We visited the Statue of Faith

By Susan Douglas
Contributor

Editor's Note: This is part two in a three part series on The Douglas' recent trip to Israel.

From Holland we flew on to the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel and taxied to the Sheraton Towers, a beautiful hotel. From our15th floor balcony, we overlooked the Mediterranean Sea and Promenade, lined with palm trees. The average temperature without rain during our 15 days was in a warm 70-75 degree F range. The beach sand here was of a soft flour texture, clean & light beige in colour, & wonderful to walk in.
My first surprise was having my purse checked by a guard before entering a local McDonald’s Restaurant. (Later I was informed it’s because it’s an “American” business & a target for terrorists.) Tel Aviv really comes to life as the sun drops, spectacularly, into the sea! It’s known as the city that doesn’t sleep. Young and old gather at the sea shore in candlelit cafes. Friday is the beginning of Shabbat, Jewish Sabbath, until Saturday evening. All stores are closed. A group of young teenage girls gathered in a dancing circle singing songs in Hebrew and jumping up and down in excitement while young men gathered to go fishing or dance along the waterfront in their own separate groups.
We met our 42 U.S. travelling companions, plus our history teacher/Jewish guide, (Moshe meaning Moses), at a cocktail and information session. We were quick to learn “Shalom Shabbat” as a greeting on this holy day. Our morning buffet was like most we were to have, full isles of food. (tuna salad, cheeses of all sorts, phyllo pastries, muesli, yogurts, dates & figs, pickled items, breads of all kinds, fresh orange juice, etc.) Our guide took us on a walking tour of Ben Gurion Boulevard, a view of Gurion’s home, and Yitzhak Rabin Square, where the Prime Minister of Defence was murdered in a struggle for peace, April 11, 1995, (following the singing of “Sing a Song For Peace.”)
Since there is so much history here and so much to tell, I’ll try and focus on the main points that I learned on this tour. (My suggestion to learn more would be to “Google” the places) of interest: “During the Gulf War of 1990 between Kuwait and Iraq,100 missiles were aimed at Tel Aviv with only 2 people being killed, both men.”
David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister, had a vision to have a Jewish State and universal health care. On May 14th, 1948 in Tel Aviv, Israel declared its independence, (which was not supported by the Palestinians). Here we also saw our first of many, olive trees and a Sycamore tree, the type Zacharias, the tax collector, climbed in the Bible in order to see Jesus.
From 2000-2005 there were terrible bombings in Tel Aviv. Standing in front of the restaurant where 3 women in their 30’s were killed, we viewed their memorial monument. The houses are simple plain structures from the 50’s and condos in this area. Our history guide was very thorough in his teachings including the Old Testament which he constantly referred to by memory and would say, “It’s history, read your Bibles”. Another term he often used was “it’s tradition”, information handed down.
In the evening we took an illuminated tour of the city and Jaffa, (where Simon & Peter were), visiting the Statue of Faith, depicting 1.The Sacrifice of Isaac, 2. Jacob’s Dream and 3. The Fall of Jericho. Beneath the Ramses II gateway are remains of brick walls dating to the late Canaanite period 16th-14th century. An Ethiopian Jew sat here on the steps studying his Bible. (This group of Jewish people were discovered in Africa, and had honoured their original teachings, and are now returned to Israel.) So interesting!
In the morning we were off to the huge Carmel Market, then past the Mann Auditorium (home of the Philharmonic Symphony), into the new area of the city, (13 yrs. old) & travelling north along the coastal highway. We stopped at Caesarea to visit the ancient Roman port and aqueduct, Byzantine streets and Crusader ruins. King Herod (known as the builder), ruled Caesarea from 37-4 B.C. and this was the beginning of Christianity. Our guide told us that Judaism could not exist alongside the Romans with 2 different gods. King Herod built a magnificent palace, with amphitheatre and theatre, building also a second port to separate the two religious groups. Part of Herod’s balcony and pool still are visible. There is a pillar here with Augustus Caesar and Pontius Pilate names on the stone. The original language is Hebrew and is still written and spoken to this day.

As we travelled along the roadway on a hill laid a shepherd watching over his sheep, further along a man on horseback with his cattle, and again, a shepherd with his goat herd. We continued to Mt. Carmel (Carm-means God’s vineyard and El means God), for a panoramic view of Mukraka Monastery and Haifa Bay. As we drove through the Druze Villages (known as “the courageous people of the mountain), it was our luck that a large procession of men were walking along the road. Our guide was so excited, he said, he’d never seen anything like it before. They are a branch of Islam which is a secret society. You need to be born into it to keep this faith. They wear a unique type of clothing and are also known for their weaving. On top of Mt. Carmel we took a break for lunch, bread, blue cheese and nuts purchased from the market.

In Haifa we visited the Baha’I (new faith in 1851) Gardens, so meticulously cared for and beautiful! The Church of the Annunciation, the largest basilica in Nazareth and built traditionally over the house of Mary and Joseph, was our next stop. Across the road the Church of St. Joseph stands, where according to tradition, the cave over which the church is built, was Joseph’s carpentry shop. There were a few beggars here, one of which stands out in my mind as his leg was all gashed with flies on it. Beggars in general are few in the tourist areas of Israel. Since it was now the Sabbath in Nazareth, which is Sunday, the stores were closed. (Note that within Israel there are different Sabbaths). En route we passed through Cana, the town where Jesus attended the wedding and turned the water into wine. It was a very long distance to have travelled by foot or donkey. We spent the night in Tiberias and the following day took a tour to the Golan Heights and Syrian border for lunch, and on to Safed-the mystical Kabbalist center and artists’ colony. We toured a kibbutz (commune) where Dr. Ruth once lived. (Her parents died at Auschwitz, Germany). It was interesting to see the bomb bunkers and a tree that still held an unexploded shell. Next it was on to Katzrin’s famous winery for a tasting & tour.

In the evening we visited a local diamond factory and store before retiring to our hotel (Ron Beach Hotel) on the Sea of Galilee, (Lake Kinnereth). Next week I’ll report on sailing on the Sea of Galilee, a swim in the Dead Sea, and Masada.