Meditations

We traveled back to Tel-Aviv, where our journey began. This city is a remarkable combination of east and west, ancient and new. Here we find a mix of all kinds of people and an apparent tolerance that allows all kinds of people to live together. Tel-Aviv is strange and familiar at the same time.

The best symbol of the tolerance and acceptance of this city for me was the Shabbat service we attended with the congregation of Beth Tefila Yisraeli. This small congregation of progressive Jews made us welcome in a way that moved us all. They made sure that they translated much of the service into English as a way to welcome us among them. We were also invited to share some of our music with them that we might all grow by our shared experience. We sang  the “8xAlleluia” and the “Amen” that we often sing at CTS. The Rabbi began to sing “Shabbat shalom” in place of “amen” and we all began to sing the traditional Hebrew greeting for the Sabbath to the melody of an American Christian song. It was glorious.

We finished our journey on the Mediterranean beach with sharing our thoughts and reflections and concluded it with the closing prayers of Shabbat. After this we went to celebrate our final meal in Israel together. I offered a blessing for the meal, the people and the country with a sung version of Psalm 133:

See how good and pleasant when friends together dwell
‘Tis like oil upon the head, flowing down the beard
Down the beard of Aaron flowing to the collar of his robe
Like falling dew on Hermon and Zion’s hill
‘Tis here the Lord gives a blessing
Of life forevermore.

It’s Friday morning now and we have just finished packing ourselves up to depart Tiberias, leaving the Galilee and heading to Tel Aviv. I have some bus time and some battery life on my laptop, so I have time to tell about my day yesterday.
Olive trees… I am struck by the number of olive trees all over this land. Everywhere we have traveled, from the desert south to the lush north, there are many olive trees. They seem to be able to grow just about anywhere. Right now as we drive, orchards fill the hills with row upon row of olive trees. They are like the people of this land, they take root in all kinds of places and grow regardless of the trials and difficulties.
We visited one of the largest Arab Israeli communities in Israel today where a man has started an art gallery and cultural archive. He hopes to be able to foster a pride of culture in the Arab and a respect in the Jew for the Arab community. There is a lot of hope in this man that the future will hold a new working together for a better world.
Following this we visited Giv’at Haviva, an Israeli-Arab community education facility where we met up with Lydia, a Welch-born Jew who came to Israel seeking escape from the anti-Semitism she encountered in England and other places. She works at this center now to build cooperation between the Jewish and Arab neighbors of this region. Lydia is a vibrant woman with a fantastic sense of humor. She says that she used to be more hopeful of a transformed future, but that today she begins to doubt that she will see any real change in the way things are. She showed us an Arab village that was divided by the Palestinian/Israel border and you could see the passion for justice and the anger at the unfair treatment these people suffer because of circumstances and politics.
We finished the day with a talk from a woman who lives in a border city in the north of Israel that was bombarded by missiles off and on for years and years. Although they have a time of quiet now, she does not allow herself to think that it will stay that way. She is a psychologist and works very hard to help the people in her area to deal with the living in such an environment. It was clear that she too was finding it hard to cope with such stress.
Again and again we encountered people who no longer believe that there can be a real and lasting peace. They have seen their hopes for peace dashed to pieces so many times that it no longer seems possible to them. In fact the most positive and hopeful person we encountered was Sami, a Palestinian peace and justice activist in Bethlehem who still believes that there can be a meaningful and just peace. I pray that Sami has the right of it. God knows that nobody can blame those who have lost hope. But one thing is certain, these people, Jew, Christian, Muslim, Arab and Jew, they are planted here like the olive tree. They are planted in all the different landscapes with all the different environments, and they grow, they may even thrive. I pray that they will bear fruit that will sustain.

