Haifa
July 19
We left Tel Aviv this morning and drove to Baq'a.
Baq'a is an Arabic city. Baq'a is half in Israel and half in the West Bank.
In 2002 the Israeli government built a wall between Israel and the West Bank. The section of the wall in Baq'a, was finished in 2005.
We talked to some teachers at the local college today and they told us that they used to be able to visit family and friends on that side of the city (before the wall divided it) by walking 5 minutes. Now they have to drive 2-3 hours to go around the wall and through the check points to visit their family. And that 2-3 hours is much easier for Israelis. Those on the West Bank side have to get special permission to leave.
When we got off the bus to see the wall in Baq'a, there were a few locals working. They all seemed very happy to see us. I got the impression all throughout Baq'a that they don't really get tourists and they like that people are paying attention to their city. Everyone who passed by as we were talking, waved.
Ori took us right next to the wall and we talked. After a few minutes, an IDF soldier approached and spoke to Ori in Hebrew. I was standing right next to Becky, so she translated for me. 😅
The soldier told Ori that 'it was problematic for us to be there'. Ori told him we'd be only one more minute. They soldier responded, 'they told me you have to leave'.
Ori's really good at diffusing situations and making sure we all feel safe. He knows what he's doing. #besttourguide He told us later, that because we were standing on a road that might need to be used for military purposes... they didn't want us to be there. . But locals were driving up and down the road with their produce trucks as we talked.
After the first soldier left, we talked for a few minutes more. Then we saw another soldier approaching and THAT's when we started walking towards the bus. 😅
It was an interesting situation. There WAS a red sign that said 'Israelis not allowed past this point' near the wall. It was in Hebrew, so I didn't know what it said until after we left. I asked Ori about it and he said 'Yes it said that, but Israelis don't read signs' 😂
Baq'a is an Arabic city. Baq'a is half in Israel and half in the West Bank.
In 2002 the Israeli government built a wall between Israel and the West Bank. The section of the wall in Baq'a, was finished in 2005.
We talked to some teachers at the local college today and they told us that they used to be able to visit family and friends on that side of the city (before the wall divided it) by walking 5 minutes. Now they have to drive 2-3 hours to go around the wall and through the check points to visit their family. And that 2-3 hours is much easier for Israelis. Those on the West Bank side have to get special permission to leave.
When we got off the bus to see the wall in Baq'a, there were a few locals working. They all seemed very happy to see us. I got the impression all throughout Baq'a that they don't really get tourists and they like that people are paying attention to their city. Everyone who passed by as we were talking, waved.
Ori took us right next to the wall and we talked. After a few minutes, an IDF soldier approached and spoke to Ori in Hebrew. I was standing right next to Becky, so she translated for me. 😅
The soldier told Ori that 'it was problematic for us to be there'. Ori told him we'd be only one more minute. They soldier responded, 'they told me you have to leave'.
Ori's really good at diffusing situations and making sure we all feel safe. He knows what he's doing. #besttourguide He told us later, that because we were standing on a road that might need to be used for military purposes... they didn't want us to be there. . But locals were driving up and down the road with their produce trucks as we talked.
After the first soldier left, we talked for a few minutes more. Then we saw another soldier approaching and THAT's when we started walking towards the bus. 😅
It was an interesting situation. There WAS a red sign that said 'Israelis not allowed past this point' near the wall. It was in Hebrew, so I didn't know what it said until after we left. I asked Ori about it and he said 'Yes it said that, but Israelis don't read signs' 😂
Ori told us that everyone in Israel goes to Arab towns for shopping, because they have the best shopping. I noticed sooo many shops of dresses like these pictures 👇
After we stopped by the wall, we went to Al-Qasemi College and spoke with three professors in their Department of Education. They told us 96% of the students in their program are female. We asked one of our Fulbright guides last week, Besan, if we could have more Arabic perspective on life in Israel. Besan arranged for us to have a discussion / tour with educators at Al-Qasemi. It was so nice to get their point of view. And I think they really appreciated that we were interested in learning about their point of view. They mentioned the government funding for education, and how, because of municipality funding, there is much less money for schools in Arabic neighborhoods. One of the professors told us about how schools wouldn't accept her son with down syndrome, because they didn't have the funds to hire aids. She didn't have a lot of options.
The college itself seemed a little underfunded. They told us it's testing week for the students, but all of the students we passed said 'hi!' and one asked to take a couple selfies with us. She asked if she could use a filter 😄
The library at the college is the 'largest Arabic library in Israel'. It's not big. But they let people come in and check out books because they're the biggest.
The college itself seemed a little underfunded. They told us it's testing week for the students, but all of the students we passed said 'hi!' and one asked to take a couple selfies with us. She asked if she could use a filter 😄
The library at the college is the 'largest Arabic library in Israel'. It's not big. But they let people come in and check out books because they're the biggest.
