Day 1: July 7th and 8th, 2010 (Atlanta to Tel Aviv)

Saffran Family at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv

Al’s parents came to our house at 5:30 PM and we were still in the process of packing and finally left around 6:30 PM. We got to the airport at 7:10 PM and met up with the rest of the tour group. We checked our bags and went thru security. I spaced and left my laptop in my knapsack which slowed us down at security. We were in no rush anyway since our flight wasn’t until 10:15 PM. Everybody was hungry so we stopped at the food court at concourse E. Zach got a pepperoni slice and Hannah and Al got Chinese food. We then went to the Delta Skyclub but you can’t bring food in. I wanted to grab a drink so I went in and had a quick beer and everybody else went back to the food court. I rejoined them in five minutes and they were sitting with the Rittenbergs. After a few minutes I invited Scott R. to the Delta Club and we had a few more drinks. 15 minutes later the rest of the Saffrans and Rittenbergs joined us at the Club for drinks and snacks. The Rittenbergs never flew overseas so they were anxious so we left early and went down to the gate and sat there for over an hour. I hung out with Hannah and Zach and watched episodes of “silent library” on YouTube. This is an MTV show that Hannah had seen and it was pretty funny. Around 10 PM we finally boarded the Boeing 777. Lift off was at 10:45 PM. It was an 11 hour and 19 minutes flight to Tel Aviv. I had a pasta dinner on board and watched The Book of Eli (not very good). It wasn’t until 1:30 AM that I started to dose off and maybe slept until 3:00 AM. It was a rough night not only due to the lack of sleep but there were a number of crying babies on the flight which didn’t help. For breakfast they served pizza, chick peas, fruit, Milano cookies and a coke (great way to start the day). As we entered Israeli airspace they informed us that no one is allowed to get out of their seat for the last 30 minutes of the flight. We finally arrived at 10:10 AM EST or around 5:00 PM local time on Thursday in Ben Gurion airport after a very nice landing. Our tour group all hooked up after we got off the plane and proceeded to get our luggage and go through passport control. We met our tour guide (Schmuel) and our bus driver (Shimon). The bus drive from the airport to the Crown Plaza hotel in Tel Aviv was about 30 minutes. During our drive the tour guide pointed out various landmarks and explained the local region. We finally arrived at the hotel at 7:30 PM and took a group photo with the sunset in the background. Al and I had separate rooms from the kids [Room 313 (kids) and room 316 (parents)] and unpacked our stuff, took a quick shower and met everybody downstairs. Our hotel was right on the beach in a good location of town. The group walked on the promenade along the beach and found a restaurant that could handle 24 people. We sat outside near the beach on a beautiful night and enjoyed dinner. I had a Maccabee beer (ok) and Al had a fresh lemonade. The kids sat at a separate table. Zach had a burger and ice cream and Al and I split a beef kabob and chicken schnitzel. The portions were huge and dinner took about two hours to finish. After dinner I walked over to a supermarket and bought a case of water for the room. I headed back to the hotel room around 11:15 PM, brushed up and got into bed around 11:45 PM. We were all tired from a very long day.

View from room of the Tel Aviv Marina from Crown Plaza Hotel

View from room at the Crown Plaza Hotel

View from room at the Crown Plaza Hotel

Day 2: July 9th, 2010 (Tel Aviv)

Woke up around 5:00 AM and couldn’t fall back asleep. Finally got out of bed at 6:30 AM and showered. Al showered after me and then we got dressed, grabbed the kids and went downstairs for breakfast. They had a breakfast buffet that was huge. You walked in there was a table full of every croissant, pastry and bread you can image. Then there was another table in the center that had vegetables, fish, cheeses, yogurts, hummus and more. Another table was full of all different types of fruits and then they had a hot food section with waffles, eggs, potatoes and more. The last table was full of different kinds of cereals. Clearly, there was a great selection of food and unlimited quantities. We chowed for a while and then went back to the room to get our stuff for the day since we were going to be out most of the day. We then headed down to the lobby where everybody was ready to board the bus around 8:15 AM. As part of this

trip we have an assigned tour guide who is taking us to all the sites and explaining the history of Tel Aviv and the various buildings as we traveled around the city. Our first stop was Independence Hall.