I cannot over emphasize the beauty of this region of Israel. It is such a fertile and lush place. I may have grown up mostly in a city, but I think I favor the country. It is so peaceful and reflective… life all around. This is the look of the Galilee area.
Today we traveled to the ruins of a very important town for the development of Rabbinic Judaism—Tsippori. It was quite interesting. We viewed the remains of a synagogue with its beautiful mosaic. Our guide is well able to flesh out the experience with information and descriptions of what we think life was like there.
We also visited what could have been the home of a wealthy member of the community. There too we saw beautiful mosaics. In this place is an excellent mosaic of a woman’s face that is called the Mona Lisa of the Middle East. The mosaics here were very detailed and quite beautiful. Interesting to see that even here we see more wealth displayed in a private home than in a public space.
Next we went to Nazareth. We visited the church of the Annunciation which is a pretty new structure. It was really beautiful. In the outer courtyard there were mosaic panels from each of the countries that had cooperated in building this church. Each showed a different spiritual focus and style. Each was rather different from the next. It makes this place stand as a testimony to the fact that people of different backgrounds and points of view can in fact work together to build beautiful things.
I was struck by how quiet and reverent this place was. These “holy” sites all around the land are often all crowded with people who each want to touch “where Jesus stood” that they forget to have a mind for the others around them. The plethora of expressions of personal piety detract from the spiritual significance of the places for me. But here I was touched by the quiet beauty. It reflects the quiet, unassuming beauty of that moment in the Gospel story when Mary agrees to God’s plan.
From here we joined the muslims of the White Mosque for noon prayer. The Arabic chant of the Koran and the prayers was haunting and beautiful. Like the smoke from incense, it flowed from note to note, sliding and twisting its way up to God. The men came in at irregular intervals and fell into place with the others as the prayers continued… stand, bow, prostrate…. Allahu akbar, allahu akbar—God is great, God is great. The prayers finished and the men filed back out greeting one another and shaking hands. Off they went back to work or to lunch for the afternoon.
And so too were we off to lunch. We traveled to a vegetarian community that lives up on a mountain where we ate a huge meal and shared in a lesson on a Kabalistic text focused on our task of repairing the world. It was delicious for body, mind and soul. I would like also to note that this is where our bus driver, Reggaie, showed his amazing talent for making a bus seem like a tiny car as he maneuvered this monstrosity along the thin mountain roads.
We traveled from there a little way to meet with a Druze Sheikh who welcomed us into his home with tea and coffee and other refreshments. The Druze are a small sect of monotheists who focus on the virtues of family life and community life and keep to themselves. They are not allowed to intermarry with anyone outside of the Druze community. He was a smiling and pleasant man who seemed to genuinely wish peace for everyone.
We finished our day with a meeting with three sisters from an Ethiopian Jewish immigrant family. Their family had immigrated to Israel when they were young children during a civil war in Ethiopia. They told stories of terrible hardship as they packed up what they had and began to walk for over a month out of Ethiopia to Sudan through a desert to get to a place where they could be airlifted to Israel by night. Along the way they suffered terrible thirst, robbery, beatings and persecution for being Jewish. Their determination and resilience is inspiring.
The people of this land are varied and interesting. Each seems to have a story to tell that inspires. As I finish this journal for the day, there is a Muslim man who has just begun to pray his morning prayers silently in the corner of the room… standing, bowing, prostrating… Allahu akbar… God is great.

It’s Thursday today. I’m on the bus riding toward our next stop. The hills of the Galilee glide past with their beautiful crops and orchards: olives, bananas, wheat and more. It’s time to get a little caught up on my “daily” blog.
Tuesday morning we woke up on the Kibbutz En Dor went to breakfast. Much of what we ate was from the produce of the Kibbutz. They run a dairy, making their own cheese and yogurt and such along with other farm stuff, and they also make computer wire cables. Quick note: do not take a bite of the cheese looking thing unless you are absolutely sure it’s cheese—this was butter.
After breakfast Ari took us on a tour of the Kibbutz which is no longer a socialist collective, but more like a gated community. It was quite nice and I especially enjoyed the view across the valley to Mount Tabor (the Mount of Transfiguration). When we had finished the tour we boarded the bus and headed on our way. I rested well and comfortably at Kibbutz En Dor; I left refreshed in heart and body.
We went to the church that celebrates the feeding of the thousands on the hill above the Sea of Galilee. It is a beautiful place and it was uplifting to share together the story of Jesus’ compassion on the hungry crowd. From there we went up the hill a bit to another site where we saw the tiny church devoted to Peter the fisherman on the shore of the Sea. We heard a moving meditation from my friend Damien and we spent some time in quite reflection on the shore. I was reminded of the wonderful song in the New Century Hymnal, “You Walked Along Our Shoreline”:
“You walked along our shoreline where land meets unknown sea. We hear your voice of power, “Now come and follow me. And if you still will follow through storm and wave and shoal, then I will make you fishers, but of the human soul.”

