Ashdod and Ashkelon

Port of Ashdod (picture taken from the internet)

The coastal cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon, both to the south of Tel Aviv, are not typical tourist destinations.  Neither is even mentioned in our guidebook.  Ashdod is a modern city known for its large and growing port (one of the few deepwater ports in the world to be built on the open sea), and as a center for heavy industry (including one of Israel's two oil refineries).  Ashkelon is another modern industrial city known for its desalination plant (one of the world's largest); for its large and controversial coal-fired power plant (which is in the midst of a major planned expansion); as the northern terminus of the Trans-Israel Pipeline (which transports oil from Eilat on the Red Sea); and as the home of Israel Beer Breweries (which brews Carlsberg and Turborg for the Israeli market - hooray!).  Both cities are close to Gaza and have been targets of rocket attacks by Hamas.  So, why did we go?

We went to Ashdod because Eden has relatives there.  We had a fascinating visit back in August, eating delicious home-made almond cookies and admiring the beautiful view of the sea from their balcony (pictured left and below with telephoto).  What was most memorable were their amazing stories (and their old black and white photographs) of life in Europe before the Nazis, surviving the Holocaust, and then making the circuitous and arduous journey to Israel more than 60 years ago, by land and sea via too many places to recall (Italy, Cyprus, Yugoslavia, etc.).  During Eden's father's visit last week, we went to Ashdod for a second time, and while they all caught up with each other, I took a couple of hours to explore the sights.  Surely, I thought, there must be something worthwhile to see in Israel's fifth largest city.

Indeed, I was pleasantly surprised.  My first stop was a 1,000-year old Arab fortress by the sea.  There wasn't much in the way of tourist information at the site other than a small plaque, and I had to climb through a hole in a fence to get in.  But it was a very scenic spot, and I had it all to myself.

After exploring the ruined fortress, I strolled along Ashdod's long, pretty and uncrowded beach.  I stopped for a Carlsberg overlooking the sea and then for a swim in the warm, calm water.  It was a fulfilling tour, and while I'm not suggesting that Ashdod should be a major tourist destination, I've certainly been stuck in worse places, and I would definitely come back on a warm, sunny day.

Carlsberg in one hand, camera in the other

We went to Ashkelon mainly at the suggestion of Eden's father, who remembered a nearby sight, Yad Mordechai, from his time in Israel nearly 40 years ago.  Yad Mordechai is a small kibbutz in southern Israel, about two miles from the border with Gaza, named after Mordechaj Anielewicz, the leader of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.  In 1948, the Egyptian army, on their way up the coast to Tel Aviv, attacked the kibbutz with 2,500 soldiers, modern weapons and artillery provided by the British, and air support.  The kibbutz had only 130 defenders and a small arsenal of assorted, outdated weapons and ammunition.  But the defenders held off the Egyptians for five days, which gave the Israeli army time to organize a successful defense against the northward Egyptian push toward Tel Aviv.  

Today, visitors can gaze over a reconstruction of the Yad Mordechai battlefield, trenches and all, with a view of Gaza City off in the distance about eight miles away.  There are also numerous commemorative statues and remnants of battle strewn around the site, including a British tank used by the Egyptians and a concrete water tank (pictured left) that was destroyed by the Egyptian army.  It is a very moving and worthwhile site.  There's also a lighter side, as the kibbutz sells freshly made honey, complete with free tastings (my personal favorite was the eucalyptus honey) and photogenic kid-friendly role playing opportunities.

 

After visiting Yad Mordechai, we drove to the Ashkelon National Park, which offers many interesting historic ruins, a beautiful sandy beach, and a very nice picnic and playground area.  

Talia enjoying the Roman Basilica

The ruins shed light on the multiple layers of Ashkelon's long history.  Ashkelon was a thriving city by the Middle Bronze Age (2000-1555 BCE) and the park reputedly contains the oldest arched gate and barrel vault in the world, from 1850 BCE.  The city was apparently the largest seaport in Canaan before being conquered by the Philistines in approximately 1150 BCE.  The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar (who is credited with destroying the First Temple in Jerusalem and whose name no one can pronounce) destroyed the city in 604 BCE.  But Ashkelon was then rebuilt and became a major Hellenistic seaport after the city's conquest by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE.  The city continued to thrive under Roman rule, and the park contains attractive remains of a colonnaded basilica from the 3rd century CE, including Roman statues, sarcophagi, columns and capitals.

