Friday, April 29, 2016 – In Haifa, Israel (country population 8 Million) for 2 days – Warning, long Post lots to talk about – Today we went to Jerusalem (Garden of Gethsemane, Mount of Olives, Old City with the Wailing Wall and Church of the Holy Sepulcre, and also into Palestine’s West Bank to Bethlehem to visit Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity. Tomorrow we will go to the Sea of Galilee and Nazareth – a lot to see and experience in two days.
Haifa is Israel’s largest Port and third largest city in population after Jerusalem 1 Million; Tel-Aviv 500K and Haifa 300K. We tied up at the Carmel Port, starboard to dock but Port to town, so we were able to view the sunrise over the town. I mention this in all the postings as if anyone is planning on doing this trip, one can get an idea of whether to book a cabin on the Starboard or Port side of the ship. In general we have been very happy with the Port side and would book it this side again. Matthew, the ship escort and Leah, the phenomenal guide were brilliant at not loosing anyone, particularly in the old city of Jerusalem which was incredibly crowded given the fact that it was the end of Pesaj / Passover, nearly Orthodox Easter, Friday, the day of Muslim prayer and Jewish Shabbat come sundown, plus special festive days of other religions. All the other tours doing the same thing, lost at least one person and one lost six people. As soon as we were underway, Leah gave us all “don’t worry cards” (cards with her name and phone as well as those of the Tour agency) in case we got lost in the crowd. The agency had spotters throughout the Old City who made sure that the “lost” people soon got “found” – an excellent organization. Not only was she terrific in group / crowd control, but also in delivering very clear and pertinent information.
Haifa is situated in the Northern part of the country on a bay of the Mediterranean at the foot of the Carmel mountains. It is about a four hour drive to the southernmost point of the country, Elat, on the Red Sea near Aqaba, Jordan, and it is 55 Kilometers (34 miles) from the Lebanon border and 90 Kilometers (60 miles) from the Syrian Border. It has had a troubled past with many empires ruling Hiafa over the years. Recent history include the Crusaders (1192 to 2910). Sultan Qualawun of Egypt captured Acre and thus forced the crusaders out and to Cyprus. It continued to deteriorate through 1350 and remained in ruins until Zahie el Omar rebuilt the city in 1758.
The 1 1/2 hour transfer to Jerusalem was filled with fascinating things to see and hear from the guide and our first stop after driving around the Mount of Olives, was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Most buildings in Jerusalem are built of local limestone or have a limestone facade, thus giving a sandy hue to the entire city. Gethsemane is a tranquil place filled with what appears to be many olive trees but apparently they are different re-routed branches of the same tree which may have been here since biblical time. There were crowds of people all peering over the railing admiring the olive trees on one side and on the other the enormous cemetery with ten’s of thousands of graves, across the valley and up to the old city walls of Jerusalem. As part of the garden a large “Church of all Nations” (so called due to donations given from many nations for it’s construction) has been erected that expresses the somber mood of the last day of Jesus being a free man and where he was betrayed by Judas. Perhaps the single most impressive feature was the lighting provided by purple and blue opaque alabaster type windows casting the somber light on the magnificent church built by Antonio Barluzzi in 1924 on the location of the earlier Byzantine church and named “The Basilica of The Agony” or “Basilica of Gethsemane”. It has a gold freeze on top of the columns looking out over the cemetery and old city walls and a relatively simply decorated interior provided by three imposing mosaic murals and equally impressive cruciform windows. Again many visitors and queueing to go up to the altar area to gather the wonder of the chancel, rock and mosaics covering the three large niches behind the altar and to its sides. The central niche mosaic (some 50 feet high and 20 feet in diameter) depicts Jesus sitting on a rock in the Garden of Gethsemane the night he was betrayed with olive trees on either side and an angel above, behind a stylised cross that appears to have cloth or leaves between the upright and cross member forming a star and a second more traditional cross arising from this almost circular structure. At the base of the altar is a rock protruding from the floor, which is the actual rock, or symbolises the rock on which Jesus sat in the Garden. The other slightly smaller mosaic niches depict scenes of Jesus in the garden with his disciples.
