Yella Middle East Experience 2008

One last time

2008-06-22T22:00:00.007+03:00

Hello to all you blog readers,

I thought I would give one last reflection on behalf of the group, now that we have been back for about 4 weeks. We are all still processing what we have experienced, and will continue to for many more months to come. All of us have found this trip to be a very valuable experience in which we learned immensly about ourselves, the world and god and how the three tie together. For each of us the journey made a different effect, but for everyone it was one that will never be forgotten. Thank you to all of you who supported us through this trip, whether it was through finacial aid or just by reading this blog. It is because of you that this trip has been able to happen. We would also like to thank all the leaders who took the time to organize this trip and all those who came with us. I think I did all these thank yous before in the last blog I sent, but they are really important and we are all very thankfull to everyone. We all now have tonnes of stories to share, whether it be funny stories, like Ben getting bird droppings on him, or more serious and deep stories about the present day conflict, or even stories about what expereinces have really shapped us. Though the trip itself is over, the journey has just begun, for we must now share our stories with all of you, and pass on our wisdom and insight from what we have seen to all who will listen. This trip has changed us, now it is our turn to change the world. None of us are really sure how this is all going to play out. We can't create peace in the Middle East single handed. All we know is we need to do something. And we plan to start by sharing our stories with you. In the coming months we will be traveling to a lot of churchs to share our stories, as well we hope to have evenings where we show pictures and of course more stories. If you are interested in us coming and doing a presentation for you or your community, you can contact the Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) by phone ( 1-800-206-9356) or by email (mcec@mcec.ca). Or even if you just want to have a one on one discussion with any of us over coffee or over email or something, we would all be happy to talk to you, we all have lots to talk about.

Thank you once again to all who have helped out

Untill next time

Peace

Derek Alton

It's still not over

2008-05-26T15:47:00.003+03:00

As we've said, a lot of the work and understanding of this trip is and will be ongoing--there's a lot for us to unpack from the experiences of the last three weeks. Since many of us are at home it will be easier to relate what we've seen in person. However, we plan to post a couple more times to this blog some of the things that have been important to us, so don't delete the address from your bookmarks yet!

--Mike

Last day in Israel (tear)

2008-05-24T12:58:00.005+03:00

Hello everyone back home, hope you have all been well.

Well today is our last day here in Israel, it's hard to imagine. It has been an awesome trip and time has just flown by. Now the next couple months will be spent processing what we have seen, heard and experienced. Everyone has been affected dramatically by this trip. It has shaped the way we think and perceive things, opened our eyes to the complexity of the conflict here and has shaped how we see the bible and our faith.

Pretty much this has been an awesome life changing trip.

To recap what we have done over the past couple days:

Two days ago we hiked to Jericho. This was an intense hike through a desert and canyon. It was several hours of intense heat. I have never drank so much water before. We hiked along cliffs with a couple hundred foot drop just a few feet away. I definitely got reacquainted with my fear of heights, and I have never been so happy to get to the bus. We then visited the old site of Jericho. At this site we saw really old walls--the oldest walls in the world--and a tower that is even older: at least 6000 years. A bunch of us ran around the old city of Jericho (to be honest, I don't know how, seeing how tired we all were after the hike but we did it). Oh and in spite of the story in the Bible where Joshua and the Israelties trash Jericho, that wall is still standing. If you want the full story, though, you will have to talk to us when we get back. I am really proud of everyone for surviving that day, it was quite something.

What we did yesterday, on Friday:

We spent time visiting Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum here in Jerusalem. It was quite a moving experience, hard to explain properly. You really have to be there to feel what it means. I guess that is really how the whole trip was, it can't be explained easily in a short space. That evening we celebated the coming of the Sabbath (Friday night to Saturday night) and had a ceremonial Shabbat dinner to wrap it up. The Sabbath, the practice of a day of rest for God, is a lost art I feel in western society. It is really important to have a day off to relax and recuperate, to reevaluate where you are in life and where you are going, to take time to be with family. In our rushing society we never take the time to slow down and do that. And because of this people are losing touch with themselves, causing major problems with stress and stress related illnesses.

Today we are packing up, relaxing and seeing some last bits of Jerusalem before we fly home. Not everyone is going directly home right now. There is a group going to Turkey for a week and a few others are doing further travel as well.

