Our Final Day in Tel Aviv

Well today was our last day in Tel Aviv, and it was one of the first free days we have had. And by free I mean from 1pm until whenever (we had two tours in the morning).

We started with a walking tour of old Jaffa and had an Arab Muslim Israeli and Israeli Jew as our guides. The attempted to tell us their history overlaid on the history of Jaffa, as it is one of the few cities in Israel where Muslims and Jews coexist rather peacefully and in an integrated fashion. The views in Jaffa and the art shops were amazing, the content of the tour however was repetitive because after 9 days in Israel we have had a variety of tours and sessions where this same type of history has been told. Following that we took a tour of a park, also known as the African Refugee Development Center. We learned a great deal about how Israeli will offer asylum to many African refugees and on their visa's they mark them no work visa, but the supreme court ruled that is goes against the right to human dignity to not let them work. We also then toured the area where most of the refugees live, 12 to a one room studio apartment that sleep in shifts of 6 at a time to minimize the cost.

The best part of the day was shopping at the Carmel Market and then walking up the Mediterranean Sea along the beach and stopping at one of the many outdoor beach tables and having a drink and some chips and salsa. We took some amazing pictures and collected a few amazing shells. The sand here is the best fine sugar sand with no pebbles like the Jersey shore or North Carolina beaches. There were also a ton of wind surfers and regular old surfers out today and the place we had drinks offered breakfast and surfing lessons for 171 Shekels which is like $45 US dollars.

I think the change from today came from our talk while lounging on at the beach bar. I asked the group if the the trip shifted there perspectives on Israel, Palestine or the conflict at all compared to what they came in with. We had an amazing discussion and it ranged from not knowing at all what the solutions should be, to being more confused now than before we came. The one thing we all shared in common was that this is not an easy place to figure out and that it is probably not going to be solved anytime soon. We also talked a great deal about the irony or juxtaposition of a "Democratic Religious (Jewish)" state and how that doesn't' seem to be able to possible, as well as the fact that they don't have a constitution (because when they declared the state they Jewish population was so small they didn't want to create a full constitution until a majority of Jews had returned....who will decide when that should happen we then tossed around.

What was the change today? There are some issues that are very difficult and that can not be easily figured out but they can not be avoided. The avoidance of a conflict, or the acceptance of living in conflict is a way to perpetuate the conflict and unpleasant circumstances as a result. Now if you know me at all you know that I HATE CONFLICT, but if nothing else this trip has taught me the value of directness and that avoiding conflict doesn't get you anywhere productive.

Tomorrow we are off to the Masada and the Dead Sea and then back to Tel Aviv to good old Ben-Gurion airport to take the 12:32am red eye back to Newark. I can't believe the trip is practically over. It has been so short yet is seems like we left Bethlehem (PA that is) so long ago...oxymoron yes, but so true! Good night from one last evening in Israel...

Sabbath Shalom!

The Rabin Center

One word pretty much sums up our first day in Tel Aviv...Rabin. It is funny how you look back on history growing up and I would say most of my generation who grew up middle to upper middle class will remember a few key names from current events, but would be unsure why such as...Anwar Sadat, Menacham Begin, King Hussein of Jordan, Yhitzak Rabin, maybe even Shimon Perez and Golda Meir (thought those might be doubtful). They definitely remember names like John Wilkes Booth, JFK, Nixon, Margaret Thatcher, Michel Gorbachev and Yeltsin, Sadam Hussein and George HW Bush. Today I felt like I experienced the first set of names in the way the Israeli's experienced them, which is much like how most of you reading this blog would have experienced the second set of names.

We have been learning much about Israel's history throughout our trip and today we got to learn even more about the declaration of the state of Israel in 1947 by David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel. More amazing than that story, for my generations memory anyway was visiting Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, seeing the last steps walked by Yhitzak Rabin, and seeing the markers in the pavement that indicated just how close his assassin stood to him to shoot him. It was nothing like Lincoln or JFK (our two assassinated leaders), the murderer of Rabin stood less than 2 feet from him and the guard who was suppose to protect him probably 3 feet from both Rabin and the assassin. There was no sniper on a hill and no mad man in the theater wings for this one, we was close enough to touch Rabin with the gun that shot him. To me as an American, living in the lifetime that I have that is inconceivable, even with the assassination attempt that I lived through of Regan, he wasn't that close and it wasn't on the heels of a peace movement rally.

From there we went to the Rabin Center where we were able to learn a great deal about the political history of Israel overlaid by the history of Rabin as a leader all within the context of other things going on in the world arena. Though not as touching or as sensitive for most of us as Yad Vashem, this museum was amazingly well done and laid out, thought the most amazing part was meeting and talking with Dalhia Rabin, Yhitzak's daughter, after lunch. She was a women who carried herself in such a confident, self-assured fashion and one that was noteworthy in her own right, regardless of who her father was. She was engaging and has truly experienced many different positions of political and military power within her career as a lawyer and member of the Knesset. She is an advocate for women's rights and empowerment, and stands firm to her beliefs and wasn't afraid to step away from high political positions (like Deputy Minister of Defense) when she didn't like the political agenda that was being pushed. She said that without the assassination of her father she never would have intended to go into the political arena, but after that happened she felt that this was the only right thing to do. She was also unsure how many leaders are following her father's peace mission. She now directs the Rabin Center and makes sure that her father's life is memorialized as he lived, with conviction and respect.