Leaving Jerusalem, we travelled the 7 miles to Bethlehem, the place of Jesus’s Birth with it’s Manger Square and Church of the Nativity. As we approached the check point dividing Israel from the Palestinian Authority controlled West Bank with it’s 2.5 Million people, we observed the 25 foot high wall that divides these two “countries”. The 3 foot thick reinforced concrete wall is not a straight line, but takes many curves and at times 90 degree turns to carve out certain features, in this case Rachel’s Tomb on the Israeli side. On the Palestinian side streets that used to run suddenly come to a dead end that is the wall, riddled with posters and graffiti expressing the Palestinian sentiments. Crossing the checkpoint into the Palestinian side is easier than the reverse, but we were soon whisked through. Under agreements, Leah, our Israeli guide is not permitted to do anything on the Palestinian side and vice versa, so we picked up a very good local guide – Gabriella. She told us that even though the West Bank was 99% Muslim and 1% Christian, the 80,000 population in Bethlehem are 25% Christian, 75% Muslim. Immediately all signage changed from Hebrew to Arabic script with English being also used. In Israel, by ruling, all signs must be in all three scripts with Hebrew, then Arabic, then English. After a brief drive around the town, we parked the coach and walked up the hill to Manger Square, bordered on one side by a Mosque and on the other The Church of the Nativity. Apparently, Muslims venerate Mary, the Mother of Jesus, as the mother of a prophet before Mohammed and whose name appears some 26 times in the Q’uran (Mohammed’s mother’s name does not appear ever). Thus the church was saved from destruction, and a Mosque was built opposite. We wandered, in awe, to the Church of the Nativity and were intrigued to find that the ceremonial entrance had been lowered to prevent riders on horseback from entering the church, but it was lowered to the extent that only a 4 foot high person could walk in upright and in single file! The interior was under repair, so all that could be seen was scaffolding and cloth preventing viewing of the sides, but we were able to see the Greek Orthodox part of the church altar area. The Church is in three parts, with three different denominations handling the affairs of the three different areas of the building. The Greek Orthodox was impressive with it’s usual extreemly elaborate icon filled screen and “hurricane” type hanging lights. The altar was, as usual hidden from the congregation. Old Byzantium mosaic flooring could be observed through an opening in the raised wooden floor. Being a couple of days before Orthodox Easter, the place was filled with priests and bishops of the Orthodox congregation. We then passed through an arch into a connected sector of the building which is simpler and priests of the Arameic speaking Christian sect preside.Finally we ended up in the third connected Catholic church of St. Catherine. Even though it is widely considered in the Gospels that Jesus was born in a stable, the Philosipher Justin (2nd Century AD) wrote that “Joseph stopped at a grotto near the village where Mary gave birth”. This Grotto actually lies beneath the Greek Orthodox section with it’s Altar of the Magi and Manger which was originally built in 25 AD, enlarged in the 6th Century AD and added to during the 12th century crusades. However there is a “maze” of grottos and passages under the buildings and we entered the connected Grotto of St. Joseph under the Catholic Church from which the Christmas services are beamed all around the world. Once back in the Catholic Church we exited and viewed Manger Square for one last time before going to the secular side of life and to a Christian “souvenir” shop, before saying good by to our Palestinian guide followed by Lunch in Bethlehem.
