Always New Adventures to be Had in the Holy Land

A summation of my latest adventures the past few weeks:
Two weeks ago I went to Old Yafo with Jess and Ari. Yafo is an ancient and strategic port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world, and is predominately Arab. Yafo is now part of Tel Aviv, which is why the city's full name is Tel Aviv-Yafo. It's just south of the city, and even though we live in the very north of Tel Aviv we decided to walk the hour and half to get there and knock out a workout also! It's a beautiful area overlooking the Mediterranean with some fabulous and ancient architecture. There is a wishing bridge, where an old legend states that wishes made while standing upon it will come true. Always exciting. Today, Yafo is very touristy with vendors setting up arts and crafts booths on most days of the week. There wasn't much to do, but we sat and enjoyed the view and the history of the place.

Clock tower at Old Yafo

That night, Ari and I decided to be adventurous and try Ethiopian cuisine, courtesy of the rather large Ethiopian community that resides in Israel. During the 1980s the entire Jewish community of Ethiopia was rescued from civil war and famine in their native country and brought to reside in Israel under Israel's Law of Return. We knew we were at an authentic place once we noticed we were the only Caucasians in the entire restaurant--no Israelis either!! With the help of our waitress, we ordered a menu item that sounded decent,  but had no idea what to expect. Ethiopian food is served on one large serving platter in the middle of the table, and everyone shares. Oh, and no need for silverware. The meat and sauce is simply scooped up using Ethiopian pancakes. Our meal was placed in front of us, and Ari and I just looked at each other and burst into laughter. It looked disgusting-a slop of brown goo with a boiled egg in the middle, sitting on top of the Ethiopian pancakes. As for the brown goo? It was some type of chicken and beans in a sauce, and actually quite good! The pancakes, on the other hand, left a little to be desired. They were thin, spongy, cold, gray-tinged, and somewhat sour tasting (like sourdough bread gone terribly wrong). Yet since we are citizens of the world, we devoured every last bite!!

How delicious does this look?

Last Thursday we went to the western Galilee. The Galilee is composed of the western part of northern Israel. We went for a terrific hike amongst green trees and babbling brooks (I guess I'm not in El Paso anymore).  It's really beautiful and completely opposite of the Negev desert that encompasses southern Israel.  We then went to Rosh Hanikra, a scenic spot bordering Lebanon. The view of the Mediterranean and the Israeli coastline was absolutely spectacular. We walked literally right up to the border with Lebanon. It was very quiet...we saw one Israeli soldier. It's hard to imagine seeing an area as beautiful and calm as that and knowing it has been a war zone during numerous times in the past few decades. We then went to Akko, a city north of Haifa and one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in Israel. We ventured only so far as the Old City in Akko, which is predominately Arab. The Old City lies right along the coast...again, more gorgeous views. As our tour guide was speaking, a chicken came running and squawking, followed by 3 young boys and a dog. Shortly after, a horse comes running though!!!!! Mind you, we weren't in open farmland-we were in the middle of a cramped little urban area. Quite funny.

Rosh Hanikra

 Today is Yom Ha'atzmaut--Israel Independence Day. Yesterday was Yom Ha'zikaron--Memorial Day. I know I wrote about these two holidays last year, but my experience was different this year in numerous ways. On Erev Yom Ha'zikaron my program all traveled to a navy base in Haifa for their ceremony. Each military base has their own ceremony. It was amazing to be at a true Israeli ceremony with hundreds of soldiers (well,sailors!). During the siren the only noise that could be heard aside from the siren were the waves lapping on the rocks. I found myself wondering what all these military personnel were thinking, knowing that, God forbid, one day the siren could be sounding for them. However, since the entire ceremony was in Hebrew I didn't get as much out of it as I did at the English ceremony I attended last year. Alas, an interesting experience. Yesterday we went outside to a busy street in Tel Aviv to hear the morning siren. As soon as the siren started at 11am, everyone completely stopped in their tracks. Cars and buses all stopped in the middle of the street, and the passengers emerged to stand and show their respect. No sounds could be heard and no movement was spotted for two full minutes in this bustling and often crazy city. I felt as though I were in a movie as everything seemed suspended in time. And to think that the entire country was like this...an entire country quiet and remembering.