As for the rest of us we are all heading home tonight and will be arriving at 6:20 in Pearson Airport Toronto. Anyone who feels like getting up that early to welcome us home is free to do so.

I would like to take this time to really thank everyone who has been apart of this whole trip. Thank you everyone who was part of the organization of this trip, taking a dream and turning it into a reality. Thank you to all who have supported us with prayers and money and just general support: it has meant so much to all of us and made it possible for us all to go. Thank you to all who have been reading our blog, we hope that it has been interesting. Thank you to all our leaders on this trip, Ellie, Allan, Jaimie, hiker Dave and of course Linford (he just has so much energy) for all the work that they have put into this trip, making everything run smoothly and making this trip absolutely awesome. And I would personally like to thank everyone who came with us. All the young adults are what made it. There was great chemistry with everyone, I have made tonnes of awesome new friends and strengthened my relationships with old ones.

See you all soon.

Peace,

Derek Alton

Day 16: A Whirlwind History Lesson

2008-05-20T16:35:00.004+03:00

The past two days in Jerusalem have been great. We have had free time to roam the city, exploring the most ancient and holy places of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The Old City is one of the most fascinating places I have visited with its narrow streets and vendors selling their wares.

The 4:00 am call to prayers came and went this morning without any stirring from my bed. I was sound asleep, which is saying something considering the minaret from a mosque is quite literally outside our room. We met our tour guide for the day at 8:00. His name is Jarred and he is a Jew that immigrated from New Hamshire 12 years ago when he was in his early twenties. It's easy to tell his love for the land, particularly the city of Jerusalem by the enthusiasm and passion with which he speaks.

Our first stop today was the City of David, a few hundred metres to the south of the Old City. The City of David, as we learned was the original "Old City" as it was the place conquered by David and his army. There are currently houses built where the City once stood, but there have been ongoing excavations on the national park land for 100 years. One of the discoveries made was Hezekiah's Tunnel which is an underground passage made to transport water from the spring on the east side of the city to the collecting pools on the south west side. It was at these pools that Jesus told the blind man to wash the mud from his eyes. We walked through the tunnel which is about 800 metres long (1200 cubits to the Biblical scholar). The spring continues to feed the passage today so we were wading through mid-calf deep water. Most of the way the roof was about 6 feet high, give or take and the width was just enough to make my shoulders rub against the walls from time to time.

Our next stop was the excavations at the base of the Temple Mount. Before the Six Days War in 1967, a large part of the base of the Temple was buried under many metres of earth. We were able to sit on the large stone staircase that leads up to the main entrance. The south-west corner of the wall is where some scholars believe that Jesus was tempted by Satan.

Our final visit was to the Tower of David which is on the west side of the Old City by the Jaffa Gate. Oddly enough the tower wasn't even built when David was King. Jarred explained that travelers coming in the gate saw the tower and assumed that it must have been made by the great King David. The tower offered a great view of the Old City as well as a comprehenssive museum on the history of Jeusalem and its significance to Islam, Chrisianity and Judaism. Today was jam packed with history and as Linford put it, "4000 years crammed into 7 hours."

Tomorrow we look forward to a float on the Dead Sea and a closer look at the zealots.

P.S. We lost our memory card reader and so we can't post pictures at the moment.

Blog by: Ben
Pictures by: ?

Day 14: Arrival in Jerusalem

2008-05-18T16:33:00.004+03:00

I am sitting at a computer terminal in the old city of Jerusalem. I can see people walking past and colourful wares in the narrow streets that crisscross this place. It is amazing the amount of people selling, places to buy, and the feeling of age that is here. There is a lot to explore, and since it's all bounded by a big wall, you can never get terribly lost. Leastways, if you're lost you're probably not far away from where you would like to be. We arrived today around noon, and entered the city through St. Steven's gate, one of the many named gates. We are staying at a convent that is itself a maze of rooftop terraces and arched stone staircases.

The last three days have been among the most engaging and stretching of our trip. Staying near Bethlehem in Beit Sahour let us see those most famous christian sites, the Church of the Nativity (the place of Jesus' birth) and the Shepherds' fields, where the shepherds heard the angels singing. But we also got a tour of the wall that divides Bethlehem from Jerusalem, and spoke with many people who told us stories of their lives here. I won't go into detail about it here, but it gave us a lot to think about.

