Post Ride Travels

I suppose that this entry will be of most interest to my friends from Usha74 (though we will start with our trip to Petra in Jordan).  For those readers who don’t know, I was part of a group of college students that arrived at Kibbutz Usha in January (I think) of 1974 as the first iteration of a program with Haifa University.  It was an experiment to see whether more students (well, Dennis excepted, more Jewish students) could be encouraged to become part of the kibbutz movement.  We pretended to study two days a week at the University, and lived and worked on the kibbutz the rest of the week.  That was the beginning of an 18 month stint I spent living and studying in Israel.

Anyway, Petra was a very cool place to visit.  It is a narrow slice of desert in Jordan that was part of the Nabatean spice route (note the connection to the makhtesh at Mitzpe Ramon).  In the steep sides of the mountain are carved burial caves, temples and other strange and wonderful structures.  For Indiana Jones fans, think The Last Crusade, which was filmed there on site.  It is truly a Wonder of the World, and should be seen…though once is probably enough,  Afterwards to a dump of a hotel in Aqaba - the Jordanian city on the opposite side of the Gulf of Aqaba from Eilat.  Next day to Wadi Rom.  A wadi is a riverbed - though mostly dry since this is the desert.  This part of the desert has taller mountains than the Israeli side, and is very dramatic.  It was both the historical and film location for some of Lawrence of Arabia’s adventures.  The main attraction is the jeep ride they take you on deep into the desert, and the opportunity to stop an climb into the dunes and mountains.

Crossing into Jordan is an experience.  We are driven to the border by our Israeli guides.  After going  through passport control, we walk a hundred yards or so through no-man’s land and then Welcome to Jordan, where we are met by our Jordanian guide.  They take our passports for an hour or so for “processing,” which is really an excuse to make us wait and spend money at the cheap gift/coffee shop.  Most of us resist.

Jordan is a kingdom.  There are huge pictures of King Abdullah all over the place (also his father Hussein), and our guide tells us that the king really does hold all the power, even though there is an elected legislature.  It is a Muslim country, but our guide assures us that women are given as much freedom and equality as possible.  All of this notwithstanding, we must remember that Jordan is one of only two Arab countries (Egypt is other) to sign a peace treaty with Israel.  It is not exactly a warm peace, but it is peace.

After Jordan, back across the border for another night in Eilat (it is nice to see the Goodbye from Jordan sign, and wonderful to pass the one that says Welcome to Israel).  A short flight to Tel Aviv, pick up a car rental, and off to Usha!

I’ve not been back since 1978 when Robin and I visited.  The town of Kiryat Ata has exploded in size.  Used to be a healthy walk from the kibbutz into town.  Now the town has grown right up to the edge of the kibbutz.  The kibbutz itself is a combination of the old, which I remember, and much that is newer - houses and other buildings.  Our old dorm, which used to stand alone, is now crowded by the eyeglass factory, and is itself overgrown with trees and vegetation.  The community has joined most other kibbutzim in abandoning the communal lifestyle that was the hallmark of the movement.  Gone is the communal dining room.  Members own their own homes (though like cooperatives in the states, resale is restricted), and there are many people renting homes on the grounds who are not members - just people who have found a convenient suburb in which to live.   Most members now work at various occupations off the site.  The agriculture and dairy operation is licensed to outside entities.  Truth be told, the place looks a bit shabby.  Avner and Nancy both agree on this.  While some folks miss the community feeling that used to pervade, they seem to accept this evolutionary step in kibbutz life.

The memories of our time as young volunteers, and the friends who remain at Usha are what will keep me tied to that place.  It was wonderful to get reacquainted with Avner and Aviva and to spend time with Nancy and her family.  A special treat, the result of the death at age 92 of one of the kibbutz elders, was that Marlis came in from Germany and we got to spend an hour or so catching up.

And of course, there was biking.  Avner is an avid rider (he rides up the Carmel to Haifa for fun!), and he took us on a lovely ride up the coast to the border with Lebanon.  Then this morning he and I went out for another ride into the hills behind and around Usha (Israelis are big into off-road biking).  It was an opportunity to see parts of this area that I had never seen before.  And it felt good to be riding again (ok, perhaps I have become just a little bit more than just an enthusiast.).  Top on my list for the next trip is to spend as much time as Avner will give riding with him through the north of the country.

The time allotted to this visit is slipping away.  We left Usha and headed back towards Tel Aviv for lunch with Reuven, who was our American group leader in 1974.  Reuven is a kind soul, and so full of interesting stories and experiences.  I wish we had more time with him.  Reuven is a hiker - so also at the top of my list is to spend time hiking with him through the land that he has come to know by foot.

