Tel Aviv

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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!!

!!

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The Dead Sea - Avery's Blog

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

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

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

"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)

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

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

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

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!