Couple more things about the al-Qasemi visit....
They brought up some interesting points during the panel. They talked about how the education system was set up under the Turkish mandate in 1846. If you have been reading / know your history, you know that the land of Israel was controlled by the Ottomans for 400 years.
I've recently been reading in the Old Testament and being in Israel while reading about the Assyrians conquering the land, then the Egyptians, then the Babylonians, then the Persians... makes your head spin.
ANYWAY. Palestinian education really started in the mid 19th century. Then, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the British take over. British Mandate. They decide to give this land to the Jews and change the name from Palestine to Israel and hand control over to the U.N. When Israel is created, Professor / Doctor Ali Jbareen told us, Palestinian elites were expelled. Which meant, most of the rural and uneducated population were in charge of Arab education inside Israel.
And the state of Israel now controls the education system within their borders, and they determine the curriculum. According to the teacher panel at al-Qasemi, they can't deviate from the curriculum. The curriculum has nothing about Palestinian culture, literature, or history. Even in Arab schools. One of the teachers mentioned she knows really nothing about the history of her people. She wasn't taught it in school.
They told us 'there's systemic and systematic racism by the Israeli government against Palestinians.' Dr. Jbareen told us:
They brought up some interesting points during the panel. They talked about how the education system was set up under the Turkish mandate in 1846. If you have been reading / know your history, you know that the land of Israel was controlled by the Ottomans for 400 years.
I've recently been reading in the Old Testament and being in Israel while reading about the Assyrians conquering the land, then the Egyptians, then the Babylonians, then the Persians... makes your head spin.
ANYWAY. Palestinian education really started in the mid 19th century. Then, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the British take over. British Mandate. They decide to give this land to the Jews and change the name from Palestine to Israel and hand control over to the U.N. When Israel is created, Professor / Doctor Ali Jbareen told us, Palestinian elites were expelled. Which meant, most of the rural and uneducated population were in charge of Arab education inside Israel.
And the state of Israel now controls the education system within their borders, and they determine the curriculum. According to the teacher panel at al-Qasemi, they can't deviate from the curriculum. The curriculum has nothing about Palestinian culture, literature, or history. Even in Arab schools. One of the teachers mentioned she knows really nothing about the history of her people. She wasn't taught it in school.
They told us 'there's systemic and systematic racism by the Israeli government against Palestinians.' Dr. Jbareen told us:
"You can't say I'm not here. We are here.... we can work collaboratively, cooperatively, we can join forces to create something better. You can't exclude me. I can't exclude you"
Dr. Jbareen is also the deputy mayor in Baq'a.
One of the Fulbright teachers addressed the panel and said we had just come from the Peres (pronounced 'Paris') Center for Peace. They asked the panel what they thought about efforts to reach out and connect Palestinians and Jews. The panel response was, 'Cultural diversity means real exchange and sharing of cultures. Jewish neighborhoods are not interested in learning about Arab culture'.
Arab culture is so diverse though. Israel is surrounded by Lebanon. Syria. Jordan. Egypt.
When I was with Mallory last Shabbat, we talked to a guy who worked in the Old City of Jerusalem while we ate lunch. He talked about how he speaks Arabic, but there are so many different dialects. He says he understands some, but doesn't understand the Moroccan dialect at all. The Jewish people have gathered into Israel from all over the world, but the Arab people who aren't Jewish also have a really diverse culture.
There are efforts to connect Palestinians and Jews. Not just the Peres Center, but we've been told about the private school program Hand in Hand a couple of times. They have both an Israeli and a Palestinian teacher in the classroom. Ariel (Fulbright scholar we've been with a couple of times) and Elie (tour guide at Adi) have brought up this school. So there are efforts.
After the tour at al-Qasemi, we drove down the street a little bit to have lunch at shawarma place. I had falafel. I sat with the guys. Which was fine until the conversation turned to tanks and fighter planes and military stuff. 😅
After lunch we drove to Caesarea. We were told they pronounce it see-sore-ee-ah in Israel. It's an old Roman port built by Herod the Great to basically suck up to Rome. It's the world's first deep harbor man-made port. At least as far as we know. There were lots of natural harbors, but most of the Israeli coast is straight. Doesn't lend itself to natural docking. The ruins were really cool though.
One of the Fulbright teachers addressed the panel and said we had just come from the Peres (pronounced 'Paris') Center for Peace. They asked the panel what they thought about efforts to reach out and connect Palestinians and Jews. The panel response was, 'Cultural diversity means real exchange and sharing of cultures. Jewish neighborhoods are not interested in learning about Arab culture'.
Arab culture is so diverse though. Israel is surrounded by Lebanon. Syria. Jordan. Egypt.