A quick dinner with my cousin Hagai and our friends Rachel and Zeev in Tel Aviv (Yaffo, actually), and to the airport.  As I write this last entry, we are in the air on our way back to the states.

It has been a wonderful trip.

Shalom,

Lester

Ride Postscript

So here are a few random reflections on the ride: 

• A GPS would be a really cool thing to have - on the other hand, do I really want to know I’m climbing a 12% grade?
• Next time get a granny gear for that 12% grade
• It’s amazing how quickly a community forms among relative strangers when it gets really HOT (did I mention before that it was HOT?)
• Organization is everything (Nancy is amazing that way)
• Butt butter takes on a whole new meaning after about 200 miles.
• Petra is amazing, but Jordan is not Israel. 

I am so impressed with how this group of riders, with widely differing skills, experience and interests became a community over just a few days.  That being said, riding for me, even in a group, tends to be a more individual experience. Perhaps because I am among neither the strongest nor the weakest riders, I often find myself riding alone.  This is not a bad thing.  I enjoy taking in the environment and the sights, and I appreciate the time to think and experience a ride privately.  So while it was really nice to chat with my fellow riders along the way, I was grateful for the long stretches of riding alone. 

I achieved my goals for this trip.  I have renewed my connection to the Land.  I was pleased and comforted at how familiar Jerusalem felt after so many years.  My visit to the Western Wall and to Yad VaShem re-established important emotional and spiritual ties.  Most significant of course was the ride and the important causes for which we rode. This was a physical challenge like none I have ever faced before, and notwithstanding getting sick on the second day, I am more than satisfied with how I met it.  I was able to absorb the desert in a whole new way.  I have written before that there is nothing like experiencing a place from the seat of a bicycle; all of the senses are directly engaged: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.  The combination of that visceral experience with the power of the desert is so much more than the sum of those two parts.  The north of Israel is beautiful, but the south is staggeringly so.  

I was glad I had a chance to see Petra in Jordan.  If you have the opportunity to see this Wonder of the World, do not pass it up.  It was wonderful that Robin was able to join me for the end of the ride and this part of trip.  On the other hand, you should avoid the dump we stayed in in Aqaba.  

Ben Simon and I achieved a mini-Usha74 reunion, and I have had the opportunity to spend time on the kibbutz after 36 years (Avner took Robin and me on a bike trip up the coast to the border with Lebanon today; I will shamelessly add those miles to my total to get over the 300 mile mark.)  Much has changed there, but the memories are warm. 

I am sure that more reflections will come to me in the weeks and months to come, but while I don’t want to accept that this intense experience is over, the time for daily entries has passed.  And so it is with real reluctance that I close my Israel Ride blog.  

I hope you have enjoyed the ride.

L’hitraot

Lester

EILAT!!!!!!!!!! (sorry for the late post)

10/25: Morning at Kibbutz Kutera dawned clear and crisp.  The moon has been full, and it was still out over the mountains as the sun rose.  A vision of grandeur among grand visions.  A little bit more about Kutera before we move on.  I spoke at dinner with one of the founding members. The kibbutz was founded in the early 1970’s by a group of young American Jews who were making aliyah. They started out as a traditional agricultural commune (kibbutzim are communal settlements), and always had an environmental bent.  As teens growing up in the American in the 1960’s, they were involved in the peace movement in the states, so it was natural that as they developed their community, their commitment to peace and the environment would leave to the development of the Arava Institute, which now forms a large part of the kibbutz operation.  They are developing a solar energy business (did I mention that we are in the desert - where there is a lot of sun, and it is HOT?).  I think I wrote earlier that one of the students at the Institute from Jordan is planning on a joint venture between the Arava solar energy project and a company he is starting at home.

After a traditional kibbutz breakfast in the communal dining room, an important decision needs to be made.  I neglected in yesterday’s post to describe the ride into the kibbutz.  Kutera sits in the Arava - that part of the desert that borders with Jordan on one side and Egypt on the other, and it is in a valley.  If you are on top of the mountains, as we were, you have to ride down in order to get into a valley, so down we went - a 4 mile rapid descent of about 380 meters.  It was a  thrilling arrival, made better by dozens of Arava students waving us in.  But there is only one way out.  Back up the hill.  They call it the meshuga (crazy) hill.  Do I ride up, or take the bus??  What the hell, I’ll give it a try.  Maybe it was the cool morning, or maybe the inspiration of the setting, but it wasn’t so bad (took an hour, but who’s counting - after all, it’s a ride, not a race!)

The rest of the day was a series of rolling hills as we gradually climbed to a high peak on the border with Egypt for lunch - spectacular views into the Sinai.  Then the last push before the descent into Eilat, which has developed from the little backwater I remember into a bustling beach resort.  As we begin the steep ride down (two at a time), the crystal clear water comes into view.  We are almost there.

