Down By The Dead Sea

Tuesday, November 4
Contributed by: Barb Sigman and Cindi Hmelo-Silver

This morning, the first timers drove through the west bank towards the Dead Sea. Our first stop was at Ein Gedi Nature Preserve, where we saw the cave where David cut off the hem of King Saul's robe, to demonstrate that although he could have killed Saul, he didn't. We hiked through the hills to a hidden waterfall. People proceeded to strip down and jump into the water towards the waterfall. We saw an ibex posing on the nearby mountain top, and birds singing in the trees.

We then travelled to nearby Masada, where we roamed the grounds before ascending to the apex. The views were breathtaking. How in the world did Herod build a pleasure palace, complete with hot baths, at the top of a rock? No one in our group was allowed to walk up due to time constraints, and no one walked down due to the rush to see the enormous gift shop and cafeteria lines. Most people gave up standing in the lines at the sparse snack bar for coffee, sandwiches and ice cream.
Our afternoon ended at the Dead Sea, which was amazing, framed with a rainbow. Everyone found their way to the beach and ventured into the rocky waters. The so-called sand or rocks were in fact large rock salt. When the salt is rubbed over the body, it purifies the skin. Some others selected mud baths also.The facial expressions as we slathered ourselves with mud were priceless.

Today was largely spent outdoors. We began the day with a visit to the Kibbutz Almog as we learned about the difference between the traditional kibbutz and the new style of privatized kibbutz life. From there the returnees were off to Qumran, where a Bedouin shepherd found the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was hot and sunny as we viewed the ruins of the ascetic Essene sect that wrote the scrolls. From the ruins, we could see some of the caves where fragments of the scrolls were found. We saw the rooms where the scribed worked and learned how distinguish between a cistern and a mikveh (its all in the steps).

From there, the focus of the day was nature. We went hiking in Nahal David, which is part of the Ein Gedi reserve. The group members were real troopers as we hiked into the waterfall (and Andrew and Bill had their swim among the waterfall as many others dunked their feet). It was a beautiful site- the returnees saw a family of hyrax while we understand that the first timers were excited to see the ibex (not that the returnees did not look for them). The landscape of mountains, streams, and waterfalls serves as a reminder that Israel is a magnificent country for many reasons.

Finally, after wandering around in the hot sun for much of the day, we finished at the Dead Sea. We met with the first timers group at the hotel where we were using the beach. Unlike other Dead Sea sites, this one had salt rather than mud at the bottom. We floated, exfoliated, and generally relaxed with our chaverim to finish a great day in outdoor Israel.

At night, we explored Ben Yehuda Street with its many Judaica shops. The feel of Jerusalem never stops to amaze, the contrasts between ancient, old and new. The consistency of all the buildings made of the same material, Jerusalem stone. At night you can feel the energy of the country. The air is filled with music, sometimes Israeli, sometimes Arabic, the pace of Ben Yehuda street and the surrounding shopping centers is brisk.