Jordan and Israel: Final thoughts

Usually when we visit a country ( or two) we tour the sights, learn some history, and enjoy the people and food. Yes, we did all those important things in Israel and Jordan but this trip was so much more.

First of all, both guides were stellar, especially Ibrahim who did so much more than required. He dealt with all that bad timing had to give him, and came up with alternatives— wonderful alternatives time and time again. He really enjoys his job ( or this group, perhaps as he told us) and put his heart into every minute.

Exploring Israel from a religious, cultural and political viewpoint gave us a sense of understanding and belonging that we hadn’t had before. Wendy was a bit envious of the birthright groups we mingled with in Jerusalem— late teens who take an extensive sojourn into the land of their heritage and deepen their connections to Judaism on whatever level they choose to take it. She hopes our grandchildren will take advantage of this incredible program when the time comes. This was our own birthright program, albeit 50 years later with the advantage of time and perspective.

It was also a pathway to understanding the geography and deep historical conflicts in the Middle East. Jordan is a buffer land in the middle of chaos, surrounded on all sides by nations that hold varying degrees of anger towards Israel. It has to constantly walk on eggshells to protect its borders and deal patiently with its neighbors. We hope it can successfully continue that path.

The Israeli-Arab conflict, especially In Jerusalem will not be resolved anytime soon, certainly not within our lifetime. We now have to hope that future generations will learn to temper and respect their differences without going to war over them.

Although we never actually heard this exquisite song by Naomi Shemer sung ( nor Ha Tikvah, the national anthem, for that matter) at anytime during our journey, it represents the fortitude, the yearning for peace and the beauty of Israel:

Yerushalayim shel zahav, veshel nechoset veshel ohr, Halo lechal shirayich ani kinor

Jerusalem of good, of bronze and light I am the violin for all your songs,

Video: Yerushalayim shel zahav

Shalom!

#published #evernote

Day 19: Tel Aviv, Anu Museum, farewell dinner

Most of what we did in Tel Aviv was in the Jaffa area because major attractions and shops were closed, so it was a somewhat low-key end to our trip. But over the three days we were there, we captured the feel of this vibrant area. It is the second largest gay/ pride city, only next to San Francisco, loves portraying humor on buildings, and, since it is new, has the skyscrapers and architecture to prove it.

The beaches have wide sidewalks, bike and scooter lanes which are well used ( as are the sidewalks so watch out!). We enjoyed a final spectacular breakfast at our hotel. Then, Ibrahim found a very new museum built on the architecturally diverse campus of Tel Aviv University, an area he knew well. It is called the Anu Museum and (yay!) was open on Shabbat. It portrays Jewish cultural achievements in the performing arts, presents history in a unique way, and used a wide array of media to portray Jewish life around the world. We were most impressed and would highly recommend it. We watched videos and displays of famous comedians, saw 3-D models of synagogues around the world, and were mesmerized by a video and accompanying map that explained the many migrations of the Jewish people over thousands of years.

We finally found the tiny room where they showed videos of Leonard Cohen in his last concerts in Israel. It was a gray day ( actually saw a few raindrops, the only time during the entire trip), so we spent the afternoon catching up on the blog, and ( sigh) packing. Took final pictures of our room and the best shower in the world! A farewell dinner was a good walk away, and after a lovely meal said goodbye to our new friends. Walking into the hotel, we met Ibrahim’s beautiful wife who had joined him for a very short vacation. They are a really cute couple! We have at least 23 or so hours of traveling and layovers ahead of us😢😢.

#published #evernote