Our triumphant finish was marred by a very bad crash.  One rider lost control of his bike on the way down and flipped over his handle bars.  He was seriously injured, and is in our prayers.  Though our pride at having finished this remarkable ride is tinged with sadness over our friend’s injuries, we are still in a festive mood, and there is much celebration.  For me, an extra special ending, as Robin is waiting at the end, cheering us in.  I could hear her cheers before I could see her, and there she was at the last turn before the beach.  What a treat!!!

But there is also work to be done.  Bikes have to disassembled and packed for the trip home (reverse of the scene in Jerusalem).  You might think that this would feel sad as we face the end of this extraordinary experience, but the spirit of the group remains as we help each other wrestle our bikes into travel boxes.  And we are tired, and most of us are ready to be off the bike seats for a while.

We had a festive dinner, which included a slide show of the photos taken along the way (there were two wonderful women on staff who are photographers).  We will be getting a CD of the show, and it will probably be on the Arava website.  I will see if I can figure out how to share it when I can.

Then the group begins to disperse.  A few folks have already left; some are leaving tomorrow.  Robin and I are going to Petra in Jordan for a two day trip, and then on to Kibbutz Usha where I spent 6 months in 1974.  Ben Simon, who has been on the ride with us was in that group, and he will be going to Petra as well.  It’ll be nice to spend some more time with him.

I have been using lots of superlatives throughout this blog.  The only problem is that the words cannot convey what has really gone on.  It has been remarkable, spectacular, striking, amazing, and more.  As the ride as ended, I know I will need some more time to reflect on the ride and what it has meant to me.  I will write a bit more as the next few days roll by (and will share the experience of Petra as well) - though I don’t know when I will have a chance to post.  And when I get home I will put together more photos that I will show as well.  I hope you will check back in from time to time.

Thank you for sharing this time with me.

L’hitraot,

Lester

A Few shots from today

No turning back.

Out of order, but...

Davening on the edge

Sunrise over the Makhtesh

A climb

A Spectacular Day!

Today was simply spectacular.  I confess that I have not been davening (praying) every day, at least not in the formal sense of attending the daily morning service.  However the prospect of joining this community of riders in morning prayer overlooking the Makhtesh was not to be missed.  It was a chilly 5:45 am when we put on our tallitot and teffilin at the overlook, climbed over the protective wall, and joined in song, drumming and prayer.  Watching the sun come up over the Makhtesh, with the sky and landscaping changing color by the minute was a deeply moving moment.  (I am not sure if I will get to pictures tonight, but I just Googled “Makhtesh Ramon,”  and the one of the first links is of images.  Look at them!)

Unsure of what would top that, we set off, 2 at a time, down a hair-raising descent into the Makhtesh.  Don’t know how long it was, but it seemed to go on forever, and very fast.  For the next hour of so we rode through the floor of the Makhtesh, past hundreds of millions of years of geological formations and wonders.  I really can’t describe the sights in words - and I did not take many pictures along that route - so, like I said, go to Google!  We did pass a jeep parked off the road under a tree with a small group of people  sitting at a table drinking coffee.  It reminded me of the tour we took with the kids (I think it was 11 years ago) to the bottom, and then off road, when the guide pulled under a tree and set up coffee and tea for us.  I wonder if it was the same guide.

We had a couple of difficult climbs - the first one climbing out of the Makhtesh (what goes down, must go up!) - Although we exited the lower end, so it was not quite as high a climb as was the descent - but it was steep!  (I can’t possibly write about how these things are formed… they did tell us how the erosion worked over hundreds of millions of years… suffice it to say that we started at the top, and went out at the bottom.)

The rest of the day was a continuation of the spectacular experience that is the desert.  I wrote about the inspiration that is the desert.  I suppose that what made today even better was that the ride was not quite to hard, and there were 3 or 4 dramatic descents as we rode from Mitzpeh Ramon.  A difference in elevation of 800 - 900 meters.  We were able to ride at a good clip and take in the wonders around us.

Tonight we are at Kibbutz Kutera, home of the Arava Institute.  The descent into the kibbutz is another very steep 4 mile descent.  We are challenged to ride out tomorrow.  The call it the Meshuga (crazy) Hill.  But it is good to see the thing we are riding to support (and that so many of you pledged in support of as well).

Tomorrow we leave for Eilat, our final destination.  Robin is in Jerusalem visiting our cousins, and she will meet us as we ride in.  I can’t wait!

