Garon Family Travel Blog

Saying L'Hitraot to Israel

2009-05-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

It is our last full day in Israel, and we have tried to make the most of it. This morning we went to Tiberias, to meet with the Jewish Agency's Sovev Kinneret branch. This is the partner agency to the UJFC (St. Paul Federation) through the Partnership 2000 program. They took us on a tour of a marvelous high school that includes special classes for at-risk teens, teaching them life skills and vocational trades. We had lunch with several lay leaders and discussed how we can strengthen the relationship between our communities. We also went through the oldest kibbutz in Israel and saw how it is modernizing. But the best part of the day was going to the chocolate factory on the kibbutz, where we got to see them making chocolate candies and then got to make some of our own. It was a very fun way to end a very fun trip.

We have had a wonderful time and don't want to leave, although it will be nice to sleep in our own beds again. We are already looking forward to our next trip back here. L'hitraot! See you again soon!

Visit to the Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum (blog by Avery)

2009-05-18T09:05:00.000-07:00

We went to the Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum and the Maritime Museum. The Clandestine Museum is about Israel’s navy and the illegal immigration of Jews into Israel, before it became a country. The Maritime Museum is about the history of boating within Israel and the Mediterranean.

In 1939, the British government issued a policy, known as the White Paper, which allowed only 75,000 Jews to immigrate to Palestine for the next five years, after which Jews would only be allowed to immigrate if permission was given by the Arabs. In response to the persecution by the Nazis and the immigration limit imposed by the British, European Jews were forced to enter Palestine illegally. Even though the British blockaded the Palestine coast, tens of thousands of Jews were smuggled in.

At the Clandestine Museum, we saw an exhibit about the ships used to bring Jews into Palestine. Some of the boats used contained thousands of people, with the largest carrying over 7,600 people.

We saw a model of the Exodus, which held over 4,500 people. Of all the boats, only seven were sunk. However, many of the boats were stopped by the British, and the Jews onboard sent to prison camps, primarily in Cyprus.

Elsewhere in the museum, we saw sculptures made by the Jewish prisoners in the Cyprus prison camps.

Also in the Clandestine Museum was an exhibit about Israel’s navy. The exhibit told about how Israel converted old passenger ships and World War II ships purchased as salvage. They combined these ships with weapons acquired by purchasing scrap parts from naval ships of other countries into a navy which it used to defend itself from the surrounding countries after it declared its independence. They even sneaked 5 warships out of France when the French reneged on a deal to sell them.

Outside on the grounds of the museum, we walked through a submarine and a destroyer. The boats were very cool.

The Maritime Museum was less interesting. It was mainly a history of boating in the Mediterranean Sea. However, there was an exhibit about pirates downstairs, which was more interesting. According to the exhibit, the pirate Jean LaFite was Jewish as were a few other captains and a small percentage of crew members.

The Clandestine and Maritime Museums were, for the most part, fun to visit.

The exhibit on illegal immigration was interesting, the boats were cool, and the exhibit on pirates was okay. I liked going to the museums.

We went to a kibbutz (blog by Noah)

2009-05-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

"A kibbutz is a form of communal living that combines Socialism and Zionism" (see explanations below). Ein HaShofet is among the oldest kibbutzim in Israel. Actually, Ein HaShofet began in 1937, eleven years before Israel became a state. The kibbutz has over 700 people, including its members and those studying in ulpan. Unlike many of the kibbutzim in Israel today, Ein HaShofet remains very traditional in its communal organization.

Other than food, laundry and electricity, everything remains largely communally funded. At the same time, the kibbutz is building beautiful new townhouses for its members with new families.

Originally, the kibbutz used children's homes. The children would live separate from their parents and barely see them. Instead, the children now live at home and go to school on the kibbutz.

Ein HaShofet operate two factories, one manufacturing screws and the other electronic appliances. It also has a large farm with dairy and meat cows, a large dairy producing cheese and ice cream, and a poultry farm. As we left, we watched the dairy cows being led into the barns for their afternoon milking.

New members can still join the kibbutz. Some start in the ulpan and wish to stay. Others wish to join the community. If you want to join the kibbutz, there is a vote by all its members to see if you will be invited to join.

קיבוץ קִבּוּץ kibbutz

A kibbutz is a form of communal living that combines socialism and Zionism. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities and have gradually embraced a more "scientific" socialist approach. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Less than five percent of Israelis live on kibbutzim. A member of a Kibbutz is called a Kibbutznik (Hebrew: קִבּוּצְנִיק‎).

(Wikipedia)

אולפן ulpan

An ulpan is an institute or school for the intensive study of Hebrew. Ulpan (אולפן, plural ulpanim - אולפנים) is a Hebrew word meaning basically studio or teaching, instruction.

The ulpan is designed to teach adult immigrants to Israel the basic language skills of conversation, writing and comprehension. Most ulpanim also provide instruction in the fundamentals of Israeli culture, history, and geography. The primary purpose of the ulpan is to help new citizens to be integrated as quickly and as easily as possible into the social, cultural and economic life of their new country.

(Wikipedia)

Elijah's Cave

2009-05-16T01:23:00.000-07:00

We went to see Elijah's Cave, one of the few religious sites in Haifa. Nestled at the foot of Mount Carmel, next to the sea, it is in this cave that the Prophet Elijah came to pray before challenging the prophets of Baal and calling down fire from heaven. This cave is also said to be where the Prophet Elijah lived in hiding while fleeing from the wrath of King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel.

Like Elijah himself, the cave has been sacred to Christians, Druze and Muslims as well as Jews, and one wall inside is covered with ancient Greek inscriptions, and as well as some in Hebrew. Today the cave has become a synagogue of sorts, with an Ark hewn into the front wall for the Torah, a mechitza down the middle (separating the men from the women) and many spaces in the ceiling and walls where visitors insert prayer notes, like at the Kotel.

A courtyard outside the cave has several memorial altars where you can light candles, strangely like a Catholic church, and I decided to light in memory of Sasha, whose Hebrew name is Eliyahu (Elijah), so it seemed appropriate.

Yarden Winery - a Parent's Perspective

2009-05-14T12:28:00.001-07:00

Avery's post (immediately below) does a very nice job describing the process at the winery, but the highlight of the visit was the wine tasting. Yarden uses its own name for its premium wines and has won a great many awards since it opened in 1982 - on the heels of the official (but not quite complete) annexation of the Golan Heights into Israel. The middle-priced labels use the Gamla name, while the relatively less expensive table wines use the name Golan.

Many within Israel suggest that Yarden transformed the Israeli wine industry, pushing all the other wineries to improve their quality. As a result, there are a tremendous number of high quality wines available, ranging in price from under $10.00 to well over $75.00 in the local grocery stores.

As a special treat, the Yarden Vintner brought out a bottle of the 2005 Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon which had just received the top prize in a French wine competition.

Both Noah and Avery were served tastings along with the others on the tour. Avery was not impressed by the wines, and really did not like the complex taste of the award winning wines.

Noah shared some of Avery's attitude regarding the Cabernet Sauvignon , but enjoyed the Golan "ice wine" traditionally made by allowing the grapes to remain on the vine and freeze until harvested in February. Israel has no winter freeze, so Yarden picks the grapes and stores them frozen, resulting in a very sweet, thick dessert wine.

Noah has quickly developed a sophisticated palate, though I think that the similarities between Ice Wine and Grape Juice are sufficient to keep him off the alcohol at least until his bar mitzvah. Avery has learned to appreciate Coke Zero and I can happily report he will be staying away from the red wines for a long time to come.

Cheers,
Jon

Yarden Winery (by Avery)

2009-05-14T06:02:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, we went to a winemaking company, called Yarden, in the Golan Heights. We learned about the process used to make wine, and then we tasted various types of wine.

The first step in making wine is the crushing of the grapes. We were not able to see any grape-crushing, because we were in between harvesting times. After the juice is extracted, it is placed in giant steel barrels to ferment. After the first fermentation, the wine is cleaned and placed into air-tight oak barrels.

Inside the building containing the oak barrels, the air was chilled to near freezing. We saw rows and rows of barrels, stacked upon each other, stretching all the way to the ceiling. A man on the floor was transferring wine from one barrel to another, and a different man was driving a forklift, stacking the barrels.

After fermenting and aging (anywhere between a few months and twenty years), the wine is poured out of the barrels. The wine is tasted and blended, until the wanted taste is acquired. The wine is filtered once more, and bottled.

The bottling process is completely automated, with a machine that fills the bottles, a machine that corks them, a machine that labels them, a machine that packages them, a machine that stacks the boxes, and a machine that wraps the boxes together. It was very cool watching all the machines working in unison (for the most part).

After our tour of the factory, our guide brought out a cart with different wine bottles on it. We finished the day with a tasting of some of their wines. My parents liked the wines, although I did not like most of them.

Our trip to the Yarden wine company in the Golan Heights was interesting. We saw how wine is made, and then we went to a wine tasting. It was very fun.

Tzefat (Safed)

2009-05-13T02:30:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, we went to Tzefat, or Safed, the highest city in the Galilee. (It is located next to Mt. Meron in the Golan Heights, the highest point in Israel.)

