Dead Sea (Ein Bokek, Israel) to Jerusalem

Dead Sea (Ein Bokek, Israel) to Jerusalem

31 December 2012

I awoke very early and went for a short walk around the area, a bit reflective with the end of the year upon us, as well as a bit remorseful that we only have three days left on this tour.  Fortunately, with my three Greece days afterwards, the end of this segment shouldn't seem quite as depressing as in other years, and three days in Greece, on my own, will give me a chance to unwind a bit before boarding the plane home.

We took a cable car up to the fortress of Masada, the site so sacred to the Jewish people because of the mass suicide of its people rather than submitting to slavery under Roman rule.  There is some level of debate among historians over whether or not the suicide story is authentic, though our tour guide was adamant that it was fact, not fiction.  Continuing with the historic debate, assuming the suicide story is true, many Jews today debate if suicide is warranted even under such extreme circumstances.  

On our way out of the site, we of course were herded through the gift shop, where I looked briefly at what I am told was an old Roman coin.  While somewhat interested, I scoffed at the thought when the $2000 price tag was pulled out, certificate of authenticity notwithstanding.  On a much more frugal note, I attempted to purchase a bottle of cold water, and the cashier was adamant I put back the brand name and instead take one of the local brands, as it was just as good and about a shekel (a US quarter) cheaper. 

We drove by the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls had been found during the middle of the 20th century, which we soon see in the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

A very poignant moment for me was at our next stop on the Jordan river, where story has it the John the Baptist performed his work.  As we were there, a fairly large group of pilgrims (presumably from the US) were dunking each other in the water, while on both sides of the river military guards with automatic weapons stood, nonchalantly "protecting" their respective borders, which actually was not much more than a rope down the middle of the river.  Running along the road from the highway to the river was a wire fence, with warnings of land mines just beyond it.  Again, as in the Golan Heights as well as the West Bank, I found myself fascinated to be--literally--so close to the ragged edge between Israel and hostile neighbors.  

We arrived in the Jerusalem area in the early afternoon, first visiting Mount Scopus which affords a rather panoramic view of the entire Jerusalem skyline below.  After that, we went to the Room of the Last Supper on Mount Zion, then a very short walk on to King David’s Tomb.  At this point, something surprising (to me) happened:  We were told to break into genders, with the men visiting the tomb on the left, and the women on the right.  This is a standard in Judaism, and would be repeated, again, at other sites such as the Western Wall.  The theory is that the distraction of the opposite sex is not to be endured; while I understand this to be standard in the faith, in all candor it seemed all but barbaric by my standard.  There's enough division in this world, and we don't need to promulgate this division through religious dogma.  I try to tolerate faith-based differences which I may not understand, but this sort of thing feels to me only slightly different than segregating based on skin color.

We arrived at the hotel (Leonardo Plaza Jerusalem) mid-afternoon, and we had a few hours to ourselves to explore before our night-time journey.  Much to my joy, we were right around the corner from a normal, regular, everyday supermarket!  As I have said before, any time I travel to a foreign land, one of the things I try to do is find a market where the "locals" shop so that I can see them in a day-to-day setting.  There was nothing special about it, yet months later it is one of the "sites" I remember most clearly.

Evening came, and we were off to the Western Wall for a night-time visit, sexual segregated again).  Watching the devout in a hypnotic state, bobbing their heads against the wall, was surreal.  Non-Jews were welcome to approach the wall, with the stipulation that the head be covered (loaner paper caps were provided), and we all had a chance to right a prayer on a piece of paper and place it in the wall.  

After the Wall, we drove through other parts of Jerusalem including the Orthodox section, watching as the Jewish people scurried about in the waning hours of the year.  I took a pass on the NYE party that evening as I wanted to be fresh for the next day—I came to Jerusalem to see the legacies, not to party in a hotel.

Two general observations: 

• Yes, these people are rude.  It's difficult to ascertain if this is exacerbated in Israel, or if it simply seems more pronounced as I am a foreigner in a strange land, but without a doubt there is an abruptness that is palpable.  
• I am surprised that security is so relatively light inside the country.  Perhaps the screening at the border gave them confidence, but the hotels do not have metal detectors or X-ray machines as in many other Middle Eastern countries (Egypt, Jordan), nor were there the road block cylinders.