Church of St. Mary Viridis with Crusader wall in the background

But the most impressive ruins in the park are from the Byzantine Church of St Mary Viridis, built in the 5th century CE, then destroyed by Arabs in the 10th century, then rebuilt by the Crusaders in the 12th century.  Remains of a Crusader wall form an impressive backdrop to the church and sit dramatically on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean. But alas, like so much on the Israeli coast, the city was pounded into a pile of rubble in the 13th century by - you guessed it - those nutty Mamluks!

Looking through a hole in the Crusader wall

More Crusader ruins by the sea

The beach in Ashkelon

Given the varied attractions at Yad Mordechai and the Ashkelon National Park, Ashkelon certainly deserves more attention from tourists than it gets.  Maybe it's the proximity to Gaza, or the city's industrial character.  Or maybe when the writers of our guidebook visited Ashkelon, their children had alternating, epic temper tantrums, or they encountered a dangerously drunk (and large) Russian pedestrian belligerently wobbling in the middle of the road who refused to let traffic pass.  But even if these alleged acts did indeed occur, we can say from experience (although we didn't take pictures) that it would not be enough to diminish one's appreciation of the highly worthwhile sights that Ashkelon has to offer.

The Jewish Holidays In Israel

We were very excited to be in Israel for the Jewish holidays - Marc's first Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot in the Holy Land, and Eden's first since she was three years old.  But to be honest, as the holidays were approaching, we also were feeling a bit sad and lonely.  We have a fantastic, close-knit community at Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland and we had grown accustomed to the company of our rabbi, friends and congregation on the holidays - and to our own distinct customs, like taking a walk around Lake Merritt on Yom Kippur in the middle of the day.  Familiar routines and rituals helped provide added meaning to these landmarks of the Jewish calendar.  But here in Israel, everything is new for us and we really don't have any particular community or congregation.  We were afraid we'd be a bit lost and disconnected.

But in the end, we experienced something new and exciting, while also finding a meaningful connection.

For Erev Rosh Hashanah, we had dinner with Eden's cousin, Raya, who lives in Tel Aviv and whom Eden visited the last time she came to Israel, in 1990.  It was a delicious meal and a lot of fun.  We savored the beautiful views of the city and the beach from Raya's charming apartment; the intriguing new dishes we hadn't eaten before, like a memorable salad with fresh dates and pomegranates; the lively discussions about Israeli life and culture; and perhaps most of all sharing stories and laughter with family.  It was a new experience to start the new year, but we also felt a tight bond with our heritage and with Eden's own personal past.

The next day, we traveled to Modi'in (a fairly new and rapidly growing city in between Tel Aviv in Jerusalem) to celebrate Rosh Hashanah with the family of Eden's college friend Deb.  Deb, her husband Larry, and their three children made aliyah (which means they immigrated to Israel from the United States) one year ago.  Rosh Hashanah in Modi'in was a new experience in a place we'd never been before.  But in many ways it felt very familiar.  We talked about our many common experiences - life in Boston, NCAA football and Major League Baseball, how we missed American micro-brewed beers, adjusting to Israeli drivers, balancing career with family life, and how the kids were reacting to living in Israel and going to a new school.  The kids played with each other, Eden caught up with her college friend, we made new friends, and at the playground we were struck by the number of people speaking English (with American and British accents).  It was a very enjoyable day, as we gained insight into a new place that actually didn't seem so far away from home. 

Yom Kippur was another enriching adventure.  The day before, we had a playdate at the home of our new friends Holly (almost 6 years old) and Hillel (7) and their father, Ben Ami.  As time flew by and the kids were having fun playing cards and other games, we were treated to a fabulous pre-fast meal.  Ben Ami's wife, Becky, was out of the country but had left quite a spread:  homemade chopped liver and gefilte fish, perfectly cooked roast beef, scrumptious baby tomatoes cooked in garlic and olive oil, and perhaps the largest challah we'd ever seen.  Ben Ami told us that the bakery was open all of the previous night making challahs in preparation for the holiday.  We ate like King David!

As the sun was setting, we started to walk home - and it was a stunning sight:  the normally busy streets of Ramat Gan were completely empty of any vehicular traffic.  Many people were walking to synagogue but others were just out walking.  And children were out in force, filling the streets with skateboards, roller-skates, and bicycles.  Upon seeing this spectacle, Jeremy declared:  "I love Yom Kippur in Israel!"   The streets were alive with people late into the warm night.  It certainly wasn't the solemn atmosphere of Kol Nidre (the opening prayer of the Yom Kippur service), but it was a special time set apart from regular affairs, as everything - businesses, offices, schools, roads - shut down entirely for a day and people set aside their cars, televisions and cell phones.  People everywhere were sitting or strolling with their family and friends and, in a way, with the whole neighborhood.  We didn't take our camera out on Yom Kippur, but here are some photographs we found on the internet to show you what it's like in Tel Aviv.