Safed rose to fame in the 16th century as a center of Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. After the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, many rabbis found their way to Israel, although they were not permitted to go to Jerusalem. These rabbis included Isaac Luria (teacher of the Zohar, the original book of the Kabbalah) and Joseph Caro (author of the Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Law, written in Safed). The beautiful hymn "L'chah Dodi," sung on Friday night to welcome the Sabbath, was written in Safed: standing in the courtyard of the Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue, the rabbis could look out to the west, see the sun setting over Mt. Meron, and know exactly when Shabbat was coming.

Safed has many beautiful synagogues, both old and new, and is known for its Artist's Quarter. In fact, we met famous microcalligrapher Leon Azoulay, whose seriograph "Bereshit" adorns our dining room. We now are proud to own his "Bamidbar" as well.

Akko

2009-05-13T01:37:00.000-07:00

On Monday, we went to the ancient city of Akko (Acre in English), about 30 minutes north of Haifa by train. Akko is a very strategic port that has been ruled by Canaanites, Phoenicians, Alexander the Great, the Greeks, the Romans, the Crusaders, Saladin -- even Napoleon tried to capture it but failed.

Today, the remains of the citadel of Akko are from the original Ottoman fortification, built on the foundation of the older Crusader Hospitaller citadel. The citadel was part of the city's defensive formation, reinforcing the northern wall. During the 20th century the citadel was used mainly as a prison and as the site for a gallows. During the British mandate period, activists of Jewish Zionist resistance movements were held prisoner there; some were executed there. This was the basis for Leon Uris' book "Exodus."

These still remain in the citadel of Akko, and we walked through most of them:

Ottoman fortifications (including a tower and moat)
The Acre Old City Visitor Center, built right into the ancient walls
The "enchanted garden": a garden planted in keeping with the historical description of the Crusader garden that existed there
British prison and the gallows
A museum and memorial to the Jewish resistance fighters executed during the British Mandate
Prison cell of Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Bahá'í Faith
Knights' Halls, including a dungeon and a refectory
The Templars Tunnels, used as escape routes in times of war

Akko also has many mosques, walled plazas built by the sultans, Arab souks, and a beautiful little synagogue named after the Italian sage Rabbi Moshe Haim Luzatto, known by his acronym the Ramhal, who arrived in Akko in 1743. He was a student of the Kabbala, very controversial in his time (he was chased out of many cities because of his teachings), who has since become very revered for his brilliant writings. The shul features an underground bima (which the caretaker very kindly let the boys climb down into), as well as as an original Torah scroll written by the Ramhal in pomegranate juice on deerskin -- it took him a year to write it, working 8 hours a day. You can see the dark scrolls in the photo below. The shul was fascinating -- one of the highlights of our trip.

The Technion -- blog by Avery

2009-05-09T02:04:00.000-07:00

We went to the Israel Institute of Technology, known as the Technion, on Monday. The Technion was founded in 1912 by the German-Jewish fund Ezrah. The Technion was one of only two universities in Ottoman Palestine, the other being the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, founded in 1907. The Technion opened in 1924, after a long debate about whether to use German or Modern Hebrew as the language of instruction. However, after World War I and the decline of Germany's power, Hebrew was adopted. The first class was made up of sixteen students, majoring in architecture and civil engineering.

The Technion awarded its first PhD in 1953, for electrical engineering. Until the opening of the engineering school in Ben Gurion University in the early 1970's, the Technion was the only university in Israel offering engineering degrees. The Technion now offers courses in eighteen areas, including electrical engineering, biotechnology, mathematics, and urban planning, among others.

While at the Technion, we learned about their close connection with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. Rafael is the main developer of Israeli weapons and military technology. It has developed unmanned military airplanes and tanks. It has also developed the most accurate anti-ballistic missile in use today. Most of Rafael's engineers and faculty are Technion graduates, and the Technion and Rafael exchange research and work on each other's advances.

The Technion started as a small school in a small country. One of the things that helped jumpstart the Technion's popularity was Albert Einstein's involvement. After he visited the Technion in 1923, Einstein founded the first Technion Society, in Germany. There are now Technion Societies in seventeen countries, including the United States and the Netherlands. “Israel can win the battle for survival only by developing expert knowledge in technology,” is one of Einstein's most famous statements.

Visiting the Technion was both fun and interesting. We learned about the history of the school, the school's interaction with the military through Rafael, and the Technion Society, founded by Einstein. I would like to go back.

The Grand Canyon

2009-05-07T10:11:00.000-07:00

While Jon was lecturing in Jerusalem today, the boys and I went to the Grand Canyon (yes, you read that correctly). The Grand Canyon is the largest mall in Israel, and luckily for us, it's located in Haifa, about 15 minutes away by bus. The name is a cute play on words: "kenyon" is the Hebrew word for mall, the mall is pretty grand, and it's actually located at the bottom of a canyon, although it doesn't quite live up to its American namesake. There are close to 200 shops and kiosks, a food court and restaurants, movie theatres, and even a little amusement park, so it's like having our own little Mall of America right here in Israel.

First we had lunch at the food court. I couldn't decide between kosher Chinese, kosher Japanese, or kosher burgers (I love it here!) and decided to go with the Chinese. The boys wanted pizza from Sbarro's. Yes, we traveled 6000 miles so they could eat the same food they get at the mall at home (although of course they don't offer sausage or pepperoni here. You can, however, get corn and olive pizza if you want.).

We did some shopping and then we went to the movies ("Monsters vs Aliens," in English with Hebrew subtitles). The funniest part of the movie was the intermission halfway through -- a 5-minute break followed by very loud bells warning the audience that the movie was starting again. Apparently this is typical in Israel, because we could hear it happening in the other theatres.

After the movie, we stopped at the supermarket on the first level (MOA could use one of those), and then caught the bus home. Another fun day in Israeli paradise for the Garons.

The Yoms

2009-05-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

I meant to blog about the Yoms last week, but I haven't had a chance until now. Better late than never.

Last week we celebrated Yom Hazikaron (Remembrance Day in honor of fallen soldiers and victims of terror) and then Yom Ha'Atzmaut (Independence Day). As of Yom Hazikaron 2009, Israel honored the memory of 22,570 people who were killed in the line of duty and and 1,723 civilian terror victims since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. In fact, just up the hill from our apartment, there is an inset wall with an inscription and a list of names of people who died here during a bomb attack. On Yom Hazikaron, the City of Haifa and families of the victims laid wreaths and flowers there. It was very moving and a little scary.

Yom Hazikaron begins with the sounding of a siren and a minute of silence. All restaurants and forms of entertainment close. An official ceremony takes place at the Kotel, which we watched on TV. All flags are placed at half-mast.

A two-minute siren is heard the following morning, at 11:00, which marks the opening of the official memorial ceremonies and private remembrance gatherings which are held at each cemetery where soldiers are buried. We went out to the street to watch. (Across the street from us was a group of schoolchildren -- apparently their teacher had the same idea that we had.)

The day officially draws to a close at about 8:00 p.m. and goes immediately into the official ceremony of Israel Independence Day on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, when the flags are returned to full mast.

Yom Ha'Atzmaut is celebrated throughout the country with fireworks, just like the Fourth of July at home. We watched from the top of Mount Carmel, looking down at the fireworks display on the port. I have never looked down on fireworks before. It was very cool.

On the day of Yom Ha'Atzmaut, there are ceremonies featuring ritual marches by soldiers carrying combat units flags (one for each year of the anniversary). We were able to see them practicing when we were in Jerusalem last month. They also light 12 torches, one for each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
It was a wonderful experience to be able to celebrate these Yoms (as well as Yom HaShoah the week before) in Israel. They will be much more meaningful to us from now on.

Druze Village

2009-05-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

We went on an expedition to Daliat-el-Carmel, a very old Druze village about 20 minutes south of Haifa. The Druze are a non-Muslim Arabic community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. They practice a secretive monotheistic religion with no sacred rituals or special holy days (although Friday is their Sabbath). They are also known for their handicrafts, especially weaving and embroidery, glassware, and baskets.

The main street of Daliat-el-Carmel is like one giant shuk. Shops, stalls, restaurants and cafes line the street, and shoppers are everywhere. The shopkeepers are very polite and welcoming (for the most part), and the stores offer everything from beautiful handmade Druze goods to clothing to Judaica to children's toys. I have never seen so many hamsas for sale in my life, not even in Jerusalem. We were very successful in our gift shopping.

To regain our strength, we went for lunch at Abu Ramzi, a lovely Druze restaurant. As soon as we sat down, we were served olives and pickled vegetables (see Noah's blog about food), as well as Druze pita. This is a large, thin bread, almost like an oversized crepe. The dough is tossed in the air like a pizza and then cooked very quickly on what looks like an upside-down wok. It is served very hot and is delicious.

We also ate fuul: broad, dark beans cooked in lemon and olive oil and served with tehina; roasted eggplant, cut like potato chips and cooked with lemon and garlic; and the Druze version of shakshuka, a popular Israeli dish made of eggs, tomatoes, peppers and onions, served in a sizzling skillet like fajitas. Everything was wonderful.

