Tag: Independence War

January 29, 2014

The Battles for Jerusalem

Once more we traveled to Jerusalem for today’s tour, with the focus on the city as part of the wars of 1948 (when it was split) and 1967 (when it was unified).

Our day began at the Greek Orthodox monastery of San Simon. This is believed to be the site of the home of Saint Simeon, the priest who performs the redemption ceremony for Jesus as described in the Gospel of Luke, and prophesies his future greatness.

Of more relevance to today’s visit, we learned that this was the site of a major battle in the 1948 war. There were four concentrations of Jews in south Jerusalem at the time: Ramat Rachel kibbutz, Mekor Haim, Talpiot and Arnona. The control of the Katamon neighbourhood around the monastery by the Arabs meant that these neighbourhoods were cut off from the rest of Jewish Jerusalem and effectively under siege. Taking Katamon would enable Jewish control of the whole western part of the city.

San Simon Monastery – note the bullet holes – a reminder of the battle in 1948

The battle, which took place in April 1948, was long and ferocious. Ninety percent of the Israeli force was wounded, several mortally so. At one point they were about to give up and withdraw, but the Arab force beat them to it. Through stoicism, heroism and quite a bit of luck (these themes repeated themselves throughout the war), the battle was won and the southern Jewish neighbourhoods had their siege lifted.

We continued south to Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, where the relief was short-lived. Only a few days after the Battle of San Simon the kibbutz was surrounded by Jordanian and Egyptian troops and subjected to an immense bombardment. The kibbutz members held on bravely for three days but eventually had to evacuate. Israel did not want to give up the kibbutz, and the battle continued, with the site changing hands three times before eventually being held by the Israeli troops.

Israelite capitals dating to the 8th century BCE found at Ramat Rachel

While at Ramat Rachel, we also explored the archaeological excavations. Researchers have discovered remains of a vast palace complex from the 8th century BCE (the First Temple Period) including impressive irrigated gardens. The site continued to be an important administrative centre into the 3rd century BCE.

On route to our final stop for the day, we drove along parts of the ‘City Line’, the border between Israel and Jordan for 19 years between 1948 and 1967. It is crazy to think that there was a physical border fence along the middle of the city for so long. Although it was mostly quiet, every now and again Jordanian snipers would shoot over the fence causing several Israeli deaths and even more injuries.

Our last site was at Ammunition Hill, the memorial site for all soldiers who died in the battle for Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War. There was an excellent film here about the battle for the city; the capture of the Old City was a very emotional moment for Israelis and Jews around the world, having been forbidden entry to their holiest site for 19 years, and the film conveyed this well.

Jordanian trenches at Ammunition Hill

Ammunition Hill was the site of a particularly difficult battle as the Israeli troops pushed east in an attempt to reach Mount Scopus, which had been an Israeli enclave within Jordanian territory since 1948. An intelligence error meant that the Israeli force was underprepared and under-resourced; after a gruelling 4 and a half hour battle over a very small area, and many lives lost, the hill was taken, paving the way for the eventual capture of the whole city.

With this, our series of tours focused on Israel’s wars has come to a close, together with the accompanying tragic stories of promising young lives cut short and remarkable bravery. In 2014, it is so easy to take Israel’s existence for granted; these tours have served as a reminder as to how close it came to extinction on so many occasions. Truly an extraordinary tale.

January 2, 2014

The South in 1948

Last week’s tour was dedicated to the battle for the road to Jerusalem in 1948. We finished the day learning how the siege of Jerusalem was finally broken, a significant victory for the nascent Israeli state. However, the south of the country had been cut off completely by the Egyptian army. With Jerusalem now accessible and resources freed up, the attention began to turn southwards. Likewise, we would now journey south for a tour on the theme of the south of Israel in 1948.

Memorial to the fallen at Ad Halom Bridge

We began the day at the Ad Halom Bridge, formerly known as Jisr Isdud, located next to Ashdod. This was the northernmost point reached by the advancing Egyptian armies, only 34km south of Tel Aviv. Fortunately the Israelis had managed to blow up the bridge, preventing further advancement, and we heard how a mixture of Israeli attacks (ironically complete failures, but psychologically damaging) combined with poor Egyptian intelligence meant that they progressed no further, instead opting to travel eastwards and cut off the south of the country from the centre. As such, the bridge was renamed ‘Ad Halom’, a very literary way of saying ‘up to here’ – a reference to the fact that the Egyptians progressed no further north.

We heard the story of the battles here, together with several acts of heroic individual bravery. This was also the site of the first mission of the nascent Israeli Air Force, if four planes could be called an airforce! The country has come a long way since 1948…

The ‘Palace’ House – site of the last stand at Kibbutz Nitzanim

We continued south to the original site of Kibbutz Nitzanim. The Egyptians had not given the kibbutz too much trouble on their push north but with the decision to entrench they returned to clear their lines. The defendants of the kibbutz were hugely outnumbered and did not even have enough guns for one each; their communications device also failed and they were cut off from Israeli HQ – they had no idea if their SOS had been received and if back-up was on the way. They did their best to hold on heroically but eventually surrendered.

This surrender was pilloried at the time but once the facts became clear after the war, those involved in the battle were recognised for their bravery. The site is now also the site of the Women of Valour Centre, a memorial to all female soldiers who have died in battle. This site was chosen as in the last minute evacuation of women and children, 10 women refused to leave, insisting on taking their part in the defence of their home. Three of them were killed by Egyptian fire.

