THE MANY LAYERS OF JERUSALEM by Lisa Silver

We have had such action packed days that it's hard to remember what we've done each day! We spent most of the day yesterday in the Old City, on a walking tour with our wonderful guide, Mike Hollander.

We were amazed toward how much has been excavated in the past 30 years. We went back in time about 2000 years to an ancient street, walked through the Cardo, the world's oldest shopping arcade, and on through the central square of the Jewish quarter; we rounded a corner just in time to see a beautiful rainbow over the golden dome. Lots of oohs and ahs from the group! We ate lunch in the Jewish quarter (if I haven't mentioned this already - I have decided that I am on a quest to eat at every falafel stand in Jerusalem) before an incredible tour of the Western Wall Tunnel, which runs under the Western Wall alongside the Temple Mount. Our Tunnel guide was part teacher, part actress and a total hoot!

We walked through the Christian quarter, including the Via Dolorosa.

After returning to our hotel we had a most interesting dialog with scholar Paul Liptz of the Tel Aviv University and Hebrew Union College about the current state and complexities of politics and economics in Israel. Our brains and senses are full!

Pictures are in random order

JERUSALEM! By Lisa Silver

We arrived in Jerusalem yesterday after driving through Tiberias on the banks of the Kinneret (The Sea of Galilee). We paid honor to the founders of Zionism at the beautiful Kinneret Cemetery. We drove south through the West Bank, where Sue Snyder took advantage of a rest stop to run across the road to ride a camel while we got coffee and snacks!

We stopped at Mt. Scopus for our first panoramic view of Jerusalem to say a Shehecheyanu and kiddush. We arrived in Jerusalem in time to watch the hustle and bustle at the Machane Yehuda Market as everyone was preparing for Shabbat. Then a brisk walk through the old city to the Western Wall in time to join thousands of people from all around the world. We ended the day back at our beautiful Hotel Mamila for our own Shabbat dinner and some singing.

Today we had many options--some chose to get a little extra rest, some attended Shabbat services, some went to the fascinating Israel Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls, some went to the wild and crazy Shuk (the outdoor market), some went on a walking tour of the Old City.

The Old City of Jerusalem attracts tourists from all around the world and pilgrims from every religion who are visiting their Holy Land. It's crowded and busy and you can feel the energy.

We ended the day with a rooftop Havdallah service, followed by a fantastic dinner prepared by Michael Ochs' good friend Chef Johnny. Another full day tomorrow, walking through the old city. We will all be in need of foot massages next week!

Photos are in random order

THE HEIGHTS OF DEFENSE by Lisa Silver

Thursday was another full day! We drove the winding roads up through the Golan Heights, for a rare visit with members of Battalion 75, an Israeli Defense Force tank unit. We had the privilege of meeting with Sharon, a leader of The Friends of the IDF. We were all very impressed by the young men who are in training to defend the people and land of Israel. They were very pleased to have a visit from us, and spoke with us about their lives in the service. Some of us were daring enough to climb on the tanks! (Sorry, we were requested to not post pictures online, but I'm sure your Micah friends will be glad to show you!)

We then climbed even higher to the tip of the Golan Heights, to the Syria/Lebanon border, where our tour guide Mike gave us a history lesson about the 6 Day War and the Yom Kippur War. In fact, every day with Mike and the Rabbis is chock full of information about the history, geography, and politics of this complex region.

We wound our way back down through the hills (pass the Dramamine, please)..... And took a break for falafel and schwarma at an Israeli strip mall in Rosh Pina.Yes, folks, they have them there, too. Then up even higher hills to the very old city of S'fat, also spelled Zevat, Safed, Tzfat. However it's spelled, it is the center of Kabbalistic mysticism, and a busy artist's colony. And you can get fresh squeezed pomegranate juice by the glass! We saw a beautiful sunset, before a sleepy bus ride home to our lovely Kibbutz hotel, Pastoral K'far Blum in the Hula Valley. After dinner we sang some songs and shared a little bit about how our Israel journey is affecting us in ways both expected and unexpected.

FROM THE COLON TO THE GOLAN by Lisa Silver

A most interesting day! We said goodbye to Tel Aviv, and boarded our bus to the Roman ruins of Caesarea, the summer home of King Herod, on the Mediterranean Sea.The Hippodrome ruins were only discovered 15 years ago! We also walked through a many centuries old Crusader city. Then on to Ben Yakir Youth Village outside of Nashville's sister city, Hadera (see earlier post).

We stopped for an hour at the high tech Israeli company Given Imaging in Yokneam, Israel's Silicon Valley. Given Imaging invented the Pillcam, an amazing device for gastro intestinal video imaging. Which means you can swallow a camera in a pill and get a clear picture all the way down and out!

Then after a sleepy bus ride into the Upper Galilee, we are now at a lovely Kibbutz hotel close to the Jordan River near the Golan Heights, which is close to the borders of Syria and Lebanon.

Another fabulous Israeli meal, pics below ( in random order) of the buffet and our day! More exploring tomorrow.

At risk youth in Israel...

The confidence of these young boys grew right in front of us as they sang for us in the community synagogue. We had lunch with several of the students who had visited Nashville in the past as part of our partnership with our sister city. It is wonderful to see first hand where some of our Federation dollars are donated. The community is very thankful of our support and of the Get Connected program!

-Rabbi Flip

The Gates of Haders

We have entered the city of Hadera, our sister city and are excited to reunite with old friends.

-Rabbi Flip