The Miracle that is Israel

Friday, June 12, 2009
Tel Aviv, Israel
Shalom, family and friends. We have been in Israel just under a week now, and already we are quite overwhelmed by what we have seen since the last time we visited 30 years ago. While I don't want to make any comparisons from then to now based upon our short stay here, we have found Israel to be a dynamic thriving place full of energy and spirit. We crossed over the Israeli-Jordanian border, and found the people on either side asking us the same question, if not verbally then in demeanor: 'Why would you ever want to be there?' 

The crossing itself was relatively uneventful, having become routine in the 10+ years that it has been possible. Nonetheless, as we crossed through no-man's land between the 2 countries, we felt an internal sense of anticipation, and we were heartened by the Hebrew-English sign welcoming us. We were carefully scrutinized, both physically, with a full luggage search, as well as personally, with respect to our desire for visiting the country and our legitimacy in doing so. This wasn't of particular inconvenience, and if anything, heightened our sense of security. 

We were now in Eilat, the exquisite resort town at the very southern tip of Israel. When we were there 30 years ago this was a sleepy town on the road to the Israeli-occupied Sinai. Since that time, however, the Sinai returned to Egyptian hands, while the city has seen explosive growth, and we didn't recognize it. New posh hotels and resorts, commercial developments, recreational areas, malls, restaurants, etc. Everywhere we went, we saw people enjoying the ambiance of the climate, the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Eilat, and the nightlife on the streets. While there, besides just lounging around the pool and the beach and recovering from our intense travels through the deserts of Wadi Rum,and the wonders of Petra (both in Jordan), we had some major fun doing things that you seem to do only on holidays. For instance, we spent a day at Dolphin Reef,, a facility dedicated to the study and interaction of dolphins with humans. This wasn't just another 'swimming with the dolphins' or SeaWorld dolphin show experience, No, here, the dolphins are cared for, with no performances or expectations, other that allowing us to observe and minimally interact with these magnificent creatures. In this environment, there is a respect for the natural behaviours of the dolphins, and this is imparted in the words of the caregivers, the films you can view, and the platforms above the reef which allow you to observe the dolphins closeup. It was a beautiful experience and we felt moved by it.

We had yet another noteworthy experience I wanted to recount to you, although I might hear some snickering as I describe it. We signed up for a relaxation session which began at 12:30 a.m. in a specially-designed seaside facility in an insanely romantic setting. Candles flickered by the dozens are we and 4 other couples had access to 3 natural pools of water in which you floated to the sounds of new age music. You could freely roam from one to the other. Each pool was different. The first contained highly concentrated salt water (like the Dead Sea). the buoyancy was exhilarating, and I loved the weightless feeling. Bonnie was not in agreement however--she didn't like all that salt. Her preference was the second pool, in which the water was fresh and pure and at bath temperature. For her, this was heavenly. The final pool, contained a level of salt equivalent to the sea, so it was sort of a compromise between these two extremes. While doing this, the wine flowed freely, and other tempting refreshments were readily available, as were guided relaxation sessions. For 2 hours, we were completely self-indulgent, and went from pool to pool. There was a full moon and the lights of Eilat blazed in the far distance across the gulf. We felt a sense of well-being and contentment that was joyous. Once back in our hotel room, we both slept so soundly and well into the next morning.

Eilat had achieved its purpose for us-we were well-rested, re-energized, and now ready to begin the next part of our journey. We flew the short 40 minutes to our next stop, here in the Tel Aviv area. Ben Gurion Airport was bustling. This modern huge and relatively new terminal was abuzz with travelers, and the grounds were beautifully landscaped.

We took a nearby train to the home of Bonnie's cousins in a newer community halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, called Modi'in. We were picked up at the station, and the warm welcome we received was wonderful. It had been a long time since we had last seen Nurit. Far from being the young recruit in the Israeli army that we had met 30 years ago, she now had a family, three great kids in their older teens and twenties, a beautiful home, and we were really pleased to get (re)acquainted. It was a great visit, full of recollections of people now gone, while catching up on the current lives of family and friends. Amidst all the bustle in the home around end-of-school exams, jobs, and social lives, we were thrust into a whirlwind of activity, and it reminded us of our home life not that many years back. We got to attend a dramatic performance by the 15-year old at his high school, made more challenging for us in that the entire performance was in Hebrew. We knew exactly what Nurit meant when she said "It's good to have family here".

