Final Posting

I started to title this post as "Final Thoughts," but realized that wouldn't be true. The twelve of us (New Testament imagery is purely coincidental) will think of this trip and what we learned, did, and saw for a long, long time.

The pollster of the group (that would be me, for any slightly confused readers) sent an email (and a chase email) asking each to reply with:

1. Your favorite site to visit.

2. What surprised you the most?

3. What one thing you learned you'll never forget.

Here, in no particular order, are the responses I've received. Some folks were more verbose than others:

Maren:
Hey –
I haven’t been ducking your questions; just waiting for a moment when I could be thoughtful and reflective. Five days later I still don’t have time to be thoughtful and reflective, so now I’m just winging it.
1.
Your favorite site to visit: Two places for entirely different reasons. First, the Sea of Galilee, by myself at night. At the sites of ruins you have to use your imagination to envision that place two thousand years ago, but at Galilee I felt that I was seeing exactly what Jesus saw. That connection through time was incredibly powerful. Second, Beit She’an (sp?) because you could stare at those bones, and construct a living breathing city in your mind. Envisioning those markets on the side of the main thoroughfare was relatively easy, and brought home once again how far back the history of this land stretches, particularly compared to America.

What surprised you the most?: Absolutely the Golan Heights: I was looking for stark desert terrain (like Masada) and instead found lush, green rolling hills. I can’t remember a time when my preconceived notion was so off base.
What one thing you learned you'll never forget: I was struck again and again by the juxtaposition of this very young country in this very old land. Israel is just over 60 years old. In our own relatively young history we hadn’t even faced the Civil War. And yet this is a land where, as Ian put it on Day One, the archaeologists bulldoze through the first 200 years of a dig, because there’s nothing interesting there. Israel, a country that hasn’t written its own constitution, holds the sites where Jesus delivered the Beatitudes and Mohammed ascended – it is so new and so ancient all at once.
Also, I’ll never forget Mount Tabor.

There. I told Martha that I feel a little bit like a focus group respondent, and am sort of expecting a stipend (Editor's Note -- checks are in the mail.)

Chip:
1. church of the holy sepulchre...
2. the resolve of the Israeli people
3. see #2

Tom K.:
being a person of few words here are your answers:
site of the beatitudes
lack of military in every day life and the golan heights....the bees the bees

Maura:
1. Your favorite site to visit.I think I have to say the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was my favorite. It was overwhelming to me to be in a place that encompassed so much history and so much religious significance. An awful lot of stuff happened right there.

2. What surprised you the most? Two things: I was constantly surprised by the beauty of the country. I expected it to be much more barren and rocky. Rolling hills and brilliant greens in the north; the Mediterranean beaches in Tel Aviv; the stark beauty of the desert and the Dead Sea in the south ... It’s a much prettier country than I had imagined. And even though I obviously knew it was a small country, seeing how close together everything is really hammered home why it is that so many of these conflicts have become so intractable. When the Jewish holy sites and the Muslim holy sites are right on top of each other, and a Jewish settlement is right next to an Israeli Arab neighborhood and right across from a Palestinian town, it’s easy to see why tensions run so high.

3. What one thing you learned that you’ll never forget. Geography is a powerful determinative force. Also, a hangover in Israel feels just like a hangover in the US. I’ve tested this theory in some other countries also, and it holds true pretty much everywhere.

Ed:
1. Your favorite site to visit. Tough, tie between the church of the holy sepucur and the sea of Galilee. The church caught me off-guard, I expected something much more grand, it made it real. And, just the idea of being at the sea and how much had happened there was real moving, as a I put my stuff away I ended up walking straight down to the coast.(and of course did so in a different state of mind much later in the evening)

2. What surprised you the most? the land and the tightness of the country. No matter where we go, we saw another country who Israel had fought a recent war with.

3. What one thing you learned you'll never forget. Coming into the old city Sunday night and looking at both the western wall and then right behind it the dome of the rock. Very clear to see the problems this small space of Old Jerusalem can cause

Rob:
Upon reflection…..

The Old City…but it’s a close call with Galilee
The Australian-Palestinian. Who knew?
That the First World abuts the Third World in the West Bank

Leigh:
Here are my answers. Just off the top of my head…

Massada and the WB settlement of Alfei Menashe (with Miri Eisen)
That I need not eat one Falafel!
Israel’s proximity to other nations in the region.

Thanks, for putting this together! Hope you are well!!

Jim:
Favorite Site to Visit – The Old City in Jerusalem where all three major religions intersect.

Surprised the Most—Bet She’an – I didn’t know it existed. A Greco/Roman city preserved in Israel. What will they do next?

Learned and Never Forget -- For Israelis politics is -- SECURITY, SECURITY, SECURITY

Caryn:
1. Your favorite site to visit.
I would say it all came together for me in the West Bank settlement of Alfei Menashe. Miri Eisin’s discussion and geography linked the problems and the necessity of the two state solution.

2. What surprised you the most?
While I know security was everywhere in the Old City and all over the country, I was surprised not to see more soldiers in uniform. I expected more of a military state.

3. What one thing you learned you'll never forget.
I think the pure terror I felt when the bees went over our heads. In all seriousness, I will never forget what a love of country I felt from everyone we came across. I finally get the pro-Israel community and why they work so hard to keep a strong US- Israel relationship. I will also never forget the group I traveled with. I’ve been on the other side of so many races with each you, primaries and general elections yet I feel a special bond with each of you.

Martha:
1. Knesset was favorite site to visit. I am a municipal tourist. A “vacation” that includes hearing from four members of parliament directly is my kind of fun. The seats organized in the shape of a menorah was an added bonus.
2. I was surprised that the settlement we visited looked like a typical American suburb. There’s no way out of this question without the obvious comment about how tiny the country is – but I actually found that the middle class neighborhood feel of the settlement was contrary to what I had imagined – regardless of how close it is to the Gaza Strip. (Close second – the Greek Orthodox influence in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was a surprise to my Catholic expectations)
3. I learned there are Ethiopian Jews and I will never forget that.

Aaron:
1) Church of the Holy Sepulcher
2) Over 70% of Israel’s population & economy are in the narrow strip between Tel Aviv and Haifa AND that Tom King is a big Oprah fan.
3) The schizophrenic nature of the country. Eminent threats surround everyone in Israel every day. The people are very conscious of those threats, but don’t let the fear of threats dominate their lives.