For more information about the Druze, read this interesting article.

Visiting the Eretz Yisrael Museum in Tel Aviv (blog by Avery)

2009-05-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

We went to the Eretz Yisrael Museum in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Three of the exhibits we went to were the Tel Qasile archaeological dig, the Kadman Numismatic Pavilion, and the Land of the Baron Rothschild exhibit.

The Tel Qasile dig was started during the 1940's, when two potsherds were discovered with Hebrew writing on them. (The museum was built in the 1950's to incorporate the dig.)

A Philistine city dating from the 12^th century BCE was uncovered, containing three temples built on top of each other, a large house, a pottery workshop with a kiln, storage silos, and a street. Twelve strata of artifacts were uncovered. We saw where the Philistines had made pottery, where they made sacrifices, and where they lived. Tel Qasile was the coolest part of the museum.

The Kadman Numismatic Pavilion was an exhibit about the origin of coins as money. Coins were first invented in Greece during the 6^th century BCE. The exhibit contained coins from the Greek, Persian, Roman, Byzantine, Crusader, Muslim, Ottoman, and British eras of control in Israel, along with Chinese coins and paper money.

My favorite coin was the Greek drachma, printed in Aegina, which had a tortoise on the front.

The Land of the Baron exhibit was about Baron Edmond Benjamin James de Rothschild, and how he, along with the Zionist movement, helped create the State of Israel. Baron Rothschild was a wealthy Jewish banker and philanthropist from France.

He helped fund many small Israeli villages that have since grown into full-sized cities, as well as organizations that still work for the good of the Jewish people such as PICA, and a famous vineyard and winery. There was also a movie in the exhibit about what he would think of modern-day Israel. The video was interesting, but overall, I thought that the exhibit was boring.

The Eretz Yisrael Museum in Tel Aviv was an enjoyable, interesting excursion. The Tel Qasile archaeological dig was interesting, the Kadman Numismatic Pavilion was fun, and the Land of the Baron only so-so, but overall it was fun to visit the museum and Tel Aviv.

Foods in Israel (blog by Noah)

2009-05-01T04:59:00.000-07:00

Israel has many interesting foods that are different from those at home.

Most of the foods are typical throughout Israel. Some are only found in certain places, like St. Peter's fish near Lake Kinneret, and both Haifa and Jerusalem bagels. (Jerusalem bagels are long and thin, with thicker crust; Haifa bagels are shorter and sweeter. Personally I like Haifa bagels better than Jerusalem bagels.)

These are some of the typical Israeli foods that I have tried:

1. Felafel – this is the most common Israeli food. It is served different ways: in pita bread, or rolled up in big pieces of laffa bread, which I like better. Felafel is made of fried balls of ground chickpeas, plus lots of salad, hummus, tehina, and french fries, right in the sandwich!
2. Shawarma – this is like felafel, but made with grilled lamb instead of chickpeas.
3. Hummus – this is a thick dip made of ground chick peas.
4. Tehina – this is a thinner dip or sauce made of ground sesame seeds (I like tehina better than hummus)
5. Israeli Salad – this is made up of diced tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet onions
6. Pickled salads – Israelis eat a lot of pickled vegetables. We've had pickled carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, beets, onions, tomatoes, and many others.
7. Shnitzel – Most felafel and shawarma places also sell shnitzel, which are breaded chicken cutlets eaten like a steak or in a pita.
8. Ice cream – Israeli ice cream is a lot like Italian gelato, with lots of really cool flavors. And the clerks are really nice about giving tastes to try.
9. Fruit juices and shakes – There are lots of stands and stores that sell fresh-squeezed fruit juices and blended fruit shakes. We've had pomegranate juice, melon juice, melon-berry-mint smoothie, kiwi-melon smoothie, etc. It's fun to try new flavors.
10. Burgers – We've eaten these several different ways: with American-style buns, without any buns, and in a pita like a felafel (my favorite). We even had burgers on Passover on potato buns (but these weren't so good).
11. Rugelach and baked goods – These have all been really yummy. I like the cookies with halvah inside best. In Jerusalem, at the shuk, we got freshly baked chocolate rugelach still hot from the oven. So good!

Tel Aviv

2009-04-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took the train down to Tel Aviv. It took just over an hour from the Haifa central station.

Tel Aviv is a big, metropolitan city with a very different feel to it from either Jerusalem or Haifa. We went first to the Eretz Yisrael Museum, one of the best in the country. Fabulous exhibits on ancient coins, olive and wine presses, very modern ceramics, 6th century mosaics, and an archeological dig right in the middle of the museum complex, showing a town from the Canaanite period and Philistine temples from 3,000 years ago.

Unfortunately for us, everything closed early because it was Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence Day), so I could not go shopping at the big Dizengoff Center (somehow, Jon was not as disappointed as I was). Also, the big shuk was closed. So we walked down to the beach instead.

Now, here was the kind of promenade I had been looking for! Lots of hotels, restaurants, shops, cafes, music, and people everywhere. And apparently they came from everywhere, too, because we heard a huge range of languages.

The boys got tired and we took the train home (riding on the upper level of a double-decker train -- very cool). We decided to get off at a different Haifa station: Hof HaCarmel, which is Carmel Beach, and lo and behold, here was a miniature version of the Tel Aviv promenade! We knew there had to be something like this somewhere in Haifa. So this is where we will go to the beach, hopefully tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Comparing Haifa and Jerusalem -- by Avery

2009-04-26T04:08:00.000-07:00

I have noticed many differences between Jerusalem and Haifa. Three of these differences are how religious the cities are, how touristy they are, and how tight security is.

Jerusalem is a much more religious city than Haifa. Nearly every restaurant in Jerusalem is kosher, with a large certificate in the window saying so. In Haifa, very few restaurants have certificates, but it seems like not very many restaurants are kosher. During Shabbat in Jerusalem, most stores are closed. But in Haifa, fewer stores are closed during Shabbat. Also, the people in Jerusalem are more religious, with most Jews wearing kippot. In Haifa, I have seen almost no one wearing kippot.

Jerusalem is a city full of tourists. There are many holy sites, so many tourists come to visit. More tourists leads to more tourist shops. However, there is almost nothing for tourists in Haifa except a few museums, the Baha'i gardens, and the Mediterranean Sea, and that is only open for swimming between the start of summer and the start of jellyfish season, two months later. And while Jerusalem has the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the only religious site in Haifa is the Baha'i gardens (which are not even part of one of the three main religions). As such, there is not much for us tourists to do.

Security is much tighter in Jerusalem than in Haifa. In Jerusalem, most large buildings, such as malls and theaters, not to mention the holy sites, have security guards with metal detectors at each entrance, who search through all bags before allowing you in. Also, you can see soldiers with Uzis walking around in most busy places, and most locals have guns as well. In Haifa, however, while the guards are still there, they are much more lax. And I have not seen any soldiers in Haifa, or citizens with guns.

Three large differences between Haifa and Jerusalem are how secular Haifa is compared to how religious Jerusalem is, how tourism is much more low-key in Haifa than in Jerusalem, and how security is much more lax in Haifa than in Jerusalem.

Bat Galim

2009-04-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

Friday morning we went down to Bat Galim, the main beach and promenade at the northern end of the city. The season doesn't officially begin until next week, after Yom Ha'Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day), so it wasn't very crowded.

The water was gorgeous -- deep blue with crashing waves. The promenade -- not so much. There were a couple of restaurants and very few stores. We had expected something more. We've learned that Haifa isn't a tourist town, but there wasn't even a t-shirt shop. Maybe other things open up once the season starts, but it was pretty empty. Still, we enjoyed walking down the beach and climbing out on the rocks. It was also fun to watch the men fishing, using huge expanding poles with no reels.

We also noticed a curious division of populations on the beach. The Russians were swimming, the Israelis were surfing (or at least trying to), and the Arabs were fishing. There were no apparent exceptions to this. We seemed to be the only tourists.

There are a couple of other beaches to the south that are supposed to be nicer. We'll check those out next week.

Yom HaShoah

2009-04-21T00:52:00.000-07:00

Today is Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Memorial Day. Ceremonies began last night at the Yad Vashem memorial in Jerusalem, televised throughout the country. (All other television programs and forms of entertainment -- movies, theatre -- are suspended for the evening by law). It was a beautiful ceremony, featuring speeches, the lighting of 6 torches by survivors who told their stories (thankfully subtitled), music played on violins belonging to children who perished, an extremely moving rendition of El Malei Rachamim (a prayer for the dead) by an army captain, and the singing of Hatikvah by a chorus of schoolgirls. For more about the ceremony, read this article in the Jerusalem Post.

Then this morning at 10 AM, sirens were sounded throughout Israel for two minutes. During this time, people cease from action and stand at attention; cars stop, even on the highways; and the whole country comes to a standstill as people pay silent tribute to the dead. I walked up from our apartment to a nearby major street to see this. Cars and trucks come to a stop on the street and the drivers get out. People stop walking right were they are. Everything is silent. Then, when the sirens stop, everyone resumes what they were doing. It was amazing to see.