Scott standing where Ben Gurion declared Independence for Israel

It was in this building that Ben Gurion declared Israel’s independence back on May 14, 1948. Ben Gurion was the first prime minister of Israel and equate him to our George Washington. The building is not very large and you go through a few rooms before entering the main auditorium where you listen to Ben Gurion’s recorded speech from that day. It is in Hebrew so it is a little difficult to fully comprehend the impact of his words. It ends with the Israeli national anthem and everybody stands up in respect. Our tour guide explains the events that led up to that day and what transpired afterwards which is truly remarkable in light of the oppression Israel faced. One interesting comment from our tour guide was that Jews define peace as “the cease fire between wars”. This is something that we cannot fully appreciate as Americans. He also mentioned that their Independence Hall was also an art museum. When we finished there the women wanted to go to a specific hand bag store on a side street. We stopped there for a little and let the woman shop as the guys hung outside. We boarded the bus and drove around while our guide explained the buildings and history of Tel Aviv. We passed by a memorial park for the 11 Jewish Athletes that were killed during the Munich Olympics. Our next stop was Rabin Square which is the site of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.

Rabin Memorial

He was a Nobel Peace prize recipient and the 5th prime minister of Israel. We got back on the bus and passed by the Opera house, Ministry of Defense and a number of other interesting buildings. Our next stop was the Azrieli Observatory which is the tallest building in Tel Aviv. You access the building thru a shopping mall and take a series of elevators there. When we finally got there we found out the observatory was closed because someone was having a Bris so we check out some of the stores in the mall and bought some drinks and snacks in a pharmacy. Our next stop was the Carmel market where you walk through a very congested side street and vendors are selling everything from produce to spices to toys.

Saffrans and Rittenbergs getting Falafels in Carmel Market

Al, Hannah and I had our first Israeli falafel and Zach had a pizza. We walked around for a while but the only thing that anybody bought was Hannah who found a toe ring she liked. We spent a couple of hours there and then walked back to the hotel. I made a pit stop at the supermarket and bought more water since we were drinking so much due to the hot weather. When we got back to the hotel, I took Zach and Andrew R. to the pool/hot tub. When the kids headed back to the room, I went into the sauna and then worked out on the Elliptical for 20 minutes. Went back to the room, showered and met downstairs for dinner at 7:00 PM. The whole group ate at the hotel for a Shabbat dinner. It was a great buffet with a very large assortment of dishes. After dinner some of us decided to have a drink on the patio at the bar. I had a Goldstar beer (good) and Al had a wine. We stayed there until 12 AM and finally went to bed around 12:30 AM.

Day 3: July 10th, 2010 (Tel Aviv)

Scott in front of the Tel Aviv Crown Plaza Hotel

Woke around 5:00 AM and had to go to the bathroom. It was still dark out so I went back to bed and fell back asleep until 7:45 AM. Motivated at 7:45 AM and toke a showered and shaved. Al showered after me. We got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. The food was slightly different then the day before but still a vast quantity and selection. We headed back to the room around 8:45 AM to brush up and then went downstairs to meet the Rabbi and others to head over to services. The Rabbi knew a conservative synagogue about 20 minutes from the hotel so the four of us walked over there. It was a small local synagogue with about 30 people in it when we got there around 9:30 AM. They knew we were not locals and were very nice to us when we entered the building. As time went on the synagogue slowly filled up handling about 100 people. We also realized there two identical brothers were getting Bar Mitzvah’d so that made the service extra special. Even so, I still found some time to close my eyes and dose off. The Rabbi there knew our Rabbi so we felt very comfortable. The service lasted until 12:30 PM and then we went behind the main building to a courtyard and had an Oneg where they had a couple of tables set up with drinks, crackers, and fruit. It was much smaller then what we were used to but very nice still the same. We hung out about 10 minutes and then started our 20 minute trek back to the hotel. It was hot out so we all worked up a good sweat by the time we got back. We headed up the elevator to our floor and all the kids were sitting there. Zach informed us that he and Hannah had both slept until 12 PM. They needed it since they had gone to bed late and still had not recovered from the time change. We got back to the room and changed into our bathing suits and headed down for lunch around 1:30 PM. We finished lunch and decided to meet in the lobby at 3:00 PM to hang on the beach. The beach was great. There were a lot of people hanging out playing paddle ball (official Israeli beach sport). The water was nice and warm and the waves were excellent. We all had a wonderful time and the kids really enjoyed themselves. We spent a few hours on the beach and then went back to the room and showered up for dinner. A few of us decided to have a little cocktail party in the room and had some vodka drinks mixed with OJ. We then went out for dinner and found a nice place to eat and watched the Germany/Uruguay third place soccer match. It was getting late so we headed back to the hotel and passed out.