We also visited the city of Hebron, where the tomb of the Patriarchs is located. That's where Abraham, Sarah, and other important forefathers of both the Jewish and Arabic peoples are buried. It is probably the tensest place in the area, but we passed through without incident.

I think each of us has been impressed by the warmth and hospitality of our hosts here. It really has been special to stay with families here and learn from them. I learned some useful arabic words and the alphabet! It will take a lot more to actually read it, though.

In any case, you should all know that we are all having a great time! There's still one week of excitement and learning ahead of us. We'll keep you posted about what we're up doing from day to day. Tomorrow I believe we're continuing to explore Jerusalem.

--Mike Turman

Tiberias to Beit Sahour and Bethlehem

2008-05-16T21:27:00.006+03:00

The Tiberias YMCA (our last stop) was right on the edge of the Sea of Galilee. We took full advantage of this, and went swimming!

Yesterday we left Tiberias to go to Bethlehem. We drove south from the Sea of Galilee through the northern part of the West Bank - the Judean Wilderness. We could see how the landscape got drier and drier as we came south. We made a brief stop, where we saw the camel parked next to the bus!

Our drive to Bethlehem took us through Jerusalem, and we got our first look at the famous view.

Going through the checkpoint to enter Bethlehem from Jerusalem, we were interested to see the large signs saying "peace be with you" and "Jerusalem and Bethlehem - love and peace" on the Israeli side of the wall. Today we spent time along the Palestinian side. Here, the walls had messages that said things like "walls don't bring peace" and "fear builds walls". It was really hard to understand how two people can live right next to each other on the same land yet be universes apart.

Yesterday afternoon, we visited Herodion. This was Herod's summer palace, and the only one of his constructions to be named after him. The ruins are on top of the man-made mountain, and there is a fascinating collection of huge water cisterns and tunnels throughout the mountain. Some of them are Herod's, and others were built during the 66 Jewish revolt against Rome.

We also visited one of Bethlehem's three refugee camps. We had a long discussion with some residents while standing in the streets. One of the neighbours brought out tea for all of us. This was beautiful hospitality.

Today, besides seeing the wall, we visited the Tent of Nations. The Tent of Nations is an organization whose goal is to work towards understanding, reconciliation, and peace between people. It was hopeful to listen to the people there. Little by little, they are making a difference. They told a story about a woman who had lived in a settlement for 9 years without realizing that she had neighbours outside the settlement. She joined in a discussion at the Tent of Nations, where she met her Palestinian neighbours, and is seeing them in a completely new way.

Our final stop for the day was the Church of the Nativity. The church was full of tourists, all wanting to see the grotto, so the line stretched across the sanctuary. The church itself was beautiful, with gold mosaics on the walls, and gold icons at the front.

We are staying with host families in Beit Sahour, which is adjacent to Bethlehem. There are pairs of us with each family. The family that we (Becky and Alison) are staying with has four daughters. We've enjoyed playing cards with them, even though we don't speak Arabic, and only the eldest can speak English.

We leave Beit Sahour and Bethlehem on Sunday, making our way to our final stop in Jerusalem.

Becky and Alison

2008-05-14T11:58:00.003+03:00

Drawing upon literary sources and the results of the excavations, it has been possible to reconstruct a part of the town's history. The town is not mentioned in the Old Testament. Archaeological evidence demonstrates that the town came into existence in the second century BC, in the Hasmonean period. The site had no defensive wall and extended along the shore of the nearby lake (from east to west).
The cemetery zone is found 200 meters north of the synagogue, which places it beyond the inhabited area of the town. It extended 3 kilometers to Tabgha, an area which appears to have been dedicated to agriculture, judging by the many oil and grain mills which were discovered in the excavation. Fishing was also a source of income; the remains of another harbour were found to the west of that built by the Franciscans.
According to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus selected this town as the center of his public ministry in Galilee after he left the small mountainous hamlet of Nazareth (Matthew 4:12-17). Capernaum has no obvious advantages over any other city in the area, so he probably chose it because it was the home of his first disciples, Simon (Peter) and Andrew. The Gospel of John suggests that Jesus' ministry was centered in a village called Cana.
No sources have been found for the belief that Capernaum was involved in the bloody Jewish revolts against the Romans, the First Jewish-Roman War (AD 66–73) or Bar Kokhba's revolt (132–135), although there is reason to believe that Josephus, one of the Jewish generals during the earlier revolt, was taken to Capernaum (which he called "Kapharnakos") after a fall from his horse in nearby Bethsaida.