Our time in Modi'im was sweetened even further with a brief visit to the young family of a close friend of ours, who coincidentally also have three children and lived not too far away from Nurit and her family. These precious children and their parents were a treat to be savoured. Having enjoyed the kid's pictures and stories our friend Phil had shared with us over the years, we now got to meet them in person. We quickly bonded, and we could now truly now understand his effervescence every time he spoke about them. Our visit was over before we knew it.

After 3 days in Modi'in, we traveled to a kibbutz about 15 minutes from Tel Aviv, called Shefayim, and it is here that I am writing this blog. We are staying with Avner, a former brother-in-law of our friends Shelli and George. He simply couldn't be more hospitable- a genuinely super nice guy. We have been made to feel so comfortable in his home, and we have had some spirited conversations about Israel, politics, the holocaust, and so on. Since both are teachers, Bonnie and he have a lot in common, and similar complaints too (eg pushy parents). On top of this, we shared Shabbat dinner in the kibbutz dining room with Shelli's sister, Millie, who gave us a tour of the kibbutz, and filled us in on the state of kibbutz life today, which has evolved from the original and traditional kibbutz communal life and activities. Today, most operate as a town might. In most kibbutzim, things liked shared meals, child care, laundry, etc. are a thing of the past or are being phased out over time, as having outlived their original objectives. Most residents work outside the kibbutz now. Yet, we certainly felt the spirit of the place while we were there. Everyone knows each other, with a strong sense of community and support evident in the programs and support systems in place. There was also a feeling of harmony. Today, we sat out on the patio almost all day, just enjoying the beautiful lush greenery, the birds singing, the warmth of the sun, and the cool breezes coming off the seacoast nearby. It was really peaceful. Hard to believe that this kibbutz is a mere 13 kms from the Palestinian border. This kibbutz has a multitude of ways in which it supports itself, with commercial pursuits in as wide a range as imaginable--everything from a waterpark, a farm in which fruit and vegetables are grown, a dairy, a large mall containing well known international and household names like McDonalds and Toys R Us, a plastics plant, and on and on. While only 15 minutes north of Tel Aviv in Hertzliya, it is a world apart from the fast-paced city we found it to be when we visited it a few days back.

In Tel Aviv, the city is electric in its pace. The gorgeous skyscrapers, eclectic neighborhoods, almost frenetic streetlife, huge shopping districts of every stripe, nightlife, and culture are evidence of growth almost unimaginable for a city barely 100 years old. While the scene of a panoply of historic events and civilizations, as one of the world's oldest ports, Old Jaffa, a part of Tel Aviv has been beautifully restored, and we spent hours wandering about the area, taking in a breathtaking sunset over the Mediteranean, and ending our day there with a fantastic seafood dinner at a picturesquely unpretentious restaurant overlooking the harbour.

Although we suffered through the heat of the day of the current hot spell that TA is experiencing, Bonnie kept us hydrated in her obsession with cold bottled water and juice which we carry all day long and everywhere. In this respect, the desert well-prepared us for this heat.

Tomorrow, at long last, our many years of saying Next Year in Jerusalem will be fulfilled. We will be spending the next three days there and have a full agenda of things we want to see and do. Everything that our friends Sheldon, Rita, and others have recommended top our list, with the additional suggestions and info from our bible, Frommer's Israel. Most of all, we plan to walk, walk, and walk some more. In Israel, this is what you do-- not because you have to, but because you want to. It's simply a banquet for all 5 senses.

I fear that I may have lost some of you in the length and detail of my blog, but I just can't reduce this travel experience and our reactions to it down to anything less than I feel it deserves. If you're still with me at this point, I thank you for your patience and for indulging my verbosity. If you're not, then you're not readfing these words anyways, so it doesn't matter. Regardless,
I hope to have another entry after we conclude our Jerusalem visit, when we'll be venturing onwards to the Dead Sea, Masada, and the tropical paradise of Ein Gedi.

Bye for now,
David and Bonnie
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melissagquest
2009-06-20

Still with ya!
Hi, David! And Bonnie!
I'm still with you, looking over your shoulder, digitally speaking. I love every word of these blogs and they are NOT too long! More, I say! And I'm looking forward to a monumental slide show when you get back. Keep well, keep hydrated and keep writing!
All the best!
Mici

2025-02-12

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