A little bit of everything

Day #4

This morning started early as we packed our bags, ate some breakfast, and boarded the bus all by 8:00 a.m. We drove north from Tel Aviv to the city of Ceasaria - Keisaria as it is pronounced in Hebrew. One cannot help noticing the tremendous presence of the High-Tech sector in the country and the benefits it brings while traveling up the #2 freeway. To go from old to new to state of the art is inspiring.

After a brief introduction in the renovated theater where famous singers and musicians perform today, we walked around the spectacular grounds where the remains of Herod’s massive city is slowly being unearthed. We paused for a moment in the hippodrome/amphitheater to speak about the historical significance of the place where Rabbi Akiva and the other martyrs of the Bar Kochba rebellion were flayed and burned by the Romans. We learned for a moment from the insightful teaching in the Talmud adjuring us to go to the stadiums of the Romans not to enjoy the barbarity or to condone the senseless violence and bloodshed. Rather we’re told to go these places so we may bear witness to the inhumanity and where appropriate speak out. When the Roman governors would point their thumbs down and order the life of a human being to be tortured to death, we now turn our thumbs up to remind the world we stand proud and tall in the Land of our ancestors, thousands of years later.

We headed back on the bus and continued up north to the Carmel mountains, specifically to a place called Beit Oren where the group divided between horseback riding and Tomcar - or ATV/buggy driving. Both modes of transportation took scenic tours through the mountainous regions and the surrounding nature reserves. It was a great break from visit historical sites and learning about life in antiquity - Israel is about having fun too!

We could say that the day is best described as being eclectic. Moving from the Roman period to the modern period we went into Haifa where we saw the Ba’hai Temple and learned about this unique tribute to the religion that began in 19th century and is cited as the fastest growing religion in the world today. The iconic dome that covers the resting place of the ‘Bab’ - the prophet of the Ba’hai faith - was under construction. Jackie brought along a picture she had taken 32 years ago in the very same location we stood today and compared the growth and development the city has taken on over the years. It is truly amazing to see this diverse and tolerant city cut into the mountains is thriving today as it was then!

We were scheduled to visit Ein Hod, an artist colony near Haifa, but we agreed that making the drive to Akko was a better use of our time. After stopping for a bite to eat in a highway diner, we walked around the very eclectic city of Akko - learning about its significance and experiencing the diverse population of Arabs, Christians, and Jews. Watching the sun set on the Mediterranean with the ancient walls of the Crusader fortress in the foreground proved to be picturesque conclusion to our visits to historical and cultural sites for the day.

The bus quieted down for the 1.5 hour drive from Akko to our Guest House on the Kinneret - the Sea of Galillee. We checked into to Kibbutz Ma’agan and made our way for a light meal and some relaxing time. We met another American group, from Philidelphia led by their rabbi (whose name is escaping me at the moment). The rabbi offered our participants to sit for a few moments to learn a little background on the Kabballah as they had just visit Tsfat earlier in the day. Since we’re headed to Tsfat in the morning, it was an excellent introduction to the subject.