When I was with Mallory last Shabbat, we talked to a guy who worked in the Old City of Jerusalem while we ate lunch. He talked about how he speaks Arabic, but there are so many different dialects. He says he understands some, but doesn't understand the Moroccan dialect at all. The Jewish people have gathered into Israel from all over the world, but the Arab people who aren't Jewish also have a really diverse culture.
There are efforts to connect Palestinians and Jews. Not just the Peres Center, but we've been told about the private school program Hand in Hand a couple of times. They have both an Israeli and a Palestinian teacher in the classroom. Ariel (Fulbright scholar we've been with a couple of times) and Elie (tour guide at Adi) have brought up this school. So there are efforts.
After the tour at al-Qasemi, we drove down the street a little bit to have lunch at shawarma place. I had falafel. I sat with the guys. Which was fine until the conversation turned to tanks and fighter planes and military stuff. 😅
After lunch we drove to Caesarea. We were told they pronounce it see-sore-ee-ah in Israel. It's an old Roman port built by Herod the Great to basically suck up to Rome. It's the world's first deep harbor man-made port. At least as far as we know. There were lots of natural harbors, but most of the Israeli coast is straight. Doesn't lend itself to natural docking. The ruins were really cool though.
Rebecca went down and sang a few lines from Someone To Watch Over Me to test out the sound from the stage. I'm not sure if anyone got it on camera, but it was beautiful :)
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Caesarea is one of the wealthiest cities in Israel. Right next to Caesarea, is one of the poorest cities in Israel, Jisr al-Zarqa. An Arabic town. Another example of systematic and systemic inequality.
After Caesarea we headed to Haifa to check into our hotel. We had a few minutes to get settled, and then there was an optional walking tour of the city led by Ori.
We walked through Wadi Nisnas, which is a neighborhood that is very Christian. Haifa has mostly Jews, but it also has a large Muslim / Christian population. They're the only Jewish city that has public transportation running on Shabbat.
We walked down a street with a falafel shop. There were some guys tossing a shipment of paper towels up to the second story. Ori talked to them. One of the guys told us the story of his restaurant. There are two falafel shops right across the street from each other. One is an old shop, the other is new. The guys on the street worked at the old shop. One of them told us how his parents bought the falafel shop (including the falafel recipe) from an older couple. This older couple had a big reputation in town for having the best falafel. But their shop didn't have a name. So, when this guy's parents bought the shop- they named it 'old shop' and put up the pictures of the former owners, so the people would know where to go. Across the street, a chain falafel shop moved in.
After this guy told us his family's story (translated through Ori) he asked if we wanted to try the falafel. They gave us some for free :)
After Caesarea we headed to Haifa to check into our hotel. We had a few minutes to get settled, and then there was an optional walking tour of the city led by Ori.
We walked through Wadi Nisnas, which is a neighborhood that is very Christian. Haifa has mostly Jews, but it also has a large Muslim / Christian population. They're the only Jewish city that has public transportation running on Shabbat.
We walked down a street with a falafel shop. There were some guys tossing a shipment of paper towels up to the second story. Ori talked to them. One of the guys told us the story of his restaurant. There are two falafel shops right across the street from each other. One is an old shop, the other is new. The guys on the street worked at the old shop. One of them told us how his parents bought the falafel shop (including the falafel recipe) from an older couple. This older couple had a big reputation in town for having the best falafel. But their shop didn't have a name. So, when this guy's parents bought the shop- they named it 'old shop' and put up the pictures of the former owners, so the people would know where to go. Across the street, a chain falafel shop moved in.
After this guy told us his family's story (translated through Ori) he asked if we wanted to try the falafel. They gave us some for free :)
Back in Jerusalem, the falafel we had said 'best falafel in the world' right next to the Russian complex. It was good falafel.... But I think the one we tried today, in Haifa, might be better. 🥇
It's funny how 'the best falafel' is such a debate. Ori told us "it's like the easiest thing to make".
Our walking tour continued and we walked down by the port. Ori told us that one of the travesties of Haifa, is that they don't have public beach access. The town with the most coastline, and the blocked it with factories and railroad tracks. The internet says it's the only place where the further you get from the beach the more expensive properties get.
We had dinner on the rooftop of our hotel. We're staying in an area of town known as the German Colony. In the Colony Hotel, which is apparently the oldest operating hotel in Israel. We had a special dinner on the rooftop of the hotel. The view was amazing. And as always, lots of good food.
A few of us stayed and chatted after dinner. We're coming to an end of our trip and we were getting a little nostalgic. Plus the view was gorgeous from up there, so we had to stay and soak it all in. I don't want to leave.
A few of us stayed and chatted after dinner. We're coming to an end of our trip and we were getting a little nostalgic. Plus the view was gorgeous from up there, so we had to stay and soak it all in. I don't want to leave.
