The Glaser Foundation, fostering good relations, subsidized our EFT trip to Israel - a 4 hour flight where we were met by 2 guides, Yishay and Uri, who brought us to this 2000 year old aqueduct in Caesarea.
The trip, as most trips here, I presume, was framed in terms of pilgrimage, as our guides effortlessly bridged Judaism & Christianity for us. Lots of "journey" talk, which required texts (scripture, poetry) to enliven. These ancient places, in contrast to popular European destinations, are objects of a "literary" space - as in Japan - and, as such, accessible only via language; poetry rather than photography commemorated; upon visiting a place, we were invited to offer commentary and reflection.
The sea of Galilee churned up rough waters, canceling our boat ride
so we discovered this artifact nearby - a boat from Jesus' time.
The Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus' words were recited.
Uri immigrated from Boston at age 10, while Yishay was born in a Kibbutz; both had an intensity Carolyn and I usually associate with Jews.
BTW, the food was great; the fresh greens at every meal a holdover from kibbutz farm days, apparently. Buffet seemed the norm at all hotels, which served our students and M & J just fine. Beit Shean, an archaelogical site displayed a hodgepodge of styles reproduced far from Rome. This was, for some unknown reason, far more engaging than Greece, which we visited 4 years prior. The relics had a forgotten, discovered quality about them; almost shocking in their flagrant display as we stepped over rubble.
Unlike Greece or China, the ongoing practice of ancient religion gave the relics the quality of a living museum.
Paper prayers stuffed into crevices in Capernaum (or was that Tabgha?)
The guide is crucial in coloring the experience. Yishay had sharp pedagogical instincts and understood his audience; ie our need for space & quiet, to discover things on our own. Uri more ideological, lots to say and it mattered that you cared as he did.
Elizabeth and Jack along Galilee, where one of the students was baptized.
The old city of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives - all limestone, giving a unique monochromatic background to the very different religious architecture; Muslim vs Jewish vs Catholic vs Greek Orthodox.
The Jewish cemetary where the graves face the Eastern Gate - sealed since the 9th century by Arabs - believed to be the portal of judgment the Messiah will pass through. I recall visiting American pilgrims' cemetaries during grad school, noticing they, too, took on Hebrew names and buried bodies with heads facing eastward: "For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.." Matthew 24:27 (Buddhism, by contrast, holds to the Western Paradise).
Towards the Eastern Gate
*****
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built over the site where some believe Christ was crucified; every artifact housed in an elaborately staged religious structure and liturgy.
Behind the altar, there was a two-step liturgical rhythm (also repeated at the Church of the Holy Nativity in Bethlehem): Mary delivered here, baby placed there; Christ died here, rock of Calvary there, punctuating your processing as you zigzagged through. The candles, heavy adornment of relics, & dark atmosphere was completely alien to most of us, but some believers save up for a lifetime in order to make the trip.
***
Bethlehem
Church of the Nativity, whose Eve service is broadcast around the world, seemed to be stuck in a permanent Christmas-in-July stage. My sarcasm aside, this Bethlehem experience was marked by poverty, due to the barricade, in stark contrast to the prosperity of the rest of Israel.
A complex issue, we no doubt would never have gotten the chance to go to this war torn region, if not for the barricades and our tour was, basically, a Bible - not political history - tour.
Jack touches the magic star.
The order of magnitude - that kind of ritualistic devotion & financial outlay - is something we, as moderns, only reserve for weddings and education, namely, college; marking the social stations of our secular pilgrimage & upward mobility in state-run capitalism, not devotees to mecca.
*****
Jerusalem bagels, which tasted like supermarket bagels, except for a sesame, hyssop herb blend you dipped them in. Very tasty.
Jack at the Wailing Wall, a site of mourning so named after the destruction of the temple.
The steps led to the main gate entrance to the Old City, which Christ passed through!
Filled with atmosphere, the Western Wall stood above older parts of Jerusalem whose passageways lay like sediment below the current city.
***
Masada took us out of Jerusalem - already an urban contrast to the Galilean coast - to the desert, high atop a mountain table with the remains of King Herod's palace. (Swiss cable system!)
Floating in the Dead Sea
whose mineral properties heal skin and corrode cheap metals - mud option.
Camel ride to
Genesis land
where we were treated to another Middle Eastern blowout dinner, always featuring hummus, tahini, pita, & vege starters. Dining at Abraham's tent for the Disney-meets-Bible experience of the trip.
It felt remarkably OK, though we flirted with history as theme park, closer to Buena Park than the West Bank.
Israel is different in its public presence of religion,
but much of it seemed similar to Japan's symbolic use of the emperor and Shinto to galvanize the nation in the late 19th century, mixing a potent cocktail of ancient and modern. Israel's rediscovery of ancient Hebrew, scripture, and ritual practice provides ideological fuel for what is, basically, a post-religion identity.
Not to be misread as the Old Testament people, this is unbelieving Israel, deeming itself as messiah; perhaps, the clearest sign of an Enlightenment logic - "We the People" - I've witnessed, collapsing divine meaning onto a national destiny.
By contrast, Christ is the perfect icon; where symbol, history, and meaning completely coincide; not a forced, but resurrected, meaning.
As for Israel, since the destruction of the temple in 70AD, there is no sanctioned place to hold sacrifices; homeland with no hearth. Besides the fact there hasn't been any suitable sacrifice, since flawless red heifers haven't been located. Since Muslims built their most sacred space on the historic temple site, the no red heifer issue has been, we might say, tabled. When asked what would happen if geneticists ever produce one, Yishay remarked, "World War III."
All in all, the most successful EFT, because we were already prepared for Israel - having brought our background with us, as it were - rather than forging one at destination. The Israel of the Holocaust is another matter altogether.
Ash Wednesday & Lent - perhaps the one holdout in the recovery of church liturgical tradition - made powerful sense, continuing a pattern begun 3 months ago with advent's anticipation of His coming; we now anticipate His dying and resurrection.
but rather sets in motion a series of ongoing births - you, me, the OT saints have a stake, too - as well as a birthing of new creation and the Second Coming of Christ. The payment is once for all - thank you, Martin Luther - but the effects reverberate. 
and Resurrection Sunday. Otherwise, the most important event of the church calendar never felt adequately supported; seemed to drop out of nowhere, only to go away again. 
and Resurrection Sunday. Otherwise, the most important event of the church calendar never felt adequately supported; seemed to drop out of nowhere, only to go away again. 