L’hitraot,

Lester

Shabbat in Mitzpe Ramon

Today was Shabbat  - no riding.  Got to sleep a little late, rest, read, got a massage, a little bit of services.  At Mitzpe Ramon there is the Makhtesh - it’s not a crater, it’s a mazhtesh, an erosion crater.  It is one of the Wonders of the World .  It used to be part of the secret Nabatian spice routes, and it is huge - visible from the moon.  (no pictures today - it's late and i have get up really early - i'll try to catch up tomorrow or Monday.)

The other cool thing is that there are ibexes all over the place.  Mountain goats of a sort.

In the afternoon we heard from a group of Arava Institute alumni from Israel, Jordan, Palestine and the States.  They told of their experiences studying at the Instiitute, and most importantly about the relationships they developed with their fellow students - people who they were raised to think of as enemies.  They spoke of the environmental projects they are taking to their homes - biodegrades for Hebron, solar energy in Amman, Jordan and their hopes for peace as they plant the seeds of trust and cooperation across borders.  The uniqueness of this program is that it lasts over a semester, a year or two years of study, and it appears to be a model that is building sustainable leadership and partners.  A remarkable thing.  Learn more about the institute at www.arava.org (I think).  Also Hazon, which is focused on environmental issues in the states, and is the largest American Jewish environmental organization.  These are inspiring stories.

We end Shabbat with Havdalah - a joyous services of song and dance that marks the separation between Shabbat and the week to come.  We shared the things on the ride that inspired us, and two Arava alums announced that they had become engaged to be married on this Shabbat.

All and all a lovely day.

Tomorrow we ride.

Shavuah Tov (a good week) and L’hirtaot,

Lester

Ben and Lester at the summit!

The Desert is a Totally Awesome Place

Awesome as in inspiring awe, not merely totally cool.  Today’s ride just may be the high point of all the days.  It was certainly the literal high point.  We rode from Nizzana on the Egyptian border, across the mountains of the Negev, and into Mitzpe Ramon. (more on each of those places in a bit).  I have always found the desert to be one of the most inspiring places in Israel.  It is stark, barren, dangerous and breathtaking in its beauty.  It also holds so much of our ancient history.  It was through the Sinai into the Negev that a ancient Jews wandered as they were freed from bondage in Egypt and led by Moses to the Promised Land.  Many of the prophets had their visions and made their prophesies in the desert.  In a modern day version of the Jews’ trek across the desert, we came upon an army base today, outside of which sat 8 or 10 refugees from Darfur who had walked - that’s right, walked - from the Sudan, across Egypt, and were apparently smuggled across the border by Bedouins.  These refugees will be housed and fed, and resettled in Israel, if they wish.

So today’s ride - long, hot and hilly. Sixty-one hard miles with some of the longest and steepest climbs I have ever done.  As we rode out of Nizzana, we almost immediately camp upon the border with Egyptian soldiers on the other side of the fence.  All along the ride we were able to wave and call out to these soldiers, who responded in kind.  Then we turned east and south, and began our climb.  And what a climb it was.  Actually the whole day was climbs - some rolling, but at least two that were serious mountain passes.   We start at 5:45 am, eat breakfast and lunch at rest stops set up by the staff of the ride (and those damn hiccups came back), and we finally rolled into Mitzpe Ramon at around 2:30.  For my Kibbutz Usha friends  - I have proof that Ben Simon made it up the hills too.  In fact, after only starting to train early this summer, Ben (and his friend Kenny) are absolute machines on these hills - they motor up like it was nothing!  For some reason I can't post the proof in this entry...I'll put up another.

I will write more about Mitzpe Ramon tomorrow.  For now it is time to get ready for Shabbat dinner, and to prepare for the day of rest.  (I am signed up to get a massage…)

Shabbat shalom v’l’hitraot,

Lester

What's this about the hiccups?

Post-script on yesterday's bonk. Robin will tell you that I often make strange belching noises during the night - but last night was something entirely different.  The bus dropped us off at Nizzana, which is a field school on the border with Egypt in the desert, where they run a large guest house.  During dinner, I developed an incredible case of hiccups that simply would not go away.  I was lucky that they had accidentally given me a single room,. because the suckers would not go away.  I'd think they were gone and doze for an hour or so, and then they would wake me up!  I walked around the room, read some, and the cycle repeated.  They even came back in the morning.  Pretty freaky.

10/21 - Bonked a disappointing day

Bonked is a biking word for when you just don’t have it…  check it out on Google, I’m not kidding.  So I didn’t exactly bonk, but something at dinner in Ashkelon last night really did not agree with me.  I was up most of the night, and finally barfed up most of what was left in my stomach.  Although I felt a lot better, after about 30 miles of riding, I realized that I really did not have enough in me to continue for the day.  I spent most of the day riding the bus (along with at least one other guy who had a similar reaction to dinner).  What’s most disappointing is that between the hamsin shortened ride on Wednesday, and the bus riding today, it’s unlikely that I will clock the full 300 miles I had hoped.  I suppose this is part of the spiritual experience I wrote about the other day. We are here, engaged in this wonderful, challenging experience, and we take each thing as it comes and work it into the whole story.

