Israel...the agony and the ecstasy

7/28/2019 Israel...the agony and the ecstasy

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Israel 2008Take it to the limit, one more time... -The Eagles

Thursday, May 22 Haifa

12:44 am

Full immersion baptism! Referring to cultural and religious diversity. Fifteen hour work day from 7

am to 10 pm. Fully exposed to elements of Judaism and Islam from all over Europe, North Africa

and the Middle East. Visited city ofSafedand the holy site of Cabala founder,Rabbi Shimon Bar

Yochai, revered by a few famous actors like Madonna, Britney Spears

and Demi Moore. Even toured theBahaitemple. Too much at this

point to assimilate. Need time and perspective to dig deeper. Upon

first blush, my thoughts are that people seem to be each living in

relative harmony according to their inherited belief systems. We ate

unforgettable falafel, owned by an Arab Christian Israeli. The Arabdistrict seemed stable and peaceful with a mix of various ethnic

groups. I took 325 photos and a couple hours of video.

An interesting footnote, the festival we visited today was about six

miles from the border of Lebanon where much rocket fire happened over the past couple years. The

people we met today exhibited a wariness and weariness upon first blush. A few were openly hostile

to cameras. According to Sigal, our Israeli team producer, they just dont want to get hurt. They

feel the media has misrepresented Israel often. After introductions from our guides and local

representatives most were warm, outgoing and fun loving. Once they know your intentions are

good, they treat you like family, Sigal explained.


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Friday, May 23 Haifa2:30am

Nineteen-hour day starting with 4km run, swim in the

Mediterranean and finally three sets of dips and pull-

ups. Kosher breakfast was an amazing assortment of

salads, herring, omelets, soft and

hard cheeses, fresh bread

and juices and way too

many other items. There

was even an orthodox

gentleman waiting to

prepare toasted sandwiches!

Safed:

For hundreds of years, some

said 175 and I heard another say over 500, the torahhas been carried from one village to the mountaintop.

Originally carried by hand with much singing, dancing

and celebrating, some with libations in hand, these

sacred scrolls are now transported by car after several

highly anticipated stops along the way. We marched

with celebrants from the rabbis home and through

the village. Clarinet, accordion and snare drum

worked us into a two-step mood. Periodic outbursts

of singing, twirling, clapping, shouts and whistles

helped ease us through the streets. I found myself

caught up in the celebratory mood for my own

personal reasons, having been delighted by periodic

scripture reading throughout my adult life.

Lag Baomer Festival:

We asked several folks about the number of people

attending that evening. Again, the approximate

number was in doubt as we heard claims of up to a

half million. What I do know is that we experienced

one of the most powerful mosh pits Ive ever seen.Perhaps only a village celebration in Sicily can rival

this in terms of shear density. Since the men were

separated from women higher up the hill, many

mothers were pushing a stroller with three to five

small children in tow. My heart went out to them!

Listen to your enemy, for God is talking

-Jewish Proverb


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Friday, May 23 Nazareth7:34 am

Hometown of Jesus! This wonderfully intoxicating dream that is Zion and Israel to the Christian: all

nations and cultures living in harmony under God. Cruel joke or a worthy aspiration? Impossible,

apart from divine intervention. I am completely undone by my first visit to a muslim and arab

enclave, downtown Nazareth. Our exceptional guide, Tareq, a self-described atheistic Palestinian

Arab, guided our team masterfully through Christian, Arab-Muslim and Arab-Christian sites. The

most thrilling experience was late in the evening when I had to return to the bus solo as the muezzin

was calling all to prayer from atop the mosquesminaret. The conditioned response from too much

negative media was that this should be an unstable situation. Alone.American. Immersed in a sea of humanity. Most must hate me,

right?! Welcome! Welcome... was the predominant response I

got to making eye contact. Most women of course are trained to

look away, unless they were younger or more cosmopolitan.

The overwhelming feeling was that the Arab culture was thriving

even under Israeli occupation as the black 1948 shirts suggested.

In response to Israels 60th anniversary celebrated last week, native

Palestinians observed a black day remembrance of their own: 60

years of oppression. Tareq rightly observed that it was Israeli

officers protecting their freedom to peacefully assemble and offer

dissent - something muslim countries would not tolerate without

official and often brutal suppression. His parents generation

suffered the relocation of over 500 villages to larger muslim enclaves, so to them the term

oppression took on a different meaning. Today, we witnessed muslim, jew and Christian living in

relative harmony and mutual affection with a tense undercurrent in various sectors.

An army of sheep lead by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.