Day 4: July 11th, 2010 (Tel Aviv)

Woke up at 6:45 AM and went downstairs for breakfast. Went back to the room after breakfast, brushed our teeth and went downstairs to the bus around 8:30 AM. Our first stop was the Ben Gurion House.

Entrance to Ben Gurion's House

Since it was so close to the hotel we decided to walk over there instead of driving. It was only a 15 minute walk. Ben Gurion was the first prime minister of Israel and Minister of Defense. He lived in a very modest house especially compared to American standards. I was surprised at the lack of security at his house and how accessible all of his personal belongings were (you can go right up to everything and touch it, even though you were not suppose to touch things). We watched a movie about him and all the special accomplishments he had in his life. The highlight was the second floor of this house that had over 20,000 books in the library. We spent about an hour and a half at the house before heading back to the bus and then drove south to the old city of Jaffa.

Zach in Jaffa with Tel Aviv in the background

As we walked around the city our tour guide provided details of the city’s rich history. Jaffa is located on the Mediterrean with excellent views of Tel Aviv. We walked around for an hour and worked up a good sweat. Since it was time for lunch we stopped at a strip mall and got food. Hannah, Al and I all got Schwarma’s and Zach got cheese pastries at a bakery. Our next stop was an old Kibbutz training facility that had a secret bullet manufacturing facility underground. This facility was used during the British rule of Palestine until 1948. They were never discovered by the British nor did anybody at the Kibbutz know what they were doing. 45 workers would descend down through a secret passage under the washing machine in the wash room everyday for three years. We had an opportunity to go down the secret passage and saw the operations. Our next stop was the Palmach Museum which was dedicated to the freedom fighters of Israel before the official army was formed. We each received a listening device and moved from room to room learning about the Palmach in an interesting multi-media presentation. We all learned a lot and enjoyed the museum. Our last stop for the day was the Azrieli Observatory.

View from Azrieli Observatory

This observatory is located on the 49th floor of a mall in Tel Aviv and provides excellent panoramic views of the city. We took a bunch of pictures and then headed back down to the bus which took us back to the hotel. At the hotel we washed up and joined the Rittenburgs for dinner. We found a great little pizza place not far from the hotel that ended up having very good pizza. No complaints from anybody. For dessert we walked a few blocks and got some ice cream for the kids. We wanted to head back to the hotel because the world cup soccer final between Spain and Netherlands was on and we definitely wanted to watch the game. Al and Zach decided to stay in the room while Hannah and I went down to the hotel bar on the beach where a large screen projector TV was set to show the game. The place was packed but we were able to get good seats on a couch. I had a beer and we ordered some edamame. It was a great game with Spain winning 1-0 in overtime. We finally headed back up to the room and got into bed around 12:30 AM.

Day 5: July 12th, 2010 (Tel Aviv and Haifa)

Got up around 6:30 AM showered, put our luggage outside our room and then went downstairs for the buffet around 7:00 AM. We had a solid breakfast and then headed back up to the room quickly to get our small bags we wanted to carry on the bus. We went down to the buses around 8:00 AM and headed north along the coastal road to our first location. It took about 45 minutes to visit an old aqueduct that was located parallel to the beach. We hung out there for about 30 minutes and took pictures.

The adults in front of the Aqueduct at Caesarea

When we headed back to the bus in the parking lot, a local vendor parked his truck next to us and was selling souvenirs. His truck was rigged so that he could slide his vending table and hanging stuff right out the back of his truck. We didn’t buy anything but a couple of people did get a few items. Our next stop was the ancient city of Caesarea. This was a very interesting Roman and Crusader ruin.