The day was not without highlights, though.  There was the ostrich farm, and singing at our lunch stop.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

L’hitraot,

Lester

Hamsin

Day One of the Ride

Remember yesterday I showed you a picture of a slide “Only in Israel”?  Today was that day - but more on that in a bit

We gathered around 5:30 this morning.  Bags down from the room, and out to the plaza for stretching, some inspirational (and instructional) words, the blowing of the shofar (from an Ibex - never saw an Ibex horn used as a shofar, I don’t think).  Wait a few minutes for the police escort to show up, and then a glorious ride down from Jerusalem.  For those readers who do not know it, Jerusalem sits on a hill (hence its strategic value to the ancients who inhabited it).  When we talk about Jews moving to Israel, we say they are making “aliyah,” which means “going up.”  They are going up to Israel - up to Jerusalem.  Well when you leave Jerusalem, you must go down.  It is a thrilling and breathtakingly beautiful ride down through the Judean hills.

Of course, if you go down, you must go up, and there are some mighty climbs ahead.  Here is some good news and bad news.  The bad news is that, despite having a ride permit for weeks and weeks, apparently the police decided that it was too dangerous to ride the stretch of rode after the descent up into the Judean Hills, even though this ride and others have done it countless times before.  Perhaps there was something going on, or perhaps somebody in the bureaucracy simply got it in his or her head that this should not happen. (First thing in the "Only in Israel" category) The good news (for those who agree that not every hill has to be conquered) is that we were bussed up what is one of the two most grueling hills on the ride.  Since we had no choice, I am content to feel relieved!

However, no rest for the soon-to-be weary.  There are many hills ahead, and it was HOT.  I don’t just mean  toasty warm.  It was HOT.  Somebody said it was 104 in Jerusalem… and we were headed into the desert, where it was not only HOT, but also this is where the hamsin comes in.  Hamsin is the word for a weather condition that is not only HOT, but windy… (oh and very HOT). (Second thing in the Only in Israel category) We spent most of the day riding into 30-40 mph head winds that were HOT.  So you get up a hill and look forward to flying down the other side (to get up a head of speed for the next hill), and BAM - it’s like riding up another hill.   It slowed us down so much, that at the end of the lunch break all but a few of the most dedicated (read unbalanced) riders decided to cut the day short, and skip the scenic loop that added another 18 miles to the day.  I may have told some of you before that I am sure that I am merely a biking enthusiast and not a fanatic because I don’t ride on purpose in the rain, and I don’t ride when it is icy - well I am adding, “don’t ride in a hamsin,” to the list.  Also the sandstorm that the hamsin blew up.

On the other hand, going slower offered more time to look around and take in the striking landscape.  I’m not able to stop and take many photos, but there are folks from the ride taking lots of pictures.  Go to www.hazon.org and click on Israel Ride.  I don't think they are posting photos daily, but you can see slides and video clips from previous rides.

The ride into Ashkelon, which is on the Mediterranean Sea got more pleasant has we got closer and the sea breezes began to waft in.  It is a fairly urban city, so once again we waited for a police escort… and waited… he finally came and escorted us into the city - except his idea of an escort was to ride about 100 yards ahead.  It’s no wonder that the cars who came up behind us simply filled in the gaps, and that we were on our own at the intersections.

For our brief stay in Ashkelon, the best thing is the sea… a cool dip, and the opportunity to take a few shots of little kids.

A brief note of recent history.  Today is the 15th anniversary of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a member of a fanatic right wing orthodox Jewish group in Israel that believed that making peace with our Arab neighbors was evil.  Rabin was a man of peace, and a giant in his time.  Shalom Chaver. (Peace - Goodbye, Friend)

Tomorrow we ride 92 miles, along the Gaza Strip, into the Northern Negev.  The hamsin has broken, so it should just be hot.

L’hitraot,

Lester

-

Lech Lecha - but first, a minor miracle

Not only did my bike arrive with my luggage (on the same plane), but I was actually able to put it together… no extra pieces -and it works!!! Quite a sight watching dozens of people with their bikes in various stages of dissassemblage (not sure that’s a word)… but by the end of the day, everybody was pretty much up and riding. We took a shake-down ride around Jerusalem, which, if you have never been here and don‘t already know, is NOT a bike friendly city. But we had enough time to make sure all the gears worked, and nobody got killed.

