Israel - March 9, 2008
Greetings. I have awaken early I will make more notes than usual. Day number four began with a look around our hotel, The Olive Tree Hotel, is
located in downtown Jerusalem. The hotel is only 9 1/2 years old and is probably owned by E.O., our travel group.
located in downtown Jerusalem. The hotel is only 9 1/2 years old and is probably owned by E.O., our travel group.
The hotel is named after the 200 year old Olive Tree growing in the middle of the main dining area and around which the hotel was built.
This is a kosher hotel. meaning that if there are any orthodox Jewish guests in it, it will abide by orthodox Jewish laws. 30 percent of Israeli Jews are
orthodox today. The remaining are either something else or nothing at all (religiously speaking). An orthodox Jew can only travel a Sabbath's Day
journey (one mile) on the Sabbath and can do no work on the Sabbath, including driving a car, pushing a button, or answering a telephone. On the
Sabbath, the hotel sets an appropriate number of elevators to stop at every floor so the orthodox Jew does not have to press any buttons and will not
serve hot food. We had no orthodox Jews in our hotel, so I don't know how they get by without cooking anything or around serving their guests.
We are only a few blocks from the Old Wall and Old Jerusalem. We drove past it several times today, but I could not get any good pictures. I will try
again later. Jerusalem (population is more than 700,000) is a very modern city.
orthodox today. The remaining are either something else or nothing at all (religiously speaking). An orthodox Jew can only travel a Sabbath's Day
journey (one mile) on the Sabbath and can do no work on the Sabbath, including driving a car, pushing a button, or answering a telephone. On the
Sabbath, the hotel sets an appropriate number of elevators to stop at every floor so the orthodox Jew does not have to press any buttons and will not
serve hot food. We had no orthodox Jews in our hotel, so I don't know how they get by without cooking anything or around serving their guests.
We are only a few blocks from the Old Wall and Old Jerusalem. We drove past it several times today, but I could not get any good pictures. I will try
again later. Jerusalem (population is more than 700,000) is a very modern city.
There is concrete and pavement all around. All the buildings are made with the same sandstone block, either with pink, orange, or while hues. The
zoning commission will only allow houses and businesses to be made of this material so as to keep the look the same. Many homes have air
conditioning and most have solar panels on the roof for electricity. Also on the the roofs are two large storage barrels, one black and one white, to
catch rain water for home use. The water is good to drink right out of the tab. Interest rates are around 20% here so no one borrows money for a
home. Instead they build as they go, and you may see many homes-especially away from Jerusalem-that have walls up but no roof. When they have
the money, they will continue building. I mentioned already the high prices, especially in more modern areas like Galilee and Tel Aviv. A Big Mac is
currently costing $13. I have seen Office Depots, Toyota and Chevy dealerships, Burger Kings, McDonalds, Subway Express (located in the West
Bank), ACE Hardware, and other American businesses. Mountain Dew drinkers, you're out of luck. Here, it is all Coca-Cola! We took a two mile
cab ride in Tiberias for about 8 shekels (I think). That seems to be about $2.00. Souvenirs are extremely expensive depending on where you are. A
Pearl of Price Bible costs $85. One with Olive Wood costs $65. These are just plain King James Bibles that might costs $20 to $30 with a bonded
cover in the United States.
Bethlehem is just 6 to 10 miles south of Jerusalem and is like a suburb in that the community is well developed between them. However, Bethlehem
is controlled by the Palestinians and Jerusalem by the Jews.
zoning commission will only allow houses and businesses to be made of this material so as to keep the look the same. Many homes have air
conditioning and most have solar panels on the roof for electricity. Also on the the roofs are two large storage barrels, one black and one white, to
catch rain water for home use. The water is good to drink right out of the tab. Interest rates are around 20% here so no one borrows money for a
home. Instead they build as they go, and you may see many homes-especially away from Jerusalem-that have walls up but no roof. When they have
the money, they will continue building. I mentioned already the high prices, especially in more modern areas like Galilee and Tel Aviv. A Big Mac is
currently costing $13. I have seen Office Depots, Toyota and Chevy dealerships, Burger Kings, McDonalds, Subway Express (located in the West
Bank), ACE Hardware, and other American businesses. Mountain Dew drinkers, you're out of luck. Here, it is all Coca-Cola! We took a two mile
cab ride in Tiberias for about 8 shekels (I think). That seems to be about $2.00. Souvenirs are extremely expensive depending on where you are. A
Pearl of Price Bible costs $85. One with Olive Wood costs $65. These are just plain King James Bibles that might costs $20 to $30 with a bonded
cover in the United States.