A major Tel Aviv freeway

Quite a dramatic contrast from back home, where for the vast majority of Americans, Yom Kippur is just another day of business as usual.  It was a special feeling to wander the streets - and it gave us a strong sense of our Jewish identity. 

It was also fascinating on Yom Kippur to wander in and out of the various synagogues in our neighborhood - though I must admit it was quite difficult to follow the Mizrahi services (Mizrahi Jews are descended from the Middle East and North Africa, in contrast with Ashkenazi Jews like me and Eden, who are descended from Central and Eastern Europe).  What's particularly striking is that it seems there are more synagogues within a five-block radius of our apartment than there are in all of San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley combined.  Within a stone's throw is one large synagogue (pictured left and immediately below) and a host of smaller ones - including, we're told, those built for congregations descended from Europe, Iraq, Yemen, and Afghanistan (if you don't believe me on Afghanistan, see the plaque below).  All the different synagogues bring to mind the old joke about a sole Jewish man stranded on a remote island who builds two synagogues - one for him, and one that he refuses to go to.  But in all seriousness, it was a bittersweet feeling - it felt good to be connected to Jews from so many different, faraway places, but it was sad to think that many descended from places where Jews had lived for centuries but cannot today.  Our Yom Kippur experience gave us a deeper understanding of what it means to be Jewish and to be in Israel as Jews. 

 

To prepare for Sukkot, we decided to take a walk in B'nei Brak, an Orthodox community close to our neighborhood in Ramat Gan, in the hours before the holiday started.  The streets were packed with people frenetically buying provisions, most importantly the four key ingredients of Sukkot:  the etrog (a citrus fruit that looks like a wrinkled lemon); the lulav (date palm branch); the hadas (myrtle branch); and the aravah (willow branch).  (The four ingredients are bound together and then waved in prayer, symbolizing the unity of the Jewish people).  The number of shops, stalls and street vendors selling items for Sukkot was staggering.  It was a fascinating experience, vastly different from anything we've seen in the States.  As illustrated by some of the photographs below, some people are very particular about their Sukkot accoutrements.  

Lulavs for sale

It's important to inspect the etrog carefully before buying it

Looking for just the right myrtle branch

 

During Sukkot, I helped our friend Ben Ami put up his sukkah (a temporary shelter that is meant to symbolize the time the Israelites spent wandering in the desert and also to celebrate the harvest).  Another fun outing was "sukkah spotting" in the neighborhood with our friend Yossie (pictured below).  Here are some of our favorite sukkah shots: 

But our favorite Sukkot experience was spending a day at Kibbutz Gezer with a warm and engaging family, David and Miri and their three grown children (one of whom is now settling in for college in California). David and Miri moved to Israel from the United States nearly 40 years ago and were among the first members who built the kibbutz.  The meal was delicious and the conversation about politics, religion, and kibbutz life was very enlightening and went on for hours.  And what a small world it is!  David, who has been involved in Jewish education and fundraising for decades, once taught at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette (which shares facilities with Jeremy's school, Contra Costa Jewish Day School), and he knew many of the people who are active in Jewish organizations in the Bay Area.  We'd traveled halfway around the world, but in some ways it was like having lunch with friends in California.

The evening concluded with a Sukkot dinner and celebration, including Israeli folk dancing, at a Catholic monastery near the kibbutz.  That's right, a monastery.  Over the years, the monastery and kibbutz have developed a very close friendship, and the monastery celebrates this friendship, and its connection with Israel, with a big Sukkot party every year where people of different faiths and backgrounds eat and dance together.  At least on this night, Sukkot wasn't just about celebrating the unity of Jews, but also the unity of people. 

Israeli folk dancing at a monastery

Spending the Jewish holidays in Israel was an edifying and exciting experience.  We made new friends and gained a new perspective.  But we also felt connected to our past experiences.  And, when we return from our year-long journey, we've promised the kids we'll build a sukkah wherever we are.

The Lesser Known Sights of Central Israel

Ottoman fortress at Tel Afek, near Tel Aviv

One of the advantages of spending several months in Israel (and of not having jobs) is that we have the time to explore some of the country's lesser known destinations.  Also, we bought an annual membership for the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, so of course my new obsession is to see how many of Israel's 60 or so national parks we can visit in our time here.  (We've already gotten our money's worth, with 21 parks down and counting!)

Most visitors to Israel see the area between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem only fleetingly from the inside of a car, bus or train.  But there's actually plenty worthwhile to do if you slow down and take the scenic route. The diverse range of destinations includes spectacular caves, historic ruins from a number of different eras, remote hilltop vistas, graceful churches and monasteries, and dozens of wineries.

