Our Shabbat day activities began after a night of violent rainstorms that buffeted our worship at Kehilat Tzur Hadassah, but the rains ended, and we began with a view of the Old City of Jerusalem from the east (with the sun on our back). Miri provided a historical and archaeological orientation to the city walls and its precincts, but the view was quite spectacular.
Our trip then turned east and south, toward the Dead Sea Valley. Our first encounter was a drive through the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, where we saw ibex and hyraxes, as you see here:
These animals were simply walking near the roadway of the park, and seemed to have no fear of our bus or human contact.
Our next stop was the mountain of Masada, where beginning in the year 70 CE, more than 900 zealots defied the Roman siege for more than three years before the Roman army overtook the fortress. The Romans wanted to take the mountaintop because it was in the way of a prime trade route between Africa and Asia; for the Jews, it became a matter of survival of the religion and the people, to retain a hold on this place.
There are remnants of the three palaces that King Herod built in the century before Masada’s fall, as well as bath houses, food and water storage, worship, and the like.
From Masada, we traveled to Mineral Beach on the Dead Sea (a facility run by Kibbutz Ein Gedi and the Ahavah Company), and we all took a “float” in the Dead Sea. We also slathered mud on ourselves, took a dip in the sulfur mineral bath, and had a very relaxing and fun-filled time.
The day ended with us all returning to the hotel in Jerusalem tired but very satisfied. The weather in Jerusalem was mild – in the 40’s.
Good night, and be well!
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