The afternoon was dedicated to The Old City of Jerusalem. On this occasion, passing the check point back into Israel, was easy and we ventured to a place for a panoramic view of the City followed by a 4-5 mile walk through the old city, starting at the Western or Wailing wall. Just before reaching it we stopped to admire the Al-Axha Mosque and Gold Dome of the rock. The gold was donated by King Hussein of Jordan. The Western wall of the temple is the holiest place in Judaeism and it was with some trepidation but reverence, that we were able to enter, write a note and after a ritual bow with arms and forehead onto the wall, place a note in a cranny of the wall. It was a profound experience and one never to forget. Men (Nelson and I) entered on the left and the Women (Tachy and Diana) on the right, with a screen between the two. We had to use a head covering and the area had a large number of Orthdox and “super” Orthodox Jews praying and reading the Torah. A sanctuary room next to the Wall on the men’s side was filled with men, predominantly Hassidic Jews praying and reciting passages. I felt a little uncomfortable intruding, albeit reverently, in this holy place, but was glad to have the opportunity to experience the overwhelming feeling of being at the wall and participating in the ritual and prayers. We then moved on from this Jewish quarter, through an unmanned checkpoint into the Muslim quarter. A total transformation of bazar lined narrow streets, women in Muslim dress and Arab products in the shops. Crowds by now were ever increasing and the already narrow pedestrian streets, seemed even narrower. Here we picked up the “Via Dolorosa” / Way of the Cross at the fifth station and followed it through the maze of stairs and roads, absorbing the atmosphere and always in awe of actually “walking in the steps of Christ” 2000+ years later. Our destination was the Church of the Holy Sepulcre, built over the place where Jesus was nailed to the Cross, Crucified, body washed and buried in the cave for 3 days. The small plaza in front to the church was a sea of humanity, with periodically, the police waving people aside for different processions of various Christian communities conducting pilgrimages in and out of the church. Because of the day, just before Easter, we were witness to this fascinating experience, which even the guide, who does this each week, was glad to see for the first time. Between these “parades”, we were able to surge, with the crowd, into the church and took an immediate right, up the narrow spiral staircase to what had been in biblical times, the top of the hill but now is the upper floor of the church. We were now in a hall with a beautiful mosaic which depicts the nailing to the cross of Jesus, supposedly exactly on the spot where it took place. A few paces away was the altar and crucifix on the location where Jesus was crucified. Here the penitents queued up to be guided by the attending priests to kneel under the altar and kiss the rock / part of cross in this most holy of holies. Crowds made it difficult to manoeuvre in this cramped space, but certainly the wonderment of the events 2000+ years ago became very real, almost as if witness to those events. A separate staircase led to the place where the body after death, was washed, anointed and prepared for burial. A large mosaic behind the area depicts the scenes. Proceeding further into the next sector of the church, the cave in which Jesus’s body was placed is now surrounded by a large black structure, reminiscent somewhat of what one sees as the central black granite structure in the Mosque at the Haaj in Mecca. A long queue, of a couple of hours, prevented us from entering the grotto, but people were lighting candles outside this structure. We eventually made our way out of the Church and into the square just in time as there was a long procession for some 200 people about to enter in their pilgrimage, chanting, in to us an unknown tongue, but fascinating to observe. A good friend of mine Brad, who is also an Episcopal Priest had recounted to me last year, his fascinating experience of spending the night inside the Holy Sepulcre Church. The place is locked up, as it turns out by a Muslim “keeper of the keys” at night and then re-opened in the day by the same person and once in for the night, there is no getting out. It must have been a spiritually uplifting experience. This Muslim man is now the 4th generation of the family to be the “keeper of the keys” as all the different Christian religions can’t agree on who should keep the keys. I asked our guide about who is responsible for the church and it’s maintenance which produced a very interesting answer. The reality is that given the importance of this site to so many different Christian sects, each of whom has donated certain items to be exhibited or as part of the structure itself, it is, like most things in Israel, a complex matter. As each item “belongs” to the group that donated it and no-one can touch anything that is not theirs, each group is responsible for it’s own maintenance and part of the church. One part that is “owned” by Syrian Christians is in urgent need of repair, but given the state of Syria right now, no-one from that group can come to repair it, so it remains broken. An even more amusing, if that’s the correct word, item is the presence of a wooden ladder outside one of the Windows on the right hand balcony, looking at the church. Some 130 years ago, someone from one sect went out through the window placing the step ladder on the balcony to do some repairs. When he re-entered the church, he forgot to bring the ladder back in. The problem is that the ladder is owned by one group, the balcony by another and the window by a third. Thus, the ladder will remain there until such time that it rots away and fades into history! A small microcosm of the issues facing the region and why there is, and likely will continue to be conflict. Leaving the Church we continued to make our way, this time through the Christian sector through the narrow winding streets to David’s Gate and back to the coaches. It was truly one of the most memorable experiences of my life, indeed all of our lives, sensing the hustle and bustle of this most amazing city, particularly at this time. At the end of Passover Seders, it is often said, “Next year in Jerusalem”; here we were in Jerusalem at the end of Passover. We resumed the 2 hour coach ride back to the ship and rest for the night.
