Israel Day 1, Thursday March 3
This was a transit day and filled with the stress of flying from one foreign city to another. As we were waiting for our group to gather in the main hall of the Tel-Aviv airport, Danny, one of the passengers who shared the Danube cruise with us, turned to me and said, “This is just like the West!” What he meant was that, unlike Cairo, everything in Cairo was sleek and modern. The David Ben-Gurion Airport was luxurious, well maintained, and there was an order to it that a casual visitor could make sense of. The buses were brand new, electric, and put to shame almost any public transportation vehicle that we have in the U.S.
Unlike Cairo, there were street signs that people actually obeyed and streets crossings that made the pedestrians feel safe. The high rise buildings in Cairo looked like a combination of the Cabrini-Green social experiment in Chicago and the Soviet era austere, but functional, public buildings that we saw in Eastern Europe. Either by family tradition or inattention, the tall buildings in Cairo were either abandoned or neglected. In a sharp contrast, the average condo in Jerusalem goes for $700,000 and there is always a shortage of housing.
Israel Day 2, Friday March 4:
We started off at the Israel Museum to see a scale model of Jerusalem at the time of when Jesus was crucified. This helped a lot because it put the whole Old City into an easily digestible nugget. Next up was the Holocaust Museum, which was done very well but, since I taught a whole semester class on the Holocaust, there weren’t any new images or ideas left to shock me. Finally, we saw the Dome of the Rock on to of the Western (Wailing) Wall. It was one of the few times that I lost my breath on this trip because, even though I had seen it on the news and in textbooks, you really have to see it in person to get the whole scene in your head.
Surprises on vacation are usually not welcome and, when I opened my email at 5:00 am, we learned that Tracey failed her COVID test. She stayed in the hotel room while I went on the tour because I was sure that she had a false positive. We had a doctor come to the hotel to give her a second test and it was positive as well. My hope was that Tracey could rejoin the tour when she tested negative and all of the air went out of my balloon when I slowly began to realize that she would not be joining us. I really didn’t want to do any of the tours without her and determined to stay by her side for the rest of her quarantine
We started off at the Israel Museum to see a scale model of Jerusalem at the time of when Jesus was crucified. This helped a lot because it put the whole Old City into an easily digestible nugget. Next up was the Holocaust Museum, which was done very well but, since I taught a whole semester class on the Holocaust, there weren’t any new images or ideas left to shock me. Finally, we saw the Dome of the Rock on to of the Western (Wailing) Wall. It was one of the few times that I lost my breath on this trip because, even though I had seen it on the news and in textbooks, you really have to see it in person to get the whole scene in your head.
Surprises on vacation are usually not welcome and, when I opened my email at 5:00 am, we learned that Tracey failed her COVID test. She stayed in the hotel room while I went on the tour because I was sure that she had a false positive. We had a doctor come to the hotel to give her a second test and it was positive as well. My hope was that Tracey could rejoin the tour when she tested negative and all of the air went out of my balloon when I slowly began to realize that she would not be joining us. I really didn’t want to do any of the tours without her and determined to stay by her side for the rest of her quarantine
Israel Day 3, March 10
Tracey and I sprang for a private tour of the Old City. I’m quick succession, our guide took us to the room where the Last Supper occurred, King David’s Tomb, and the Western Wall. We’re were at the wall on a day where the authorities allowed the Jewish boys to celebrate their Bar Mitzvah. It was quite a celebration with a lot of dancing, bells, whistles, and drums. One boy held a Torah encased in a silver container and the box was almost as big as he was.
The major event of the day was to walk the Via Dolorosa, which contains the Stations of the Cross. At Station 7, Tracey was able to put her hand at the exact place where Jesus put his hand on the wall for support. She cried several times during the day but this was the first time where she became overwhelmed.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher contains the last 5 stations of the cross under one roof. Tracey was able to put her hands on the block of marble where Jesus’ body was washed after he died. Then she touched the rock upon which the cross stood. Finally, she felt Jesus’ tomb. It was an inspiring day; one of which many true believers dream of.
Israel Day 4, March 11
The major event of the day was to walk the Via Dolorosa, which contains the Stations of the Cross. At Station 7, Tracey was able to put her hand at the exact place where Jesus put his hand on the wall for support. She cried several times during the day but this was the first time where she became overwhelmed.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher contains the last 5 stations of the cross under one roof. Tracey was able to put her hands on the block of marble where Jesus’ body was washed after he died. Then she touched the rock upon which the cross stood. Finally, she felt Jesus’ tomb. It was an inspiring day; one of which many true believers dream of.