For an idea of what this looked like, watch this video on YouTube.

Shalom from Haifa!

2009-04-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

We have left Jerusalem and traveled north to Haifa. You can tell immediately how different this city is. First of all, as you drive up the highway, with the sparkling blue sea on your left, you see a huge city sprawling over the hills. Second, the buildings are not all made of Jerusalem stone (in Jerusalem, it is the law that all buildings must be made of or at least faced with Jerusalem stone). Third, this is an obviously secular city. Not many men with kippot walking around, and even fewer with black hats. We've seen very few kosher restaurants in our neighborhood. Our landlady was astonished when we asked if the apartment's kitchen was kosher (she was even more astonished when she found out we didn't have a car -- this is not a walking city like Jerusalem).

We started to explore a bit yesterday, but the boys were tired after traveling, so the first big expedition will come today, probably to the famous Baha'i Gardens. Stay tuned!

Visit to the Israeli Supreme Court

2009-04-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we visited the Israeli Supreme Court and the Knesset. Unfortunately neither body was in session, but we had excellent tours that highlighted the roles of these important political bodies in modern Israel. Since this is rather long, I will leave the Knesset for another post.

The Supreme Court building is relatively new, having been finished in 1992. When you walk into the building, the first thing you see is an expansive staircase leading from the ground to a panoramic window looking out to the sky and the city of Jerusalem.

The entrance was inspired by Psalms 85:11-12, "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth will spring up from the earth and justice will be reflected from the heavens."

The building design embodies the precepts that truth -- a factual reality, grounded and unaltered -- is transformed into justice only by looking to heaven and seeking mercy. One is physically drawn from the ground to look into the heavens while ascending the stairs.

As our guide brought us through the building, he repeatedly stressed the openness of the Courts. Every person (not merely citizen) has the legal right to petition the Supreme Court sitting as the High Court of Justice for violation of one's rights by the State. He pointed out that no identification is needed to enter the building (unlike the high security and passport requirements of the Knesset). He also pointed out that with few exceptions (such as matters involving minors or security issues), all court proceedings are open to the public.

The building has been designed to reinforce the values of the Israeli judicial system and the importance of Jerusalem. An Israeli brother and sister team won the international competition for the design. Ram and Ada Karmi incorporated Jerusalemite stone and the sweeping power of the Western Wall into the design that captured austere but inspiring arches, lines and circles. The design was inspired from Psalms: "You are righteous ... and Your laws are straight (Psalms 119:137) and "He leads me in circles of justice (Psalms 23:3).

The court system itself is an interesting example of historical precedent and political compromise. The modern court system grew out of the British court system used during its occupation as well as the religious Bet Din traditions. Juries were disfavored by the British outside of the commonwealth to avoid juries siding with the locals and nullifying British law. Instead, a system of magistrate courts for lower offenses and less valuable civil matters were established throughout the territory.

Israel adopted the system. It has thirty magistrate courts, six district courts and the Supreme Court in Jerusalem. The district court has original jurisdiction for cases involving criminal sentences that may exceed seven years or civil matters exceeding approximately $600,000. Cases below this threshold are heard by the magistrate courts. District courts also serve as intermediate appellate courts for the Magistrate Courts. From the Bet Din tradition, District Courts sit in panels of three.

The Israeli Supreme Court serves two functions. It is the highest appellate court for cases from the Magistrate and District courts and it is the High Court of Justice. As the High Court of Justice, it has original jurisdiction for cases against the State, including administrative agencies, government authorities and individuals in public office. The Supreme Court generally does not meet as a single body, but rather operates in panels - randomly assigned panels of three or more Justices. All panels have an odd number of Justices. Because the present Court has twelve members, it cannot meet in full. Our guide reported that three additional Justices will be appointed soon, raising the number to fifteen and creating the potential for the entire judiciary to meet as an en banc panel.

The stress placed by our guide on the access to the court by every person in Israel made a strong impression. Coming out of the courtroom, Avery and Noah asked many questions about our Justices and Judges in Minnesota and the United States. They wanted to go onto the bench as they had been allowed last year when I was sworn into the Minnesota bar, but I told them that to do that we needed the permission of one of the Justices (as Justice Meyer had so graciously allowed last year.) Walking out, they asked me if I would begin collecting the autographs of the Justices I know.

The power of the visit taught them who are the real heroes in this world. Psalms captures this beautifully: "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne; mercy and truth go before Thee." (Psalms 89:14).

Birkat HaKohanim

2009-04-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

This morning, we went to the Kotel for the Birkat HaKohanim (the Priestly Blessing), along with 50,000 of our closest friends and neighbors. Hundreds of Kohanim stood in front of the Wall, covered themselves in their taleisim (prayer shawls), lifted their hands and blessed the people with the ancient blessing: "May G-d lift his countenance upon you and may he grant you peace." I bowed my head, covered my eyes and was transported back in time. I could believe it was 2,000 years ago, when the same Kohanim were reciting the same blessing, just on the other side of the Wall, on the actual Temple Mount. When I opened my eyes, I actually had to think for a minute to remember where I was. It was truly a transcendent moment.

Dead Sea - Noah's Blog

2009-04-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

When you are going into the Dead Sea you will find out that it is different than anywhere else. The first thing you'll notice is that it is very cold and oily. Once you get past the rocky slope down into the Dead Sea it turns into sand. When you're about stomach high it just seems to make you bob. So you turn backwards and you start to float. Well that you can do anywhere, right? All you have to do is push in your waist and you're sitting on water!

David, our tour guide warned us, "If you put your face in it your eyes will sting for about 3 hours. And if you drink it you'll have to go to the hospital.“ The water of the Dead Sea is almost saturated, which means almost no more salt can be dissolved in it. So if you're lucky or just know where to look you'll find slabs of salt.

One thing The Dead Sea is known for is its boiling mud!! The mud there is famous because it has a chemical in it that makes your skin softer so my dad went over there to try it. After he was done he looked like a mud monster. When we were swimming we saw people covered in black mud. All of their body -- both men and women.

The boiling mud pit, the salted rock, and the oily feeling: you know it's the DEAD SEA!!

The Dead Sea - Avery's Blog

2009-04-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to the Dead Sea yesterday. We saw the caves in which David hid from King Saul and the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, we floated in the water, Noah and Abba coated themselves in the special mud, and we got souvenirs made of salt.

On the road down to the sea, we saw the caves that fill the mountains nearby. These caves were where David hid from King Saul, and where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Saul was hunting down David because he was too popular, so David went to hide in a cave. He hid behind a cobweb, and Saul didn't think he was there. David cut out a chunk of Saul's tunic to show that he could have killed Saul, but he didn't.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are ancient pieces of parchment found in the caves around the Dead Sea. A Judaic sect lived in the caves to practice their own form of ultra-strict Judaism, and the scrolls were made up of the Torah and their domestic rules. The heat and lack of humidity kept the scrolls from disintegrating in the thousands of years since then.

We drove past the caves and came to the beach. Everything is supposed to float in the Dead Sea. Whenever Momma tried to stand up, her legs floated out from under her. I couldn't control where I was going, so I just floated into people. In the deeper water, if you stood up, you would just bob. You didn't need to tread water to stay up.

Along the edge of the beach, there were pits of boiling mud. Apparently, the mud is good for your skin. If you cover yourself with the mud and let it dry for about 15 minutes, it will smooth and clean your skin. Abba and Noah coated themselves with mud, and looked like mud monsters.

Outside of the authorized swimming section, salt had crystallized into sheets next to the water. I found a really nice piece of salt, with large crystals sticking out. Noah chipped off a piece of the sheet, and Abba found a chunk of salt as well. We kept them as souvenirs.

Going to the Dead Sea was very fun. We saw the caves in which Saul was hunting David and in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, we floated in the sea, Noah and Abba slathered themselves in mud, and we got pieces of salt as souvenirs.

The Seder

2009-04-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the seder at the home of Michael Tsur and his family. Michael is an attorney and former hostage negotiator for the Israeli Ministry of Justice, and has lectured at Hamline, which is how Jon knows him.

There were about 35 of us at the seder, almost all of them Michael's family, with us as the only "outside" guests. In many ways, it was just like the seders at home, with noticeable differences. The shmurah matza is square. The shank bone actually has meat on it, and is quite large. The charoset is made with dates and figs and honey, and I could have eaten it by the bowlful.

Michael and his older brother led the seder. We went around the table and everyone took turns reading (although, of course, it was all in Hebrew). The four of us read, too, and everyone called out "Kol HaKavod!" ("Good work!") The younger children (including Noah) started singing the Four Questions together, but then everyone joined in. Many of the tunes were very nearly the same as ours. We sang all the verses of Dayenu, but did not sing Adir Hu. They did not open the door for Elijah, but Michael admitted sheepishly afterwards that he might have just forgotten that part. They sang Shir HaMa'alot but not the rest of the benching until the end of it. The tunes for Chad Gadya, Echad Mi Yodea and all the other songs were all very different -- lots of Sefardi influence there. And the moment I had been waiting for, lo these many months: at the end of the seder, they say: "Next Year in a Rebuilt Jerusalem!"