We journeyed further south, although back in time chronologically, to Kibbutz Yad Mordechai. Sadly passing by the sign for the bee & honey experience (they make a lot of honey on the kibbutz), we visited the museum of the kibbutz where we heard the story of the battle here in 1948. Unlike at Nitzanim, the Egyptians made a point of conquering the kibbutz on their way north, as it occupied a strategic position on the coastal road.

Statue of Mordechai Anielewicz at Yad Mordechai Kibbutz

The Israelis bravely held out for a few days but eventually fled in the face of overwhelming Egyptian superiority in numbers and weaponry. We heard of some of the acts of heroism while visiting the cemetery for those who died in the war. Eventually the IDF took back the kibbutz in its push south, and it became the effective border with the Gaza Strip (which was controlled by Egypt after 1948).

The kibbutz is named after Mordechai Anielewicz, the leader of the revolt in the Warsaw Ghetto. The museum also contains information on life in the ghetto and details of the revolt.

Our final stop of the day was at Kibbutz Negba, which became the Israeli southern front against the Egyptian army. After spreading east from Ashdod, they had reached this area, but did not manage to conquer Negba. As we again sat in the military cemetery, we heard how the kibbutz remarkably held out in the face of ferocious attacks, being vastly outnumbered and with inferior weaponry. It was really quite remarkable.

Memorial to the fallen at Kibbutz Negba

Here we learned about Operation Yoav, named for one of Negba’s fallen. It was this operation, launched after the Jerusalem siege was broken, that finally broke through the Egyptian lines into the Negev. The decisive battle took place a few kilometres away from Negba.

With the Egyptian army now surrounded, the Israelis opened talks about a ceasefire and withdrawal; 90 days later the Egyptians acquiesced and left; the largest of the Arab armies that had invaded Israel in 1948 had been repelled, and the south had been freed.

December 29, 2013

The Road to Jerusalem in 1948

Having concluded our study of Israel’s wars in class, we were now to go out into the field to get a better idea of the story behind the 1948 Israeli War of Independence, the longest and most difficult war that has been fought in Israel’s history, with 1% of the population killed in action. Although we have been touching on the wars in our tours around the country, these two trips are dedicated to two of the most serious fronts of the war: the road to Jerusalem and then the south of the country. Both Jerusalem and the south were cut off from the rest of the country and were effectively put under siege; difficult and costly battles were fought to break through. Today’s tour was dedicated to the road to Jerusalem in 1948; next week we shall explore the Southern Front.

View over the narrow Bab-el-Wad / Shaar Hagay

We began our day near the small village of Shoresh, just off route 1, in the Masrek Nature Reserve. Hiking along the ridge, we reached a viewpoint over Shaar Hagay, known by many by its Arabic name, Bab-el-Wad. Both translate as ‘the Gate of the Valley’. Here, the road to Jerusalem ascends through a narrow gorge. Our guide explained that the local Arabs soon realised it would be more effective to lay siege to Jewish population areas rather than to attack them outright, with many key roads passing through areas of large Arab population. This area of the Jerusalem road was particularly vulnerable with its steep ascent causing supply lorries to struggle along at around 10km/h, sitting ducks for the assembled forces on the slopes of the valley.

The Israelis tried many different methods to break through – using convoys, then adding primitive armour to their trucks. But they could still not break through. The viewpoint made it clear the huge challenge faced by these convoys. We read some witness accounts from drivers; they were absolutely terrified.

View over the snow-covered Castel

Leaving the viewpoint, we drove slightly further down route one to the Castel. This was the site of the first Arab village conquered by the Israeli forces in the war. It played an important role in the war, in terms of boosting morale, even though the site went on to exchange hands a couple of times before being finally conquered. Here the Israelis killed the commander of the local Arab forces when he was by chance shot by a sentry – another significant morale boost. At close to 800m above sea level, this was an important vantage point on the Jerusalem road.

The site was still covered in a deep blanket of snow from the previous weekend, when Israel had suffered its worst storms in over 100 years. The snow had by now hardened but this was not going to stop Israelis from enjoying its novelty – there were plenty of kids frolicking around and a fair amount of adults also!

Snow-covered Kiriat Anavim Cemetery for the Harel Brigade

Turning back on ourselves, we made a short stop at the Kiriat Anavim cemetery. It seemed that we were the first to visit since the stop and there was still a lot of snow here also. Trees also lay all over the place, blown over by the strong winds. This is the cemetery of the Harel Brigade, part of the Palmach, who were responsible for fighting the battle to open and protect the road to Jerusalem. They suffered the heaviest losses of any part of the nascent IDF in the war; one third of the brigade was killed. We heard the stories of some of their most famous fallen, and reflected on the tragic losses of this period.

Memorial for the Armoured Corps (Yad Lashiryon), Latrun

Continuing north, we stopped at the Memorial for the Armoured Corps (Yad Lashiryon) at Latrun. Now also a museum for tanks (which they claim has the biggest variety of tanks of any collection in the world), we learned about the formation of the Israeli armoured corps in order to try to take this hilltop in the 1948 war. Here was a former British fortress, and taking it was essential in order to control the road to Jerusalem. Unfortunately the Arabs had also realised this and from May 1948 the area was swarming with soldiers of the Jordanian Arab Legion, the best trained soldiers in the region. We had a quick tour of some of the tanks and visited the memorial, designed by the famous sculptor Danny Caravan.

