Jerusalem on Yom Kippur

This was by no means my first Yom Kippur in Israel. I have seen major cities die from all traffic on this day, but it was the first time I was able to experience the completely empty highways.

Yom Kippur is the holiest day for Jews all over the world. In English it is usually called The Day of Atonement. It is best known as a full fasting day, lasting from sundown to sundown. It is a complete fast, meaning you can’t drink or eat anything for the 25 hours that it lasts. You are supposed to spend the day in the synagogue.

Now in Israel this is taken very seriously. In fact the whole country closes down, and I mean completely. It is more closed on this one day, than on any shabbat through the year. When I say closed down for Yom Kippur it means not just no work, for anybody, but it means no radio, no television, no entertainment of any kind, and it means no cars on the road.

Now even though a very large part of the Israeli population does not fast, all will respect this day, which means that we all accept that there is no television and radio, and none of us will drive during this day.

I can’t express this in words, and I am not sure you will really understand this, but the country becomes quiet, totally quiet., the kind of quiet the world lived with until the invention of cars. I love this quiet. It comes from having no cars on the roads, like a silent white noise that we don’t really hear, but is there all the time.

So what was different this Yom Kippur? This year I spent it with my daughter and her family on the moshav. Their moshav is right off one of Israel’s major highways, route no. 2, between Tel Aviv and Haifa.

As is the habit all over Israel, on the evening we go walking, and the children get on their bikes. They can drive everywhere without fear of cars. There are none.

So last night we walked to route no. 2, and we walked on route no. 2. The kids were racing down the three-lanes highway. The teenagers were sitting on the barrier separating the north bound lane from the south bound lane. The younger children were drawing on the tarmac of the highway. This went on very late, and continued the next day, at least the biking.

We hung around there for a couple of hours together with a great number of other residents of the moshav. And in all that time we only saw two cars, both of them police cars with their flashing blue lights.

I had wanted to bring my video camera to document this extraordinary scene. Now I am truly sorry that I didn’t, because I know none of the people there would have minded. So it will have to wait till next Yom Kippur for me to show you how a country can close down completely for 24 hours, and have bicycles races on the highways. The two pictures I found on google will have to do.

Jerusalem

One of the most popular travel websites, Trip Advisor, recently set up a list of top 10 culture and sightseeing destinations. No, sorry to say, Jerusalem did not make number uno, but a proud number seven.

The list was compiled following a survey on the site.

This is what they have to say about Jerusalem:

Religious pilgrims have been traveling to Jerusalem for centuries, yet you don’t have to share their zeal in order to appreciate this city’s profound cultural and historical significance. Plan on seeing the major sights, but also leave plenty of time to walk through the streets and simply immerse yourself in the daily life of such an ancient and revered place.

On a personal note, I must tell you that Jerusalem has developed its own very special after hours life. More and more young, secular people are returning to Jerusalem, and creating something new and exciting.

So when you feel you can’t take more culture and history and religion, relax in one of the cities excellent eating places, or go our for a drink somewhere. There are too many for me to recommend here.

Tel Aviv

This follows a no less honorable place for Tel Aviv, as one of the top 10 Beach Cities in the world, by the prestigious magazine National Geographic.

This is what they say about Tel Aviv:

Call it Miami Beach on the Med. Tel Aviv is the Dionysian counterpart to religious Jerusalem. In the “bubble,” as it’s known for its
inhabitants’ tendency to tune out regional skirmishes, some restaurants, discos, and clubs are open until dawn. By day, the scene
shifts to the city’s promenade and eight miles (13 kilometers) of beach literally steps from town. Head to wide and sandy Gordon
Beach to sit in a seaside cafe or take a dip in the saltwater pool.

So if you are looking for a holiday that should include both history, culture and religion, as well as time for relaxing and a night out, all
within a hour of each other, Israel is your place.

Eilat

And just in. BBC Travel in conjunction with Loney Planet has come up with a list of 10 weirdest bars and restaurants. Yes, Israel is again on the list, this time as number two with the Red Sea Star in Eilat.