Saturday April 30, 2016 – Up early for our second day in Israel. This was the day we were supposed to be going to Jerusalem, but since Jordan denied us permission to enter their waters because of the Norovirus outbreak, we were lucky enough to spend 2 days in Israel. Today, since all the tours we wanted had been booked, we opted for a private tour, in which a driver and his seven seater Kia car, was to take the four of us to Gallilee and Nazereth. Since we were the tour, and the excellent driver / Guide Ari was very flexible, we could more or less set our own schedule and timing as long as we covered the key places that had been prescribed. Soon after the introductions, Diana asked if before we went to Gallilee we could drive a little around Haifa. An excellent suggestion as we went directly through German street (the Main Street of town) to the World Center of the Baha’i religion. This relatively modern (1860) religion having some 5 million followers. has it’s Center at a spectacular hillside property consisting of 9 terraces below and 9 above a central domed shrine which is the resting place of the founder. These manicured gardens are an experience not to be missed if you are ever in the area. They are spectacular and can be accessed from above, walking down, or below, walking up. Most are open to the public, other than the library and some of the key buildings of the religious order. Baha’i was started in Persia by The Bab (gate) who preached a philosophy of nature, aesthetics and openness (eg science can over rule religious beliefs), however he was killed for going against the Muslim beliefs of the area. His philosophy was then taken up and expanded by his successor, the Baha Ola and moved the Center of the religion to Haifa. He is buried in a similar tomb but not as elaborate nearby in Acre. 9 is a “Golden Number” thus the 9 terraces above and below as there are 9 people on the supreme council, 9 people as religious judges that hear caeses involving transgressions of the religion, not of the State. There are 9 months in the Calendar each of 19 days (thus the 9 terraces above and below and the central terrace making 19).
After admiring the gardens and view over the city and harbour, we took a scenic route through the town of Haifa on our way to Tiberius (population 50,000) on the (freshwater) Sea of Gallilee (aka Kineret Lake) and to our first stop there, 200 meters (656 Feet) below sea level (the Dead Sea is 400 Meters / 1,312 feet below). One would not know that you are this far below sea level to look at the lake and scenery, but it was an interesting experience. On the way Ari kept us plied with facts and figures some of which were: 1) Drip Irrigation was invented in Israel to help turn the desert into arable land. 2) Half the consumption of water comes from desalination whereas it used to all come from the Sea of Gallilee. 3) Wars – The war for independence following the end of World War II lasted 2 years resulting in the formation of the State of Israel in 1948. In 1967 was the 6 day war against all it’s neighbours with Israel taking over all of the Sinai Penninsula from Egypt, the West Bank from Jordan and the Golan Heights from Syria. During the 1973 Yom Kippur war, Israel reached Damascus in Syria and crossed the Suez Canal into Egypt before the USA and USSR intervened to form peace in the region. A peace Treaty was signed with Egypt, giving back the Sinai Penninsula but Egypt did not want Gaza, so it remained with Israel. Similarly, the peace treaty with Jordan was signed, but they did not want the West Bank, so that remained in Israeli hands. Syria however, under president Assad and with the help from Hesbolah, did not want peace unless they got back all of the Golan Heights. Thus a cease fire exists, but no peace. The Golan Heights were just the other side of the Sea of Gallilee, which we could clearly see from all along the Lake. 4) 250 Million trees have been planted by the children under a program of reforestation promoted by the Jewish National Foundation since 1948 and 5) 70% of the Jewish population of Israel are secular.