View over the area of the Burma Road

The Israelis fought five battles for Latrun, all of them tragic failures. Realising the futility of further attacks, they ingeniously built a by-pass around the area (and also that of the problematic Shaar HaGay). As they copied a technique used by the British in the East, this new route was known as the Burma Road. We relocated to a viewpoint near Neve Shalom whence we could better understand how the battles played out, and also the location of the Burma Road. With the construction of this new route, the siege of Jerusalem was broken, and later a new road was built connecting the area just west of Latrun with the area of Shoresh. With the Latrun and Shaar Hagay area remaining under Jordanian control until 1967, this became the road to Jerusalem in the interim.

The siege of Jerusalem was lifted, and now the forces could focus on the Jewish areas cut off by the Egyptians in the south. More on that to come after our next field trip…

December 9, 2013

Campus Eilat Day Two: Eilat and the Eilat Mountains

Read about our first day of the Eilat Campus (exploring the Northern Arava and the Ovda Valley), our third day (exploring the Southern Arava) or our fourth day (visiting the Timna Valley).

After rising early and having a hearty go at the ample breakfast buffet, it was time to recommence our trip, with today being broadly dedicated to the area of Eilat itself and the Eilat mountains.

We began the day at the area of Umm Rash Rash, the forerunner to the city of Eilat. The area does not have a long history of settlement due to the lack of water resources (the ancient city of Eilat and later Ayla is modern-day Aqaba, across the bay in Jordan), but at some point in the Ottoman period some fishers from Aqaba began to base themselves out here and in the early 20th century an Ottoman army outpost was built to prevent any future British shelling of Aqaba. After WWI, the outpost was taken over by the British.

Um Rash Rash: Operation Ovda Memorial

Here we heard the story of Operation Ovda (Operation ‘Fact’ – the idea being that it would create facts on the ground), the last operation of the Israeli War of Independence. The majority of the Negev desert was not under Israeli control and the Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, saw it is strategically vital to do so, both in order to secure extra space for the pending waves of immigration, and also to have access to the Red Sea for trade purposes.

However with the war in its final stages and ceasefire negotiations ongoing, the position was tricky. Hence Ben Gurion ordered the Israeli army to take the area of Um Rash Rash with two sets of troops approaching from the east and west, without firing a shot.

Our guide told us the remarkable story of how this was achieved, culminating in two jeeps of soldiers arriving at the deserted Umm Rash Rash post. Here was Israel’s Iwo Jima moment – there happened to be a photographer in the jeep who snapped the historic moment of the raising of their homemade ‘ink’ flag; now there is a sculpture at the site in memory of the occasion.

Hiking the Red Canyon in the Eilat Mountains

We then headed north, along the border with Egypt, deep into the Eilat mountains, for a hike in what is known as the Red Canyon. There is a great deal of red sandstone in the Eilat mountains, formed by erosion of local granite. The hike was just the right level of challenging for me with some lovely views and occasional explanations from our guide about local flora, fauna and geology.

Today was to be the most physically exerting of the campus as we travelled south for a hike through Nachal Shlomo, culminating at the peak of Mt Tzefachot. Our course coordinator had specifically scheduled the Eilat campus at this time of year so that we would be able to enjoy the area in comfortable temperatures (Eilat is the hottest part of Israel) but we were rather unfortunate in that our visit coincided with a ham sin (a heat-wave). Hence we found ourselves making the at times rather steep ascent in temperatures of around 32C!

View from Mt Tzefachot over the Eilat bay

Still, the physical effort was worth it, the view from Mt Tzefachot is quite simply outstanding. Looking north, one sees the many colours of the Eilat mountains; south the view expands over the bay of Eilat. It is also known as the ‘Four Countries Viewpoint’ as in addition to a view over Israel you can see deep into the Sinai Peninsula (Egypt), have a good view of Jordan and can even see the northwestern parts of Saudi Arabia. We sat in silence for a good few minutes at the top, enjoying the rush of the wind and the breathtaking view. No pictures can do this justice!

The Red Sea coral reef from the Eilat underwater observatory

Having finished the hikes, our final stop of the day was at the Eilat Underwater Observatory – the first underwater observatory in the world! There is a beautiful coral reef along the edge of the Red Sea and using the observatory it is possible to descend and look out on multi-coloured coral and the beautiful fish that live together with it. The site also has an aquarium of local fish and various other attractions – I remember enjoying previous visits as a child with my family so there was a bit of nostalgia here. A nice treat to end the day!

November 12, 2013

The Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem

We have visited sites in the Jewish Quarter before, as part of our tours of Jerusalem in the First Temple Period, the Second Temple Period, even the Crusader Period. Today, however, was focused on the more recent history of the quarter, from when Jews returned to live in the area in around 1400 after being expelled from the area surrounding Mt Zion.

Letter from the Ramban outside the Ramban Synagogue

Historically, Jewish communities have been centred around synagogues, and these formed a large part of our morning tour. We began at the Ramban Synagogue where we learned about the great Torah scholar and thinker, Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman after whom it is named. Arriving in Jerusalem in the 13th century, shortly after it had been devastated by Mongol marauders, he helped re-establish the Jewish community here and we heard from letters he wrote on the subject. It is probably the oldest synagogue in continuous use in Jerusalem.