From here we went to the mount of beatitudes and visited the beautiful gardens and church of the sisters there. We shared a reflection of the scripture about the sermon on the mount and many of us shared our thoughts. The most moving for me was what our guide, Jared, shared. He told us that the Rabbis speak of the symbolism of the two seas: the Sea of Galilee which we were looking down upon and the Dead Sea where we had visited some days before. The Sea of Galilee is fed by many springs and rivers and it is fresh water that feeds the land and allows for growth of plants and sustains life. Out of this sea flows the Jordan river down to the salt sea, the Dead Sea. But the Dead Sea does not have an outlet. It takes in but does not give away. It is lifeless and along its shoreline is only rock and sand and salt. No life comes from this place that takes all it receives and does not give away or give back.
We went from there to the En Dan nature preserve and saw the refreshing waters of the Dan Spring that feeds the Jordan. This is right on the Lebanese border and from there you can see Lebanon and Syria. It was a lush and beautiful place. We returned to the bus and headed up into the Golan Heights and visited a site where there had been a military encampment of the Syrians before the Israeli army conquered this land. In a fenced off area some 20 yards from us was a sign warning that the field was dangerous because of landmines. It was sad to note that there were a number of these warning signs all around this area and on into the countryside. I saw them here and there in the Golan Heights from the window of the bus as we descended toward our temporary home in a hotel in the city of Tiberias.

This morning we left the hotel and Jerusalem and headed south east to the settlements of Kfar Etzion and Ephrata. Kfar Etzion is a settlement on the site of a Jewish community that was started there decades before the creation of the state of Israel. It makes up the southern most community of a group of communities along this ridge in the occupied territories.
Next we visited Ephrata. This is a beautiful middle class community of mostly religious Jews. Our host showed us around the area and then spoke to us in his home. I was very disturbed by this visit because of the rhetoric of the man who was speaking to us. He holds to a biblical interpretation that claims ownership of the land from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea. A lot of what he said made me think of the expansionism practiced by the European settlers in our history and the excuses used to justify displacing the Native Americans. By the end of our visit there I felt like it was hard to breathe.
Next we drove down toward the Dead Sea and Jerico. Jerico is a good sized town today with mostly Arab population. We continued to drive toward Galilee in the north. We followed the Jordan river, or rather what is left of it. The river is so diverted for irrigation that there is little water running south to the Dead Sea.
Ah what a delightful difference the north of Israel is. Agriculture and gree fields of crops and orchards line the slops of the gentle hills. I felt so much more at home than in the desert south. We stopped at the ruins of a 5th century synagogue that was uncovered in the field of a Kibbutz.
Next we visited the Kinerit Courtyard which is a place where young people were trained (years ago) how to go and start a kibbutz. Here we heard a talk by Jehudit, an elderly woman who had lived in the kibbutz movement from the early days when the kibbutzim were still socialist collectives.
We made our way past mount Tabor- the mount of Transfiguration- to the Kibbutz En Dor where we had supper and were to stay overnight. We listened to an Ari, an elderly man who had come to Israel and to the Kibbutz after serving in the American forces during the second world war. It was a moving account of the courage of those who made it possible for Jews to get into British Palestine before it was declared an Independent state. He is quite an interesting character with story after story to share.