On our travels we stopped to wade in the waters of the Jordan River. In this particular photo David, Becky, Kayla and Kristina are dippig their feet in this historical and biblical waterway. We also travelled to the base of the Mt. Hermon and other areas of the Golan Heights; the disputed region between Israel and Syria.
This is a photo of our wonderful and informative tour guide Linford. Here he gives a mini-lecture regarding the Canaanites at the city Tel Dan.

Jesus Trail, leg 2

2008-05-11T20:44:00.007+03:00

Today, we had the privilege of continuing our hike on the Jesus trail. After a 45 minute bus ride to the base of the "Horns of Hittin", we began our ascent. The Horns of Hittin is a horn shaped mountain, famous for being the setting for where the Crusader dynasty was defeated and thrown from power in 1183. From the top of the mountain, we were able to experience an incredible 360 degree view covering much of the region of Galilee including Mount Hermon, a snow peaked mountain which holds the borders of three countries, Israel, Syria, and Lebanon. The most exciting landmark seen from this view however, was the Sea of Galilee, our first glimpse of such a historic part of the land. Being Sunday, we engaged in a small church service on top of the mount consisting of music, scripture, prayer, and reflection, all in a spectacularly beautiful setting.

From the horns, we made our way by foot to a Druze society. This religion, which consists of little more than 1 million people world wide, is known for not being known. All information and tradition regarding the Druze is very secret and only revealed to its members who are all born in, with conversion to the religion not acceptable. Prior to entering the building, we were instructed and required to dress in the long sleeves and hats provided, some of which were definitely not fitted correctly. (see picture) Druze is thought to have originated from the Islam religion, though these people are considered heretics by Muslims.

The last section of our hike involved us climbing to the top of Mount Arbel, which allowed us a spectacular and full view of the Sea of Galilee. After indulging in some great photo opportunities and playing some hackey-sack, we began our descent. The hike down from Mount Arbel seems to be the highlight of the trip for many people. On top of taking in the steep cliffs and incredible views, we were able to explore some spectacular caves which had been the living place for people many centuries ago. These intertwining stairways, rooms, and cliffs built into the side of a mountain were quite a sight to see, and place to explore. We were all happy to make it back to the air conditioned bus after a long day of hiking in the hot Middle Eastern sun.

Although we are an exhausted bunch at the end of these long days, it is always so refreshing to see such amazing sights and hear such amazing stories. There has been so much value in the things we have learned so far and are excited to see what else is in store for us the last two weeks.

On a different note, tonight marks the last night of accommodation at the Fauzi Azar Inn. We will be heading to Tiberius tomorrow and staying at a YMCA there for a couple nights. Internet access at this accommodation is uncertain and therefore our next opportunity to blog is uncertain. We hope to be able to write more very soon.

-Justin Reesor

Sweating profusely, and getting lost.

2008-05-10T18:42:00.009+03:00

OY!
So it's day six of our excursion, and there's a mutual feeling among the group that we've established an attachment to this land in an extremely short period of time. Today was no different in reinforcing that feeling. Only today, we were sweatier, had more blisters, and WEIRD tan lines, to the point that they might be described as artistic. Credit that to the first century garbs we were rocking. The above were accomplished by a long, hard day of working in Nazareth Village. We were creating roofs for 1st century replica homes, and we created them exactly how they would've been in the 1st century. I was a mud maker. Complete with original mud making anthems. Stephen, Josh, and I mixed dirt, with water, lime, straw, ash, and repetitive mixing motions to create a beautiful holding concoction! We hope it does the job, holding the fort for years to come. The group got a lot done, and learned a whole lot about how things were done in Jesus' time. Word.