Yochanan ben Zakai Synagogue (part of the ‘Four Sephardi Synagogues’ complex)

The other contender for that crown is the Synagogue of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai, located in the complex known as the ‘Four Sephardi Synagogues’. Originally all separate structures, they were united into one in the mid 19th century, when an Egyptian invasion relaxed many of the restrictions imposed by the Ottomans on Jewish building. Also in the complex are the Central, Istanbul and Elijah the Prophet synagogues. From 1948-67, when the Jewish Quarter was under Jordanian control, these buildings were used as storehouses, warehouses, and fell into disrepair. They have now been restored and are impressive structures; they remain in regular use by the local and visiting Sephardi communities as their main hub in Jerusalem.

We continued to the ruins of the Tiferet Yisrael synagogue, which is currently being restored. As one of the tallest buildings in the Jewish Quarter, it is quickly blown up by the Jordanian army as they advanced in 1948, to prevent any potential height advantage for Israeli fighters. It should be open in a few years for visitors to marvel at its renewed glory.

13th century Karaite Torah scroll

Opposite Tiferet Yisrael was the small Karaite Centre of Jerusalem. We descended underground to visit their synagogue which they believe has been at that site since the 9th century. The Karaites are an interesting group of Jews who follow only the Bible and not the following commentaries or exegesis in the Oral Law. They are now few in number and the Jerusalem synagogue only functions as a place for prayer on special request; the majority of the community is currently based in Ramla (avid blog followers will recall that we paid them a visit a few months ago).

The ‘Hurva’ Synagogue

Our final synagogue visit was also to the most magnificent of those in the Jewish Quarter, the ‘Hurva’. Originally built by Ashkenazi Jews arriving from Europe in the 1700s, it was destroyed when they could not pay the large loans taken to fund the construction; in fact this led to the formal expulsion of all Ashkenazi Jews from Jerusalem (although several found ingenious ways of sticking around). Rebuilt around 100 years later, it was again destroyed in 1948, this time by the Jordanians who as with Tiferet Yisrael decided to destroy the large buildings in the area. It was eventually rebuilt and restored at great expense, reopening just a few years ago in 2007. Its interior is quite stunning as are the views possible from the dome’s exterior balcony.

View from the top of the ‘Hurva’ Synagogue

After some respite for refreshments we paid a quick visit to the site of Jerusalem’s first hospital (you can’t enter it anymore but we saw the building) and then popped into the very interesting Old Yishuv Courtyard museum. This small but carefully maintained museum tells the story of the life of the inhabitants of the Jewish Quarter under Ottoman and British rule with artefacts from their lives and rooms mocked up in traditional styles.

View over the Temple Mount & Western Wall

After a brief stop at a stunning viewpoint over the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, we concluded the day at the memorial for those who fell in the battle for the Jewish Quarter in the 1948 War of Independence. As the area was at the time under siege, it was impossible to bury the dead in the tradition location of the Mount of Olives cemetery; therefore special dispensation was given to bury them in a mass grave, which is now the memorial. After Israel took back the area in 1967, they moved the bones to the Mount of Olives. We heard here about the heroic struggle to survive and hold the Jewish Quarter in the war, which ultimately failed in the face of superior numbers and experience on the part of the Jordanian army. Although a huge dent in morale, the loss of this area made the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 that much more euphoric.

Independence War Memorial of the Jewish Quarter

October 30, 2013

Settlement of the Negev in the Modern Period

We continued our exploration of the modern period with today’s trip to learn about the settlement of the Negev, the desert region in the south of Israel. Although the region has had some sparse habitation over history, in the Ottoman period the residents consisted of nomadic Bedouin tribes. The harsh conditions with little water and extreme temperatures did not make settlement overly appealing.

Still, the Ottomans established the city of Beer Sheva anew in 1900 and with the extension of the train to the area came renewed interest in settling it among the Zionists. Particularly David Ben Gurion, the future Prime Minister, saw it as a priority, and believed that the ingenuity of the Zionist movement would overcome any potential barriers.

Museum of Water & Security, Nir-Am

Our first site of the day was the Museum of Water and Security at kibbutz Nir Am, situated a few km away from the border with Gaza. After conducting a geological survey of the area, the Zionists discovered a significant amount of groundwater here. Purchasing old piping from the UK (which had been laid in London to help deal with potential fires during German WWII bombing) they laid out a network to the early Jewish settlements in the area to provide them with water. They also pioneered drip irrigation techniques to help develop agriculture.

Black Arrow Memorial

We left the kibbutz, stopping for a look out over into the Gaza Strip before visiting the Black Arrow memorial. Named after a major paratrooper operation into Egyptian controlled Gaza in the 1950s, this site is dedicated to the famous ‘reprisal’ actions of the same decade. In response to continuing violent incursions into the new Israeli state from Gaza, supported by the Egyptian army, Israel developed a policy of major reprisals in the hope of creating a deterrent to such actions. Each such reprisal action took its toll on the paratroopers involved and there is a memorial dedicated to each operation. From the top of the site it is possible to look over into Gaza, where these actions took place.

RAF Graffiti, Beeri Forest

Continuing south, we visited the Beeri Forest, original site of the Beeri Kibbutz which has now moved very slightly south. The forest contains a couple of old buildings of the kibbutz, together with a sulphur mine and the ruins of a refinery (Israel’s only sulphur depository) which was operational under the British. An RAF squadron were based nearby and it is possible to see some graffiti on the concrete celebrating the end of WWII in 1945.

ANZAC Memorial, Beeri Forest

Also in the park is the ANZAC memorial, dedicated to the Australian and New Zealander forces in the British army who helped liberate the area from the Ottomans in WWI. Based here where you can look over into Gaza where many of their battles took place, we also learned about their key role in the capture of Beer Sheva.