Journal Day 7, Sunday

“The earth is God’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for God has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. Who shall ascend the hill of our God? And who shall stand in God’s holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false.” Psalm 24:1-4
As we walked from the first neighborhood outside of the city walls around the ridge to the Jaffa Gate to enter Old City of Jerusalem to attend a Roman Catholic Mass, I felt myself in need of some worship preparation. I took out my handy android and opened up the electronic version of the NRSV Bible and chose the Psalm of Ascent that I quoted above. As we walked along the path to the gates of Jerusalem, I read and engaged the Psalm.
So many of the “holy sites” that we have visited have been less moving than I expected them to be while other activities and events have had special inspiration for me that would not be on the regular “Pilgrim’s” agenda. Today I found myself getting excited by this Psalm in this place. The Psalm continues:
“Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors! That the King of glory may come in, Who is the King of Glory?… The Lord of Hosts, this is the King of glory!”
Here I was again, climbing up to the temple mount to join with a congregation in worship of God… living out the psalm of ascent… looking at those gates! Open up, gates of Jerusalem to let God enter! Open up gates of fear and distrust of Jew, Christian and Muslim that God may enter! Open up gates of my heart that God may come in! God did begin to stir my heart with a joy and a hope… God is present, through the conflict, through the troubles, among the people. It was not only the bells of the different Christian churches that sang at that moment, so too my heart as I opened those gates – my moment of worship on the mountain of God.
The rest of the day was a bit of a rush of encounters with people in Jerusalem that are working for social justice. We met with the GLBTQ group called “Open House”. In a society that has focuses on tradition and religion there are always problems for GLBTQ folks. We heard the presentation and were able to ask questions about their work to build community and pride in this city. It was heart warming to see the joy that Jonathan, the leader, showed for his work with GLBTQ teens and young adults. Such hope—this is a man with a pure heart for his work. I was reminded of the same psalm: “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in God’s holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts…”
Next we were joined by a representative of Rabbis for Justice who took us to a neighborhood in tension. It was a complicated situation regarding property rights with a back story and undertones that I’m still not sure I understand. There was a Palestinian woman who does some activist work there who wanted to tell her story and he gave her the opportunity to let us know about things from her point of view. Jews in the neighborhood seemed to be unhappy about our presence there and things began to get a little tense.
After we left there he told us about other activities of the Rabbis for Justice like planting trees in places that have been torn apart by this conflict and helping Palestinians to get their Olive harvest done when they have been separated from their crops by the movement restrictions imposed on them. Again, another very devoted person for the cause of justice.
We followed this with a talk from a representative of Israeli Religious Action Center, an organization not unlike the American Civil Liberties Union, who are working to change some of the laws of Israel to make their society more equal and fair handed. This group does legal advocacy for marriage rights and women’s rights and religious equality in Israel. Here too we found a person who had a devoted commitment to justice that was inspiring.
In all these meetings I was reminded of that Psalm over and over. “Who shall stand in God’s holy place? …those who do not lift up their souls to what is false, who do not swear deceitfully.” On this day, when we Christians give special focus to the things of God, I was reminded over and over of the psalm—the gates, the people—all worked together to remind me of God’s presence and God’s solidarity with these people who seek to put justice to practical application.
The psalm gives a word of encouragement and promise, as Scripture often will: “They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation. Such is the company of those who seek God, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.”

Sabbath day, when very few people are working in Jerusalem. This city is made up of predominately religious Jews, so things are very quite on Shabbat. I spent the morning walking through the Arab market in the old city in East Jerusalem. I really enjoy the colorful and lively experience that is the Arab market. And I enjoy the game which haggling for a price is.
We all had lunch with students from Hebrew Union College, which is a Reform or Progressive movement Rabbinical (and other things) school. It was really interesting talking with young folks who have such excitement for their faith. Most of these young people were from the States and will be returning to finish their degrees there. It was a comfortable and refreshing visit.
After lunch I went on a bike tour through Jerusalem. I was worried that this would be too much for me. Jerusalem is basically made up of hills and valleys, and after schlepping around for a few days, I had my doubts that I could handle a bike ride for a couple of hours on that terrain. Thankfully, one can limit the number of hills by following the ridges around the city. Our guide from EcoBike was quite the expert at making the trip work for everyone. He knew his architecture and pointed out many interesting things. I found that this was one of the more “hands on” and fun highlights of this trip. I am quite glad that I did not chicken out at the last minute.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and recovering from the week, as is one purpose of having the Sabbath. Finally, when we had gone out to get some supper and the sun had gone down, the streets were suddenly full of happy and playful people who went out the enjoy the time with friends after the close of Shabbat.

