MASADA AND MUD by Lisa Silver

We are now sitting in the Philadelphia airport, having just arrived back in the US from Tel Aviv, drinking coffee and waiting for the last leg of our trip back to Nashville. We have a little while before boarding, so I'll try and catch you up on our last day in Israel.

Yesterday morning we drove south of Jerusalem to Masada, where we ascended by cable car to the top of the mountain where King Herod built an elaborate palace, and where a group of 967 Jews held off a Roman siege for 3 years. The architectural remains of the the palace were fascinating and the views from the top were spectacular.

On to the Dead Sea! After numerous discussions about who's getting in the water, most of us were adventurous (or crazy) enough to change into our bathing suits and slather ourselves with sticky black mud, known for its healing properties, and take silly pictures before we rinsed off and braved getting into the Dead Sea. You really do totally float! And then the salty mineral water starts to itch and burn, so one can't stay in the water too long. But It was a great way to spend our last day in Israel.

We had a farewell dinner in the German Colony-a beautiful neighborhood in Jerusalem- before packing up our many souvenirs and heading for the airport. As I watched the twinkling lights of the Israeli skyline disappear from view out the airplane window, I was sad that this wonderful trip was coming to an end.

Ask your fellow congregants to show you more pictures and share their experience with you. I'm sure they will be glad tell you all about it!

Pictures are in random order.