Shalom

It’s Saturday, the Jewish Shabbat and the marina is hopping with boats going in and out and birthday celebrations on birthday boats.  It’s the least calm day of the week!  All watched over by an Israeli naval ship at the entrance to the marina.  It’s very interesting how different Saturday in Jerusalem must be compared to here in Herzliya ( or Miami in the Med) where the beaches are packed with families and singles and volley ball and racket ball and everything going on. 

We are renting a car tomorrow morning and then we’re off to Petra in Jordan.  We will stay overnight in Eilat (tip of Israel) and leave the car there.  We’ll cross the border and taxi the 2 hours to Petra where we will tour and stay overnight.  Then back to Eilat and overnight there (probably) and back to Herzliya with stops to check out the marinas in Ashkelon and Ashdod to see if we want to move the boat.  Our friend Eve arrived Wednesday from Karpaz and today left for Ashdod where she will stay.

Tonight Nilly, the cousin of our Roanoke friend Gabriel Szego (and his wife Ellen,) and her husband Eitan are coming for dinner. It was Nilly who told us about the free museum day May 10th and recommended the Museum of the Diaspora which was wonderful.  We each saved the 70 shekel admittance fee!  I know you want photos and I promise to soon send some.

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(May 13,2012 addendum.  Dinner with Nilly and Eitan was wonderful.  They brought 2 salads, couscous rolls filled with meat, stuffed grape leaves and dessert and melon and wine!  Randal cooked wonderful salmon and I made potato salad.  No one went to sleep hungry.  Nilly and Eitan love to travel and have been all over the world.  We will definitely have more visits while we are here in Israel.  I took lots of photos but we are rush rush this morning to leave for our trip to Petra. )

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   So that’s what’s happening. This is how my artist friend Heidi described her visit to Jerusalem “I do believe you when you say that it is a strange experience to be in Jerusalem; I also had the feeling of standing at the beginning of everything and there are ghosts surrounding you and whispering in your ears."   What a wonderful description.  It makes me thankful that there are artists among us to help us see thing.

And from Reverend Ken, married to Randal’s sister Linda (and the man who had the sense of humor to preside at our wedding!) wrote these words about his trip to Israel…..

Oh my, Ruth, you’re walking in lands of so much history and so much conflict, a lot of it in the foolish thought of defending one religion over another. I wonder if we humans will ever wake up and realize it’s not us vs them but it’s only us?

Ru

DoraMac

Ps…a little levity to lighten the moment; photos of Charmaine and Linda at the Dead Sea Sap…

I didn’t pay enough attention and thought it was just a swim at the Dead Sea and envisioned never getting the salt from my hair. So Randal and I took a pass. But that meant we could get some really fun photos of Charmaine, Linda and our guide while they floated in the Dead Sea and mudded themselves for the full “spa treatment.” While Linda and Charmaine were soaking in the sulfur springs, Randal and I heard the all too typical story of growing up in Ukraine when Stalin ruled and how an 11 year old boy had to fend for himself. We met the 11 year old now an elderly man who had eventually moved to America where his son lives in Philadelphia. So many stories here in Israel.

Charmaine, our guide facing them, and Linda walking into the water and then floating on it.

Our guide, in mud, leading by example.

Mudding it up.

I don’t know how Randal didn’t have heat stroke in all of those clothes!

Smurf!

This was part of our Masada and Dead Sea tour…an interesting mix. This email is just about the spa but I’ll write about Masada and also the sea sculpture from the Dead Sea. Both need more reading first.

Randal overlooking the desert surrounding Masada

So there was this guy writing a Torah and we could pick our letter. Mine was R for Ruth.

But I could also make a wish. I had two: World Peace (who wouldn’t wish for that) and that the Red Sox would win the World Series. I told him that my second wish was silly (especially as how the Sox are playing) but he told me that God doesn’t see any wish as silly if it’s important to someone. Convinced me!

I’m only holding the pen…no mistakes are allowed and you should see my Hebrew letters…Oiy!!!

This is the second time I’ve been this close to an open Torah. The first time was in India and now here in Israel. Never growing up as only the boys were allowed.

Writing a Torah and my Hebrew letter R is there somewhere.