July 20
Today we learned about the Bahai and the Druze. They're both religions. They're both considered sects of Islam. Though, as we learned about their beliefs... they don't seem very close to what I know about Islam.
Here's a video overview of my day so far...
Here's a video overview of my day so far...
So, as I said, we visited the Bahai gardens. We went in the top gate, but weren't allowed to go into the gardens. You can only go in if you're Bahai. (Bah-hi)
The religion officially started in Iran. Mirza Ali Mohammad of Shiraz. He thought Islam was too focused on rituals. He had a dream that needed to focus on the individual. Less temples / mosques and more focus on the individual being a temple. Since he preached against what was believed to be correct (according to Shi'a tradition) he was imprisoned and executed. One of his followers, Mirza Hosayn Ali Nuri said he was a messenger from God that Ali Mohammad was talking about. He was imprisoned in Akko, Palestine (today Israel). Hosayn Ali Nuri wrote teachings and is buried in the Bahai garden in Haifa. You can read more about the Bahai here.
From what Ori told us, the idea behind this religion is self control. If you can control yourself, you will in turn be able to control things around you. This idea is expressed in the immaculate garden. The center is very manicured, but the further from the center you go the more wild it gets. But it's still beautiful. What a metaphor.
Ori also told us the Bahai religion is really well funded. More so than the JNF. So you can imagine that the Israeli government probably didn't like this entity inside of their Jewish state. Ori told us they were afraid of people converting to Bahai or Mormonism so they made a law preventing conversion. He said Bahai's aren't allowed to live in Israel. As I'm trying to find sources to corroborate... I can't find a law prohibiting conversion... but there is a law from 1977 that saws you can't preach to anyone under 18 and they can't convert without their parents permission. And you can't offer any "material benefits" for conversion.
While it's not against the law... the government has detained people who were suspected of being 'missionaries'. They had to pay bail and promise not to preach. They've denied people entry who want to proselytize. I guess that's what happens when you don't have a Constitution to restrict the reach of government. 🤷
Not to mention government pandering to a minority group of Ultra-Orthodox Jews. But I digress.
As a side note, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) made a deal with the Knesset (parliament in Israel) in 1986 that they wouldn't proselytize if they could have a building permit for the BYU Jerusalem Center. And here I cite my sources :)
The religion officially started in Iran. Mirza Ali Mohammad of Shiraz. He thought Islam was too focused on rituals. He had a dream that needed to focus on the individual. Less temples / mosques and more focus on the individual being a temple. Since he preached against what was believed to be correct (according to Shi'a tradition) he was imprisoned and executed. One of his followers, Mirza Hosayn Ali Nuri said he was a messenger from God that Ali Mohammad was talking about. He was imprisoned in Akko, Palestine (today Israel). Hosayn Ali Nuri wrote teachings and is buried in the Bahai garden in Haifa. You can read more about the Bahai here.
From what Ori told us, the idea behind this religion is self control. If you can control yourself, you will in turn be able to control things around you. This idea is expressed in the immaculate garden. The center is very manicured, but the further from the center you go the more wild it gets. But it's still beautiful. What a metaphor.
Ori also told us the Bahai religion is really well funded. More so than the JNF. So you can imagine that the Israeli government probably didn't like this entity inside of their Jewish state. Ori told us they were afraid of people converting to Bahai or Mormonism so they made a law preventing conversion. He said Bahai's aren't allowed to live in Israel. As I'm trying to find sources to corroborate... I can't find a law prohibiting conversion... but there is a law from 1977 that saws you can't preach to anyone under 18 and they can't convert without their parents permission. And you can't offer any "material benefits" for conversion.
While it's not against the law... the government has detained people who were suspected of being 'missionaries'. They had to pay bail and promise not to preach. They've denied people entry who want to proselytize. I guess that's what happens when you don't have a Constitution to restrict the reach of government. 🤷
Not to mention government pandering to a minority group of Ultra-Orthodox Jews. But I digress.
As a side note, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) made a deal with the Knesset (parliament in Israel) in 1986 that they wouldn't proselytize if they could have a building permit for the BYU Jerusalem Center. And here I cite my sources :)
After stopping at the gardens, we drove to a Druze cemetery and met Ihab. He's a friend of Ori's, I'm not sure if they met in the IDF or as tour guides... but maybe one of the two?
Ori really talked him up before we met him. "You know Ms. Universe? This guy is MR. UNIVERSE. He's so good looking." When Yolanda heckled him a little bit about it saying "You're building him up an awful lot", Ori responded with "He has really nice eyes". 👀
He did have some beautiful blue eyes, but I'll admit... I'm more of a brown-eye fan. 😅
Ihab was great. He told us a LOT about the Druze. They're a sect of Islam. He told us there are 72 sects of Islam. But, like I said in my video, the beliefs don't sound super similar to Islam.