In the evening, we were entrusted to walking back to our inn by ourselves. A group of about 5 of us decided to go check out a music store we had heard about. It was supposedly just up main street, only a little way down past the road to our inn. We walked for about half an hour, and realized that the shop was a little further than anticipated. Shoot. SO! Three of the group decided they would rather just go back, and relax, and see the music store later. The two who were left, one of which was me, might be described as a little less fortunate in the judgment department. So we kept walking, and never found the store. I'm not the most directionally inclined boy on the block, so I was counting on intuition, and help from Stephen, my counterpart, to direct us home. That didn't work out for us. So we got lost.

Some people (and I am now officially one of them) believe that the best traveling experiences are the ones that aren't planned. The ones that you're probably extremely angry, or afraid during the time, and happy in a few hours. Well those people are all right. When we were mid way through getting lost, we ran in to four, ten to twelve year old boys rocking a soccer ball against some concrete. We started talking to their parents, and what happened between that, and the following is lost in amnesia. I found myself in the middle of two goal posts, with multiple young boys kicking soccer balls at me as hard as they could. I was drafted as the goalie, and if I don't say so myself, I was awesome. So I started using the little Arabic I knew to get a game going, and it became a standard 2 on 2. I was paired with the 7 year old, against the two 12 year olds. So we started playing. Goals were scored, emotions ran high, and there were a few debatable calls from the 5 year old boy with the lollipop. Handballs were permitted to everyone except for me, and violence was borderline encouraged. But it was all in good fun! Within about 5 minutes there were about 8 boys playing with me. It was an epic soccer game in the middle of the road, complete with adorable boys smiling and laughing, and a Canadian boy who was acting like he knew what was going on. Those kids were absolutely awesome. It was most definitely one of the highlights of my trip, and helped re-establish that feeling of connection to the land of Israel/Palestine that I mentioned earlier.

One thing I forgot to mention was that midway through the game Stephen said he was going to head back. I said that's fine, I could find my way. I was midway through the Israel/Palestine elementary school world cup. Give me a break. LEAVE!? So when I was done, I started to wonder aimlessly. I asked a few villagers where to go, and they all gave me a similar idea, but that idea consisted of pointing abstractly up, and north. So I abstractly wandered in that direction. When I was starting to get a little weary of being incompetent, Derek Alton, another member of the Yella group came running out of nowhere yelling, "DAN! Where's the soccer game? I heard you're playing soccer with villagers?" I told him I had, but I wanted to leave time to get back before supper. I felt bad for Derek, but good for me. I played it cool, and inconspicuously let Derek take the lead, and we were home in three minutes. Supper on time. Something no Mennonite ever takes lightly. Ever.

So that was the day in the life of the Yella group, on day 6 of the excursion, and I really hope that this trip continues to stay as incredible as it has been so far. I realize this blog entry is probably too long, but it's really the bare minimum description of a day here. If I were to fully describe all the stories, and feelings of the day, you'd develop a phobia of everything blog. So we all say hi to everyone from the other side of the sphere, and we hope everything is going well over in Canada, even though no matter what kind of weather you're getting, it sucks compared to ours. HAHA! PEACE

--Daniel Kruger
Photos by Megan Kelly

Friday: our hiking adventure continued!

2008-05-09T21:00:00.007+03:00

Last night I woke up to the sound of pounding rain on the roof of our Fauzi Azar Inn in Nazareth. Although at first disoriented, because I thought that it didn't rain in Israel until December, I tip-toed out of my dorm room and took a peek out of the ceiling high windows to enjoy the crashes of thunder and brilliance of lightening fall on Nazareth! What a scene!

All of us awoke with slightly sore muscles from the hike yesterday we were ready for Mount Tabor which is the sight of Transfiguration! The views continue to astound us, and are even more appreciated when we have actually hiked up the mountains. With the tour taxi-buses passing us, we all agree that Jesus was one fit man as we walk in his steps!

After a quick stop for typical Israeli fast-food of shawarma or falafal we joyfully splashed, jumped and dove into the natural spring pool for a swim in Gan ha Shlosha.

We then returned to Nazareth to join Rebecca the shepherdess at Nazareth Village in the late afternoon and learned about her life as a shepherdess and thus that of Jesus.