But the most exciting part was the food -- some familiar, some different. There were two kinds of gefilte fish: one like ours, but sweet; one darker than ours, in a tomato-based sauce. There was chicken soup with thick, dark matzo balls (no farfel). There was thickly sliced roast beef served with red peppers, corn and peas (aaahhh!). There was chicken cooked with grapes and dried fruits, served with rice (double aaahhh!). There was quinoa salad with diced cucumbers and several herbs I couldn't identify. There were wonderful little broiled pockets made of rice paper filled with roasted vegetables (triple aaahhh!). Dessert was a chocolate matzah cake like the one I make, but very soft, plus fruit salad and mint tea. That was it -- no big dessert spread. Everything was delicious.

The evening was wonderful, a marvelous experience, and we only had to do it once! Next year in Jerusalem again!

Masada

2009-04-08T03:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we traveled down to Masada, or in Hebrew, Metzada, from the word for fortress. Masada today is one of the Jewish people's greatest symbols. Israeli soldiers take an oath there: "Masada shall not fall again." Next to the Old City of Jerusalem, Masada and Yad Vashem are the most popular destinations of all tourists visiting Israel.

Masada had a very profound effect on me, one I'm not sure I can describe. Standing up on the cliffs with the incredible view of the Dead Sea, looking at the ruins where 960 of our people chose to die as free men rather than be taken into slavery or be slaughtered at the hands of Romans, entering the oldest synagogue ever built, hearing the words of Jewish commander Elazar ben Yair's final speech to his doomed followers, I was so overcome with feelings of pride, of despair for their tragedy, of love for the land, that I told Jon that I had become a true Zionist right then and there.

Yad Vashem

2009-04-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

"And to them will I give in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name (a "yad vashem")... that shall not be cut off."
(Isaiah, chapter 56, verse 5)

Yad Vashem is located on Har Hazikaron, the Mount of Remembrance, in Jerusalem, and is a huge, sprawling complex of tree-filled walkways leading to museums, exhibits, archives, monuments, sculptures, gravesites and memorials.

The Hall of Remembrance is a solemn tent-like structure with doors made to look like barbed wire. On the floor are the names of the six death camps and some of the concentration camps and killing sites throughout Europe. In front of a large memorial flame lies a crypt containing ashes of victims. Memorial ceremonies for official visitors are always held here.

The awe-inspiring Children's Memorial is hollowed out from an underground cavern, where memorial candles, a customary Jewish tradition to remember the dead, are reflected infinitely in a dark and somber space. As you walk through, you hear the names and ages of the murdered children, recited in Hebrew, Yiddish and English. This memorial is a tribute to the approximately one and a half million Jewish children who perished during the Holocaust. It was made possible by the gift of a couple whose young son died in the Shoah.

The Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations honor the non-Jews who risked their lives to help Jews during the Holocaust, such as Oskar Schindler and the family who hid Anne Frank. Over 2000 trees, symbolic of the renewal of life, have been planted in and around the avenue.

The amazing new Holocaust History Museum presents the story of the Shoah from a Jewish perspective, showing the experiences of the individual victims through original artifacts, survivor testimonies and personal possessions. It consists of a long linear structure in the form of a spike that cuts through the mountain with its uppermost edge – a skylight – protruding through the mountain ridge. The building is almost as incredible as the exhibits themselves, which become quite overwhelming.

At the end of the Museum’s historical presentation is the Hall of Names--over 3 million of them and counting--serving as a repository for the Pages of Testimony of millions of Holocaust victims, a memorial to those who perished.

The final scenes of the museum showed the survivors coming to Israel, with film clips of children singing HaTikvah. In a way, this was more moving than the heartwrenching scenes that came before, and we were able to leave Yad Vashem on this uplifting note.

Excavating at Tel Maresha (blog by Avery)

2009-04-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

We went to the Tel Maresha archaeological dig in Beit Guvrin. We were allowed to participate in an actual dig, looking for pottery and bones and other ancient objects. We also went on a hike through the vast cave system.

The two caves in which we were digging were full of potsherds. Abba found the bottom of both a vase and a plate, and Noah found pieces of a bowl. We all found miscellaneous pieces of pottery. I found what was once a pile of charcoal, but it had crumbled to burnt dust. I also found a charred rock and a brick from a kiln. Noah found a stone that was not indigenous to this part of Israel. Noah and I also found a few bird bones.

After we dug for a while, we sifted through the dirt we discarded to make sure we had not missed anything. A lot of potsherds were found in the discard piles. Finally, we were through digging.

After digging, we went for a hike through the cave system. (There are thousands of caves, making up hundreds of cave systems.) Trekking through the dim, candle-lit caves, our guide narrated the function of all the holes in the walls. Some holes were doors, but some small holes were for pigeon roosts.

The pigeons were used to carry messages between cave systems. Some of the cave entrances were so small, we had to slide through them on our backs. One of the entrances was a hole in the ground, with a five-foot vertical drop.

Once we got through the caves, our guide explained what the Israel Archaeological Seminars (the supervisors of the dig) does with the pieces that they find. After everything is cleaned and catalogued, the pieces with text on them are translated, and pot bases and rims are kept. In all, half of their finds are kept. Potsherds that are not kept are given as souvenirs to the tourists who helped in the dig.

I found a piece of the rim of a pot on the ground, and since they cannot catalog pieces from outside the caves, I was allowed to keep it.

Touring the Old City

2009-04-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

We went on a full day tour of the whole city, and it seemed like we saw as much as we possibly could. Our excellent tour guide, David, showed us every nook and cranny and gave us all the history. For example, we sat on the steps that once led up to the Temple Mount itself (which are now blocked off by the mosque at the top). There were two sets of steps: narrow ones leading in, of uneven width and height (done on purpose to slow down traffic), and wide ones leading out, so that many people could leave at once. Mourners, however, went in the opposite direction, so if you saw someone going the other way, you knew he was a mourner and could offer your condolences. We love learning stuff like that.

The best part of the day was the tour of the tunnels under the Western Wall. We walked the full length of the Wall, almost 500 meters, most of it underground. There are streets, columns and stones from Herodian times (including the biggest stone in the Wall, 14 meters long and weighing 570 tons), and structures from Mamluke times and from the Hasmonean period (the time of the Maccabees). Most importantly, there is a small alcove/synagogue called "The Cave" that is the closest point that Jews can get to the Holy of Holies, directly underneath the Dome of the Rock.

Everything was so beautiful, so meaningful, so rich in history. We were sorry when the day came to an end.

The Old City at Night

2009-04-02T13:08:00.001-07:00

Last night we went into the Old City for the first time. We started by walking through the shuk, which reminded us of the markets in China, but full of Judaica instead of silk and jade. Then we got to the Kotel in time for Mincha/Ma'ariv. A very nice rabbi helped Jon and Avery lay tefillin, took pictures of them in front of the Wall with Jon's camera, and then made Avery and Noah promise to marry Jewish girls when they grew up. (It was funny and sweet.)

Of course I went over to the women's side by myself. There was a bride there with her mother. The photographer was leaning over the mechitza (separation barrier) from the men's side to take pictures of her. It was both beautiful and amusing.

The sun went down and everything lit up. It was really breathtaking. Being there is truly like no other place in the world.

Overview of Jerusalem

2009-04-01T06:15:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we took a double-decker tour bus around Jerusalem. It was a three hour trip, to give us an overview of the whole city. It was a very good introduction to both the old and new parts of the city. It started at the central bus station (which has a mall inside that sells everything from kosher hot dogs to Torah covers); went all the way up Mt. Scopus to Hebrew University for an amazing view; went over the Mount of Olives (and got caught in a traffic jam on the way back down) then around the walls of the Old City past the Dung Gate, Lions Gate and Jaffa Gate; went up Mt. Herzl to Yad Vashem; past the Israel Museum with the big white onion-shaped Shrine of the Book, which had water flowing over it like a fountain; up to the gates of the Knesset where people were protesting the new government; past the Supreme Court building and the new soaring white bridge for the light rail system now under construction. The whole trip was great and we all got a lot out of it, including sunburned faces.

Today Jon lectured at Hebrew University and it went very well. This evening we'll go into the Old City for sunset and spend the evening there. Can't wait!

Shalom!

2009-03-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

We have arrived in Jerusalem! The flight was long, but not as long as the one to China, and everyone around us had kosher food, too! The funniest part was after dinner when all the men got up to daven ma'ariv (say the evening prayers), but the flight attendants hadn't finished with the coffee service, so the captain had to make an announcement for the men to sit back down and wait for another forty minutes. And it sounded like he had made the same announcement many times.

We are in a cute little apartment right off of Ben Yehuda Street, a pedestrian shopping street that is right in the heart of the new city. After we settled in and took a little nap, we went down and I was immediately hit with yiddishkeit overload. Judaica in all the stores! Kosher restaurants everywhere! We bought some snacks at the local supermarket and barely bothered to check ingredients. We went to a little local place and had burgers and chicken wings for dinner. Now, that may not sound like much, but believe me, the boys were very excited. (Okay, Jon and I were, too.)