The name Druze comes from Muhammad al-Darazi. It's a nickname. It's not how they identify themselves. They identify themselves in Arabic as "The Monotheism" they believe they are the only true monotheistic religion.
The religion originates in Islamic-controlled Egypt. 1017. There was conflict about prophets being divine. The religion didn't last long in Egypt, most Druze today live in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. They live in communities. They marry within the community. Because they are very loyal to the nation where they live, they live in communities to survive. And they marry within the communities to survive. Since 1948 the Druze have sided with the Jews in every Arab-Israeli war. Even though ethnically, they're Arabic. They speak Arabic. They're a sect of Islam. But they don't identify with other Muslims. They are persecuted by other Muslims. They want it to be clear that they are loyal to the state of Israel.
They don't follow the 5 pillars. They don't believe in performing rituals (unless the ritual has personal meaning, then you should do it). They don't have church buildings. They don't have leaders. The elderly who devote themselves to the religion and wear white on their head, are the spiritual 'leaders'. They don't 'lead' but the are respected among the Druze. These religious elderly males, are the ones who might officiate in a marriage ceremony. The purpose of not having a leader, like Bahai, is to emphasize the individual. Emphasizing that religion is between you and God.
Ori really talked him up before we met him. "You know Ms. Universe? This guy is MR. UNIVERSE. He's so good looking." When Yolanda heckled him a little bit about it saying "You're building him up an awful lot", Ori responded with "He has really nice eyes". 👀
He did have some beautiful blue eyes, but I'll admit... I'm more of a brown-eye fan. 😅
Ihab was great. He told us a LOT about the Druze. They're a sect of Islam. He told us there are 72 sects of Islam. But, like I said in my video, the beliefs don't sound super similar to Islam.
The name Druze comes from Muhammad al-Darazi. It's a nickname. It's not how they identify themselves. They identify themselves in Arabic as "The Monotheism" they believe they are the only true monotheistic religion.
The religion originates in Islamic-controlled Egypt. 1017. There was conflict about prophets being divine. The religion didn't last long in Egypt, most Druze today live in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. They live in communities. They marry within the community. Because they are very loyal to the nation where they live, they live in communities to survive. And they marry within the communities to survive. Since 1948 the Druze have sided with the Jews in every Arab-Israeli war. Even though ethnically, they're Arabic. They speak Arabic. They're a sect of Islam. But they don't identify with other Muslims. They are persecuted by other Muslims. They want it to be clear that they are loyal to the state of Israel.
They don't follow the 5 pillars. They don't believe in performing rituals (unless the ritual has personal meaning, then you should do it). They don't have church buildings. They don't have leaders. The elderly who devote themselves to the religion and wear white on their head, are the spiritual 'leaders'. They don't 'lead' but the are respected among the Druze. These religious elderly males, are the ones who might officiate in a marriage ceremony. The purpose of not having a leader, like Bahai, is to emphasize the individual. Emphasizing that religion is between you and God.
While they don't have official leaders, they do have rules. No alcohol. No pork. Other meat is fine though. Dairy is fine too. They don't believe in polygamy. And in their culture when it comes to marriage, the woman chooses the man. They find that prevents divorces more effectively.
Ihab told us every meeting has a purpose. Everything was meant to be. That's the attitude of the Druze. They have religious texts, and in their culture, before you're 15 you're allowed to read the religious texts. After you turn 15 you're not. They believe 15 is when you can choose for yourself. At 15 it's up to you to decide how religious you want to be. Ihab told us that in the Druze religion "you might have a father who didn't send you to school. Before 15 the parents will be reprimanded for not sending their children to school. At 15, it's you're responsibility to do something about it. Don't blame it on your parent"
You cannot read the religious texts after 15, unless you're willing to become 'religious' and devote yourself to the religion. Wear the traditional clothing. Ihab said his mother reads the sacred texts. When his mother is reading it, Ihab gives his mother space. Leaves the room. He doesn't try to read the book. Apparently someone took religious texts from a Druze home in Syria and took it to a university in Paris. Sorbonne maybe? There they translated it. It's not meant to be read by anyone who isn't a devoted Druze. To the Druze these texts are sacred. Only meant for someone who's made a commitment to the religion. These sacred texts include writings of Greek philosophers. It's interesting to me that people here, who identify as 'secular', seem to be pretty religious by American standards. It's like it's a different definition in Israel, because SO MANY things are about religion here.
You cannot convert to be a Druze anymore... you have to be born into the religion. They're all about keeping a low profile (religiously), so they can survive.
The cemetery we visited was actually a military cemetery. These were Druze who died fighting for the IDF. The IDF puts candles on the graves, but the Druze don't really care about the candles. They seem to be a very easy-going people. They don't need other people to acknowledge their beliefs. They let the candles stay.