Roman Odeon at Tel Afek

One of our favorite local destinations is the Yarkon & Tel Afek National Park, just outside Tel Aviv.  Eden and I recently went there for a morning excursion on her birthday while the kids were in school.  (Eden just turned 29, but she doesn't look a day over 28).

According to the spiffy tourist brochure, the earliest remains found on the site are thousands of years old (from the Chalcolithic Period, 4500-3300 BCE), and the site is mentioned in Egyptian texts from the 19th century BCE as a large fortified city.  In the 1st century BCE, Herod expanded the city and named it Antipatras, after his father Antipater.  The city had a large Jewish community, which was decimated in the 1st century CE by the Roman general Vespasian.  Today's visitor can see remains from the Late Roman period, including the city's main street (the Cardo) and a small theater (the Odeon).

Ottoman fortress at Tel Afek

The most impressive ruin on the site is an imposing Ottoman fortress from the 16th century.  More Ottoman ruins nearby include a 19th century flour mill and farming village. And there are buildings from the British Mandate period, when the site was used as part of an elaborate water supply system to serve Jerusalem.  The ruins are situated among preserved and reconstructed wetlands and rain pools, once common but now a rare feature in Israel's coastal plain.

Ottoman fortress at Tel Afek

Pond at Tel Afek

Another historic place in a picturesque natural setting is the En Hemed National Park, about 10 kilometers west of Jerusalem.  The park is located in a pretty valley that contains several natural springs feeding a stream - hence its Latin name Aqua Bella ("beautiful water").  For me, the highlight was a fortified, two-story Crusader farmhouse from the 12th century, although the few visitors that were at the park seemed much more interested in getting their barbecues going than exploring the ruins. 

Crusader farmhouse at En Hemed

Inside the farmhouse at En Hemed

Just outside of Jerusalem on a hill overlooking the highway to Tel Aviv is the Castel National Park.  The Romans took advantage of the site's strategic location, building a fortress known as "Castellum" to ensure their control of the road to Jerusalem.  Centuries later, the Crusaders built a castle on top of the Roman ruins.  After the fall of the Crusaders in the 13th century, the site seems to have disappeared from the historical record.

But the site's importance reemerged during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.  There were fierce battles for the hill, which changed hands several times, as both sides sought to control the road connecting Jerusalem with the coast.  The Israelis' ultimate victory at HaCastel was a critical turning point in the war.  The National Park contains remnants from the Crusader castle, trenches dug by the Israeli army in 1948, and memorial plaques commemorating Israeli soldiers lost in battle.

Castel National Park

The abandoned village of Sataf also combines ancient and modern history.  Sataf contains some of the oldest traces of agriculture in the region, dating back to 4000 BCE.  It also contains the remnants of a 19th century Arab village that was deserted in the 1948 war.  The site is located in a steep valley, and the windy road to Sataf is half the adventure, offering stunning hilltop views.

Sataf, abandoned in 1948

Sataf from above

On the way to Sataf (view from the top of Mt. Tayasim)

Another scenic spot located in the hilly landscape to the west of Jerusalem is the Soreq Cave National Park, inadvertently discovered in 1968 during blasting operations at a rock quarry.  The cave is believed to be one of the most active in the world in terms of the formation of stalactites and stalagmites.  Our favorite of the many fascinating formations looked like a large, hungry monster mouth. The area around the cave is also beautiful for hiking and for forcing the children to pose for pictures.

"I'm hungry!"

Finally, there are a number of places in between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv for seeing historic churches of all shapes and sizes.  Ein Kerem is actually within the western edge of Jerusalem's city limits, but it feels like a small village far from the urban crush.  This picturesque community of stone houses is home to several important churches related to John the Baptist.  Abu Ghosh, just west of Jerusalem, is known for its food (it's been called "the hummus capital of Israel") and for its two French churches.  One incorporates 12th century Crusader remains built on top of a Roman castle, all in a verdant garden setting.  Latrun, about midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, boasts a French Trappist monastery that has been producing wines since 1899.

Church of St. John, Ein Kerem

Church of the Visitation, Ein Kerem

Russian Orthodox Church, Ein Kerem

Stone building in Ein Kerem

Crusader Church and Monastery, Abu Ghosh

At the Crusader Church and Monastery, Abu Ghosh

Notre Dame Arche d'Alliance, Abu Ghosh

French Monastery in Latrun

Vineyards at Latrun

We continue to be amazed at all the sights that Israel has to offer.  And we'll let you know our verdict on the Trappist wine - we plan on drinking some of it tonight to toast the arrival of Eden's father!