A truly confusing day, we returned to Israel from Palestine in the morning and went to the holocaust museum Yad Vashem. We began on the hillside walking through the trees planted in the garden of the Righteous Among the Nations. This garden is to commemorate all those persons who are known to have helped the Jews during the second world war. Here there is a memorial for those who would not stand by and allow the evil to happen. We went up Mount Herzel to the museum. Where a museum guide took us through the many displays that make up this museum.
There were displays that showed the buildup to the war and the progressive oppression and destruction of the Jews. One of the purposes of the museum is to witness to the courage of the Warsaw Rebellion as well. At one point I could not help but see parallels between the restrictions and abuse that was put onto the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto and the restrictions and abuse put on the Palestinians in Bethlehem. Identification cards, walls, check points, work visas all these things sounded entirely too similar. It was a disturbing thought.
The most moving place in the museum was the room where the books that hold the information for all those known people who perished at the hands of Nazi exterminators are kept. It is shocking to see all the volumes arrayed on shelves all around… so many, so many.
But more moving yet was the children’s memorial. This place commemorates the Jewish children murdered at the hands of the Nazis. As you enter a darkened, cavernous room and turn a corner you see what appears to be an endless number of candles lit in the dark and voices are naming children one at a time by name and country and age. Imagine it, the thousands and thousands and thousands of children whose lives were cruelly ended before they had really begun.
After lunch and a little discussion of our experience we went back to the hotel to prepare for Shabbat (Sabbath). My group joined an orthodox service which was just across the street from our hotel. The service was very interesting to watch. Men and women were separated to their own sides of the room by a curtain. I could not really join in since it was all in Hebrew, but I did join in with some dancing around the room at the insistence of the men around me. It was formulaic and free-formed at the same time.
From there we went to Shabbat meal with a host family. My group joined a family of English Jews. The husband was an orthodox rabbi and we had some wonderful discussions at our end of the table during the meal. We finished the meal with a fantastic English pudding and some lengthy prayers. It was a delightful time of sharing.

Until today our journey has been a hectic schedule of places to visit. Now our trip slows down as we focus on other learning. Today we rode our bus to the Bethlehem (Beit Lechem) check point and entered the occupied territories beyond the concrete separation wall. We passed through that check point without being stopped, a privilege not afforded the people who live in the town on the other side of the concrete.
We visited the Sumud Story House where women gather to tell their stories, find support and work in non-violent ways to protest the situation they live each day of their lives. The house is less than a block from the wall. One of the things that they have done to make protest was to hold cultural music and dance events right against the wall. This has been a way to show the contrast of the soft power of art and humanity against the hard reality of concrete and barbed wire.
They told us about the wall that snakes its way around cutting off from the eastern side all the areas that the Israeli government wanted to wrest away from Palestinian control. The wall is covered with graffiti and artwork that make political statements calling for freedom and justice and peace and the removal of barriers. There are angry statements and statements of hope.
The women of Sumud showed a video that pointed to the “coincidental” placement of the wall in such a way that many aquifers are cut off from the Palestinian side and reserved for the Israeli side. In a land of very little rainfall, this is a very big deal. The Israeli government says that this wall is a security measure only, to protect the citizens of Israel from terrorism. But the path that this concrete serpent takes looks more than coincidental.
But this wall does much more than rearrange water rights. It places a constant reminder in the minds of the Palestinians that they are not masters in their own homes. To travel to any place in the occupied territories they must get a permit from the Israeli government. Travel is severely restricted and the granting of permission seems arbitrary to them. They must carry identification cards with them at all times because the police can stop them whenever they like and ask for those documents. The area is divided into three zones A, B and C. Zone A is the area that is under the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian security force. Zone B is the area that is under the Palestinian Authority and Israeli security force. Zone C is the area that is under Israeli control and Israeli security force. I found it nearly impossible to know which zone one was in, and it appeared that the residents were not too clear on that either.
We listened to another speaker at an AEI (Arab Educational Institute) youth center who discussed some political issues. He showed us a map of the west bank area and where the borders of the Israeli state were located at the creation of the state. He favors a two-state solution to the peace problem here. He expressed that the original borders of Israel should be observed and that most Palestinians are comfortable with this arrangement.
From there we walked to the Holy Land Trust building where we listened to Sami Awad who runs the center. Sami is a Palestinian American born in Kansas City but grew up in both Palestine and the US. His focus is on non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation. He helps to organize non-violent protest and to educate non-Palestinians about the situation there and to educate Palestinians in non-violent resistance.
He ended his talk with us explaining that he had moved beyond just a practice of focusing on “my rights” above all else to a place where he sees that part of the process of transformation requires that he see the fear and pain of the Israelis. True transformation requires that justice and oppression be ended, but also that one have an empathy for the other. Just as the actions of the Israeli government dehumanize the Palestinians, it is easy to dehumanize the other side by failing to see their humanity and how afraid they are.
After the meeting with Sami, we went in pairs to the homes of some Christian Arabs who were hosting us overnight. Our host family was a very welcoming group. Grandma, grandpa, kids and grandkids all liven in the same area-apartments upon apartments with construction going on in the back yard for a new home for the oldest grandchild. The most common thing is that families all live in the same place together; in fact, these towns are often made up of only a few families who continue to spread out as they grow.
We discussed their experience with life in this situation, and all of them felt frustrated with the limitations placed on them by the occupation. They were frustrated by the Israeli government and just wanted everything to get back to what it had been before the wall. They all seem to believe that there is no reason that they cannot live in peace together.
I wonder how I they survive the suffocating constrictions I see in Bethlehem. I wonder what the GLBT Arabs do to survive the constrictions of this kind of family system that doesn’t allow any place for them. How blessed I really am that I have such freedom of movement and self determination. What can I do to help transform this world here toward such freedom?