You cannot read the religious texts after 15, unless you're willing to become 'religious' and devote yourself to the religion. Wear the traditional clothing. Ihab said his mother reads the sacred texts. When his mother is reading it, Ihab gives his mother space. Leaves the room. He doesn't try to read the book. Apparently someone took religious texts from a Druze home in Syria and took it to a university in Paris. Sorbonne maybe? There they translated it. It's not meant to be read by anyone who isn't a devoted Druze. To the Druze these texts are sacred. Only meant for someone who's made a commitment to the religion. These sacred texts include writings of Greek philosophers. It's interesting to me that people here, who identify as 'secular', seem to be pretty religious by American standards. It's like it's a different definition in Israel, because SO MANY things are about religion here.
You cannot convert to be a Druze anymore... you have to be born into the religion. They're all about keeping a low profile (religiously), so they can survive.
The cemetery we visited was actually a military cemetery. These were Druze who died fighting for the IDF. The IDF puts candles on the graves, but the Druze don't really care about the candles. They seem to be a very easy-going people. They don't need other people to acknowledge their beliefs. They let the candles stay.
The Druze believe in reincarnation. They believe 'souls stay the same souls'. They believe males come back as males and females as females. Ihab didn't answer directly, but he inferred that when a Druze is reincarnated, they will be born again as another Druze. They don't put a lot of emphasis and ceremony around burials. Ihab said 'no need to commemorate with something physical, commemorate the deeds'. The burial and grieving is "necessary for us to live with the loss. The grieving is for the living to survive"
Ihab said that he was an advocate for putting markers on Druze graves. Instead of using the acronym R.I.P. he said they should put BRB 😂😂😂 #reincarnationjoke #hedelivereditbetter
Ihab talked about how in 2018 the Knesset passed a law that was meant to define Israel. You know, because they don't have a Constitution, they felt like they needed to make the purpose of Israel clear. It emphasizes Israel as a Jewish state. The Druze community found this really offensive. Ihab told us how much he hated it. He told people before it passed, that if it were to pass that he would renounce his citizenship and leave. It's a slap in the face to the Druze. They have been loyal to the State of Israel. They're one of two non-Jewish groups who agree to compulsory service in the IDF. They fight and die for their country and have since 1948. And Israel decides to announce that the country is for JEWISH people. They proclaimed Hebrew as the national language. I get why he was offended.
Ihab showed us another Druze cemetery. They don't mark graves. They put the bodies in boxes. He said when they need the box they remove the bones and put someone else inside.
Ihab said that he was an advocate for putting markers on Druze graves. Instead of using the acronym R.I.P. he said they should put BRB 😂😂😂 #reincarnationjoke #hedelivereditbetter
Ihab talked about how in 2018 the Knesset passed a law that was meant to define Israel. You know, because they don't have a Constitution, they felt like they needed to make the purpose of Israel clear. It emphasizes Israel as a Jewish state. The Druze community found this really offensive. Ihab told us how much he hated it. He told people before it passed, that if it were to pass that he would renounce his citizenship and leave. It's a slap in the face to the Druze. They have been loyal to the State of Israel. They're one of two non-Jewish groups who agree to compulsory service in the IDF. They fight and die for their country and have since 1948. And Israel decides to announce that the country is for JEWISH people. They proclaimed Hebrew as the national language. I get why he was offended.
Ihab showed us another Druze cemetery. They don't mark graves. They put the bodies in boxes. He said when they need the box they remove the bones and put someone else inside.
We were all over Mt. Carmel today, which is the Biblical site where Elijah called down fire from heaven to burn the alter of God, proving the the Canaanite gods (Baal) weren't really gods.
We at a Druze meal at a community center in Isfiya overlooking the Jezreel valley. That's the Biblical site of Armageddon. Though, looking at the valley, it seemed so peaceful there. I could see world-ending conflict erupting in Jerusalem...
but here 👇??
We at a Druze meal at a community center in Isfiya overlooking the Jezreel valley. That's the Biblical site of Armageddon. Though, looking at the valley, it seemed so peaceful there. I could see world-ending conflict erupting in Jerusalem...
but here 👇??
I've been reflecting a lot on my own religious beliefs. Not just today, but you know, being in a country with so much of daily life affected by religion has got me thinking about the purpose of religion.
I appreciate in the Druze religion, you can have access to the sacred things if you want to have access. But they recognize the importance of committing before trying to take on something a lot of people consider really sacred. I relate to that.
I appreciate in the Druze religion, you can have access to the sacred things if you want to have access. But they recognize the importance of committing before trying to take on something a lot of people consider really sacred. I relate to that.