Our first stop of several around the Sea of Gallilee was at the Antonio Barluzzi designed church. On the Mount where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount / Beatitudes. (Blessed are the poor in Spirit…. Blessed are those who mourn …Blessed are the meek, merciful, clean of Heart etc). He spent 2 years in Gallilee, as the guide said – becoming famous, so he could go to Jerusalem and be taken seriously when discussing with the church leaders. The Mount of the Beatitudes complex houses residential facilities (Pilgrims Hospice Complex) and places for retreats, run as “The Monastery of the Franciscan Mission Sisters of I.H.M.”. The setting overlooking the lake was peaceful and the grounds tranquil, beautifully kept and pleasing in every way. Nuns were present everywhere and helped in any questions, guidance and selling souvenirs. The Octagonal church has magnificent mosaic floors, whitewashed walls with recreations of the stations of the cross on the walls and in the center, a raised marble altar with a simple gold cross under a high gold dome. Simple but elegant and marks the spot where Jesus spoke and I believe, subsequently fed the crowd with five loaves and two fish. This was remembered with a mosaic near the entrance. A greater “loaves and fish” structure remembered this miracle at the bottom of the hill and was to be our next stop. A cassock worn by Pope John Paul II commemorating his visit on March 20, 2000 is displayed at the entrance. As mentioned, the next stop at the bottom of the hill was the Tabgha Benedictine Monastery and Church of Heptapegon. (The spring of seven). Briefly, between 28 and 350 AD the Judeo-Christians of Capernaum (St. Peter’s Birthplace and our next stop) venerated a large rock on the site that was the place where Jesus laid the bread and fish before feeding the 5,000. About 350AD the rock was used as an altar and was the Center of a church built by a Tiberius nobleman. By 480 AD a Byzantine church replaced the prior structure with exquisite, Egyptian inspired Mosaics. The Rock was placed under the Altar. In 614AD the Persians invaded and the church faded into oblivion during the Muslim occupation starting in 638AD. It was not until 1932 that the church was excavated and the current structure built in line with the ancient Basilica in 1980 – 82. The mosaics we saw are largely the original, but some reconstruction has been made. It is a very modern and simple church with the mosaic floors being the main decor. One of the interesting parts coming from Egypt of the mosaic is a “Nilometer” – a device used to measure the height of the Nile river.
Our next stop was very interesting as it included both a modern church complex operated by the Franciscans as well as archaeological remains of the town of Capharnaum, the home town of St. Peter, located on the Northern shore of the Sea of Gallilee. He was a fisherman and a statue of him graces the beautiful mosaic covered courtyard. A very modern “spaceship looking” octagonal mainly glass church has been constructed over the home of St Peter. It appears almost as if a “wide disk” was perched 10 feet off the ground. Bench pews on seven of the eight sides, 5 deep, each on a different level, surround the central opening protected by glass, through which can be seen the remains of the home. The altar takes up the eighth side overlooking the Sea of Gallilee. Outside are remains of the town and various houses, with the most important being the original Synagogue that still has walls and columns. This visible Synagogue dates to the 3rd or 4th Century AD and covers the original Synagogue below, where Jesus preached (John 6:59), and was the place of worship that St. Peter attended, prior to Christianity entering his life. Parts of this can be seen and is often referred to as the “White Synagogue”. The rest of the complex is dedicated to archaological artefacts, buildings and pieces of buildings from the town including stone wine making and grain grinding equipment. Octagonal groups of benches under the trees of the complex can be used for informal gatherings, meditation and biblical discussions.
It was now time for lunch, so we were taken to the Nof Ginosar Kibbuts, famous for it’s extensive banana plantation all the trees covered with nets and the banana bunches covered in plastic for ripening on the trees – all this to prevent birds and other animals from destroying the crop. The Kibutz has a hotel and restaurant and other resort facilities being used by many Israeli families given the Passover and also week-end holidays. Ginosarus is another name for the Sea of Gallilee. An interesting sign in the toilet read (in Hebrew and English) ” Dear Guests – This Facility Causes a Desecration of the Sabbath. Have a Pleasant Stay. The Hotel Management”! A really nice buffet lunch was served with lots of fresh vegetables, washed down with Barkan wine and water. Being Passover, only Matzoh was available as the bread. A fun retail shop caught our attention for a few minutes on the way out. Now satisfied and anxious to see more we proceeded to drive from the Northern to the Southern end of the lake on the Western side. (The Eastern is where the Golan Heights are located), until we reached Yardenit, the Pilgrim Baptismal site, where Jesus was Baptised in the Jordan River. The Sea of Galilee is fed by tributaries of the Jordan River and the same River Jordan also flows out of the southern end of the lake. It is here that Jesus went to be Baptised by John the Baptist (Mark. 1, 9-11). The complex has tablets of this passage of the Bible in some 50+ languages all over the walls of the structure. Entering one immediately senses a feeling of serenity and amazement to be there. It is a bit “touristy” with it’s gift shops and cafe, but the essence of why it is there is the key. Some people purchase white robes and fully immerse themselves, being re-baptised in the Jordan River. Others have a priest and a full service is conducted of baptism by total immersion. Others prefer to use one of the many ramps and stairs to just wade up to the ankles in the water. All four of us did remove our shoes and socks entering the water and Diana and I also took 3 handfuls of the water and put them over our own head, as if being baptised by a priest in the Anglican Communion. For me, it was a truly spiritual moment, similar to that felt at the Wailing wall yesterday.