The underlying theme of ascent and descent continued today as we continued our experience of this place. Today we descended to the lowest place on earth- the Dead Sea and climbed to a very high place, Masada.
We began by driving south along the Dead Sea in the Judean Desert to the mountain where Masada was built. Masada means fortress and this was a very impressive fortress indeed. We could choose either to ride to the top of the mountain on a cable car or hike to the top along the “Snake Path” (so called because it snakes back and forth to the top). I chose the snake path and began the climb. Up and up we climbed 1424 feet up. It took about an hour. Finally, a little tired, but no worse for wear, we arrived at the summit and began our tour. Jared, our guide, explained what we were seeing while sharing with us the 3-part history of this place.
Masada began as a fortress of the Maccabees who revolted against the Greek empire who were occupying the land. They built this place in around 150 BCE as a stronghold after they took control of the land from the Greeks. They understood that they could make their knowledge of the desert work in their favor against an enemy and found this mountain that sits apart and is defensible 360 degrees around.
About a century later, the second part of the history begins when King Herod decides to make this into an occasional palace and stronghold. He built all the buildings (storerooms, bathhouse, garrisons). He even built his palace in levels over the cliff face. He used this impressive fortress to demonstrate that he was a formidable king. He wanted to give the message that one should think twice before messing with this guy.
Finally, the third part of the history, was when this fortress was occupied by the Zealots from Jerusalem. The Zealots were opposed not only to the Romans who were occupying the land at this time, but to anyone who did not see things as they saw them. The were called “the dagger people” by the Romans because they were known for stabbing their enemies and those with whom they disagreed. They finally decided to leave the city and take up living in this fortress of Masada where they established a life with their families that was in line with their beliefs.
The Romans came to lay siege to the fortress and finally, built a huge ramp up the side of the mountain took the place. But before they could enter the fortress, the people all killed themselves rather than be taken into slavery and death at the hand of their enemies.
There really is a fourth part of the history of this place. The fortress began as a symbol of Israeli fortitude after the State of Israel became a reality. Masada was looked to as a rallying point. Military groups were inducted here and Bar Mitzvahs were celebrated here. But in more recent times that has been changing. Although Masada stands as a sign of the strength of Israel, the message of choosing death and suicide to finish a struggle is problematic. Now it is a museum and symbol of extreme strength against extreme odds.
Next we traveled to the shore of the Dead Sea and had an opportunity to go into the water. The water is 27% salt and for this reason it makes one float as if sitting on an air mattress. We had a fantastic time floating around together as a way of relaxing after the climb to Masada’s heights.
Next we went across the highway to the En Gedi nature preserve. Here the spring of En Gedi flows out and provides the water needed for life in this desert. Here also is where David and his men hid from Saul many centuries ago. Here is where, although he had an opportunity to kill Saul, David chose to spare him since he was the Lord’s anointed and Saul gave up chasing and seeking David’s life. I could see the caves up in the hills where David and his men hid from Saul’s approaching army.
Here also we saw the strange hyrax (a rabbit-like creature that has no other animal relatives). They were on the rocks and in the trees… strange little creatures that at one time resembled rabbits and next reminded me of opossums. There were also Ibex goats browsing around among the acacia trees.
Some of us waded into a pool at the base of a waterfall from the spring coming from the mountain. It was ice cold, but the fresh water was refreshing after the saltiness of the Dead Sea.
We finished our desert tour at the caves of Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. This place was desolate and rocky with the salt sea on one side and the mountain range on the other. We sat together in a circle on the desert floor and heard the story of the discovery of these important texts.
All in all, I was most impressed that in this desolate desert there was so much that brought life.
• Masada- a sign of standing against threat of destruction.
• Dead Sea-where people have mined salt which is essential for life to continue
• En Gedi- a spring of life-giving water in the arid desert with unique life.
• Qumran- where texts of the living scripture emerged and joined the living search for God.