When we got back to the hotel this afternoon, the manager offered to give us a tour. The oldest operating hotel in Israel. I learned a lot of history, and I'm going to share it with you 😂 #obviously #canthelpmyself
There are different kinds of templars. You might think 'knights templar!' 'crusades!' The Templers that moved to Israel in the 19th century were different. They were German Christians who wanted to wait for Jesus to come in the Holy Land. Using the word 'Templer' to describe a temple inside each person. 400 German families moved to Haifa in 1868.
They built a colony. Brought wood. Building supplies. They built a road from Haifa to Nazareth. This hotel was built in the early 1900s by the Appinger family. A lot of the tile in the hotel is still the original from 1905!
When the Nazi party started to rise in Germany, a lot of the Templers in Israel joined the movement. That was problematic. The British (who controlled Israel at the time) expelled many of the Germans in April 1945. Sent them to Australia. The Appinger family was allowed to stay. Why? They were adding business to Haifa. They weren't really involved in politics, and the hotel manager told us the British wanted to keep them around because they made a really good breakfast. 😂
The manager of the hotel is Bedouin. He said his father bought the hotel for less than a million dollars.
There are different kinds of templars. You might think 'knights templar!' 'crusades!' The Templers that moved to Israel in the 19th century were different. They were German Christians who wanted to wait for Jesus to come in the Holy Land. Using the word 'Templer' to describe a temple inside each person. 400 German families moved to Haifa in 1868.
They built a colony. Brought wood. Building supplies. They built a road from Haifa to Nazareth. This hotel was built in the early 1900s by the Appinger family. A lot of the tile in the hotel is still the original from 1905!
When the Nazi party started to rise in Germany, a lot of the Templers in Israel joined the movement. That was problematic. The British (who controlled Israel at the time) expelled many of the Germans in April 1945. Sent them to Australia. The Appinger family was allowed to stay. Why? They were adding business to Haifa. They weren't really involved in politics, and the hotel manager told us the British wanted to keep them around because they made a really good breakfast. 😂
The manager of the hotel is Bedouin. He said his father bought the hotel for less than a million dollars.
I just found out the windows in my hotel room OPEN. To the courtyard #lovingthis
July 21
I was supposed to go on a day trip to see the Sea of Galilee today, but it turns out the tour company made a mistake. They don't operate tours from Haifa yet. 😩
So I spent the morning finishing my curriculum project proposal. Also I got a link to one of the other teacher's blogs! Here it is. It's full of pretty great puns, and he always ends with a link to a music video 😂
I missed the morning trip to the college in Haifa, I was at the port expecting a bus... BUT I joined the group for a little walking tour for lunch. We went back to the best falafel place :)
July 22
Today most of us went to Akko. We shared a taxi from the hotel (it ended up being like $10 round trip for each person). Our driver was from Ukraine. He didn't speak English, but he wanted to talk to us so Rebecca translated. He said he made aliyah in 1993. He still has a lot of family in Ukraine. A lot of them stuck in small village. He told us that his niece came to Israel but she was very lonely because all of her friends were back in Ukraine, so after about 3 months she went back. She lives near the Western border with Poland which hasn't seen as much violence, but she still hears the sirens warning about attacks. They ignore the sirens.
Rebecca said she was traumatized by the sirens in Israel warning about a missile attack. She lives near Tel Aviv and when the sirens go off, you have a few seconds to make it to the nearest bomb shelter. In the Gaza Envelope they told us you have 15 seconds. We saw a kindergarten that they had just decided to turn into a bomb shelter down there.
Rebecca told us that in the bomb shelter, they heard a building collapse. She said it was so loud they were convinced it was their building that had collapsed. It wasn't, it was a building about 300 feet away. Rebecca said when she hears motorcycles rev their engine she still gets a little panicked thinking it's the alarm and she'll have to run to a bomb shelter. Crazy, right?
We asked our driver how he feels about Zelensky. He said 90% of Ukrainians love him and are really impressed with what he's been doing in the face of Putin's invasion.
Anyway, Akko. I've seen it spelled so many different ways. Akko. Ako. Acco. In English it's Acre. The Old City part is Akko though. It's a fortress / city that was built by crusaders. You know how in medieval times Christians from Europe thought they should inhabit the Holy Land? They landed in Akko. Akko is older than that though, it's mentioned in the bible. Another port on the Mediterranean leading to Israel / Judea.
Rebecca said she was traumatized by the sirens in Israel warning about a missile attack. She lives near Tel Aviv and when the sirens go off, you have a few seconds to make it to the nearest bomb shelter. In the Gaza Envelope they told us you have 15 seconds. We saw a kindergarten that they had just decided to turn into a bomb shelter down there.
Rebecca told us that in the bomb shelter, they heard a building collapse. She said it was so loud they were convinced it was their building that had collapsed. It wasn't, it was a building about 300 feet away. Rebecca said when she hears motorcycles rev their engine she still gets a little panicked thinking it's the alarm and she'll have to run to a bomb shelter. Crazy, right?