Maon Synagogue Mosaic

Although today was dedicated to more modern history, we made use of our proximity to visit the site of the Maon synagogue. One of only three Byzantine period synagogues in the Negev, it is possible to see the remains of a stunning mosaic with some unusual motifs. It is very similar to a mosaic from a synagogue in Gaza and also to one found in a church at the nearby Ein Shelala – archaeologists believe they may have been made by the same artist.

Homes in Mitzpe Gevulot

After a brief stop for luncheon we visited the site of Mitzpe Gvulot. In 1943, there was still very little settlement in the Negev, and there was a decision to set up three mitzpim (look-outs) in different geological areas to test out agricultural techniques and learn about the best way to manage in the harsh conditions. Gvulot was one of these and we were able to visit many of the original buildings which had been constructed from local materials: bricks of clay and straw. It was quite remarkable to think of the teenagers who moved here from the Balkans in order to be pioneers in the desert; we learned that they had very good relations with their Bedouin neighbours and developed impressive techniques to collect water and irrigate their crops. They even constructed a factory for cutting diamonds although this particular industry did not last very long! It’s possible to visit the site and learn how to make the clay bricks with your own hands, if you’re in the mood for getting a little bit messy.

Hanging Bridge over Nachal Besor

Our final destination was Kibbutz Ruchama, but on the way we had a brief stop at the hanging bridge over Nachal Besor. The bridge leads into the local badlands which provide pleasant view of rolling peaks and crevices. It is possible to hike in the area, but we had to press on.

Security Building in Ruchama

Ruchama was actually the first Jewish settlement in the Negev in the modern period, established in 1911. These early pioneers had a very tough time but were managing to get on top of the conditions until 1917 when the Turks expelled them (they feared they would collaborate with the advancing British forces). The settlement was established twice more in the 20s and 30s before being abandoned in the face of the two major Arab riots in this period. Finally a kibbutz was set up in the 40s and is still around today. It is possible to see some of the original buildings, the impressively deep well and even the remains of an Egyptian plane that the kibbutz members managed to fell in the 1948 war!

September 22, 2013

Campus Upper Galilee Day One: Western Upper Galilee

After the delight of a summer break, it was time to get back into things, and how. Three days in the delightful greenery of the Upper Galilee awaited us, and although the intensiveness of it was a bit of a shock to the system after over a month without field trips, it was as fun and fascinating as always.

The first of our three days was dedicated to the Western Upper Galilee, with another two days for the central and eastern parts of this region. This part of Israel, which runs along the northern border with Lebanon is ‘upper’ in two senses of the word; it is both higher physically and also more northern than the area of the Lower Galilee.

Ancient Jewish tomb at Kfar Yasif

Our day began in the arab village of Kfar Yasif. I have been here on more than one occasion to enjoy the famous hummus at the Abu Adham restaurant. I had however failed to notice the somewhat overgrown remains of a large cemetery close to the town centre. This has actually been a major Jewish cemetery from the middle ages right into the 19th century, and we were pointed towards a couple of graves associated with famous figures, including the Rav Abraham Finzi, deputy British consul in Akko from the late 1830s.

Crusader sugar refinery at Churvat Manot

After hearing a little more about the history of Kfar Yasif, we continued north and after a short hike through some relatively serious overgrowth (and a fair amount of cow pats) arrived at the site of Hurvat Manot. The ruins of a crusader fortified farm were not overly exciting on the face of it, but our guide explained that this was in fact a site for the manufacture of cane sugar. He used this as a clever segue to tell us about the history of sugar in Israel (and therefore Europe, as the first sugar reached Europe from here); how the industry was developed and expanded by the Crusaders, making them very wealthy.

Arch Cave in the Adamit Park

After a quick scramble back to the road, we headed further north to the Adamit Park. We first enjoyed a spectacular view south over the Western Upper Galilee (and beyond) as our guide explained to us how the landscape in front of us was formed over millions of years. We then proceeded to the Arch Cave, where we were regaled with ancient legends about its formation while we enjoyed its beauty.

View over Montfort castle from Goren Park

Our next stop was in the Goren Park where we were able to enjoy a viewpoint over the Nachal Kziv and on the opposite bank, the Montfort castle. Avid followers of this blog will recall that I visited the castle just under a year ago with a friend, and quite a splendid site it is too. Our guide told us the story of the site, which at its peak was the centre for the Order of the Teutonic Knights in Israel, until the crusaders were unceremoniously turfed out by the Mamluk invaders.

Tower & Stockade model at Hanita

Having enjoyed the view, and lunch in the town of Shelomi, we visited the Hanita forest, home to a model of the tower and stockade settlement. Developed by the early Zionist pioneers, this was a way for them to build a relatively secure settlement in just one day, important at a time when there were increasing local tensions over the Zionists’ purchase of land in the area. Although Hanita was not the first tower and stockade settlement, it is one of the most famous, due to the efforts made in its construction and its location so far north, close to the border. Our guide regaled us with the story of the project and the history of the tower and stockade system of building.

Inside the grottoes at Rosh Hanikra

From the closeness of the forest, we headed all the way west and north to the exposed cliff face at Rosh Hanikra, where we were able to enjoy the benefits of the sea breeze. Here is a border crossing with Lebanon (used only by the UN), but of more interest for the intrepid traveller are the stunning views down the coast and the beautiful grottoes carved out in the cliff face through millennia of erosion by the force of the sea. We took a cable car down the cliff and wandered through the grottoes, taking in the magical and mystical ambience.

