Day 1

Visiting Jaffa, The Valley of Elah-King David and Beersheba

Visiting Jaffa, The Valley of Elah-King David, Beersheba, and overnight at the Dead Sea

Jaffa

Our group departed at 8:40 am this morning and with only a few hours to adjust to the time difference from the states, seven hours ahead for us, getting up at 6 am today 12 am East Coast time came with more than a few moans from my better half; I know it’s shocking to hear but true. However, today, and tomorrow we can be casual as no holy sites will be visited. As is required, when visiting a holy site, one’s clothing is more conservative. Women must not bear their shoulders or elbows and dresses must be below the knee as a minimum. Shoes are closed toes. While men cannot be in shorts or tank tops (no man should be in a tank top anywhere in public over 18 years old period.) and the same with shoes. This comes as a welcomed relief as we are in the midst of a heat wave and expected temperatures are to exceed 95 today and 100 tomorrow. Now I know all our friends will say “At least it is a Dry Heat” and it is true it is dry, but it is very hot and with the low humidity one tends to dehydrate quickly. In fact, one person fainted today on a short walk, but more about that later. The fact is it’s HOT!! 

Breakfast was at a beautiful spot just across from our hotel on the beach. The views of the Mediterranean Ocean were spectacular including a group of young Israeli youth surfing what seemed to be very small waves as compared to Hawaii or California. What the surfers lacked in strong waves were made up by the beauty of the Med and surrounding area lush with flowers and beaches. I wish we could have had more time this morning to relax, but we were reminded that the schedule will be maintained, and the first stop was a suburb of Tel Aviv called Jaffa.

Jaffa is historically significant and traces its origins back to 7,500 BC. You read that right, up to now I have always thought our house in Atlanta, built in 1968 is old…My mind cannot fathom that the town has structures still standing after this amount of time and when I look out over the horizon I wonder what the Hittites, Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, and British to name a few were thinking 100, 200, 5,000 years ago standing in this same spot as I am. 

A fun fact here, as I observe the hustle and bustle seen on the streets and shops, I remember as a child my family and I would buy Jaffa Oranges to support the young state of Israel. Why Jaffa oranges, first, they are from Israel, secondly, they have a very thick skin and inside are very sweet and juicy. The thick skins kept the fruit from becoming damaged hence easy to export. Sadly, just like in Orlando FL the oranges groves once so plentiful here in Jaffa have been replaced with new housing and shopping projects, in fact only one large grower is left in Israel according to our Israeli guide Yaron and is in all places the Golan Heights.  Enough of my childhood memories and now more on Jaffa.

Modern day Jaffa is as our group is told perplexing and complex just like the nation of Israel. The   city is home to both Arabs and Jews living together in peace and prosperity and the city has become a very desirable place to live full of museums, artisans, and restaurants. 15 years ago it was called the slums of Tel Aviv. Another point of interest is that Israel in the times of antiquity was known as the land in-between.        Why In-Between, because it was surrounded by three competing powers in ancient times with trade all occurring with transit through the land bridge Israel was. 

In Religious significance there are two key events that took place in Jaffa separated by 800  years. They give us a starting point to consider the heart and mind of God as we encounter his Covenant with the Jewish people and his love of all. The first is the biggest “fish tale” I have ever heard and the second, an unlikely dream/vision. If you have not guessed it, the fish tale is the story of Jonah and the Whale, and I am not going to spoil the meaning or the ending for you. Great read, so if you have not read it, it can be found in the Old Testament or at your local Children’s book store, your choice.

The second event involved one of Jesus’ most important leaders, the Apostle Peter. Again, I am not going to spoil the reading or meanings found in these historical and biblical passages, but it has to do with what was thought as clean and unclean, setting the stage for discussions around the meaning of the Chosen People, Commitments, Exclusive Love, and Inclusive love for all people. To this day you can find significant debate around these religious precepts. This was a perfect way to start our day developing a dialogue with one another jew and gentile on the meaning of faith, commitment and love. With that, we boarded our bus and headed to the Valley of Elah to the very place where a young Jewish boy and a Giant met on a battlefield.