A SURPRISE FOR ONE!

Back in December 2010, (actually Christmas Eve) Jed came to me and asked for my daughters hand in marriage. They have been together for five years and I did not have to think it over, I said yes, he may now ask my daughter for her hand.

Jed showed me the ring he purchased and said he wanted to propose while we were in Israel visiting my son Dan. Class...all the way...Class.

I informed Rachels brothers, Dan & Jason, and my brother David (who informed the rest of the family) and virtually all of us knew what was to happen, except that is, Rachel.

On our second night in Israel, Jed asked Rachel to take a walk with him on the beach. We had an apartment about 50 meters from the beach (Mediterranean Sea). She agreed. Dan looked at me after they left and suggested, when they return, we don't say anything... just in case Jed does not ask her or if... heaven forbid, she says no...lol.

So when they returned... we said nothing but "welcome back" ... then Rachel started jumping up and down yelling ...I'm Engaged!"... wow... kisses and hugs and Mazel Tovs...never seen her happier...

On the way back from the beach, Jed and Rachel got someone to snap a photo of the newly engaged couple...



A close up of the ring...
It was quite a site...Rachel then raced to the internet to alert the world... some of which, already knew... lol

Later in the week we were at a "shook" (an open air market.. kind of like an all around, something for everyone, flea market... some good stuff though... and Rachel decided to buy a ring for Jed... Silver with lettering in Hebrew on the band saying "I am part of you, you are part of me"... she got on bended knee and placed it on Jed's hand...


It was a good day... They were all good days...

ONTO THE WESTERN WALL

We continued our trip with a visit to the Western Wall.


For those who may not know, the Western Wall (Ha-Kotel Ha-Ma'aravi) in Jerusalem is the holiest of Jewish sites, sacred because it is a remnant of the Herodian retaining wall that once enclosed and supported the Second Temple. It has also been called the "Wailing Wall" by European observers because for centuries Jews have gathered here to lament the loss of their temple.

The Western Wall Plaza, the large open area that faces the Western Wall, functions as an open-air synagogue that can accommodate tens of thousands of worshipers. Prayers take place here day and night, and special services are held here as well.

People come from all over the world to pray here and place notes of prayer in the wall.

Our visit would not have been complete without coming here. Even though I feel as if I had lost my faith following the death of my wife in 1991, I felt a strange comfort here. Difficult to explain but it felt good.


Here Rachel makes her way to the wall...As in many other instances in the Jewish religion, men and women are segregated and it is so at the wall. Men to the left and women to the right. Since many more men visit the site than women, the women's side is smaller... no less holy however...


Jed also came to the wall. Though Jed is not Jewish, a Rabbi ran up to him and placed a yarmulke on his head. No harm no foul, it is custom to wear a head covering while in a synagogue and the open area in front of the wall is considered a synagogue. In his own way, Jed prayed as well.


Dan had been here many times, so he acted as photgrapher as I, too, approached the wall. Until that moment, I had never felt a closeness to G-d.

Here I did, in a way that I cannot describe.
I prayed and placed my prayer note
in the wall.















Here, Dan is having the Tefillin placed on him by a Rabbi. Again, for those who may not know, Tefillin meaning "to guard, protect", are a set of small cubic leather boxes painted black, containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah, with leather straps dyed black on one side, and worn by observant Jews during weekday morning prayers. The hand-tefillin, or shel yad, is placed on the upper arm, and the strap wrapped around the arm, hand and fingers; while the head-tefillin, or shel rosh, is placed above the forehead, with the strap going around the head and over the shoulders. The Torah commands that they should be worn to serve as a "sign" and "remembrance" that God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. In the Torah it says "And you shall bind them as a sign upon your arm, and they shall be as totafot (meaning worn on the head) between your eyes." TRADITION!
Seen here, I too wore the Tefillin. Dan and I recited the Shema. (note) Shema Yisrael (or Sh'ma Yisrael or just Shema) (Hebrew: שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל‎; "Hear, [O] Israel") are the first two words of a section of the Torah (Hebrew Bible) that is a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. The first verse encapsulates the monotheistic essence of Judaism: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is one," found in Deuteronomy 6:4.

Overall visiting the Wall was an exhilarating experience. So much so that I had to rest a minute before leaving. After leaving the Wall...while I myself do not understand why or how, I can relate this to my readers.
Again, while I have not followed my religion for some time having felt I had lost my faith after Fran died, a strange thing happened to me. I have both PAD and PVD in my lower legs. I also suffer from peripheral neuropathy in my feet. Walking even short distances can be painful in the legs and feet.

I realized only after leaving the Wall.... that for the time we were there, (almost an hour) I had no pain in my legs or feet, whatsoever. None. I cannot explain it.


click on this photo to enlarge it and read about the Wall...

From lowest point on Earth

On Monday we visited Masada and the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth.


On Tuesday we traveled to the highest point in Jerusalem, a park with a fantastic view. Breath-taking is the only way to describe it.





























Of course we took the ritual family (touristy) shot with the Dome of the Rock in the "old city" behind us.