I had dinner with Ben Simon tonight. Ben is the other alumnus of my 1974 kibbutz group who is on the ride. It was great to catch up with him. After all these years, though we look different (yes, older), we are able to bring ourselves back to that formative time like it was yesterday… well almost yesterday. We wish there were more of us on this ride - but we are thinking of each of you.

As we gathered for our first meeting, a number of things have struck me about the group. We are a very wide age range - from 12 to 73, with many more older (read older than me) people than I had anticipated. Many of the older folks will ride the shorter rides - but still, we are riding in the desert and it will be over 100 degrees a lot of the for time. And of the 120 or so riders, over a third are repeat riders - some have come multiple years. I have pretty much though of this as a one-and-done thing, but it seems that something happens to folks out there that brings them back. We shall see.

Lots of information imparted to us today, including many admonitions about Israeli drivers (notoriously bad), and reminders that this is a Ride and not a Race. As well as some things that we might only find on a ride in Israel - from particular animals that might distract us to firing ranges for tanks and artillery. While they shoot over the road, not at it, we are advised not to stop and look around when we see those signs.


Our meeting today began with one of the rabbis on the ride. He remarked on the fact that this ride is sandwiched in between two significant Torah portions (well, they’re all significant…) Last week we read Lech-Lecha, which is the portion that tells of God’s command to Abraham to leave his home and to go out into the wilderness to find the land of Canaan (the future land of Israel). The words are translated roughly as “Go, take yourself,” but one commentator has suggested the words mean: “Go - go for yourself.” Go out and find yourself, find out who you really are. And the portion we read next week is V’yireh: “And he saw,” which tells the story of Abraham not sitting in the door of his tent in the desert and he sees a vision. While seeing visions in our context might be a sign of dehydration, how fitting it is that we are setting out tomorrow on this adventure in the desert. For some it will be a huge challenge. Others are looking for something in themselves that perhaps they will find. Still others will find this a deeply spiritual experience. I’m not sure where I will find myself on this mystical continuum, but it is more than fitting that we ride with these two portions in the background.

Tomorrow we ride down from Jerusalem, into the desert, and then to the sea.

L’hitraot,

Lester
　


Mistovev

Mistovev

Mistovev - Today I wandered…. Around the new part of Jerusalem.

My first goal - to find the apartment I lived in when I studied here in 1974.  Well after a while I did find the street, Rehov (street) Abarbanel , and it did look familiar, but I don’t remember the street number, and none of the buildings looked right.  Except it could have been one of the few that appear to be abandoned and overgrown - which struck me as odd since it is so close to the center of town, and I am told that real estate has become so very expensive.  Like many neighborhoods in Jerusalem, this one has become inhabited by the very religious.  It used to be a very fashionable secular neighborhood (Rehavia, for those who know the city).

My second goal: Go the Mahaneh Yehudah (the Jewish Market), which is an open air market full of stalls with vendors selling vegetables, nuts, meat, fish… it is very much like the open air markets in many European cities - except like everything else here,  it’s all in Hebrew!  Here is where we shopped for our groceries and Sabbath meals.  All very fresh and alive (not the chickens).  The other important task was to see if I could find the winner of the 1999 ( I think it was 1999) Blumberg Family Award for the Best Falafel in Jerusalem.  I think I found it… though not at the  self-proclaimed best…. Around the corner.  What makes it the best???  Freshly made falafel, lots of salad, good harrif (spicey stuff), humus, pickles, chips and that certain something that can’t quite be defined……  who knows, but it was fun.

The rest of the day has been just wandering around, revisiting old haunts, trying to figure out things are new.  Reading on various benches, drinking coffee at sidewalk cafes.

The official gathering of the group has begun.  I’ve got my jersey, water bottle and riding shorts (thanks Mom)… and a roommate named Robin, which could get confusing at some point.  Dinner tonight with new friends and an old one - my connection to the Arava Institute is Rabbi Michael Cohen, who was a close college friend of Robin’s (my wife not by roommate) late brother Andrew.  Michael was one of the founding faculty members of the Institute, and is on the ride.  It was nice to see him again.  I am hoping we will get some time to talk over the trip.

It was wonderful visiting with my cousins over the last few days.  They are wonderful and gracious hosts, and it was terrific seeing their kids, who have grown so.



L'hitraot

Lester

Today was not so much about the ride.

Or maybe it was all about ride.  Not sure which.  But today I immersed myself in two of the central pillars of modern Judaism and of the modern State of Israel.