Monument to the 14 (from the Night of the Bridges)

We concluded our day on a more sombre note. First, we made a brief stop at the Monument for the 14 (Yad L’Yad), in memory of those who died on the fateful ‘Night of the Bridges’ in 1946. These was an ambitious, coordinated attack on British supply lines by the guerrilla fighters of the Palmach. While the operation achieved its objectives 14 operatives did not make it through the battle – their remains are here. Our guide told us some of their stories, as well as the details of the operation itself.

Memorial for the Yechiam Convoy

Our final stop was at another memorial, this one for the Yechiam Convoy. In 1948, even before Israel was officially declared a state, life was becoming increasingly difficult for the Jewish settlements, many of whom were under siege. The soon to be Israeli forces would try and reach them with armoured convoys; however their weapons and armoured vehicles were not very advanced. At this site, in March 1948, a convoy en route to the Yechiam kibbutz came under attack and 47 of its members were killed. As we move forward in our studies towards the more modern history we are likely to encounter more and more of these sad stories, many of them coming also with individual acts of heroism.

Dusk was upon us and so it was time to travel eastwards to our base for the next couple of days; the youth hostel in the Druze village of Pekiin. I had fond memories of shabbatot spent there with my friends in FZY. Before turning in, we had a special Druze dinner organised for us in the former diwan of the village mukhtar. Quite delicious! Certainly enough to set me up for the days ahead.

April 29, 2013

Jerusalem: First Temple and Second Temple Periods

We have a whole day dedicated to Jerusalem in the First Temple period, and a whole day dedicated to Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period, but it’s still not enough time to cover the vast amount of material, so this week’s trip was about filling in some of the gaps.

Roman Kiln at the Jerusalem ICC

We began in Binyanei Hauma, also known as Jerusalem International Conventions Center. This venue more normally hosts concerts and conferences than tour groups; I was somewhat surprised then when we entered and stopped in front of a display case showing artefacts from the Roman period, which I had never noticed previously. It turns out there was a big camp here for the 10th Legion of the Roman Army, we then headed downstairs and saw the remains of a kiln; it seems that it was quite a big centre for the manufacture of clay pots, roof tiles, bricks etc, all with the 10th Legion’s imprint. There was even an imprint of a sandal in one of the cases, a reminder of a sloppy soldier around 2000 years ago. I will be back in the Convention Center next month for the President’s Conference and will look forward to sharing my knowledge with the other delegates!

King David’s Tomb

We continued to David’s Tomb on Mount Zion. Here we discussed the history of the site and why it is considered to be the location of the tomb of King David (and also why some argue it is elsewhere). The site also houses the room which is considered to be the location of the Last Supper, but we shall return to visit that on our trip to Christian Jerusalem later in the course.

We moved on by foot into the Old City to the Western Wall Tunnels. The famous image of the Western Wall that is exposed above ground is actually only a small section of the wall’s full length and height. Through the tunnels it is possible to walk much further along the wall, to get a greater idea of the grandeur of the building that was – the Western Wall of today is only an outer foundation wall for the podium on which the temple was built.

Inside the Western Wall Tunnels

It was an incredible feat of engineering exemplified by the quite frankly massive stones that were involved in its construction. The largest that has been found is 14m long and the experts at the Technion have calculated its weight at 570 tonnes. And it is about half way up the wall, so they would have had to have lifted it there. There was a short and very illuminating film illustrating how they would have put these stones into place.

The Western Wall (the Kotel)

We continued down the tunnels, past the closest point to the Holy of Holies, walking along an original 2nd Temple period street and into a Hasmonean period water channel, before exiting into the Muslim Quarter. We returned to the Western Wall, known as the Kotel, where our guide told us about some of the legends associated with it explaining why it was not entirely destroyed like the rest of the temple.

Excavations in the Western Wall Plaza

Afterwards, a small treat. Facing the Kotel are some archaeological excavations which are complete and ready for the public but for some reason not yet open to them. But somehow our guide had obtained a key and we went down to see what was the Eastern Cardo (a shopping street) in the 2nd Temple period and also the remains of a First Temple home. It was nice to get this advance preview (although the excavations are visible from above, you can see more up close).

Mausoleum in Nachal Kidron (Valley of the King)

We then exited the Old City and walked down into Nachal Kidron, also known as the King’s Valley. Here are three ancient and imposing mausolea, two of which are often attributed to Avshalom (King David’s son) and Zechariah respectively, but in fact they are from the Second Temple period, i.e. a very long time after these personages would have lived. The architecture is interesting due to the unusual mishmash of Doric and Ionic columns together in the same structure; you can tell we’ve been learning about classical architecture in class!

Our next stop was at the Menachem Begin Center, located on Ketef Hinnom. I was wondering what Menachem Begin had to do with the ancient temples as we breezed through the centre, exiting out of the back, going up some stairs, and being confronted with a First Temple period burial site. As with the morning, it was fascinating to find this juxtaposition of ancient and modern at a venue which I had visited several times previously for various events, completely unaware of what lay just a few meters away.

First Temple Period Tomb at Ketef Hinnom

It was interesting to look at the excavated tombs and learn about the burial methods; even more fascinating was to learn that in one of the tombs excavators had unearthed some tiny rolls of silver. Written on them was the priestly blessing of the Cohanim, the oldest existing example of biblical text found outside the bible. The scrolls are now in the Israel Museum.

