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Looking back over my trip to Israel and Jordan, there a few mental postcards I keep. Here are a few of them:
Guns and Moses Two things stood out for me in Jerusalem: first was the large number of Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Jews,) and the large number of defense forces in the city. There are a lot of soldiers and police of various services in Jerusalem, most of them heavily armed, especially in the vicinity of the Old City. Walking around, you are likely to see representatives of the Jerusalem District Police, the Israel Police, the Israel Border Guard, various branches of the Israel Defense Force (IDF), and members of the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces. You get used to seeing soldiers – male and female - sitting on a bench or in a café with their machine gun casually resting on their knees.
People have asked me if I felt scared in Israel, and the answer is a resounding “no.” I felt safer in Jerusalem than I feel in many places in the US. While it’s true that you see a lot of armed people on the streets, the attitude is not “Look, I’ve got a gun,”
but rather “I have a personal responsibility to defend my country and the people in it.” And since every Israeli is required to do at least two years of national service, being in the army and handling weapons is a common, unifying experience.
There is an exception to the two years of national service rule that allows young Haredi men whose main occupation is Torah study to be deferred from service. They believe their religious study protects Israel as much, if not more, than picking up a weapon. As of this writing there is heated discussion in Israel over ending the military exemption.
Living Out Loud Jerusalem is a noisy place. Between the church bells, muezzin, sirens, and people carrying on boisterous conversations, there is very little quiet here. I happened to be staying in an area with a number of youth hostels, restaurants and bars. For some reason, and I suspect it’s their youth and unfamiliarity with alcohol, about 10 or 11 o’clock at night the party would spill out into the street and right underneath my hotel window. This is a city of raised voices, of shopkeepers calling out to you, of singing
and shouting and general exuberance.
The great exception to the loudness is at the Western Wall, where whispered prayers are heard day and night. At sundown on Friday, the sound of a shofar is broadcast throughout Jerusalem. If you are not expecting it, it can be rather startling, especially considering recent events in the Middle East. Be assured, it is not an air-raid siren, but rather the start of the Sabbath. And during the Sabbath a profound peace descends over Jerusalem. Public transportation doesn’t run, and outside the walls of the Old City – where most of the merchants are Arab - pretty much nothing is open.
The Russians Are Coming … Oh, They’re Here I was surprised at the number of Russians I saw in Israel. It was common to find stores and restaurants with signs in Cyrillic, and menus that leaned heavily towards potatoes, beets, and goulash. Fashions in these areas are straight out of 1980. There was one small convenience store I visited in Tel Aviv where all the staff and most of the customers spoke Russian.
I found out this was due in large part to the liberalization of the
Putin Pub
And I thought they left Russia to get away from this guy...immigration laws under Mikhail Gorbachev. Prior to that time, you needed permission from the KGB to leave, which was rarely granted. If it was granted, you forfeited your property, your Russian citizenship, and had to pay a fine. During the 1990s, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, 1.1 million Russians immigrated to Israel. Under Israel’s Law of Return these Russian Jews were immediately eligible for Israeli citizenship. In Be Gurion Airport there are even special immigration lines staffed with Russian speaking officers to accommodate the Russian visitors.
Location, Location, Location While things were pretty calm in the Middle East while I was there, things can change in a heartbeat. I was fast asleep in my hotel room in Jordan when I was awakened by a group of people chanting in the street. It was about midnight, and I wondered whether I should get up and be prepared for… something. Since it didn’t sound like they were shouting “Death to America,” or anything like it, I decided to go back to sleep.. Turns out it was a group of football (soccer) fans celebrating their team’s win. Sometimes it’s just a football match not a political protest,
Old Cardo
The Cardo was the main thoroughfare in the first century BCE. even if it’s the Middle East.
Museums With over 200 museums in a pretty small country, Israel has the greatest number of museums per capita of any country in the world. The Shrine of the Book, at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, has the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as the Aleppo Codex. Just to see written texts that date back to the first century BCE is pretty cool. Trying to put together the story of these people with other histories of the time brings out a faded picture of events that took place a couple of thousand years ago.
As long as you are at the Israel Museum, one exhibit not to be missed is the Second Temple Model. This place just knocked me out, it was so cool. The scale model recreates the Old City of Jerusalem as it probably looked in 66 CE when the revolt against the Romans broke out. So, if you want to picture the city as it looked during the time of Jesus, Herod, and the historian Joseph Flavius, this is the place. I found it fascinating, and spent a lot of time walking around the one acre
Cardo mural
This is what it may have looked like 2,000 years ago. site.
It’s the People, Silly When you get right down to it, the average guy (or gal) on the street is pretty much the same around the world. He wants to take care of his family and live in peace. I met people of many faiths, ethnic origins, and points of view on this trip; we could always find something on which to agree. Sometimes it was as simple as the weather or the tastiness of the tea, but it was something.
El Al Traveler’s Prayer In the El Al in-flight magazine they include a copy of the Prayer for Travel. I thought it was lovely, and I include it here for all of you:
May it be Your will, O Lord, our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors, that You lead us toward peace, guide our footsteps toward peace, and make us reach our desired destination for life, gladness, and peace. May You rescue us from the hand of every foe, ambush along the way, and from all manner of punishments that assemble to come to earth. May You send blessing in our handiwork, and grant us grace, kindness, and mercy in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see us. May You hear the sound of our humble request because You are G-d Who hears prayer requests. Blessed are You, our Lord, Who hears prayer.
Safe travels to you all.
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Carole Pappas
non-member comment
Good on You!
Karen, I have thoroughly vicariously enjoyed your trip to Israel and Jordan. It was great to see your perspective on the problems faced by the Israelis. I hope you don't mind but I forwarded your e-mail with blog to my Rabbi as I think she will enjoy it greatly. She has a brother in Israel who is also a Rabbi and she makes a trip there every year. I miss seeing you at Hurley so send me an e-mail from time to time to let me know how you are doing in warm, sunny California. Carole