Israel Day 4, March 11
We paid for a private tour of Bethlehem. Our first stop was at the Shepherd’s Garden, where Gabrielle descends from heaven to tell the shepherds of Jesus’ birth.
The Church of the Nativity has a Greek Orthodox Church on the main floor. The basement has an enclave with a hole in the floor. Put your hand in the hole to touch the exact place where Jesus was born. There were false walls up everywhere but there were holes in the walls where you could touch the original cave walls.
The Church of the Nativity has a Greek Orthodox Church on the main floor. The basement has an enclave with a hole in the floor. Put your hand in the hole to touch the exact place where Jesus was born. There were false walls up everywhere but there were holes in the walls where you could touch the original cave walls.
Egypt and Israel Non Sequitur
+ “Nothing to see here! Just cruising down the Nile, through Aswan, on a luxury cruise ship in Egypt.” This was the constant thought that I had as we sailed the Nile, or visited Jesus’ tomb, or did anything extraordinary.
+ “You only see it now, when it is one sided, but trust me, we have an equal partnership. My wife gives me purpose.” Our fellow passengers were trying to figure out the relationship between Tracey and me. If anyone were to treat me as some sort of martyr for standing by Tracey, my standard reply is “She gives me purpose!”
+ Tracey got down on her hands and knees and cried as she touched the place where Jesus was born and where he was crucified. She cried again when she touched the place where Jesus was born. I told her to let it all out because I need to see her reaction in order for me to get excited by all of these places.
+ A not never well known fact is that there were over 70 million mummies. There were so many mummies that they were used as cordwood. Our guide explained that they were cheap and they burned for a really long time.
+ “I am not your brother.” An old and angry Palestinian cab driver said this to me after I paid him and said “Keep the change, brother.” It was one of the few times that I felt prejudiced against for being an American.
+ “Three dollars! That’s just 20 sheckles”. I told this guy that I didn’t want a guide and that I didn’t have any money. He insisted, led us around for a couple of blocks, and was upset at the small tip after I told him that I didn’t have any cash.
+ Raj, our guide in Bethlehem, said “I have two boys. They make me miserable.” He didn’t crack a smile and wasn’t trying to be funny or ironic. We were just trying to get to know him but it was clear that he didn’t want to talk about his family.
+ Raj said “We all look alike!” “You all look alike!” Raj was angry because a Chinese man said that all of the Arabs look alike. Raj said “I learned the name of one person in the group, a name that I could pronounce, and then called them all by the same name!”
+ “Nothing to see here! Just cruising down the Nile, through Aswan, on a luxury cruise ship in Egypt.” This was the constant thought that I had as we sailed the Nile, or visited Jesus’ tomb, or did anything extraordinary.
+ “You only see it now, when it is one sided, but trust me, we have an equal partnership. My wife gives me purpose.” Our fellow passengers were trying to figure out the relationship between Tracey and me. If anyone were to treat me as some sort of martyr for standing by Tracey, my standard reply is “She gives me purpose!”
+ Tracey got down on her hands and knees and cried as she touched the place where Jesus was born and where he was crucified. She cried again when she touched the place where Jesus was born. I told her to let it all out because I need to see her reaction in order for me to get excited by all of these places.
+ A not never well known fact is that there were over 70 million mummies. There were so many mummies that they were used as cordwood. Our guide explained that they were cheap and they burned for a really long time.
+ “I am not your brother.” An old and angry Palestinian cab driver said this to me after I paid him and said “Keep the change, brother.” It was one of the few times that I felt prejudiced against for being an American.
+ “Three dollars! That’s just 20 sheckles”. I told this guy that I didn’t want a guide and that I didn’t have any money. He insisted, led us around for a couple of blocks, and was upset at the small tip after I told him that I didn’t have any cash.
+ Raj, our guide in Bethlehem, said “I have two boys. They make me miserable.” He didn’t crack a smile and wasn’t trying to be funny or ironic. We were just trying to get to know him but it was clear that he didn’t want to talk about his family.
+ Raj said “We all look alike!” “You all look alike!” Raj was angry because a Chinese man said that all of the Arabs look alike. Raj said “I learned the name of one person in the group, a name that I could pronounce, and then called them all by the same name!”
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