We exited the Begin Center and walked down the nearby valley, referred to as Gei Ben Hinnom. Here we heard about the Judaean King Achaz’s worship of the god Moloch; part of the ritual involved sacrifice of first born baby sons and would have happened in this valley. Somewhat unsavoury stuff.

View into Gei Ben Hinnom

We then branched off a bit from the ancient period, looking at the cable going from across our heads over to Mount Zion opposite us. In the 1948 war this was a secret way of getting supplies over to troops isolated in the mountain – a replica cable car was above our heads. As we wondered down further into the valley more surprises were in store – a Karaite cemetery where we paused to briefly learn about this religious group who only keep the laws of the first five books of the Bible without the later exegesis. We enjoyed the view down the valley leading to Nachal Kidron (whence we had come) and returned to our bus for the return home.

December 23, 2012

Tel Aviv Museums

This week, a later start (meeting at 8am, an extra 90 minutes of sleep!) as we were not leaving the confines of Tel Aviv. There are many museums in the city and several of them are concentrated around the university campus, located close to the northern suburb of Ramat Aviv. Today, we would be visiting some of these sites, partly to bed in some of what we have been learning in the classroom, and partly because these are important sites for us to be able to guide in the future.

The day began at the Zoological Gardens. Having studied Zoology in class, this was an opportunity to get relatively up close and personal with the various species of bird, mammal and reptile found in Israel. Our guide, a PhD student at the university, took us around the various enclosures, showing how the animals camouflaged themselves in their environment, explaining about their hunting or survival techniques and their distinguishing features.

Pelicans at the Zoological Gardens in Tel Aviv

There was a huge range of animals (as might be expected in a Zoological garden). The most interesting were those you don’t normally get to see up close; the wolves, hyena, wild boar and wild cats. Also the snakes. Although I don’t like snakes. And there are quite a few poisonous ones in Israel, it turns out. The advice was: a black snake in the centre of the country is not poisonous, a black snake in the South is likely to be either a black python or mole viper, and these are definitely best avoided. I’m not a big fan of snakes, truth be told. I was happy to return to the flamingos. Got to love flamingos. Apparently they are not pink naturally; it’s to do with the way their bodies break down the enzymes in the algae they eat. And they only mate when they’re in a big group (so the garden has mirrors around it to try and persuade them that they are more numerous than they actually are).

Botanical Gardens in Tel Aviv: Mediterranean Shrub

After a good dose of fauna it was time for some flora; the Botanical Gardens were right next door and we headed over to meet our Botany teacher. Again, it was a case of seeing what we had learned in the class, in the field. It’s one thing to see the plants, but also interesting to hear some of the stories and legends behind them. The Hairy Thymelea (I kid you not) is considered to be the plant that Samson was bound with when he was captured by the Philistines. The appropriately named Christ’s Thorn Jujube is thought to be the plant that was used to make Jesus’s thorn crown. And the Judas Tree has a pink blossom because it is embarrassed by its treachery. Most fun was when our guide spotted a chameleon in the bushes and proceeded to lift it up and show it to us while telling us that we should never do such a thing. So, we got in a little bit of Zoology in the Botanical Gardens too.

Chameleon at the Botanical Gardens in Tel Aviv

We enjoyed a lunch break strolling around the university campus (where there was a lunchtime rock concert…a hard life these students lead) and then it was time to visit the Palmach museum. The Palmach was the elite force of the Haganah, the pre-state defence force for the Jewish population of the British Mandate; many of its members played very important roles in civilian life, most famously Yitzchak Rabin and Moshe Dayan. In addition to learning how to fight, they also had to work the land. Hence the emblem of the unit had a sword together with two ears of wheat.

Palmach Museum

The museum is a walk through experience which follows the story of a group of Palmachnikim who join the unit and end up playing an important role in the War of Independence several years later. Unlike many museums there are no displays or exhibits, rather one moves through rooms and watches, hears, sometimes even smells the story of the Palmach through the eyes of this small group. It really is an amazing story; teenagers as young as 16-17 signed up and trained themselves with very limited weaponry; they then played an important role in defeating the five armies that invaded Israel when it declared independence, although sadly many of them died along the way and they are remembered in a touching memorial at the museum’s end. The museum is in Hebrew but a headset providing an English translation is available.

Diaspora Museum, Tel Aviv

Our final stop of the day was the Diaspora museum which is actually inside the university campus. Founded in the late 70s by Nachum Goldmann and Abba Kovner, the museum was designed to answer the question of how the Jewish people managed to (largely) maintain their religion and culture in 2000 years of exile. Sadly, the museum seems a little dated; it seemed much the same as I remember it from 10 years ago and has not taken advantage of the advances in technology and museum design. But it still provides a good introduction to Jewish life, ritual and rites of passage; insights into communities outside of Israel and perhaps most interestingly, a collection of model replicas of synagogues from around the world of historical significance. Although I felt that Bevis Marks, the oldest synagogue in Britain, should probably have been featured, and wasn’t. Which hurt my national pride a little. Still, it is an important museum, I remember that my visit to the museum was the first time I really heard in detail about Jews who were from a radically different background to mine (the UK community is quite homogenous). And it’s quite amazing that despite being so spread out over such a long period of time, the core aspects of the religion remained the same everywhere. And on that positive note, it was time to head home.

December 11, 2012

Hula Valley

The Hula Valley is in the North of Israel; North of the Kineret (the Sea of Galilee) and on the way to the Golan Heights. While I have definitely passed through it on a few occasions, I think this was my first time actually visiting the sites in and around the valley.