-Arab Proverb


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Tuesday, May 27 Jerusalem6:27 am

Information overload. Convergence yesterday of

three major religions. Intensity, passion, outrageous

behavior... Jerusalem has it all. One flash point I

experienced was a middle-aged

tourist - looked American and in

his 50s - told a jewish beggar to

get a job and then made the

sign of the cross as a priest might

give a devotee. For a religious Jew,

the worst kind of insult. Enraged

and indignant, the beggar yelled a

stream of profanity that got my

attention. I walked up the steps to see what washappening and saw the beggar throw a huge stream of

saliva in the guys face followed by another unbroken

stream of profanity, to the horror of the tourists wife

standing beside. Next, I saw a scuffle and towards me

came an expensive camera lens with the guy assaulted

walking down quickly to retrieve its broken remains.

I asked the bum what happened and he explained in a

few words of English and a lot of gesturing.

For the most part, our team has been working

nonstop since we arrived. This has left very little time

for the necessities of life, like reading, writing,

sleeping and laundry. Upon arriving from Jerusalem

last night, Marc and I met an Israeli family whose

daughter is the editor of the television series we are

shooting. We walked along the beach to a fashionable

nightspot playing hip music and serving the basic

food and alcohol fare.

Dead Sea

Am now traveling the length of this desolate outpostof the planet. The famous Masada fortress is on my

right. Here, Jewish zealots made their last stand, fully

outnumbered by the Romans. We will film here

tomorrow after a night at a Dead Sea spa. Prior to

this we filmed at the most incredible oasis Ive ever

seen. This lush botanical garden rests in the middle

of the most inhospitable places imaginable - dozens,

maybe hundreds - of miles of salted landscape.


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Truth may walk through the world unharmed. -Bedouin proverb

Wednesday, May 28 Dead Sea12:58 pm

Incredible, dry, desolate place, the Dead Sea. 100+ degrees Fahrenheit. Split down the middle with

Jordan, it is said unwary floaters have been blown to the opposite shore only to be greeted by rifles

and uncertain prospects for their return to Israel. In a show of force, American-built F-16s fly over

in formation every couple hours. Its an impressive and perhaps frightening display for those who

mean harm to Israel. The only natural inhabitants are bedouin tribes

further up the windswept desert plains. Their natural inclination is towander the stark landscape with their family tribe with no thought to

national sovereignty. More recently, theyve been forced to settle in

semi-permanent encampments, which resemble the poor shanty towns

of Africa and Southeast Asia, due to the closing of national borders.

Our bus driver,Momdouch, in Arabic meaning one who is..., explained

that these are not poor, they prefer to sleep outside in tents. He said

he also preferred to sleep in a tent, but now owned a home. Reminded

me of the sentiments Native American might make. Each enclave

dotted over the stark landscape seemed to have several camels parked outside, ready for action.

The Jewish kibbutz ofEn Gediis perhaps one of the most remarkable places on planet earth.

Situated on top of a natural aquifer, this remains the only botanical garden with a thriving

community, according to its mayor, a tough, well-loved guy ironically named Dove. He claims this

area as the largest natural spa in the world with the only combination of filtered sunlight, 8% more

oxygen and bromine, heat to relax and salt minerals for therapy. At 1200 feet below sea level the

atmosphere filters many harmful rays, apparently. I felt entirely relaxed, as if I were home in the

wheat farming town of Walla Walla, Washington, USA. No stress with this much dry heat!


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IsraelAll the lovely people, where do they all

come from? -John Lennon

Saturday, May 31 Toarmina, Sicily6:34 am

The film crew left at 5 am this morning and Im

missing the excitement already! Filmmaking is an

intoxicating brew of places and faces. Each person

you film exhibits an emotional component related to

their level of being self-aware, in my observation.

Some ignore the camera, being too self-absorbed to

care, some hide due to shame or guilt, some blossom

and shine in their self-confidence, some stalk the

camera due to vanity or an

over-developed need to be

validated. In all, the

camera tends to bring out

the best in people. Its

their 15 minutes of fame

and a wonderful way to celebrate ordinary people who

have perhaps been unrecognized for their sacrifices to

the community. When used with sensitivity, the

camera reveals the mystery and wonder of a life well

lived, with all its blemishes, mistakes, regrets and

achievements. My final word on Israel is that here are

seven million beautiful people, from almost every

nation on the globe, arriving for reasons unknown to

most, whether religious or secular, noble or profane.

All are gathered due to the promise of a better life -

otherwise, they would have remained in their

homelands. Most are enjoying a better life, even

native Palestinians will agree, replete with hardships,

discriminations and abuses. Israel is an idea, a dream

to most, of a place without pogroms, death camps,

suffering, scarcity. This place in the heart is age-old

and unwilling to die. Israelis continue to believe that

this is their land of milk and honey. I have certainly

tasted of this land, and it is a good - not perfect -

place that has a bright future if peace can flourish.


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Israel...the agony and the ecstasy

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