Next it was on the the walled "old city"... the original Jerusalem. We entered though the Jaffa Gate... one of many entrances to the walled city.

A visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was not to be missed, Christian or not. It is a spectacular construction. For those unfamiliar, here is a photo of the church from back in 1885.


Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Other than some restoration work, its appearance has essentially not changed since 1854. The same small ladder below the top-right window is also visible in recent photographs; this has remained in the same position since 1854 over a disagreement to move it. (credit - Wikipedia)




While you may not see the ladder referred to regarding the b/w photo of the church, see our photo where the ladder still stands...interesting...no?




We didn't ...(well Dan did since he had been here before, but we, Rachel, Jed and I did not) realize the splendor we were about to see "inside" the church. Artwork in the form of mosaics, architecture the size and design that is wondrous for it's time of creation. The attention to detail and the marvelous craftsmanship is outstanding. Pictured here we see a huge mosaic depicting Christ brought down from the cross, cleaned and prepared for burial and finally being laid to rest. see the detail picture to realize it's beauty. Most of the mosaic pieces are no more then 1/4" to 1/2" squares. I have detailed a section of the mosaic, (red square)to show the intricacy of the work.














In addition, we saw what is referred to as the "Stone of Anointment". This was where Christs body was prepared for burial. Many people visiting the the church kneel by the stone and touch it to feel the presence of Christ and to pray.

Onto the rotunda with it's huge dome. The Suns light shines in through an opening in the very top.







On the rotunda floor under the dome, is Christs Tomb. Many years ago, the rocky cave area where Christ was originally buried and the rose was cut from it's setting and brought to the Church. It it housed in a tall wooden building within the church and people stand in line for hours on end to get a chance to view the inside of the building and see the rock. (this is what I was told, not sure if I have it totally right)



Here is another picture of the tomb I found on line on the internet.



In all we were in awe of the design,craftsmanship and overall enormity of the church.


We saw a lot, but probably not all there was to see. More about our trip later. Thanks for stopping by.... Larry

onto The Dead Sea

For those that did not know... The name 'Dead Sea' is actually a nicer translation from the Hebrew name 'Yam ha Maved', which means, 'Killer Sea'. The surface of the Dead Sea is over 1,300 feet below sea level. The very bottom of the sea, in the deepest part, is over 2,300 feet below sea level. The Dead Sea has some of the most saline water on earth; as much as 35% of the water is dissolved salts! That's almost six times as salty as the ocean! The Dead Sea is completely landlocked and it gets saltier with increasing depth. The surface, fed by the River Jordan, is the least saline. This means humans can float in the water without really trying...just look at Larry here...








and Jed too!





While the Dead Sea is supposed to have "medicinal healing abilities"...aside from stinging the eyes and mouth, all it let's you do is float. Before drying off after coming out of the water... you must shower (and it's cold) to remove most of the salt...


After the shower... we went up to the hot springs to bathe... like a huge hot tub with the water from the dead sea...heated to I don't know how many degrees... but it was hot! more to come....

onto Masada

After our camel experience, we continued south to Masada... the scenery enroute was also amazing... a brief explanation about Masada appears below...

Masada (Hebrew מצדה, from מצודה, metzuda or "fortress") is the name for a site of ancient palaces and fortifications in the South District of Israel on top of an isolated rock plateau, on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. After the First Jewish-Roman War a siege of the fortress by troops of the Roman Empire led to the mass suicide of the Sicarii rebels. Due to the remoteness from human habitation and its arid environment, the site has remained largely untouched by humans or nature for the past two thousand years.

Rather than climb, we took the cable car to the summit. A lot easier...










We took lots of pictures and walked and walked. It is a tremendous place. Remnants of palaces, bath houses, living quarters and such were scattered throughout the fortress.












We saw some amazing things at Masada... in one room was a still, mostly intact, mosaic floor... outstanding craftsmanship when you consider how old it is...and how long it's been there...



If these ruins could talk... rooms and rooms of all sizes and shapes...living quarters for women and children, for the warriors and workers...took years to build.

























Jed and Rachel with the Dead Sea in the background. What an adventure!

I want to Ride a Camel...

So we're on our way to Masada and almost there we are going to stop for gas and restroom visits... before getting there I tell everyone ..."I want to ride a camel while we're in Israel..." lo and behold, right at the exit of the gas station is a camel and his handler waiting to fulfill my wish... So we all got the "sit" on the camel for pictures.

We Arrive in Tel-Aviv @ Ben Gurion Airport.

Note: Rachel nor I changed the time stamp on the cameras... so time may be off from actual time taken...lol

We arrived in Israel at about 2:45PM (local Israel time). Dan met us on arrival, we got our rental car and drove to the apartment we rented for a week. Driving in Tel-Aviv is  an experience all to itself... Dan tells me "they drive like crazy people here... you must do the same..." So I drive...

Unfortunately, a lot of the maps available here do not show the direction of the street (one way streets) in all instances... so we did a lot of u-turns and wrong turns getting to the apartment but finally got there... in one piece...

Over the course of this blog, I will post pictures of some of the things we saw and did. This is just the beginning.