So what changed today? Well I think the best way I can describe it is that you have to know what is important to you in all aspects of your life, and be open to certain events really shaping who you become and the path that you take because often it is not what you would have expected but is the one that you are being called to do for reasons you do not understand (and the Christian in me in the holy land says that this is one way that God can work in your life).

Oh and another amazing site today...The Mediterranean Sea!!! We got our first up close glimpse of it and tomorrow my goal is to touch it during our lunch and "shopportunity" as Yael calls it. Which by the way is the best guide ever and if you are ever thinking of a trip to Israel I highly recommend IsraelExperts, but mainly Yael Manashe (soon to be Zelcer). She is amazing and I wish I could be her friend but the 12 hour flight could be a difficult one to manage!

Tomorrow a bit back to walking, to tour old Jaffa and then African Refugee Center and a new market, Carmel Market! Tomorrow is our last day in Tel Aviv and the last night we will sleep in Israel. We end our trip at the Masada and the Dead Sea on Saturday, before our red eye home just past midnight. The time as gone so quick, but a few days left to enjoy!

I'll try to do better and remember to take the iPad to the bus tomorrow to upload...our hotel is still crappy though the food is better our room still smells and the bed is unbelievable uncomfortable-I am sort of looking forward to sleeping on the plane...

Beatitudes....and off to Tel Aviv!

Today was the most driving we have done thus far, but it was well worth it to head up to the Kinneret (Sea of the Galilee). We had a rather less than interesting speaker this morning and then spent an amazing day touring the beyond beautiful sea in the north where Jesus performed many of his miracles.

I am not even going to recount the random ecological greenhouse on a Kibbutz. I would have rather toured the Kibbutz itself, but no we sat in a dirty greenhouse and heard from a guide that wasn't good and did a poor job of recapping things we have heard all week. The most amazing part of the morning was hearing the story of an Arab Muslim Israeli who has a Pro-Israel perspective (I wish we could have skipped the 45 minutes of greenhouse garbage and asked her more questions but that wasn't in the cards). She is a law student in university currently and was explaining how difficult it is to be in her position because she truly believes that Israel should be it's own state and that Palestine should not be a part of the picture that Israel is having to worry about. She said a very very interesting things, about how there are arabic and jewish schools in Israel and that you can go to either one, as they teach in both languages, but that typically you don't go to an opposite culture school. She says that she does have many Jewish friends and that while her ancestors came from Palestine (generations back) she is not attached to that country or the Muslims there. She is more of a humanist and thinks the relations between both countries hurts them both more than it helps any one of them. She says that the Israeli flag and anthem doesn't represent her heritage but rather than some that get very upset about that she is grateful for her rights as an Israeli citizen (she can vote, run for the Knesset, she is able to do anything that a Jewish Israeli can-accept she gets to choose to serve in the military or do civil service). She chose civil service and felt good about it because she wanted to have her chance to be an active citizen and participate in the country that she is very much in support of. She lives in a Jewish and Muslim community that co-exists peacefully (which means they are able to live in the same general village/town but on segregated sides of the town.

We were then able to see a few sites surrounding the beautiful Sea of the Galilee-which I have pictures of but that I can't explain in words. And for the first time in this trip we wore short sleeve shirts with OUT jackets-thank you weather for cooperating with us! First we were able to go to the church that commemorates the site of where Jesus turned the 2 fishes and 5 loaves into thousands for the people. The church is still in operation today and mosaics on the floor commemorate the fishes and loaves. It notes 2 fishes and only 4 loaves as the 5th loaf is offered during the communion mass by the Priest.

From there we went to Capernum where St. Peter built his house and where Jesus healed a women. We we also able to see some amazing ruins of St. Peter's original house with a beautifully architectural church built suspended above it.

The most beautiful site today (in addition to the sea and surrounding hills themselves) was the Church of the Beatitudes where Jesus was said to have delivered the sermon on the mound. The church was absolutely gorgeous and built in an octagonal fashion in order to represent the 8 virtues of man noted in the sermon. While Jesus did not deliver the sermon in the church (as he was much before this time) this is the perfect hill (mound) overlooking the Galilee where historians surmised the famous sermon could have taken place.

From there we drove 2 hours down to Tel Aviv, where we ended early with dinner at 6:30pm in the most ridiculous hotel ever. We are trying not to be bitter, but we are in a safe house room/shelter with a shower that you have to fold out of the wall...it is beyond words and they are trying to move us but tonight we make the most of it and practice flexibility...GOD HELP US!

So what was today's change? Well I think more than anything I was reminded of the importance of actively seeking out opinions and individual stories that are missing or not represented in a group and then truly giving them a time to speak their perspective and story. I think this is always valued, or said to be valued, in my profession, though I think that at times it gets overlooked or given a nod to but that those people aren't engaged in a true way. This is very important as I look toward the future of my office and were we are going to make sure we engage all perspectives. I am also reminded that beauty is everywhere around us and that you should truly take the time to stop and enjoy it and not take for granted the experiences we have in front of us.

Well, we sort of stop officially "touring" cities tomorrow and begin our last push of meeting with different people and centers, until Masada and the Dead Sea on Saturday before flying back (I don't want to think of it yet though!). Tomorrow will be a big day visiting the Rabin center and getting to meet with Dalia Rabin. What a day...oh did I mention our amazingly bad (though it looks amazing from all parts that aren't the safe rooms in the stairwell that we have) hotel doesn't have free wi-fi so I will have to post my blogs from our BUS!!!

That is all I have to say about today, more to come later!