The Western Wall is the remnant of Solomon’s Temple rebuilt by Herod before the exile in 70 C.E.  It forms the edge of the Temple Mount - the site on which Jews believe Abraham was tested by God in the story of the sacrifice of Isaac, and on which was the Holy of Holies - the inner-most sanctuary of the Temple, entered only once a  year, on Yom Kippur, and only by the High Priest.  This is the holiest site in the Jewish religion.  It is also the site from which Muslims believe that the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven, making it one of Islam’s holy sites as well.  Although Jews have prayed at the Wall throughout the millennia, it was closed to us after the Jordan captured that part of the city in the 1948 War of Independence, only to be once again available to people of all faiths after Israel captured the Old City in the Six Day War in 1967.

Only a small section of the Wall is exposed at street level today.  In recent years large underground sections of the Wall have been excavated, showing the genius of the engineers and builders of antiquity, and illuminating the connection of the Temple to life in the city and among its inhabitants.  There is a magnificent underground tour into the excavated site.  I learned why we revere the Western Wall over the other walls, some of which have also been excavated - because it is the closest to where the Holy of Holies stood.  And deep underground has been found the part of the Wall that itself is believed to be the closest spot of all to that hallowed place.  This is how I spent the early morning.

Above ground to the other formative event in modern Jewish history - the Holocaust (or in Hebrew: Shoah).  The murder of the six million Jews (as well as millions of others - communists, gypsies, homosexuals) by the Nazis and their collaborators in World War II.  From the ashes of the crematoria rose the modern State of Israel.  Yad Vashem is the Israeli institute and museum for study and commemoration of the Six Million, as well as of the thousands of gentiles who risked their lives to save Jews where they could.  These are the Righteous of the Nations, of whom Oscar Schindler (“Schindler’s List”) was only the most famous.  Here I spent a quiet afternoon;  as ever, stunned by the incredible evil perpetrated by the Nazi regime, angered by the refusal of the Allies to do what they could have done to stop or slow the killing machines, and saddened to tears by the unimaginable suffering and unfathomable waste of generations.  A quote that stays with me:  “A child is orphaned when it loses its parents.  A nation is orphaned when it loses its children.”  And thus, even in the darkest of times, it was the children who were given extra scraps of food, taught, and protected to that some remnants among them might survive.

These two views of the world make today’s political squabbles seem trivial.  They make one (or at least me) want to retreat to a simpler way of thinking - why can’t the world (and more importantly the nations of the Middle East) recognize the legitimate claims of  both sides, and simply work it out??  Of course this is also the thinking of a middle-aged geezer who is about to ride 300 miles in the desert to support some peaceniks who are trying to make water out of sand. (I told you I would bring this back to the ride!)  Are we as crazy as the Israelis whom I have told about this ride think we are?? (I can’t tell you how many have offered to drive me to Eilat!)  Maybe.  Maybe not.

L’hitraot

Lester

Welcomed home by an old friend

Today was a day to become reacquainted with an old friend.

 The City of Jerusalem has held a special place in my heart since the days that I roamed her streets as a college student.  Much has changed in this ancient city, but much has also remained the same.  There has been a tremendous amount of building and growth.  New housing developments, new roads - it is harder to imagine the ancients walking across the barren hills as they made their pilgrimages to the Holy City.  And the main road from Tel Aviv is now a major highway - no longer a narrow road littered with shelled armored vehicles left in  tribute to the independence fighters on 1948.

But there are still some empty hills, and the City itself - at least the Old City -  retains its mystical hold.  Touching the Western Wall, with its crevices crammed with prayerful notes, is still one of the most powerful moments one can experience.











Much is made of the fence that Israel has built between that land it holds as part of Jerusalem and the West Bank, held by the Palestinian Authority (hard to say governed by the PA, since the Palestinians are so bitterly split between the PA and Hamas.).  Critics decry it as forcing a ghetto, but when you speak to Israelis, they point out that since it was built, there have been virtually no terrorist attacks emanating from that area.  It is a harsh reminder of a conflict that is still oozing with open wounds (on both sides).

On the other hand, there are vantage points around Jerusalem from which the geography presents undeniable facts.  Even from areas not within the so-called occupied territories, there are Hamas settlements that are virtually stones-throws away from populated areas.  What is a country to do with a neighbor that refuses to acknowledge its right to exist and is bent on its destruction (supported by an state that is trying to develop a nuclear bomb that has the same stated goals?) ?  Would peace come if Israel gave back the territories?  Internationalized Jerusalem?  I don’t pretend to know and being here makes it all too clear how unfair it is to presume to judge from outside - detached from the realities of living with enemies (on either side) so close that you can almost feel them breathing.

Maybe the Arava Institute, for which we are riding, really does have the right answer.  Let’s forget about the politics for a while and just work together to see whether we can figure out how to live on this piece of sand that has become our lot in life.  Perhaps if we can figure that out together some of the bigger questions will just follow.