Scott in the middle of Caesarea

We always hit the bathrooms first before venturing out and while I was waiting for Al, I started talking to a woman from Connecticut who happened to have a brother that lived in Marietta, GA. I didn’t know her brother but after speaking further, our Rabbi knew her Rabbi and started doing Jewish geography. Our first stop at the ruins was multi-media presentation that explained the history of Caesarea. After the video we headed over to the ampi-theater where our tour guide explained more details about the area. It was another very hot day and we all huddled in the shade while he spoke. We continued walking around Caesarea and all the excavated ruins which were located right along the Mediterranean. There was a harbor place, bath house, chariot hippodrome, and many other structures. On the grounds of Caesarea was the Drydal House where they sold all different types of drydals, most of which were handmade. We spent a couple of hours in Caesarea and then got back on the bus and continued to head north. It was around 1:00 PM so we stopped for lunch. We went to a cafeteria style restaurant where you picked out a meat and two vegetables. Zach and Hannah both got the chicken, Al got the meatballs and I got the stuffed cabbage (with chickpeas and lima beans). Not a big surprise but Zach did not like his food but the rest of us did. Zach ended up getting a big of tortilla chips at the gas station. Around 1:45 PM we got back on the bus and went to Crusader city of Acre. Our first stop there was the old castle. Many rooms of the castle were recently excavated and our tour guide presented the history of the building from Crusader time to recent time when it was the central British prison in Palestine. We then headed over to a silver and jewelry store where they made a lot of handmade items. Our next stop was the market area within Acre. This was a very traditional market where you walked around narrow corridors and people were selling all types of products from toys to fish and much more. After walking through the market we came across the Templar Tunnels. This was a very cool secret passage underground that the knights used to gain access to the castle from the ocean. We went down a set of stairs and had to bend down and walk through a long low ceiling dark tunnel with running water on each side. We walked down a few tunnels and then emerged up a set of stairs and came outside across the street from the Mediterranean.

Alan S and Scott standing at the exit of the Templar Tunnel in Acre

Our bus met us there and continued to drive north along the coast to Rosh Hanikra where we descended by cable care to see the magnificent underwater grottoes.

Zack in front of a grotto

We watched a video that explained the history of the grotto and how the British actually bored through the mountain to establish a railroad that would be able to provide supplies to the Northern Territories. In the late 1940’s a section of the tunnel was blown up by military forces and has been closed ever since. What you are able to walk through is the eroded caves and walk ways throughout the grotto. The floor is very slippery and Terry Rittenberg slipped and hit the ground hard. She was ok but we were all very cautious after that making sure to hold onto the railing along the path. When we emerged from the grotto we rode the cable car back up the mountain and walked over to the border crossing between Israel and Lebanon. We took a bunch of pictures with

the whole group and individually.

Saffrans at the Israeli border at Rosh Hanikra

It was a long day and we got back on the bus for the one hour drive to Haifa where we were spending the night. Before getting to our hotel we made a pit stop to take pictures of the angled gardens and Bahai Shrine.

View of the Bahai Shrine and Gardens in Haifa

Haifa is built on the side of a mountain (similar layout to San Francisco), so looking down the mountain you get a great view of the city and of the gardens that are planted on the side of the mountain. We re-boarded and made it to the Dan Carmel Hotel around 7:45 PM. Went up to room 803 (kids) and 804 (parents). Al’s legs were hurting from walking around so we relaxed a few minutes in the room before heading out for dinner. We wanted something quick and easy. The concierge recommended we walk to Haifa Center which was only 10 minutes down the street from the hotel. We headed toward the Center area and came upon a mall so we decided to check it out for a restaurant. Not much was open but we did find one and checked out the menu. Everybody was able to find something so we decided to eat there instead of walking around more. Zach ordered a pizza and lemonade, Hannah had a cream cheese and salmon toasted sandwich with salad and ice tea, Al had a chicken noodle stir fry with a lemonade and I had the vegetable stir fry. Not long after we sat down another couple from our trip came to the restaurant and sat at the table next to us. Before the food came out, Zach and I went to the Pharmacy (like a CVS) in the mall and bought a six pack of large water, some energy bars and gum. We headed back to the table and the food came out soon afterwards. Everybody was pleased with the quality and quantity of their food. We were all tired from a long day so we finished up and walked back to the hotel. We got back around 9:30 PM, showered up and relaxed. We knew tomorrow was going to be another busy day so we wanted to try and go to bed early.