Bethlehem is just 6 to 10 miles south of Jerusalem and is like a suburb in that the community is well developed between them. However, Bethlehem
is controlled by the Palestinians and Jerusalem by the Jews.
Following the same path that early pilgrims would have traveled between the two cities, we had our first view of Bethlehem (above). We are told that
these early pilgrims stopped at the first view of the city and bowed to pray. At the first view, we stopped, read Scripture, and sang. The city is hard to
see for the haze of that day but it is on the top of the hill in the distance. The valley you see between is one of the many valleys around which the city
is built and provided the fields in which the shepherds were keeping their flocks and where the angels appeared to herald the good news of Jesus'
arrival. These valleys are tremendously large, running deep and long. As with all the terrain, these fields are covered with dark rocks from ancient
volcanic eruptions, but the shepherds still keep their flocks in the valleys just like they did in days of old. In fact, when we returned to our bus, a
shepherdess had her flocks grazing beside it and, for a dollar, was a willing participant for our cameras.
these early pilgrims stopped at the first view of the city and bowed to pray. At the first view, we stopped, read Scripture, and sang. The city is hard to
see for the haze of that day but it is on the top of the hill in the distance. The valley you see between is one of the many valleys around which the city
is built and provided the fields in which the shepherds were keeping their flocks and where the angels appeared to herald the good news of Jesus'
arrival. These valleys are tremendously large, running deep and long. As with all the terrain, these fields are covered with dark rocks from ancient
volcanic eruptions, but the shepherds still keep their flocks in the valleys just like they did in days of old. In fact, when we returned to our bus, a
shepherdess had her flocks grazing beside it and, for a dollar, was a willing participant for our cameras.
Israel began building a large security wall between it and the Palestinians around 2002. Getting into the Palestinian controlled area is still fairly
simple since terrorists do not go from Israel to the West Bank. Much more is required to re-enter Israel. This was all new to Ronny, Pat, and all the
others who had traveled in Israel before. In those olden days, you just drove to your destinations, but now, at the wall, you are detoured into a secured
area with bomb sniffing dogs, spiked roads, and soldiers carrying machine guns. Sorry, I was busy looking and did not take a picture until we were
leaving.
Once the gate was lifted and we crossed into the West Bank, you could tell a difference. Roads were more narrow, shops were old, close to the road,
and run down.
simple since terrorists do not go from Israel to the West Bank. Much more is required to re-enter Israel. This was all new to Ronny, Pat, and all the
others who had traveled in Israel before. In those olden days, you just drove to your destinations, but now, at the wall, you are detoured into a secured
area with bomb sniffing dogs, spiked roads, and soldiers carrying machine guns. Sorry, I was busy looking and did not take a picture until we were
leaving.
Once the gate was lifted and we crossed into the West Bank, you could tell a difference. Roads were more narrow, shops were old, close to the road,
and run down.
Just across the line, we stopped to shop at a E.O. approved Olive Wood shop. It was run by a Syrian Christian (Catholic, I think) who spoke with
love of Jesus and who, like all who share any kind of "Christian faith," thought of us as brothers and sisters. His church still holds services in the
Aramaic language. He told us about his store, his faith, and prayed the Lord's prayer with us in Aramaic. His last name was Nissan and I believe his
first name was George.
love of Jesus and who, like all who share any kind of "Christian faith," thought of us as brothers and sisters. His church still holds services in the
Aramaic language. He told us about his store, his faith, and prayed the Lord's prayer with us in Aramaic. His last name was Nissan and I believe his
first name was George.
