Tuesday, December 25, 2007
From K’far Blum, Northern Israel
Dear Friends,
Sitting in the hotel lobby here, we are listening to a two-man Beatles music retrospective, and writing to you, our Temple Beth El community. We are glad to be landed at last.
Tonight we all arrived to make our tour 32 strong! As we pulled away from the Ben Guiron International Airport, we had a two-and-a half hour drive ahead of us to arrive to our hotel here, but the drive was made much more comfortable by the 60 degree temperature and the cogent and welcoming description of some of the scenery by our guide Daphna, as we were driven by our driver Menachem (who likes to be called Manny).
Before the arrival of us twenty-two today, the four-then-ten visitors had some sightseeing in Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv, and were able to visit the Christian and Muslim quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock, and Here are some photos of their journey today and yesterday. Some of you might recognize Jane and Molly Taves, Allen and Mona Paschen, Seth Center and Maureen Monaghan, Jane and Anne Armstrong, and Aaron Gooze and Gillian Schauer.
We traveled from the center of the country to the north via the only toll road in Israel, Route 6, named after Yitzhak Rabin. The road has no toll gates, only the electronic monitoring system like our “Smart Pass.” So our journey tonight was rather swift.
This road is routed close to and along the ‘seam line,’ the fenced security border that represents Israel’s defense against terrorism. From the lighted highway, it appeared as a long, low wall topped by barbed wire, alongside of which was a security road that patrols cover each hour of each day. Any breeches in the wall are known almost instantaneously by the electronic devices embedded in the road and the wall. More on the political implications of this barrier another day.
We arrived to the guest house of Kibbutz K’far Blum. Many years ago, a few of the local kibbutzim, to supplement their income flow, opened up hotels or guest retreat houses. The guest house here is an old institution, rustic but beautiful. We are located in the ‘finger’ of Israel that extends north and is surrounded by Lebanon on the west and Syria on the east. The proximity to these nations, one time in active conflict with Israel and now always in a tenuous state of cease fire, makes us feel as though we really are at the center of the world. At least when there is a slow news period in the States, as there typically is at this time of year, there is always news here in the Middle East.
From K’far Blum, Northern Israel
Dear Friends,
Sitting in the hotel lobby here, we are listening to a two-man Beatles music retrospective, and writing to you, our Temple Beth El community. We are glad to be landed at last.
Tonight we all arrived to make our tour 32 strong! As we pulled away from the Ben Guiron International Airport, we had a two-and-a half hour drive ahead of us to arrive to our hotel here, but the drive was made much more comfortable by the 60 degree temperature and the cogent and welcoming description of some of the scenery by our guide Daphna, as we were driven by our driver Menachem (who likes to be called Manny).
Before the arrival of us twenty-two today, the four-then-ten visitors had some sightseeing in Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv, and were able to visit the Christian and Muslim quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock, and Here are some photos of their journey today and yesterday. Some of you might recognize Jane and Molly Taves, Allen and Mona Paschen, Seth Center and Maureen Monaghan, Jane and Anne Armstrong, and Aaron Gooze and Gillian Schauer.
We traveled from the center of the country to the north via the only toll road in Israel, Route 6, named after Yitzhak Rabin. The road has no toll gates, only the electronic monitoring system like our “Smart Pass.” So our journey tonight was rather swift.
This road is routed close to and along the ‘seam line,’ the fenced security border that represents Israel’s defense against terrorism. From the lighted highway, it appeared as a long, low wall topped by barbed wire, alongside of which was a security road that patrols cover each hour of each day. Any breeches in the wall are known almost instantaneously by the electronic devices embedded in the road and the wall. More on the political implications of this barrier another day.
We arrived to the guest house of Kibbutz K’far Blum. Many years ago, a few of the local kibbutzim, to supplement their income flow, opened up hotels or guest retreat houses. The guest house here is an old institution, rustic but beautiful. We are located in the ‘finger’ of Israel that extends north and is surrounded by Lebanon on the west and Syria on the east. The proximity to these nations, one time in active conflict with Israel and now always in a tenuous state of cease fire, makes us feel as though we really are at the center of the world. At least when there is a slow news period in the States, as there typically is at this time of year, there is always news here in the Middle East.
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