View over Rosh Pina from Mitzpe Nimrod

I was familiar, however, with our first stop of the day, the First Aliyah town of Rosh Pina. Although I hadn’t been there for 10 years. We began our day at the lovely lookout point of Mitzpe Nimrod, but sadly it came with an upsetting story. Nimrod Segev was called up for reserve duty in the Second Lebanon War, and never came home. His family built the lookout in his memory, and we heard briefly from his father. It is a sad reminder of the fragility of life in this region.

Original Synagogue at Rosh Pina

We heard about the history of Rosh Pina, and learned about the First Aliyah. This was the first wave of mass immigration to Israel from the Diaspora in more recent history, beginning in 1882. These new arrivals were not the young socialist ideologues of the kibbutz movement; rather religious bourgeois families looking to make a new home in Israel. Sadly, it seems that life here was very difficult indeed. Our guide told us the stories of the inhabitants through the restored buildings of the old town and the memoires of the town’s founder, David Shuv. The former office of the Baron de Rothschild’s clerks is now a small museum with a surprisingly interesting film about life in the early days of the town. The old town itself is quaint and has a few cute little cafes; it will be nice to pop back here at some point, there are a couple of hikes in the area and a nice rustic café would be the perfect ending.

Evidence of the Afro-Syrian rift in action at the Castle of Chastellet

We moved on to the Castle of Chastellet, the ruins of a Crusader fort which was destroyed after just ten months of existence by Saladin’s forces. Our guide painted a picture of the battle and the political ramifications of this fortress next to an important crossing of the Jordan River: Jacob’s Ford. The young King of Jerusalem was pressurised into building the fort by hawkish knights in his administration; even though it broke an agreement with Saladin not to try to seize control of the Jordan’s crossings. Saladin offered twice (with increasing amounts) to pay the king not to build the fort, but construction went ahead and deconstruction followed… The history was interesting, but also of note was that this fort is built right on the line of the Afro-Syrian rift which runs up the East of Israel. The evidence of this was that you could see how half of the North and South walls of the fort had moved gradually ahead of the other half; now there is up to 2 metres’ difference, after just 1000 years. In geological terms, that’s almost light speed. Quite fascinating.

Mishmar Hayarden Memorial

After this brief interlude in Crusader times we returned to the (relatively) modern day with a stop at the memorial for the Mishmar Hayarden settlement. This was also founded in the First Aliyah period. Due to the murder of one of the residents during the Arab revolt in the later 1930s, a small group of youths affiliated to the right-wing movement Beitar arrived to help with self-defence and also to assist with the farming. Then, in 1948, the Syrian army came over the border. Once they were repelled South of the Kineret they tried moving in North, and Mishmar Hayarden was the first settlement they encountered. The 20 families who lived there were no match for the Syrian army complete with tanks and air force and the town was captured and most of its citizens taken prisoner. The Haganah (soon to be the IDF) did not try and protect the town; after the war the prisoners were released but were not given the support of many others in similar situations and were not allowed to return to their land by the Israeli government. Some have said it was because Mishmar Hayarden was associated with the Right (because of the Beitar presence) and with the vast majority of Israel (and particularly the government) on the left, they were not afforded the support they should have had. Indeed, the site remained empty until the Begin government of the late 70s (Israel’s first right-wing government) when the memorial was built out of the stones of the former buildings.

Trivia Test at Oforia

On this slightly depressing note we headed further North and finally reached our destination of the Hula Valley nature reserve. Before going into the reserve we went to the Oforia [a cunning pun on the Hebrew for bird, off, and for euphoria] exhibit, which talked about the geological formation of the Hula valley and the animals and birds within it. It was somewhat overdramatic but really rather fun, particularly the interactive trivia quiz at the end and then the 3D film about the migrating birds with moving seats.

Having enjoyed this most interactive of exhibits we entered the reserve and learned about the modern history of the Hula Lake. At the turn of the 20^th Century this area contained lakes and swampland. As one of the early grand Zionist projects, the Israelis famously drained the water away. This was to help combat malaria (although it is unclear if malaria was still an issue at this point) and to free up land for agriculture. There was also the desire to put bases there against the threat of a future Syrian invasion.

It really was a marvellous feat of human ingenuity and engineering. Sadly, it was also an ecological disaster. The Hula was home to a vast array of flora and fauna, whose habitats suddenly disappeared. And there was also a problem of underground fires starting with the bare earth suddenly exposed to the strong sun, rendering the soil unusable for agriculture and also having the small problem of fire popping up all over the place.

Catfish in the Hula Valley Reserve

So, parts of the area have been returned to their original lake and swamp condition, and we are able to enjoy them (almost) as they originally were. Having wandered around the reserve we popped slightly further North to the Agamon reserve, also a man-made lake. This is particularly good for observing birds.

Migrating Birds Land at the Agamon

Every year half a billion (!) birds migrate through Israel. This huge number is caused by the fact that Israel is a land bridge between Europe, Asia and Africa, and birds like to travel over land as the thermals mean they do not need to expend as much energy in flapping their wings. It is currently migration season and we arrived at the Agamon site at dusk. There was an incredible moment when I realised that the approaching clouds on the horizon were actually vast flocks of birds; a veritable swarm who took their turn to land in our around the lake in order to spend the night there, accompanied by a veritable cacophony of squawking and screeching. It really was quite magnificent, as I stood there I was overwhelmed by the forces of nature before me. It was a perfect ending to the day; soothing, contemplative, serene.