After having been in Israel for almost one week there are numerous cultural differences and aspects we have noticed. I thought it would be fun to share some with you:

Breakfast consists of an assortment of peppers, olives, pita, cream-cheese with olive oil, jam, honey and coffee! We have also been introduced to new flavours in some other dishes: ginger, chives, mint, and geranium.

the signs are in Arabic, Hebrew, or English and we have come across some fun translations. ex: "nice to eat you!".

Our tour bus has managed to navigate up 90 degree angle hills (felt like a roller coaster!) and negotiate sharp turns.

Another joy has been the children we encounter. they welcome us with smiles, waves, and even blow us kisses from time to time! Ben was even stopped as we were walking back to the Inn by a young boy and was "frisked for security" and sent on his way! Luckily he passed the test!

We continue to be thankful for so much during this trip and keep on learning and growing together as a group. The hospitality and openness of those we encounter continue to be a blessing and a gift.

Tomorrow we will be volunteering in Nazareth village all day, possibly doing roof repairs, herding sheep, etc, all dressed in the traditional garb of the 1st century!

bye!

Christina H. and Kate

The Challenge of the Century

2008-05-08T19:49:00.011+03:00

The stage was set. We had now been here in Israel for four days. We had finally gotten some what acclimatized to the new culture, at least as much as one would expect from a group of rambunctious, no awesome, young adults from Canada and more importantly one from Baden. Just as we had achieved a level of equillibriumal balance, and yes i know equillibriumal is not a word, but this is my story and I am going to use it, so all you English majors are going to have to suffer. Where were we, o yes, just as we had, as whole unified group of friends, no brothers and sisters in destiny, achieved a state of comfort, we were dragged off on an adventure that few would survive, and fewer yet would forget (ps. don't worry no one actually dies, but death sells better). We were called to save a poor helpless...

Ok sorry i am for getting carried away.

So yes on this day May 8, 2008 our Yella (which means "lets go" in Hebrew) group went on a journey. An 11 kilometer hike(which is really really far), through tough terrain and up steep escarpments from Nazareth to Sephoris/Zippori (we actually had a big debate on the name and there was lots of confusion, at least for me). After having breakfast at 8am we grabbed lunches from the stores near by, most people buying pizza from a store for only 6 shekels, translating to less then 2 dollars for a pizza (crazy eh).

A little aside of interest: today is actually a very special day in Israel. Called the "Independence day" by the Jewish Israelis or "the Disaster" by the Arab Palestinians, it marks the day of the creation of the state of Israel. Today in fact is the 60th anniversary of this birth.

At 9 we headed out for our hike which took place on a section of the Jesus trail. This is a project initiated about 6 months ago that retraces the steps of Jesus from town to town across the plains, and hills (big hills, that are very steep with lots of thistles, and other pointy objects). Our fearless guide David, former student of EMU led us up steep sets of stairs that were way to steep, tell we got to the top of the ridge the surrounds Nazareth, giving us a breathtaking view of what lay before us. From here we spent the next 2 hours trekking through the Israeli bad lands, through farmers fields and forests, until we reached our destination of Zippori, awesome place by the way.

Here there was a national park that contained many remnants of Old Zippori from first century Israel. They included an ancient Roman road, like the ones that covered the Roman empire; many amazing stone mosaics found within the remains of many ancient Jewish buildings. Unlike the homes we saw at Nazareth's Village, these were far more complex, colourful and big, clearly belonging to the wealthy elite. Also in this village was the remains of an old Jewish synagogue, oddly included in the stone mosaic in this building were inscriptions of a Greek god. After enjoying our stay here, which included the discovery and of course exploration of a cave like hole, which Stephen claims must have been inhabited at one point ( I am a little more skeptical) we headed on our way to the nearby (it actually wasn't nearby, like David claimed, rather another hour and a half hike, to the town of Cana. Here we visited a church which claims it has the water vessels in which Jesus turned water into wine, Lynn, our other not quite as fearless leader, said that it was highly unlikely that these were the exact water vessels which Jesus used, but that they would have looked the same. Finally after getting a taxi ride back to Nazareth...