Day 6: July 13th, 2010 (Haifa and Tiberias)

Woke up at 6:30 AM, showered and packed up our stuff so we could leave it outside our room by 7:00 AM. We all went downstairs for a buffet breakfast at the hotel. It was not as good as the previous days but still fine with much to choose from. After finishing breakfast we went back up to the room quickly to grab our small bags and then went downstairs to meet everybody at the bus at 8:00 AM. Like usual not everybody showed up on time and we finally left at 8:25 AM. Our first stop was Megiddo about 35 minutes from Haifa. This was an ancient walled city with ruins and active excavation digs going on.

Excavation at Megiddo

Because of its strategic location at the crossroads of several major routes, Megiddo and its environs have witnessed several major battles throughout history.  Best known for the Battle of Armageddon.  Besides the great views, the interesting feature was the old water reservoir that was constructed. We descended down a 138 step staircase and walked thru the old water tunnel that fed spring water into the reservoir. When we emerged came back up a staircase and our bus was waiting for us.

Hannah coming up the staircase of the reservoir

We headed northeast and drove thru Nazereth where the emaculate conception occurred and then stopped at Tzipori. Tzipori was another ancient city with many ruins and interesting roman mosaics. We walked around for about an hour and then drove further northeast and stopped for lunch. Hannah, Al and I each had a falafel and Zach had a bag of French fries. After lunch we went to Zefat where there was a very old Synagogue called Abohau that we checked out. The predominant color of the synagogue is blue. The Torah commands Jews to put a blue thread in the tallit (prayer shawl). Jewish tradition teaches that blue suggests the heavens, which induces thought of G-d. The color thus helps direct thoughts and prayers to G-d.

The kids on the Bima at Abohau Synagogue

We then walked around the market place where there were a number of art galleries and shops. Around 4:15 we headed to Tiberias where our hotel (Leonardo Hotel) was located. We arrived around 5:00 PM and checked in. When we got up to the room our key didn’t work so I had to head back downstairs to get things worked out. Our room had a beautiful view of Lake Tiberias or the official name of Sea of Galilee. Across the lake you can see the hills of the Golan Heights. We decided to head down to the pool area and let the kids swim while we had some drinks. I decided to head over to the supermarket and get some beers and brought them back to the pool. A bunch of us hung out for a while drinking and then went back to the room to shower and get ready for dinner. We went with the Rittenberg’s and walked to a restaurant close to the hotel. Hannah had a Swarma and Zach and Al both had a chicken schnitzel. Zach actually tried a onion ring even though he did not like it that much. After dinner we got the kids some ice cream and walked around the outdoor market near the water where hundreds of people were shopping also. At 10 PM we headed back to the hotel and got back in the room by 10:15 PM. In the room we relaxed and watched TV and then went to bed around 11:30 PM.

View from our hotel room in Tiberias

Day 7: July 14th, 2010 (Tiberias)

Scott at the gate in Capernaum

We woke up at 6:30 AM and went downstairs for breakfast at 7:15 AM. We then boarded the bus at 8:00 AM and drove to Capernaum (8:30 AM). This is where Jesus ended up after being chased out of Nazereth. This is also the place where he started Christianity and performed many of his miracles. An old Synagogue ruins remains where Jesus actually taught. Our next stop (10:00 AM) was the Golan Heights Winery.

The Saffrans at the Golan Heights Winery

They gave us a tour of the winery and then we had the opportunity to sample three wines. The best part of this was watching the kids sample the wines. Hannah didn’t like any of them but Zach liked the sweeter dessert wine. I think a couple of the kids actually felt the effects of the wine after the tour. They gave everybody a token wine opener as a parting gift.

We then ventured further northwest through the Golan Heights to an old Army Outpost called Merom Golan on Mt. Bental. From there we looked over the border of Israel to Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.

Hannah on Mt. Bental with Syria in the background

There is a buffer zone between the borders that the UN oversees. In the distance we could actually hear tanks firing their guns (practicing maneuvers). On top of the outpost we had a great view of the surrounding countryside. We got back on the bus and drove over to a place where they have jeep tours of the Golan Heights. Each jeep held nine people and we drove through the back countryside along barbed wired fences with signs stating “danger land mines”.