So now to our final stop on the Sea of Galilee – The Deganya Kibbutz. There used to be 250 Kibbutzim in the country. That number has now shrunk to 100. The reason we went to Degania was that it was the first dating to 1910. The idea originated with Karl Marx in Russia with the idea of sharing all the work and fruits of the labour. About 100 families live on each Kibbutz. Most are along the borders which are thus the first Defense against invading armies. The Guide Ari, grew up on a Kibbutz and thus was able to tell us all about life within that structure, which we found fascinating. The first thing we notice when entering the gated community, was the presence of a lot of old farm equipment – Tractors and attachments etc that date back to the early stages of the Kibutz. As we wandered through the place, a manicured lawn was the Center of early life with all the buildings surrounding the grass patio. The buildings surrounding this patio contained the Dining Room kitchen and Shower Rooms, Living house, Henhouse, Barn, blacksmith, etc. Today the old henhouse is a public restaurant and bar, with many patrons enjoying fresh food. The “out buildings” hold 100 head of cattle, hay, manure processing and other animals. Date Palms, citrus and other groves, and agricultural products are grown on the grounds. Another fascinating experience.
We were sad to leave the Lake, but slowly claimed up the hill to reach sea level some 10 minutes later and made our way, past Arab towns, where Arabic is the spoken tongue and all are Arabs and Muslim. Other towns we Jewish towns with only Jews living there, Hebrew being the common language and Jewish customs are maintained. One town can be next to the other or in some sases, the upper town belongs to say the Jews and the lower town to the Arabs. Mostly all live in peace. In the larger cities, there is more of a mix and certainly in Haifa and Jerusalem, all seem to co-exist without a problem. One of these “mixed” (upper and Lower) towns was our next stop – Nazareth. With 50,000 Jews in the upper town and 75,000 Arabs in the lower town. Here “Jesus of Nazareth” lived after his return from Exile in Egypt with his parents and 5 siblings as a normal Jewish family with Carpentery being the family business. The main sight was the Basilica of the Annunciation dedicated to Mary the Mother of Jesus. The high walls surrounding the property in the Center of a busy street, seemed impenetrable. However we soon entered and were treated with a forecourt filled with different mosaic, painted, sculpted renditions / interpretations of what the Blessed Virgin looked like. Each country from around the world was asked to provide a rendition to the Basilica and many did. Certainly we saw the USA, Canada and Mexico versions, the latter showing the “Virgen de Guadalupe” as the central figure. As is often the case, the current church was consecrated in 1969 and built over the 12th century AD Crusade Church, which was built over the 427AD Byzantium Church, which itself was over a 1st or 2nd Century AD Church. Entering past the limestone carved façade, the large church was a little disorienting, as one enters the lower level of a two story church. An open space usually filled with chairs for the congregation leads to the center of the cross shaped edifice. This central point has a sunken area with an altar and a grotto behind. All very tastefully done. The grottos with it’s wrought iron gate outside and altar inside, was the home of Mary, Joseph and family. This central space is open through the upper church to a dome. The grotto is the central part of the church and again beautifully and reverently presented. Climbing the marble stirs one reaches the very large upper church with an inscription indicating the presence of Pope John Paul II together with crest, in the floor at the start of the center Aisle. There is an altar, as in the lower space, in the usual place at the end of the central area, but direct acess is limited by the opening to view the grotto and circular altar space below. Exiting the church on the upper level one again comes across a modern floor mosaic which is actually a bridge as there are archaeological remains of other houses that existed next to that of Mary and Joseph. Another fascinating and amazing experience although the modernity of the building seems a little out of place, but beautifully done. As we exited the church complex, we entered one of the shops for Date juice – a delicious refreshing drink made from dates that are dried and powdered and then mixed with water (no sugar) to make the delicious drink. We did notice an amusing sign in the shop – “Looking at the ‘Older’ Makes you feel Younger”. It was now time to return to the ship and watch the sunset as we sailed early evening from this amazing place.
Roger & Anne Travels 