We asked our driver how he feels about Zelensky. He said 90% of Ukrainians love him and are really impressed with what he's been doing in the face of Putin's invasion.
Anyway, Akko. I've seen it spelled so many different ways. Akko. Ako. Acco. In English it's Acre. The Old City part is Akko though. It's a fortress / city that was built by crusaders. You know how in medieval times Christians from Europe thought they should inhabit the Holy Land? They landed in Akko. Akko is older than that though, it's mentioned in the bible. Another port on the Mediterranean leading to Israel / Judea.
Ummm also... I convinced everyone we should order dessert at Uri Buri's.
We watched a video about Israeli cuisine while we were at Brandeis. In Search of Israeli Cuisine. It featured a lot of chefs. The host is Mike Solomonov. He has Israeli restaurants in the United States. Uri Jeremias was one of the chefs featured on this show. His restaurant, Uri Buri, is named after him. 'Buri' means fish. Uri is Palestinian. He has a restaurant right on the water in the Old City of Akko. Seafood. He's also on Somebody Feed Phil. Uri is all about peace between Israeli and Palestinians. Apparently his restaurant has been attacked / destroyed a few times because he's all about peace and a lot of people don't think that's the solution. From the shows, he seems really nice and friendly. I think in the one we watched at Brandeis he walked through the town and everyone would shout "Uri!!!" Even though I knew the food would be expensive... I reallllly wanted to go there.
We asked for a table for 5 without a reservation, and they told us we could eat there as long as we took less than an hour. We just got dessert so... no problem. 💁 While we were eating we saw Uri drive up (we were sitting by the window).
The other teachers made fun of me because they said I squealed when I saw him. I get star struck pretty easily. 😂
Michele said she was willing to go and ask him if we could take a picture with him.
GUYS, WE MET URI. I was so excited to meet him. He corrected Michele's english 😂 and then took a picture with us. She asked, "can we take a picture with you??" and he said "you should know if you can or not". When we told everyone who wasn't with us on the bus ride back, Luke said, "so he knows the most annoying phrase in English" ... but it was funny coming from him. He pulled it off. 😅 He had one of his staff take our picture, and then when he found out we're teachers he gave us advice. He IS really friendly.
He said he was kicked out of school at 16. "5 years too late". He said he had problems paying attention. He told us to watch out for that. To not make our students do things if they can't pay attention. Or don't expect them to. He mentioned his wife and kids, talked a little bit about starting a restaurant... He told us in his restaurant you'll see the staff smiling. That even when it's busy you won't hear calling out orders or ringing bells. He likes it calm and quiet.
It was really nice to meet him :)
When we were walking through the Old City after, a guy asked us a few questions and then asked how we liked Israel. I told him, "We met Uri Buri!!!" I actually didn't realize his name was Uri Jeremias until later. 😅😅😅 The guy in the Old City thought it was funny. #everyonehereknowswhoheis I'm still not over how cool it was.
July 23
We were discussing our favorite parts of the trip / favorite people yesterday at breakfast. Michele told me I'm her favorite. 😊 She said she gravitates towards me because I remind her so much of her daughter. ❤️
Today was our official day off. I walked to the beach- it was pretty small compared to what we experienced in Tel Aviv, but I'm glad I went. :)
I went to lunch with Ramona, and then we all went out for dessert after dinner again. I love hanging out with these people. They're great.
July 24
Happy Pioneer Day! It's the end of the day and I haven't wished that to anyone here yet. People don't understand it's a second fourth of July in Utah. Today we had our curriculum project presentations
We went to a restaurant called Eataliano on the beach. It was, you guessed it, Italian food. 🍝🍝🍝
We went to the beach and thanked our Fulbright directors and handed out flowers and thank you cards. We also gave each other superlatives. That was fun :)
july 25
I feel like I've gotta do a wrap-up post. Thanks for following along. It's a lot, I know 😂
And it's not the most well-written thing I've ever produced... but I wanted to update it while I was in the moment. The memories are more accurate that way.
It was an amazing opportunity. I learned so much. I got to meet some really wonderful people. And now I've got to go back to 'real life'.
If you haven't traveled a ton, I really encourage you to do so. It makes you a more understanding and empathetic person. Not to mention all the things you learn! I love it so much. Well. Until next time, folks! 🖖
And it's not the most well-written thing I've ever produced... but I wanted to update it while I was in the moment. The memories are more accurate that way.
It was an amazing opportunity. I learned so much. I got to meet some really wonderful people. And now I've got to go back to 'real life'.
If you haven't traveled a ton, I really encourage you to do so. It makes you a more understanding and empathetic person. Not to mention all the things you learn! I love it so much. Well. Until next time, folks! 🖖