Land Mine sign in Golan Heights

Throughout the Golan Heights there are still many live mines that the Syrians planted there when they controlled the land. During the jeep tour we made one pit stop at an old ruins along a stream. We got out and stretched our legs and then hit the road again. The jeeps drove us over to the Naot Shoe Factory located in the Kibbutz Naot.

Jeep at the Naot Shoe Factory

This was one of the highlights for Al since she loves their shoes and you can buy then at a reduced price compared to what it cost in the US. We were there about an hour and then made a very quick stop at a gas station to pick up lunch since we were on a time crunch. I got a yogurt, Zach got a beef sausage and Al and Hannah had hummus and pita. We needed to hustle because we were scheduled for a rafting trip down the Jordan River. When we got to the river we all changed into our bathing suits and listening to a guide give us instructions on what to do on the raft. After our little “class” we got our life vests and manned our rafts. Denise G. joined our family and we had five people on our raft. Most of the way the water was very calm and there was only one little drop where they take of picture of you. This was a very nice relaxing rafting trip. When everybody made it down the river we got back on the bus and I decided to hang out with the kids. All throughout the trip they would sit in the back of the bus while the adults sat upfront. I decided to give them a hard time and sit in the back. This started an all out fight and the kids attacked me. We wrestled for a while until I lost steam and headed back up front to my seat. By the way, everybody stayed in the same seat on the bus throughout the whole trip. When we got back to the hotel, I walked over to the store and picked up some water and beers. We then showered up and met everybody downstairs for dinner. We walked over to a restaurant called Decks where they cook up different types of meats and fishes. It was a good meal but took too long. After dinner we walked around the market place a little bit and then headed back to the room around 11:00 PM.

Rafting on the Jordan River

Day 8: July 15th, 2010 (Tiberias and Jerusalem)

Woke up at 6:30 AM, packed up and put our luggage outside our room at 7:00 AM. Went downstairs for breakfast buffet. Hannah was exhausted and went back up to the room to rest. Both Hannah and Zack did not eat much for breakfast. After breakfast we went back up to the room to get our small bags and headed down to the bus around 8:00 AM. Everybody was pretty much on time and we headed out to a Cemetery just south of Tiberius. The Rabbi knew someone from Cherry Hill, NJ that was buried there whose name was Shellie Greenspan. We stood around her grave site and he told us the story of how she “bought” her way into the cemetery since most of the other people there were somewhat important. We didn’t spend that much time there and then drove by the first Kibbutz of Israel built in 1908. Our next stop was the official Baptismal site on the Jordan River.

The Baptismal site on the Jordan River

This is an extremely important place for religions that perform Baptisms. I did my part and stuck my picky finger into the water. We moved through there pretty quickly and then drove on to Belvoir where there is an old Crusader fort with a large dry moat and a great view of Jordan. It is one of the most intack forts in Israel.

It was another hot day out and we walked around the grounds for about an hour before heading back on to the comfort of AC on the bus. We continued to drive south and visited an old synagogue in Bet Alfa. The significance of this synagogue is the 1400 year old mosaic floor.

Mosiac Floor of Bet Alfa synagogue

You enter the room with the mosaic floor and watched a movie about the history of its creation. They had a pretty good souvenir shop so everybody shopped for a while. Zach bought a mosaic camel. It was lunch time so we went back to the bus and drove 15 minutes to Bet She’an. This is a national park with Roman ruins.

Scott at the ruins in Bet She'an

Before we walked around the ruins we stopped at their equivalent to a café and Zach got a chicken schnitzel in a pita and Hannah, Al and I had falafels. It was close to 100 degrees out so we sat at a table under a tree since they did not have indoor seating. After lunch we walked around the ruins and took pictures. Some people couldn’t deal with the heat so they stayed by the air conditioned gift shop while the rest of us sweat it out. We stayed for 45 minutes and then got back on the bus to start our 1.5 hour journey to Jerusalem. Everybody was very excited to go there. As we headed south, we went thru a border crossing into the West Bank. This area of Israel has been the site of a lot of violence since it is an area of contention with the Palestinians. As we drove south on highway 90 the Jordanian border was right next to us for a good portion of the drive. It was interesting to see the special fencing that surrounds the Israeli border.