...our heroes returned to their highly secret fortress, to relax after another hard day of work fighting crime. I lie now in my comfortable bed with built in foot massager, knowing that the world is a safer place because of what we had achieved today. Others are skeptical that our adventure today will solve all the worlds problems, but i figure its the best that one man can do when he is part of this Yella adventure. And maybe, just maybe, the leafs will win the Stanley Cup next year.

But that is a story for another day.....Blog written by Derek Alton
Pictures by Kristina Harder

Day 3: Learning about conflict with two Eliases

2008-05-07T21:04:00.013+03:00

When I said I would write the blog for today I had no idea it would be such a challenging day to write about. We met with Father Elias Chacour today at his office in Haifa. Father Elias Chacour is the Archbishop of Galilee of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. He is also a noted author and peace activist who promotes reconciliation between Arabs and Israelis. At the age of eight he was evicted, along with his whole village, by the Israeli authorities and became a deportee and a refugee but remained in the region. This is the first day that we have been able to discuss the conflict here in depth with someone from the region. It was a privilege to be able to discuss it with someone as well spoken and educated as Father Chacour.

The discussion was primarily based around questions asked of us, about our conceptions of this country, the conflicts, and why we have come here. Father Chacour's message of peace. His stories of struggle and persecution, stick out for me as an important part of this trip already. Our conversation with Father Chacour lasted two hours and was packed with enough information and personal experience to write several essays on. I feel that one of the most important messages that he tried to leave us with was something like this excerpt from a commencement address at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where he said:

"If you are pro-Israel, on behalf of the Palestinian children I call unto you: give further friendship to Israel. They need your friendship. But stop interpreting that friendship as an automatic antipathy against me, the Palestinian who is paying the bill for what others have done against my beloved Jewish brothers and sisters in the Holocaust and Auschwitz and elsewhere. And if you have been enlightened enough to take the side of the Palestinians -- oh, bless your hearts -- take our sides, because for once you will be on the right side, right? But if taking our side would mean to become one-sided against my Jewish brothers and sisters, back up. We do not need such friendship. We need one more common friend. We do not need one more enemy, for God's sake!"

After meeting with Father Chacour we drove to I'billin and the Mar Elias High School, which builds bridges between the different religious communities in the area. We then heard personal stories and experiences from another Elias: the director of Mar Elias Educational Institutions. We returned to Nazzareth Village for a recap and some discussion about what we had experienced that day, and then Linford led us in some historical and scriptural role playing exercises in the synagogue at Nazareth Village.

Some photos from the day:

Members of the group meeting
with Father Chacour

The Baha'i Gardens in Haifa. Aren't we just classic tourists?

That's us singing in the Church of the Sermon on the Mount in I'billin

View of I'billin

Mar Elias High Schooli I'billin

Photos by: Christine Horst and Mike Turman
Text: Stephen Trepanier

Day 2: Mount Carmel and Caesarea

2008-05-06T20:47:00.004+03:00

Day 2 here is practically completed. We are recovering from the intense jetlag we all felt yesterday. Linford arrived this evening, so all of us have now arrived. Five minutes ago I heard the Muslim call to prayer, and now I'm hearing the church bells ringing out 9:00. I really enjoy being able to hear both of these from the hostel.

Today is the Memorial Day in Israel. It commemorates those who have died in wars. This morning at 11, and this evening at 8 we heard a minute-long siren, reminding us.

Anton, a Maronite from Nazareth was our guide for today. He was full of knowledge about everything we passed. I feel that I will be receiving so much information here that it will be a big challenge to keep everything from merging together.

We started off our day at the top of Mount Carmel, where Elijah slew the prophets of Baal. We had some beautiful views over the plains of Jezreel and could view the hills where Nazareth is built in the distance. I was very surprised to see all the fish farms that have been constructed in the plains. This is an arid country (there are drip irrigation tubes everywhere), so I wonder how much water evaporates from those farms on a daily basis.

We then proceeded to Caesarea to see the Roman ruins. We walked along an aquaduct, and then wandered through the theater, hippodrome, baths and a French fort. Anton, our guide, led us through, allowing us to understand the significance of each ruin. At the left are columns where Herod had a palace and a swimming pool.

The hippodrome is in the background as we listen to Anton (in the white baseball cap, mostly hidden by the rest of us).