L’hitraot

Lester

Floating in a tin can....

Ok, El Al is known for packing ‘em in, so I expected a crowded flight. But it was ok. I had an aisle seat, I could get up and walk around…. Until the Lady showed up. Old, groaning, kinda large, not moving too well, doesn’t speak English (or Hebrew) -  Russian or Ukraine, I think, but it is clear she wants my aisle seat… and I don’t think she could make it into the middle if she tried, so the good scout that I am, I move over to the window,,, until the guy who had that seat shows up, he sizes up the situation immediately and it is clear he is not such a scout, so I am stuck in the middle… I hope I don’t have to get up to pee.. Did I mention that she smells? Oh good, here comes the flight attendant with drinks.

3 hours later. One glass of wine was not enough. Did I mention that she only speaks Russian?? And she thinks I do too. She ate with her fingers. And the young woman across the aisle is traveling with a dog… a real dog… and he’s yelping. There is a cute toddler in front of me… we’ve been playing finger games,,, when she’s not crying. I can’t get to my backpack (which is over the seat with the dog) to get the benadryl I had planned to take to put me to sleep.

8 hours later. The Lady finally got up. I got to stretch. I think her son is sitting behind us. Tell me why he did not trap himself in here?  He had no problem asking me to give up my seat for her - why not just switch with me? I think I answered my own question. Who needs sleep?? We’re going to Israel!

10 hours later. I actually think I dozed for an hour, WE HAVE ARRIVED. Good news: SO HAS MY BIKE!!!! (another good omen), the meet up in the airport was fine - both from the ride and my cousins, I am at their home in Jerusalem.

It is wonderful to be here, though I have not really had time to think about it too much.  More reflections after I have a chance to settle in.

L’hitraot
Lester

Good Omens

Good Omens!!

No problem checking the bike in with American Airlines. They didn’t even try to charge for the bike, since I had an El Al booking. Thanks to whoever recommended asking to go into the TSA inspection room with the bike. The guy had trouble opening the case, as well as closing it. He would have bent or broken a wheel for sure! The next test is whether it actually makes it to New York and onto the plane for Israel.

I went on the Hazon website this morning before leaving. The slide shows are stirring. If you have not looked there, go to www.hazon.org for a sense of how much than just a bike ride this will be.
　
l'hitraot,

Lester　

Has Anybody Got a Hacksaw??

Has Anybody Got a Hacksaw??

Today’s adventure reminded me of when I was a kid – it was either my birthday or Hanukkah, and I got a Mr. Machine for a present.  Mr. Machine was a clear plastic wind-up robot.  You could see the gears and all the working parts.  It was also made to be taken apart and put back together.  Of course, the first thing my dad and I did, after a couple of wind-up runs, was to take the thing apart.  When we put it back together, there were a couple of extra pieces left over – and the thing never walked again!  I hope I have better luck this time!

So the bike is all packed…. And it fits!  No extra parts!

It will be an amazing thing if it really makes it to Israel with me.  A couple of weeks ago a rode with a woman who has done the ride before.  As I was telling her my travel plans, she cheerfully told me that she had taken the same flight her first trip, and they lost her bike.  THANKS A LOT!!!! 

I have been touched by the many wishes I have received for a good trip – and the wind at my back. Thank you all.

Got a lot of work to do between now and Thursday.  Hopefully my next entry will be about having successfully gotten to New York and on to Israel – with my bike!

L’hitraot.

Lester

Can’t stay away….

I had not planned on posting again until my trip was underway, but I have gotten so many kind words in response to my first post that I wanted to say thank you!  Your wishes for godspeed and the wind at my back will be with me during my trip.

Folks have also asked about the route and other information about the Ride.  I am going to try to post the route map here….

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=http:%2F%2Fwww.hazon.org%2Frides%2F2010IL%2F2010route.kml&sll=40.746524,-73.856328&sspn=0.338133,0.617294&ie=UTF8&ll=30.836215,35.370483&spn=2.551498,2.971802&t=h&z=8

You can also go to www.hazon.org to get more information, including the route and itinerary (I am little scared to look at the elevation maps).  Click on Israel Ride, then Ride Information for a link to the maps. (I plan in riding the Chalutzim route).  If you have Google Earth on your computer, there is a link that will show you the map on that platform.  Very Cool.

Some people have also asked whether it is too late to donate to my ride.  Of course not!!!!  Also at www.hazon.org there is a link to “Sponsor a Rider.”  Find my name, and a few clicks later you will be there.  If you would rather donate by check, you can send one to me, made out to the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies.  If you don’t have my address, send me an email.  Lester.blumberg@gmail.com

 

L’hitraot,

Lester