which never quite left. ] Israel is, of course, a major migratory route for Africa-- Europe bird migrations; and the Kinneret-upper-Jordan section of the African rift is a major rest-stop. I'm sitting at (Moshav) Mevo Modi'im. The Moshav in its present form was founded by R. Shlomo Carlebach, and still holds his spirit. Visitors are always welcome, particularly on Shabat; but overnight stays should if possible be arranged in advance. There is nowadays almost continual bus service from Jerusalem (and from Tel Aviv); from Jerusalem take the Margalit line to the frist stop in the 'City' of Modi'in, then take a taxi (or connecting bus; but taxi should not be more than $10) to Moshav Mevo Modi'in. My telephone numbers are: 08--971-6255; and 056--962356. First house inside the gate, if it don't fall into the mud. If you arrive on Shabat, depart your taxi (I advise NOT renting a car in Israel; for one things, it's too easy to take a wrong turn and suddenly maybe find oneself in trouble) outside the gate; it's easy enough to call one if you have a cell phone (or to ask anyone to call you one, if it's not Shabat). Well, I guess that's enough for now. Anyone with further questions should give me a call or drop me a note. A sort of blue-gray day is breaking. Song-birds calling, and a few roosters. With respects and best wishes to all, Steve Amdur Moshav Meor Modi'in (Mevo Modi'im) 11 Feb '04 -- 19 Shvat -- [don't yet know Islamic date ]