Our final stop for the day was Nazareth Village. We were surprised to see that it is actually located in the middle of Nazareth. It seems like a little oasis in the middle of this busy city. It was interesting to compare the simplicity of life in Nazareth in the 1st century with Roman life in Caesarea. Tara, a volunteer, led us around the village. She tied scriptural references into her talk seamlessly, and was incredibly enthusiastic. We will be returning to the village later to learn and volunteer.

Tomorrow, we look forward to meeting Father Chacour and to visiting Haifa.

This is actually Alison posting, not Megan (who took the photos). I wasn't able to maneuver the Arabic necessary to log in to blogger.com, so Megan signed me in through her gmail account. Thanks Megan!

Photos

2008-05-05T18:20:00.003+03:00

Here are some pictures we shot today:

Tired travelers on the bus to Nazareth.
View of the valley that we drove through.

One of the beautiful purple flowered trees.
This is the courtyard and entrance of the guest house we're staying at.

We'll have more posts and pictures tomorrow!

Day One: Arrivals

2008-05-05T18:06:00.004+03:00

Yesterday morning our group assembled and departed for Tel Aviv--no major difficulties. Thanks to all the parents and friends in Stouffville who helped get us and all our things to the airport in good time. It doesn't feel like yesterday morning, it feels like that was today. That's the joy of international travel between time zones!

We arrived safely in Tel Aviv early this morning, amazed by the size and modernity of the Ben Gurion Airport. The sun was shining brightly as we stepped outside for our first taste of Israeli air. We bought our first New Israeli Shekels, filled our water bottles and boarded our coach bus. Our first destination: Nazareth.

The ride itself was fascinating--one and a half hours driving through countryside we barely knew how to imagine before we left. There are things growing in this country. Trees! Fruits! Vegetables and crops! It's their dry summer season now, and so many of the fields looked harvested, but we were surprised by the green that's here--it's not just all desert like our guide books make it out to be. The security wall passes nearby the highway in many places. Towns filled with three-story concrete buildings and frequent minarets cover the hillsides. Then we arrived, and began our look up-close.

This afternoon we took a short tour of the old city of Nazareth. We are staying in a lovely guest house, called the Fauzi Azar Inn, which is in a 250 year old building. We are very excited to be staying here, where the people are friendly and the coffee is strong. Already after an afternoon here, we've probably taken hundreds of pictures.

Stay tuned for more impressions, pictures and anecdotes as we have the time to write and share them.

The last day at work before the trip.

2008-05-02T01:09:00.006+03:00

It's funny how your daily routine can seem special when you know you'll be away for a while. I found myself quite satisfied as I sat down on the bus for the last leg of my commute, knowing that It would be a while before I make the trip again. Montreal in the spring is always enjoyable, the terraces are open and thriving, trees blossoming, and a fine fresh feeling, after the grime and slush of a long enough winter. The park, the longer days, green grass, blooming flowers, and open bike paths make leaving an almost melancholy act.

I always find that the time leading up to trip is like a drain emptying, or one of those coin slides they used to have at McDonalds when I was a kid. Slowly but steadily time seems to speed up, circling toward the drain of the airport, and finally onto the eight hour cocoon of a 747 or some other jet. Until your spit out on the other end, usually sleep deprived, and in the middle of some cycle completely unfamiliar to the one you left, but full of possibilities.

See you on Sunday.

3 more sleeps

2008-05-01T17:20:00.003+03:00

Our trip is approaching so quickly. Just three more sleeps! Right now we're probably all thinking: do I have everything I need? Can I get away with packing my bag last minute on Saturday, or should I try to do it now? How much foreign currency should I take? Just how hot will it be there anyway?

I have the answer to that, actually. According to Google, it's currently 22 degrees in Jerusalem, with sun expected for the rest of the week--high of 26 on Saturday. Wild to think we'll be halfway around the world in less than 4 days.

Stay tuned for more next week!
--Mike

Yella = Let's go

2008-04-30T23:32:00.000+03:00

This website is the blog of the Yella 2008 group from MCEC traveling to Israel-Palestine. Between May 4-25 we will be over there, and this is where we'll post stories, pictures, observations and reflections to let you know what we've been up to and how we're doing.

The trip's very close now: please wish us bon voyage!