ISRAEL – The Craddle

Israel is a country new and yet ancient. Far-reaching history and legends that have their origins in the murky times of humanity. The cradle of our Western civilization that rests in monotheism and kept reading the Bible for millennia. I certainly wanted to visit there, to pay my homage.

The Middle East has been a place of continuous unrest for thousands of years. It is in a flux today – and who thinks that some solution is possible to that troubled region may be deluding themselves.
I do not intend to get involved with politics in this blog – but that may be outright impossible when mentioning anything to do with the Middle East. Arguments, discussion - and conflicts - are a way of life there. And, again, going millenia back.
I had to notice right away as I was flying to Israel from Iran. Two enemies ancient and current. David and Goliath.
I have never been subjected to a more thorough personal security search as before boarding that Israeli ELAL flight from Tehran.  And it was before the time of the terrorist threat. And then the flying – the plane flew direct but not to Israel - rather towards Greece, way up north. Somewhere close to Greece, all of a sudden the plane banked turning left and headed due south to Tel Aviv - following a strange “L”-shape trajectory.
It was not allowed into a good part of the Arab air-space, that's why. Good neighbors, you see.

And so finally I was there – in the holy land. It used to take pilgrims, just like crusaders, perhaps half a year to reach that destination. Tel Aviv is flat and modern. A big city noisy with traffic. My colleagues from Tel Aviv were expecting me and soon I was on my way to Technion in Haifa.
Haifa was a more likeable destination – a smaller European-like port city, hilly and it sounded all kinds of languages. I had a professional connection there centered around growing algae and purifying water. There is a lot of excellent research done in Israel. 
The population of Israel is well connected to the outside world and its level of education by far exceeds the Middle East average.

What remains strong in my memories, however, is the historical aspect of my visit with Jerusalem at its focus. And so there I was, in the crooked streets of the Old City, home to many sites of seminal religious importance, among them the Temple Mount and its Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock, the Garden Tomb and al-Aqsa Mosque.

Jerusalem is considered holy to the three major Abrahamic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  Israelis and Palestinians both claim Jerusalem as their capital, as Israel maintains its primary governmental institutions there and the State of Palestine ultimately foresees it as its seat of power; however, neither claim is widely recognized internationally.

During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times.

 

Archaeologists have unearthed a 7,000-year-old settlement in northern Jerusalem from the early Chalcolithic period. They describe it as the oldest discovery of its kind in the region The part of Jerusalem called the City of David was settled in the 4th millennium BCE.

In 1538, walls were built around Jerusalem under Suleiman the Magnificent. Today those walls define the Old City, which has been traditionally divided into four quarters—known since the early 19th century as the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters

 

While most of the revered Jerusalem places are sort of low lying, the most recognizable landmark is the  Dome of the Rock (Al-Haram al-Sharif), a shrine located on the Temple Mount, initially completed in 691 CE on the site where the Jewish First Temple and Second Temple had stood.  It is an amazing structure with its exquisite art work patterned after Byzantine churches and palaces.

 

Church of the Holy Sepulchre – The church contains, according to traditions dating back at least to the fourth century, the two holiest sites in Christendom:  the site where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, known as "Calvary" in Latin and "Golgotha" in Greek, and Jesus's empty tomb, where he is said to have been buried and resurrected.
 

The main denominations sharing property over parts of the church are the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Roman Catholic, and to a lesser degree the Egyptian Copts, Syriacs and Ethiopians. Meanwhile, Protestants including Anglicans have no permanent presence in the Church and they generally prefer the Garden Tomb, elsewhere in Jerusalem, as either the true place of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, or at least a more evocative site to commemorate those events.

And I ended up disappointed.  Jerusalem, being the center of Christianity, is steeped not only in history but particularly in religion with its legends, rituals - and power-struggles. The memorable places in Jerusalem were crowded with pilgrims and tourists and far from serene, majestic and “holy” as I imagined it. Over the time, different churches made various claims and there has been incessant fighting over these “holy” places.

There has been a perpetual religious frenzy of (competing) religions that have not hesitated to clobber each other over the head at any opportunity in the name of God - to this day.  
Not my kind of spirituality –

Due to its position and history, Israel lives in a permanent state of alert. Its army is strong, omnipresent and effective, called to smaller-scale actions frequently.
It conducted several wars with its belligerent neighbors in the recent decades. It also built a barrier wall at critical border stretches that cannot be overlooked.
How many walls need to be built to keep us from each other's throat ? It is perhaps better to share our meals, prepare them and enjoy together : 

Israeli cuisine comprises local dishes by people native to Israel and dishes brought to Israel by Jews from the Diaspora from abroad. Israeli Jewish fusion cuisine has been developing, particularly lately influenced by immigration. 

Kosher foods are those that conform to the regulations of Jewish dietary law. The Torah specifically forbids eating of 4 animals, the hare, hyrax, camel, and pig.