Outside his shop, the Palestinian police kept guard. They said they
were there to protect the tourist. They were friendly and posed for
pictures with some of the people in our group. Like all charged
with maintaining order in that region of the world, they were armed
with machine guns.
were there to protect the tourist. They were friendly and posed for
pictures with some of the people in our group. Like all charged
with maintaining order in that region of the world, they were armed
with machine guns.
History does not agree on many things concerning Jesus, but it does seem to
agree on the very spot where Jesus was born and first laid in a manager. The
church build on this spot is one of the oldest continuously operating
churches in the world, first being built by Helena, mother of Constantine
around 333. Three different religions use portions of this church. It has never
been destroyed and Helena herself investigated the birth place of Jesus
before having the church built. We saw a portion of the original mosaic floor.
agree on the very spot where Jesus was born and first laid in a manager. The
church build on this spot is one of the oldest continuously operating
churches in the world, first being built by Helena, mother of Constantine
around 333. Three different religions use portions of this church. It has never
been destroyed and Helena herself investigated the birth place of Jesus
before having the church built. We saw a portion of the original mosaic floor.
Most do not know that the spot where Jesus is believed to be born is in a cave. If you could see Israel, you would understand that most things are
made of rock and not wood because they have so much rock and so little wood. Once inside the church, you go down into the old cave where a star
marks the spot of Jesus' birth and, just a few feet away, the rock manager (yes, they made those of rock too) has been encased in marble to protect it.
After lunch, we crossed back into Israel. This time, I took a picture of the search, including the bomb-sniffing dog at work.
We traveled back through Jerusalem and northeast toward Jericho and the Dead Sea. Jerusalem is on a high hill, 2700 feet above sea level. The Dead
Sea is 13 miles away and 1300 feet below sea level. Once through Jerusalem, the landscape immediately changed. Jerusalem is situated on hills with
deep valleys in between and the Dead Sea is low and flat. Jerusalem gets some rain and the Dead Sea is comprised mainly of the run-off water. All of
these means we went mostly down and the land became more barren and less green.
Of course this is the path Jesus spoke of when telling the story of the Good Samaritan. It is easy to see how thieves could hide themselves in the rocks
and valleys leaving Jerusalem.
A few miles from the Dead Sea, we stopped to look at the caves around Qumran. There an ancient community, of around 50, lived in the days of Jesus.
Once Rome started persecuting the Jews, they hid manuscripts of the Old Testament in 11 of the 48 caves around them. These manuscripts lay unknown
for 2000 years until discovered by a shepherd boy in 1947.
and valleys leaving Jerusalem.
A few miles from the Dead Sea, we stopped to look at the caves around Qumran. There an ancient community, of around 50, lived in the days of Jesus.
Once Rome started persecuting the Jews, they hid manuscripts of the Old Testament in 11 of the 48 caves around them. These manuscripts lay unknown
for 2000 years until discovered by a shepherd boy in 1947.
These manuscripts demonstrate how God preserves His Word for they matched perfectly with the modern-day Hebrew manuscripts. In 2,000 years, not
one jot or tittle had passed away!
From there, on to New Jericho. Jericho is also in the West Bank which required another check point. There we found a long line with many cars backed
up. While we waited in line, many cars cut around us forming three lines of confusion.
one jot or tittle had passed away!
From there, on to New Jericho. Jericho is also in the West Bank which required another check point. There we found a long line with many cars backed
up. While we waited in line, many cars cut around us forming three lines of confusion.
After a few minutes, Nassor, our Muslim driver who is more friendly
and pleasant than a lot of Baptists I know, decided he had enough. In
just a minute, he drove his big bus around and through cars, very
skillfully I might add, and forced his way up near the the check point.
The bus cheered!
and pleasant than a lot of Baptists I know, decided he had enough. In
just a minute, he drove his big bus around and through cars, very
skillfully I might add, and forced his way up near the the check point.
The bus cheered!
Remember, this is a guarded crossing. Men have guns and there were
several towers with machine guns.
several towers with machine guns.