This is what they have to say about this place:

The Red Sea Star is a bit like Stromberg’s underwater lair in the 1977 James Bond flick The Spy Who Loved Me – which is unsurprising considering that it is 5m below the Red Sea in Israel. The interior of this bar-restaurant feels somewhat reminiscent of a mermaid’s lounge, with fishy fantasy motifs – including jellyfish-shaped stools and starfish-shaped lights – and huge windows through which curious (or possibly vengeful) fish and other marine creatures eyeball the customers eyeballing their seafood platters. If you crane your neck, you might see a ship overhead from time to time. Landlubbers will be relieved to find the rooftop Metro Bar is open 7pm-3am, the underwater bar opens from 10am; details at www.redseastar.com.

Of course, while in Eilat, you may enjoy some water sports and scupa diving, or snorkling. Or take in a desert tour. Or just use the beaches, or its amazing night life.

And if you do this in the winter, you could include a ski trip on the Hermon Mountain, with ski lift and all.

So there you have it. Culture, history, religion – Jerusalem. Beach city – Tel Aviv. Weird eating place – Eilat. I wonder what else we may have for us to be included in top ten.
What about the Dead Sea, for Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Friday morning a couple of weeks ago the Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv hosted a food market. From the look of it most shoppers were happy and content, and even more so when they got the surprise of their lives.

Among the shoppers were members of the Israel Philharmonics and its choir.

The noise level at such events is quite high, but the Philharmonics managed to quieten everybody when it struck up the chords and full version of Verdi’s Il Trovatore and Rigoletto.

I was not there, but saw the news broadcast in the evening. And when I saw the clip on YouTube, I knew I had to share it with others.

So let nobody tell you that Israel doesn’t have talent and initiative. Enjoy!

Tel Aviv courtesy treybarrow.com

Just last year, 2009, Tel Aviv celebrated its centennial. But that is the modern city.

Who would think of Tel Aviv as hiding old treasures? Of having people living there thousands of years ago?

During the preparation for construction of a new apartment complex in the Ramat Aviv neighborhood of Tel Aviv, remains of prehistoric buildings were uncovered. The buildings are estimated to be 7.800-8.400 years old. Artifacts estimated to be between 13.000 and 100.000 years old were also found.

They were excavated by Ayelet Dayan on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). According to Dayan these find are both “important and surprising” for understanding this period.

“For the first time, we have encountered evidence of a permanent habitation that existed in the Tel Aviv region 8,000 years ago,” she said. “The site is located on the northern bank of the Yarkon River, not far from the confluence with Nahal Ayalon. It is assumed that this fact
influenced the ancient settlers in choosing a place to live. The fertile alluvium soil along the fringes of the streams was considered a preferred location for a settlement in ancient periods.”

The building uncovered had at least three rooms, and is from the neolithic period (New Stone Age), a time when man was beginning to move from a nomadic life style of hunting and gathering to a settled life style, based on agriculture.

Among the artifacts found were flint tools such as sickle blades and flakes, the left-overs from tool production. Other finds are a basalt bowl and animal bones and teeth, including hippopotamus teeth.

Blessed be modern development for bringing another important archaeological site to light.

I have not been able to find pictures of the reported finds to show you.

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On November 19-20, 2009 Israel will  hold the first ever “Food for Thought” Conference.
The topic of the conference is to make us think about our food, not just what to make for dinner today, but rather what kind of food are we eating, how it’s grown and distributed.

The conference will have a cook-down on making the tastiest meal with the lowest carbon footprint. There will also be talks on climate, agriculture, water, energy, consumerism and culture. The featured speaker will be Ruti Ozeki, author of “My Year of Meats” (1998), about two women living in Japan and America and connecting over a TV cooking show.

All this will take place in the Tel Aviv Harbor. To participate there is a need to register and pre-pay. For more information (in Hebrew) go to foodforthought.org.il

The conference is organized and sponsored by the Arava Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry for the Protection of the Environment, Eretz Ahavati (The Land of My Love).

B’Teavon (good appetite)