Tonight we're going to try to sleep on local time so we can start in on full tourist mode tomorrow. We're going to take a bus tour of the city on our own, just to get our bearings. Jon lectures on Wednesday and then our guided tour starts on Thursday. The photos will start coming tomorrow for sure, so stay tuned!

Laila tov! Good night!

Last Post From China

2008-12-04T04:26:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe, but it's here at last -- our final day in China, and it's time to say zai jian. We leave early on Friday. We are of mixed feelings -- tired and wanting our own beds; sorry to go so soon. We've had a wonderful time.

We spent our last full day doing the last round of touristy things: one last ride on the ferry, one last tour through a street market, one last round of buying presents (and, I'm embarrassed to say, one new suitcase to put all our new acquisitions in). I just watched the Symphony of Lights for the final time; I never get tired of it (in 12 days, I think I've watched it 6 times).

We've had a marvelous trip and many unforgettable experiences. We will continue to blog about all the things we've done and seen even after we get back home, but I wanted one last chance to post our thoughts from China.

Noah has announced he's used up all the hotel soap, so it's definitely time to go home. Goodbye! Zai jian!

Harbour Cruise

2008-12-03T06:55:00.000-08:00

Last night we took the Symphony of Lights Harbour Cruise, in order to get the full effect of the light show with all the music. It was great! Colors, spotlights, lasers -- fabulous! I love this place!

Custom Tailors

2008-12-02T17:09:00.000-08:00

There are custom tailor shops everywhere in Hong Kong. In Shanghai, we couldn't walk 5 steps without a hawker asking us if we wanted nice Rolex, Gucci bag, DVD's. Here, it's shills for the tailor shops asking Jon if he wants a nice custom made suit, shirt, trousers. (Apparently they are instructed to ask only non-Asian men.) And all the shills are Indian (subcontinental, that is); apparently, the shops are all run by Indians, but the tailors are all Chinese.

The other day Jon finally broke down and decided to go for it. After all, when in Rome, right? He'd been given some recommendations, but they seemed very expensive, and he didn't want a store that was fronted by shills. So we walked through some shopping centers (which are myriad) till he found one he liked. It was very small, filled floor to ceiling with bolts of cloth.

He described what he wanted, went through books of swatches, looked through bolts of cloth. The owner took a dozen different measurements for the suits, then more for the shirts. He told us to come back only 5 hours later for the first fitting.

We came back and Jon tried on pieces of a suit -- one arm (only pinned on), the lapels tacked on, pants with no waistband, etc. It was a hoot. They told us to come back the next day for the final fitting.

We came back and the suits were done -- 52 hours start to finish! And absolutely gorgeous. Silk lining, Jon's name embroidered inside. Jon wanted another 1/8 inch in the neck of the shirts, so those will be ready this morning.

Jon ended up getting 2 suits, one a cashmere/wool blend, the other a silk/wool blend, plus 6 all-cotton dress shirts with monograms on the cuffs. Anyone want to guess what he paid?

Stanley

2008-12-01T18:56:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we went to a pre-colonial fishing village called Stanley. After all, how could we resist going to a place with such a wonderful name?

Stanley is located at the very end of Hong Kong Island. We took a bus along a narrow circuitous road up Victoria Peak and down again on the other side. The view was magnificent.

Stanley has become a seaside resort filled with Mediterranean-looking hotels, pubs and cafes along the beach. Yachts and windsurfers abound. Hardly seems Chinese at all. Then you find the temples and tiny shrines tucked into the corners, and it really takes you by surprise.

Then there's the Stanley Market, dozens of covered winding alleys filled with hundreds of tiny stalls selling everything. Now *this* is very Chinese.

We skipped the touristy restaurants and found an off-the-beaten track kind of place with typical Cantonese food (lots of grouper and other local fish), then came back at dusk and watched the sun set and the neon lights come on while we took the ferry back home. Another wonderful day in Hong Kong.

Swimming

2008-11-29T17:45:00.001-08:00

After a long hard day of shopping, we took some time off and spent the morning in the hotel pool. The pool is on the 10th floor deck, overlooking Victoria Harbour. Magnificent view! Noah, of course, is part fish and never wanted to come out, but when the sun goes down behind the building, the water starts to get chilly. However, there's also a very nice hot tub, and Jon took full advantage of that.

Open Air Markets

2008-11-28T19:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went shopping in earnest, first at the produce markets, then the Jade Market, then the Temple Street Market. It was quite overwhelming, but proved to be very successful (at least for the global economy, if not for our personal bank account).

The produce market consists of stalls filled with every kind of fruit and vegetable imaginable, from sugar-sweet miniature bananas (thinking of you, Anna!) to giant red dragonfruit, plus a slew of things we've never seen before (2-foot-long eggplants, maybe? Flowering asparagus? Bumpy grapefruit? 12 kinds of mushrooms?). There are also the "wet markets," where the kind vendors will butcher your side of beef, press your duck or fillet your fish to order. Wild.

The Jade Market is a huge, low, covered building with hundreds of stalls selling (of course) jade of every color, size, shape and quality, plus pearls, ivory and other jewelry. Some real, some fake. The vendors are very solicitous but very aggressive. I had one woman holding my arm until I had to physically shake her off. I did very well here.

The Temple Street Market consists of tiny outdoor stalls lining the streets for blocks leading away from the jade market, offering everything from t-shirts to i-Pods to mah jongg sets, all at great prices. We had a blast just looking at everything.

For more details and some photos, check out this link:

Open Air Markets

(if the above link doesn't work, try http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/touring/popular/ta_popu_open.jhtml)

Light and Laser Show

2008-11-28T18:09:00.000-08:00

Every night at 8 pm, there is an amazing synchronized light and laser show across Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, and we have an incredible view of it from our hotel. The show has been named the "World's Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show" by Guinness World Records, and includes 44 buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour. It lasts about 12 minutes, and even includes fireworks on holidays like Christmas and Chinese New Year.

Apparently the best way to enjoy the show is on one of the ferry cruises, so you can get the music and narration as well. We'll try that soon.

Our cameras can't possibly do it justice, but we have found a video on YouTube that it very good. Click on the link below and enjoy!

Hong Kong Symphony of Lights

(If the link above doesn't work, try http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=AHWmFkpondw&feature=related)

Hong Kong

2008-11-26T07:25:00.001-08:00

Nei hou from Hong Kong! (We have switched from Mandarin to Cantonese.) We came over from Zhuhai on Monday, crossing over the South China Sea by high-speed ferry in only 70 minutes. Hong Kong is a Special Autonomous Region made up of several islands. They have their own currency, they drive on the left side of the road (the British colonial influence), and we can finally drink the water. We are staying in a beautiful hotel in Kowloon, across the water from the main business districts on Hong Kong Island, pictured above. In fact, the two photos above were taken from our hotel suite. Pretty cool, huh? (BTW, the building at right with the illuminated girders is the famous Bank of China building designed by I.M. Pei, quite a scandal when it was built because its stark, angular lines go against all rules of feng shui.)

Jon has been working, teaching at the University of Hong Kong (the Harvard of China, he tells us), and meeting again with some of the people he met there. We hope to start sightseeing (and shopping) in earnest tomorrow (although Jon has managed to buy one new suit already, and we briefly found the Temple Street Market, which is similar to the old world market we had gone to in Shanghai. Believe me, we'll go back there again.)

The funniest thing we've seen so far is that everything here is decorated for Christmas, and I mean everything -- entire sides of huge buildings, every inch of our hotel, etc. It's a bit disconcerting, this being a supposedly non-religious country (or at least a Buddhist one), but it makes for good sales at the stores.

The buildings pictured above are 12 stories tall. That's a lot of Christmas lights!

Stay tuned for more Hong Kong photos coming soon!

Macau

2008-11-23T07:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to Macau, a small island reachable from Zhuhai over a pedestrian bridge. Macau was under Portuguese control for 450 years before being ceded back to China in 1999, and is now considered a Special Autonomous Region, similar to Hong Kong (but much older). We needed our passports to get in and had to go through Chinese customs to return to the mainland. They have their own currency, the pataca, but every store and restaurant seems to accept (and prefer) the Hong Kong dollar, which is of equal value (about 12 U.S. cents each).

Macau is a city of juxtapositions, with Catholic churches and European plazas nestled just down the road from gigantic casinos awash in blazing neon. All signs are in Chinese, Portuguese and English, though very few people seem to speak or understand the latter two languages. Macanese food has strong Portuguese influences, and many dishes feature bacalhau, or dried salt cod, which is quite delicious.

Macau has always been very poor, and the gambling has been quite a boon. In fact, gambling revenues there have recently surpassed Las Vegas (although the Chinese government has had to crack down on local mainland officials going over to gamble with municipal funds). We watched a water and light show at the Wynn casino to the music of "Money Makes the World Go Around" from Cabaret. That pretty much said it all.

We are off to Hong Kong tomorrow -- more news to come!