The next picture shows a border guard on the right hand side (in
front of the yellow taxi) who had come out--gun and all. It was soon
apparent that he was quite agitated by what was going on and he
started moving the barriers to block the cars to our right side. Those
drivers were not very happy. Then, another guard stopped the traffic
existing Jericho and waved us over to that lane. They did not stop or
inspect us at all, but waved us on through the check point. We
continued to cheer Nassor as our hero of the day!
front of the yellow taxi) who had come out--gun and all. It was soon
apparent that he was quite agitated by what was going on and he
started moving the barriers to block the cars to our right side. Those
drivers were not very happy. Then, another guard stopped the traffic
existing Jericho and waved us over to that lane. They did not stop or
inspect us at all, but waved us on through the check point. We
continued to cheer Nassor as our hero of the day!
Later, JoyAnna and I were the first back to the bus after a
shopping stop. Nassor always stays in or near the bus to protect
our contents. He saw us coming and came to talk and let us
inside. He said that everybody knew him and his bus. He smiled
and told us that he could travel anywhere he wanted (except now
he could not go to Samaria because his bus had Israeli license
plates) and everybody would know him. I was sitting directly
behind Nassaor as we exited the West Bank after our tour of
Jericho and made a comment about having to stop for an
inspection. He heard and called back over his shoulder, "Not me,"
and he was right. They waved and directed us straight through.
We are extremely pleased with the people E.O. has selected to
care for us in Israel.
We traveled through New Jericho. Again, you can see it is more
run down than Israel. Open air markets are on the sidewalks.
shopping stop. Nassor always stays in or near the bus to protect
our contents. He saw us coming and came to talk and let us
inside. He said that everybody knew him and his bus. He smiled
and told us that he could travel anywhere he wanted (except now
he could not go to Samaria because his bus had Israeli license
plates) and everybody would know him. I was sitting directly
behind Nassaor as we exited the West Bank after our tour of
Jericho and made a comment about having to stop for an
inspection. He heard and called back over his shoulder, "Not me,"
and he was right. They waved and directed us straight through.
We are extremely pleased with the people E.O. has selected to
care for us in Israel.
We traveled through New Jericho. Again, you can see it is more
run down than Israel. Open air markets are on the sidewalks.
Notice the fruit market and the large pile of strawberries in the picture on the right. This is actually a market square, and we drove around it twice to
see the extremely large fruits. Having a fondness for strawberries, I noticed them and pointed them out to others. Word spread to the rear of the bus
and on the way out, Jimmy, our guide, and Nassor, our driver, stopped. Jimmy bought us a delicious sweet candy (Pat knows the name of it) and
Nassor brought us a basket of strawberries to eat on the way back to Jerusalem.
We went to old Jericho and looked down into trenches at walls that had been unearthed. Jimmy does not believe these are ruins of the Biblical
Jericho, however, because carbon dating placed them as being too old. However, from there, we had a beautiful view of the Mountain of
Temptation, where it is believed that Satan took Jesus to tempt Him, after being baptized in the Jordan River south of Jericho.
see the extremely large fruits. Having a fondness for strawberries, I noticed them and pointed them out to others. Word spread to the rear of the bus
and on the way out, Jimmy, our guide, and Nassor, our driver, stopped. Jimmy bought us a delicious sweet candy (Pat knows the name of it) and
Nassor brought us a basket of strawberries to eat on the way back to Jerusalem.
We went to old Jericho and looked down into trenches at walls that had been unearthed. Jimmy does not believe these are ruins of the Biblical
Jericho, however, because carbon dating placed them as being too old. However, from there, we had a beautiful view of the Mountain of
Temptation, where it is believed that Satan took Jesus to tempt Him, after being baptized in the Jordan River south of Jericho.
This has been an usually long update (so far three hours into the project). Now, I think I will try taking another nap. It is 1:54 AM Israel time
(Sunday) and 5:54 PM Green Pond time (Saturday, March 8th). I hope you are having a good day!
(Sunday) and 5:54 PM Green Pond time (Saturday, March 8th). I hope you are having a good day!