The Air and the Land

TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2008

It is always difficult for me to leave Jerusalem. Of course I am always comforted knowing that I will be back. This time, I will be back in just a few days.

My early morning walk took me back to Mishkanot Shananim where we had welcomed the Shabbat a few days ago. This time I watched the sun rise over the Old City and into the valley of Ghenom.

We left Jerusalem under the remarkable new bridge shaped like David’s harp. It is controversial in its strikingly modern design, but I loved it at first sight. We followed for a time the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway with it bombed out relief trucks destroyed during the siege of Jerusalem in 1967. The husks are maintained as a memorial to the fallen, a reminder of the price paid for the liberation of Jerusalem, and a symbol of the precariousness of that freedom.

We connected with the new Yitzkak Rabin Highway, a trans-Israel route that will one day connect the North and South directly. Doron mentioned that they are adding new sections all the time.

We began to head south, into the Negev. I love the desert and the further south we went the more I began to feel the power of the wild lands. We passed many Bedouin tents along the way, and Rahat, a Bedouin Township. Doron spoke about the increasingly strained relationship between the Israeli Jewish community and the Israeli Bedouin community, a cause of deep concern on both sides.

We also passed Kiryat Gat where Intel maintains facilities and regularly brings many Israelis to Portland. Shalom!

We came into Beersheba, which I recalled as a sleepy desert down in the northern part of the Negev. I barely recognized it from all the new construction and the lively nature of the city. Many new immigrants have made their home in Beersheba.

Our first stop was the Israel Air Force Museum which for a aviation junkie like me was pure heaven. Every plane Israel has flown is represented there, resting on the tarmac. Our guide, Shanit, told us that the modern Israeli jet fighter can travel the full length of Israel, North to South, in about 4 minutes! That is how quickly they have to respond to any danger. We left impressed with the air power Israel possesses and the dedication of those who serve.

Our journey south continued with a stop at Sde Boker, the Kibbutz where David Ben-Gurion is buried. Doron told us moving stories as we stood by the grave of Israel’s first Prime Minister and in many ways its founder. However, it was hard to concentrate because Doron was upstaged by a family of Ibex who wanted to hear the story as well.

From Sde Boker we drove a short distance to a take a breathtaking hike through the canyon at En Avdat National Park. It was a challenging climb up a steep set of stairs and even a ladder but when we got to the top and looked down into the heart of the canyon we had just climbed, we knew it was worth it. Kudos to Bill and Tom who declared themselves the “oldest guys on the hike.”

It was a day of breathtaking views as we drove into Maktesh Ramon. A Maktesh is a unique geological feature which occurs only in Israel and Sinai. It is a huge crater-like object and we were awed by its dramatic and rugged contrasts.

From there we came to Shaharut where we were met with a group of camels ready to take us on another adventure. Two to a camel and one leading, we rode the stately beasts up a rocky trail to yet another breathtaking view, this one of the Arava, the desert area below the Dead Sea, and one of my favorite parts of the Negev. Our guides gave us a tour of the camel and its unique adaptations to desert life. I love camel riding and I think we convinced a few others.

After our return we came to a lovely retreat in Shaharut which is built in Bedouin style. There we enjoyed a desert welcome to music and stories by our hosts who are Israeli drawn to the peace and retreat of the desert. After watching a remarkable sunset over the mountains and watching the stars come out under the desert sky, we understood the appeal.

We enjoyed a lovely Bedouin style meal sitting on cushions at round tables and enjoyed each other’s company and the cool night breeze.

Two personal notes:

As we were driving to the Shaharut, we learned through the Israeli news of an attack in Jerusalem. Once again it was an East Jerusalem Palestinian driver of a construction vehicle who went berserk with his machine in the street. The attack took place right by the hotel we had just left in Jerusalem. A reminder, again, of the way terrorism touches the lives of everyone.

And even more personal: as we arrived at the retreat, standing at the edge of a cliff over the deep Arava desert, I received a call telling me that CBI member and co-President of our Sisterhood, Carol Tannenbaum had died just that morning. I was shocked and saddened when I heard the news. Just before leaving for Israel, I sat with Carol who reassured me – as she did with everyone – that she would “beat this thing,” this cancer that she had fought with such courage for so long. I carried a note from her to the Western Wall and placed it with love and prayers for her. After dinner, I gathered the group together under the deep sky and infinite desert starts and told them of her passing and how just last year I had brought her to Israel and how much she loved it here. I feel her soul and her huge heart inhabit this holy place. Zichrono l’vracha, May her Memory be a blessing.