The Zhuhai Fisher Girl

2008-11-17T22:22:00.000-08:00

Local legend has it that an angel descended to earth one day and fell in love with the beauty of the land around the South China Sea. Reluctant to return home, she turned herself into a fisher girl, weaving nets and searching for precious pearls to earn a living. In addition, she unselfishly used her knowledge and powers to heal villagers who were ill, and so she was well loved by one and all.

Soon she met a young fisherman named Hai Peng and they fell in love. Not long after, however, Hai Peng listened to malicious accusations and demanded the fisher girl to give him her magical bracelets as a token of her affection. The fisher girl tearfully explained the origin of the bracelets. While she was still the daughter of the South Sea Dragon King, the eight bracelets were given to her by the eight palace mistresses, to guard her against the thought of abandoning immortality. She would die if she even removed one.

Tragically, Hai Peng did not believe her story and turned to leave. The fisher girl, to prove her love for Hai Peng, removed her bracelets and died in his arms instantly.

Hai Peng was filled with remorse and grief. His great sorrow moved the Jiu Zhou Huan Elder, who taught him the way to bring the fisher girl back to life. For this he had to go to the Jiu Zhou Island to find the Resurrection Grass, which had to be fed with man's blood. After much difficulty, Hai Peng found the grass and grew it with his own blood. Days turned to years, and the grass was finally ready and used to revive the fisher girl. Henceforth, the fisher girl became a true mortal.

On the day of their wedding, all the girls in the village together found a gigantic, magical pearl at the seashore. In gratitude, the fisher girl presented this to the reverent Elder.

Isn't that a lovely story for such a lovely statue? She's 9 meters high and weighs 10 tons. She's very impressive -- sort of the Statue of Liberty of Zhuhai.

Pudong

2008-11-16T23:21:00.001-08:00

While we were in Shanghai, we took a ferry across the river Huangpu to the island of Pudong (the name means "east of the Pu;" mainland Shanghai is called Puxi, which means "west of the Pu"). We went over on the luxury air-conditioned ferry, which cost 2 yuan per person (28 cents).

Pudong has some of the tallest buildings in China. The Shanghai World Financial Center is over 100 stories tall and looks like a giant bottle opener. We went to the observation deck on the 97th floor and enjoyed some amazing views. (The observation deck is just below the opening at the top of the building -- very cool effect to be up there.) The next tallest building is the Jin Mao tower, which looks sort of like the top of the Chrysler Building made into a full skyscraper. And then there's the Oriental Pearl Tower, the largest TV transmitter in the world, and an incredible sight to see.

We came home on the commuter ferry, which mainly cater to bicycles and motorcycles. It was quite an experience, but only half a yuan (7 cents), so we couldn't really complain.

The photo above shows the boys posing with the mascot for the 2010 Expo, who is pictured all over Shanghai the way the Olympic mascots were plastered all over Beijing. He looks sort of like a blue Gumby, but cuter. We never actually found out his Chinese name. We'll just have to come back in 2010. ;-)

Arrival in Zhuhai

2008-11-15T07:04:00.000-08:00

This morning we flew from Shanghai to Zhuhai. We were very nervous, both because we had read how difficult the local airlines might be and because UIC, the school at which we are staying, has been very poor at communicating with me.

The day has been a series of pleasant surprises. We flew out of the Shanghai International Airport, which is the largest airport I have ever visited. Each of three terminals was larger than O'Hare. The terminal we were in had 40 check-in sections, each with over 20 desks (so 800 passengers at a time could theoretically check in). Since we are traveling off season, there were almost no lines for check-in or security. The only bad aspect of that was they had the time for a very thorough search and Stacy was forced to give up her small crochet scissors because they were a bit too long.

The plane was a modern Boeing 737, complete with in-flight movie (in Chinese) and hot lunch (so we ate the rolls and fruit).

Arriving in Zhuhai, an assistant from the university met us and we are staying on a hotel next to campus which caters to the two adjoining universities. They have an extremely busy schedule for me, with three separate talks given to six different classes over the week, as well as some days of formal gatherings.

We had a lovely welcoming dinner with a number of the faculty and staff. Everyone was quite nice. They did not get the information that we needed vegetarian dishes, but quickly adjusted what they were ordering to accommodate us. We had three different kinds of fish (only one of which could we readily identify, but all were real fish with fins and scales). We ate bamboo, Chinese leeks and huge mushrooms, and watched the others try jellyfish, shrimp, pork and many interesting looking items.

Tomorrow we will tour the area a bit, then on Monday I go to work. It should be an interesting week.

Bike ride on Xi’an City Wall - Post by Noah

2008-11-12T17:25:00.000-08:00

Last week, my father and I went bike riding on the Xi’an city wall. The city wall is a high stone wall that surrounds the old part of the city.

It had four archway gates when it was made, but now has twenty gates to allow for traffic.

We rode on a double bike. It was scary. There were some wires (conduit cables) sticking out, bricks in the pavement were gone, and ramps changed the height of the wall.

We only had one hour. We had to ride fast on the way back because we had to go to our train for Shanghai.

Not many people do this and that is kind of cool.

Suzhou

2008-11-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

We went on a day trip to Suzhou, the birthplace of silk, and toured a silk factory. It was utterly fascinating to watch the process, from silkworm to cocoon to sorting machine to skeins of raw silk, through dyeing and weaving to the beautiful new silk duvet cover we will proudly be displaying on our bed when we return home.

Suzhou also boasts many beautiful gardens and the Grand Canal, which was started in the fifth century BCE and took a thousand years to build. It is the largest man-made waterway in the world, stretching over a thousand miles from Beijing to Shanghai and beyond. It is about 50 meters wide and 15 meters deep. All rivers in China flow east--west, and the Emperor decided he needed a waterway to go north--south, so he conscripted 5 million men to build the canal, which is still in use today.

Shanghai Photos by Avery

2008-11-11T00:22:00.001-08:00

Shanghai

2008-11-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

This is an incredible city! The whole place is like a Times Square explosion. The first night we were here, it was raining. Between the rain, the endless neon, the crowds of people, the lights on all the gigantic buildings (all changing colors), the Jumbotron screens on the sides of buildings, the moving and talking ads -- it was like something out of "Blade Runner." In the daytime it's not quite so surreal.

The heart of the city is the Bund, a major thoroughfare that follows the river. On one side is a pedestrian walkway, like El Malecon in Puerto Vallarta, but much bigger (everything in Shanghai is much bigger). It looks out on Pudong, an island neighborhood that used to be all slums and brothels. In 1990, it was named a special economic zone, and now boasts the largest buildings in China, such as the Oriental Pearl Tower, pictured above. The walkway is jammed with sightseers, vendors, and people taking pictures from all angles. I've never seen so many cameras in my life. Our guide tells us that locals rarely go there.

The inland side of the Bund features European-style buildings constructed by Victor Sassoon, the Jewish founder of the city in 1850, and his peers (and competitors). The street looks like it was lifted straight out of London.

The main street leading away from the Bund is Nanjing Road. It is lined with shops of every description (and, in fact, many I cannot describe). The eastern part is the cheaper side; the western part (where the Ritz Carlton is) is the more expensive side. There is a noticeable difference when you switch sides.

Today we will go to the Yu Yuan Market in the Old City. This is a tangle of tiny alleys filled with little shops and stalls that sell everything you can imagine (and some things you couldn't dream of). This is where we will do the bulk of our gift shopping. We are just doing our part to support international economic relations.

Will post more photos soon.

Ohel Moshe Synagogue in Shanghai - Post by Avery

2008-11-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

Today we visited the Ohel Moshe Synagogue in Shanghai. To memorialize the success of protecting Jewish refugees during the Holocaust, the Chinese government turned the former synagogue into a museum to show the rest of the world that they are better morally than anyone gives them credit for. Unfortunately, too few people know about the museum for there to be an impact on the world’s mindset.

The Jews fled to Shanghai from the Nazis, because they were being persecuted. From the rise of the Nazi party in the early 1930s, Jews had been looking for places to flee to. Most countries had set up “quotas,” or limits to the amount of people allowed into the country. When the quota was filled, no more immigrants were allowed in. However, Shanghai let in as many people as would come. In all, 30,000 Jews fled to Shanghai.

Once they got to Shanghai, the Jews began to set up their community. They brought over their culture from Europe, with their own Kosher deli and corresponding schochets and rabbis. They had their own German newspaper, the “Echo,” and its journalists, reporters, and writers. They also built seven shuls. Only two still stand, and one has been converted into a government office building. The Jews built a simple synagogue to keep their culture together.

The remaining shul, the Ohel Moshe, is a small, plain shul. The brickwork is a simple red and brown pattern. In the actual sanctuary, there are an upper and lower seating sections. Men sit downstairs, on long wooden benches, while women sat upstairs on small uncomfortable chairs. The bema is a small, mahogany construct, without any sort of carving or mark.

Three months ago, the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administrative Commission finished the renovation of the Ohel Moshe. The blueprints to the original synagogue had been found in the city archives. The renovation was funded by the SMTAC and by donations from various Israeli businesses, and was meant by the Chinese government to show that China stood the moral high ground. When almost everyone else started blocking the immigration of Jews, China welcomed them with open arms. It maintained its open-door policy until Japan controlled Shanghai.