At sundown, the transition from the saddest day in Israel to the happiest occurs. It's really quite a juxtaposition to go from those two extreme emotions instantaneously, but that's part of the poignancy of these two holidays. We went to Kikar Rabin, the square where Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in the center of the city, to kick off the festivities. It was packed with people of all ages. Singers and dancers were performing on stage, and fireworks lit up the sky. We then made our way to south Tel Aviv to the area around Florentine Street, which is where all the young people congregate for Purim and Yom Ha'atzmaut. The streets are blocked off to traffic, and absolute bedlam occurs!!! There are thousands and thousands of young people, every which way you turn. Music blasting from invisible speakers, everyone drinking, beer bottles littering the street...in other words, one giant party or one giant mess, depending how you look at it! We wandered the streets, stopping often to dance and take pictures with completely random groups of Israelis. Everyone was waving Israeli flags, but it is basically the least religious phenomenon one could ever witness!! Not what most people would envision Israel to be like, I'm sure. We left at 3:30 am, and the party was really just getting started. The streets and buses were packed at this time of the night...many people moving on to the next party. Today it is customary for most Israelis to BBQ in parks and on the beach. If there is one thing I've learned since living in Israel it is this: Israelis like to have fun, and they know how to party!

Shaving cream--Party time!

Pesach in Israel (second time around!)

Pesach (Passover) ends in less than one hour--in Israel at least. Jews in Israel celebrate Pesach for 7 days, while most Jews living in the Diaspora celebrate for 8 days. Even though this is the second Pesach I have been lucky enough to witness in Israel, it's still amazing. You truly feel you are in a Jewish country when everyone is eating matzah wherever you go-the zoo, the beach, the park, even restaurants! In fact, it's so easy to keep Pesach in Israel that it almost feels like cheating. It is ridiculously easy to find 'Kosher for Pesach' sandwiches, pizza, pastries, and noodles. Most of this "bread" is made out of potato flour, and the noodles are made out of eggs. We even went to Burger King and had kosher for Pesach hamburgers! (okay, for all of you that know me..I did not partake). How absurd is that?? Nowhere else in the world. The "bread" tastes alright..not horrible, but it is far from normal, wheat-based bread. The best way I can describe it is as bread that is a bit soggy. I spent a few days in Jerusalem during the holiday. In Jerusalem every restaurant (even those in the bus station food court) that is open is kosher for Pesach. Bread baskets are replaced with matzah baskets. Those that aren't kosher for Pesach are closed for the entirety of the 7 days. In Tel Aviv (aka the city of sin!) about half the restaurants are kosher for Pesach, and the others operate as normal. It actually becomes odd to see people consuming bread!

Most corporations close for the entire Pesach holiday, so people travel and relax and places tend to be packed. We went to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo,and it was absolutely packed. 90% of the people there were Haredi (ultra-Orthodox Jews), and since each Haredi couple seems to have about ten kids, there were Haredi kids galore...payot and tzitzit flying everywhere!!! Again, only in Israel. The beaches and parks in Tel Aviv have also been packed. It will actually be nice when things get back to normal and the crowds disperse somewhat.

Hanging out with Israeli zebras

 This past Friday was Good Friday, so Ari and I decided to go to the Christian Quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem and experience one of the holiest places for Christians on one of the holiest days on the Christian calender. We made our way to the Via Dolorosa, which is the road (alley) that most Christians believe to be the path that Jesus walked while carrying his cross on the way to his crucifixion. It is marked by the 14 stations of the cross. It was packed with people, all holding crosses of various sizes, slowly making their way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the church where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and buried. There were people from all over the world, including nuns and priests, all chanting songs in different languages. Because we were wearing huge hiking backpacks and things were starting to get somewhat claustrophobic, Ari and I didn't quite make it to the church. Yet it was another amazing event to witness and be part of...something most Christians dream of doing their entire lives. 

Small sample of the throngs of people on the Via Dolorosa

 We then made our way to the Kotel (Western Wall), where large crowds had gathered to celebrate Pesach. Also an amazing thing to witness...a large number of people of all denominations,including many Haredis, all davening (praying) furiously. There was also an American boy having a Bar Mitzvah in front of the wall. Imagining having one's Bar Mitzvah at the Kotel is just beyond belief.

There has been some unrest lately in Jerusalem..specifically the Muslim Quarters of the Old City and East Jerusalem. Thousands of Israeli security officers were dispersed throughout the Old City, but aside from this visual reminder, I really never felt scared or threatened.

I have the remainder of this week off, and then back to the grind of school!