Hi, Mom.
Moving on from Northern Israel, we headed to Tel Aviv. As we made our way South from Tiberias we visited the ancient city of Acre. Settled during The Bronze Age—3,000+ BC—Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. This is largely due to the prime location, at the point of a natural harbor on the Mediterranean Sea. While there, we focused on the time of The Crusaders, dating back to 1104. The Old City of Acre (built by The Crusaders) was discovered and cleared of debris in the 1950s and 1960s, with further excavation in the 1990s revealing more structure of The Old City. It was astonishing to see what has been uncovered; a city of massive scale, preserved for centuries.
While walking through the site we were startled by a loud, thunderous BOOM in the sky. It was so startling I actually jumped and let out a little yelp. Then, looking around I caught the eye of an Israeli tour guide who was entirely unaffected. She just shook her head at me, inferring that I was overreacting and said, “it’s just Israeli military jets breaking the sound barrier,” as if it happened all the time.
If you want to know more about Acre, here are a couple of sites:
From Acre we went on to Tel Aviv. We were there over the first Seder of Passover, so we essentially got to see the city go to sleep as all were observing the holiest of Jewish religious holidays. Below is something I wrote after returning to our room that night.
Passover in Tel Aviv
The streets of Tel Aviv were empty tonight. It is the eve of Passover, the high point of the Jewish calendar. All are home with their families, preparing for the most holy of holidays.
The moon is full, lighting the night sky as we stroll along the boulevard of Rothschild. Restaurants and bars are closed. There is no traffic. The swoosh of bikes and scooters whisking by is conspicuously absent. It is just the two of us, as we search for a spot for dinner.
Something about having the street—this prime, historic street—to ourselves feels special; a truly unique moment not held by even those who live here. As we discuss the experiences of recent days, we feel blessed and contemplative.
We can’t help but think of the layers of religious belief at each site we have visited. Jewish, Muslim, Christian, various Orthodox factions of each, Druze, Baha’i and others I can’t even name. There are so many religious beliefs layered upon these places, with a thread of conflict running throughout. It is difficult to rationalize how these staunch belief systems, literally centered on the meaning and purpose of life, can be so exclusionary of others.
As we talk, we continue to walk by closed restaurants and bars, one after another. The food kiosks that line the boulevard, all closed. Then, nearly to The Mediterranean, our search finally ends at Kimchee, the only Korean restaurant in Tel Aviv is the only one we find open. And so, with an Asian beer and some Bibimbap we reflect on and contemplate recent days.
Two nights later night, there was a terrorist attack on the promenade in Tel Aviv. On the pedestrian and bike path that runs along The Mediterranean Sea—which we had observed on our evening walk—a car intentionally rammed into tourists, killing one and injuring seven. The driver exited his car with a gun, intending to shoot but his gun jammed, at which point police apprehended him.
By the time this occurred we had moved on to Jerusalem, though by then the uneasiness of the region had become palpable. More about that in my next update.
Love to you,
Shannon & Dan
Notes to Mom 