The Chinese government created the museum to try to show that they are morally better than the rest of the world thinks they are. Unfortunately, because few people know about the museum, it has had no impact on the rest of the world’s mindset.

Food Part III

2008-11-10T16:49:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to a restaurant that offered all its fresh wares on display: live fish, crabs, shrimp etc. in tanks as you walk in. The chef would scoop something out and cook it up for you as you ordered. A bit disconcerting, but the boys liked watching.

Shanghai is famous for its hairy crabs (which we can't eat, of course) and its ribbon fish (which are yummy). We've also now eaten lotus root, white fungus (so good) and sauteed chestnuts in brown sauce (tasted sort of like potato).

Tonight we decided we wanted something different, so we went out for (wait for it) Japanese food! We had huge bowls of delicious udon noodles with vegetables and tofu. It made for a nice change. The funny part was that the chopsticks were different, the tea was different, even the soy sauce seemed different.

We've gone native.

China's Name - a post from Noah

2008-11-07T16:12:00.000-08:00

Dear everybody it is so cool in China which was called Qin-na in ancient times. (Q sounds like ch in China)

Qin is from the emperor Qin, and the Ancient Persians added na (na means nation) to Qin to make Qin-na (Qin-na means Qin’s nation).

Long Live Emperor Qin

We're Back Online!

2008-11-07T07:10:00.000-08:00

Ni hao from Shanghai! We made it after a fun and interesting 2 days in Xi'an and a very long train ride to Shanghai. We are in now — Friday night here. The Internet is very slow and very expensive, so we'll not be using it as much.

Xi'an is called the Dragon City. It is known for the Terra Cotta warriors, created and buried to guard the Tomb of China's first Emperor Qin over 2200 years ago. The tomb was situated to maximize Fengshui - and may even originate the concept. The tomb was then forgotten until 1974 when a farmer discovered it accidentally while digging a well. In the first excavation pit, over 8000 life-sized statues of warriors were uncovered. Only a few additional pits have been excavated — they are moving slowly to avoid spoiling the find. We'll post photos soon.

The city also has one of the few standing city walls. Noah and Jon rented a two-person bike and rode the city wall. It was an amazing view.

So we're doing fine. On Sunday we visit the synagogues of Shanghai, tomorrow the museums and markets. We hope everyone is well at home. We'll try to keep getting on line as we can.

Pandas

2008-11-03T05:22:00.000-08:00

On Friday we went to the Beijing Zoo to see the pandas. They are magnificent! They look like giant stuffed animals. The little kids go nuts to see them, calling out Xiong mao! Xiong mao! (Panda! Panda!) Most were sleepy, but a few were active, climbing up and down their jungle gyms like giant teddy bears. Some were in indoor enclosures and some were outdoors; some were alone and some were in groups. Not being able to read the signs, we couldn't tell why. They are fascinating to watch and it was hard to tear ourselves away.

The zoo is old and seems very old-fashioned by American standards, with small cages and bare enclosures for the animals. However, there are some beautiful animals there, including golden monkeys, Manchurian tigers, and the most regal peacocks I've ever seen. Supposedly there are also yaks from Tibet, but we didn't find them.

Food Part II

2008-11-03T01:33:00.000-08:00

We went to Dini's kosher restaurant last night. Very pretty, very Western in style: cloth napkins on the plates, full set of Western utensils, glasses of water on the table (from bottles, don't worry). We were all a bit flustered by it, actually. However, no Peking duck on the menu -- I was crushed. Also, they were out of beef, so we had four different chicken dishes. In fact, Noah had matzo ball soup. The food was good, but we were a bit disappointed. We'll have to see if we can do better at the kosher place in Hong Kong.

Jon did well at his lunch with the University people today. Turns out the Vice Dean is a vegetarian, and knew of a good Buddhist restaurant near the school, so they went there. They had all the "mock" dishes: mock duck, mock beef, etc. Yum!

The boys and I found a place near our hotel that had menus with English translations (sort of). We skipped the turtle soup and the fried squid, and had a fish dish that was wonderful. It was a whole fish that looked like one of those flowered onion blossoms, that you pull off the bits to eat. It was in a sweet and sour sauce, but with peas and pine nuts instead of the pineapple and bell peppers that you see at home. Quite delicious. Can't wait for dinner!

The Sacred Road

2008-11-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

This is the Garon family with their newest pet. The Sacred Road, which leads to the Imperial Tombs, is lined with giant statues of animals in pairs, both standing (in service to the Emperor during the day) and kneeling (at rest during the night). Kids love climbing on them. The road is lined with weeping willows and meditative music is piped in throughout the park. Very peaceful.

Today Jon is lecturing at the University of International Business and Economics. He's a little nervous, mainly about lunch with the President and Dean after the lecture. The boys and I are going swimming at the hotel, and then maybe some more shopping...

The Great Wall

2008-11-02T01:48:00.000-07:00

The Great Wall is truly awe-inspiring. I'd read about it, seen documentaries, but nothing could do justice to being up there and seeing the never-ending expanse of it, extending out for miles in all directions.

Our guide gave us the choice of the easier way up (more crowded), or the harder way up (better views), and of course the boys chose the harder way up. It was worth the effort, although Jon and I couldn't go as far as the boys wanted to go (I think Noah wanted to go all 4100 miles). The Wall is a combination of uneven steps and ramps leading up and down from towers. Very hard on my poor feet, but amazing to see.

Food

2008-11-02T01:04:00.000-07:00

We have had some very interesting things to eat. Lots of noodles (typical for northern China), very little rice (which will be more common in southern China). Lots of different mushrooms and black fungus. Lots of doufu (tofu), cooked every way possible: fried, boiled, steamed; spicy, bland; soft, crunchy; with eggs, with chili peppers; you name it, we've had it, at every meal including breakfast.

Last night we walked through a night market full of stalls offering all kinds of things I'd only before seen on shows on the Travel Channel: live scorpions on a stick, fried fresh while you wait. Pig ears on a bun. Bowls of tripe. Soft shelled turtles (Avery was horrified.) Seahorses to go.

We walked to a boulevard out of the tourist area and found a restaurant that obviously catered only to locals. I whipped out my handy Berlitz book and got across the fact the we were vegetarians. We also ended up with an amazing fish dish: a whole cod, covered with black beans, diced bell peppers, onions and cauliflowers, served in a bubbling broth in a chafing dish over a roaring flame. (Noah wanted to take pictures.) It came to about five bucks. Amazing.

Tonight we are going to Dini's, Beijing's only kosher restaurant. Finally, we'll be able to try Peking duck!!

China Day 1

2008-10-31T03:21:00.000-07:00

We have arrived safely after a very long flight. We learned that vegetarian food on Asian flights means bad Indian food. We're still debating if that is worse than bad Kosher food, but at least we could eat the ice cream they served to the general passengers. The flight crew was kind enough to find four extra so that the ice cream was the highlight of the flight.

Arriving at the airport, only one piece of luggage did not arrive with us. That piece had been left at Newark and it arrived on the next flight, the next day. Stacy had arranged a guide for the trip, and the Beijing Guide met us at the airport. We checked in to a large, lovely hotel on the main thoroughfare, close to the Forbidden City. The boys are in their own suite while Stacy and I have a much more modest room on the other side of the hall.

The weather was much like what we left in the US, cold and gray. That evening we walked to dinner at the "Golden Mile," a street that looks like China Town meets 5th Avenue. We walked quite a bit until Noah became too tired, then went to dinner a bit off the main street. Menus had English, so we were able to order fish and vegetable dishes without any problem. The boys drank blended fruit rather than water.

In the morning, we visited Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City.

The square is huge, but except for a few memorials to the heroes of China, there is little to see. The real hit of Tian'anmen Square was Noah, who became a photo star. Many people stopped to ask him to pose with them. Not just young women, but older men and families wanted a picture with the curly-haired boy.

The Forbidden City revealed a fascinating history and architecture. It is enormous and a bit overwhelming.

The woodwork, the history and the litany of Ming and Qing dynasty information became a bit dizzying. No wonder, the boys actually learned more about making pearls at the factory store we visited during lunch. Still, the area brought part of China's world-view to life.

Also fascinating was the fact that Mao Zedong's picture adorns the gate and dominates much of modern China even today. China remains a country quite proud of its history and emperors - whether they resided in the Forbidden City or served as Party chairman. This is quite an interesting place.

Day 2 is the Great Wall.

Avery's Birthday - just a coincidence

2008-10-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

Here we are eating sushi in honor of Avery's 14th birthday and he receives the honorable birdcage hat for his happy birthday song.

Obviously a good omen.

Preparing for the Trip

2008-10-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

We saw lots of exciting things this past summer on our road trip through Canada and the American Northwest. It was good practice for our big trips to come.

We leave on October 28 for 7 weeks in China, and we can't wait. Check this site often for lots of photos and updates on what we've seen and done.

You can check out all our photos on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/31425265@N03/