Border between Israel and Jordan

There is an inner barbed wire fence than a stretch of open land with land mines and then another electronic barbed wire fence that has motion sensors on it so it can pinpoint exactly where the fence has been penetrated. Along the drive we would see Bedouin villages in the hills, shepherds tending to their flock, camels and even goats walking on the hilly slope. As we entered the city of Jerusalem our first stop was the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus where we had a good vantage point of the city.

The Saffrans on Mt. Scopus

We drink a cup of wine and did a special pray before getting back on the bus to the Leonardo Plaza Hotel where we arrived at 5:00 PM. The kids were in room 2012 and we were in 2014 so we both had a great view from our rooms. We settled in and then headed over to Ben Yehuda street where there are many shops and restaurants. We met a couple of other families and had dinner at Luigi’s (Italian restaurant). Zach had a pizza and Hannah, Al and I shared an eggplant parm, salad and sweet potato ravioli. I also had a Goldstar beer with dinner and when we hit our glasses together to do cheers, Scott R broke my glass. Hannah then found a hair in the salad so we needed a new one. Despite the mishaps we all enjoyed the food and company. After dinner we walked into a couple of stores but did not do much shopping because we were tired. Heading back to the room we came across a bunch of people doing a unique martial arts dance while other people played instruments and sang. We arrived back to the hotel around 9:30 PM and then met everybody at the bus at 10 PM to head over to the Western Wall.  There

Day 9: July 16th, 2010 (Jerusalem)

View from our room in Jerusalem

We did not receive our daily wake-up call but luckily woke up anyway at 7:10 AM. Got up and dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. Came back up to the room to brush up and headed down to the bus at 8:30 AM. Scott R and I did our over/under bet for what time everybody would board by. 8:45 AM was the over/under, I took the under and won. The first stop of the day was the Menachem Begin Heritage Center.

On the patio of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center

This is a museum in tribute of Menachem Begin who was one of the famous Prime Minister’s of Israel. Since our group was too big we had to separate in half for the tour. We were in the first group and finished 20 minutes ahead of the other group. The tour moved you from room to room explaining through a multi-media presentation where Begin grew up, his involvement in the military and ultimately his role as the Prime Minister. He is probably best known for signing the Peace Treaty with Egypt in the late ‘70’s. When we were done I walked around the building to a very old grave site and took some pictures.

Sculpture at old grave site

All throughout Israel you will find random historic sites and they are still finding many more with all the excavation they are doing. After the second group finished we went to the Yad Vaschem Holocaust Memorial established in 1954.

Inside Yad Vaschem Memorial

As with most memorials of this type it was a very emotional experience, especially the videos of the survivors and their personal experiences during the Holocaust. We spent almost three hours there and they kicked us out at 2:00 PM since they close early for Shabbat. The cafeteria was still open and we met everybody there for a late lunch. The kids were already at the café and had chicken schnitzel. Al and I split a chicken dish, fries, rice and a couple of muffins. The food was pretty good. After lunch we went back to the bus and our tour guide decided to walk us up to Mount Herzel.

National Cemetery

This is the National Cemetery where many famous Israelis are buried, including Herzel, Golda Meir, Rabin and other Government figures. There is also a Military Cemetery there where soldiers that are killed in the line of duty are buried. Since all Israelis must serve in the Military for three years (18 to 21 years old), not all Veterans are buried there. It is also interesting to note that every military grave site is exactly the same. There is a “bed” with a plant on it (yew?) and a “pillow” with the same standard inscription. You are not allowed to put your own personal words on it. By the time we finished with the cemetery it was already 3:45 PM and most of Jerusalem closes down to get ready for Shabbat, so we decided to head back to the hotel. We got back to the hotel around 4:00 PM and relaxed in the room for a while before showering up to get ready for the evening’s activities. At 6:30 PM however wanted met at the bus to take us over to the Western Wall for a quick Shabbat service.

Western Wall on Shabbat

On the way over we started seeing flocks of orthodox Hasidic Jews in their black garb and black hats heading towards the Wall. The bus let us off near the Dung entrance (named because that is where the Romans use to throw dung at the Jews) and we headed up the ramp to the Wall. It was quite a scene with people all over the place. Since the Wall has a separate area for men and women, I went with Zach and Al went with Hannah to our respective sections. Walking up to the Wall and finally touching it was truly a moving moment. As a Jew, I have seen pictures of the Wall and read so much about it but until I was finally there with all the Hasidim prayer it meant so much more. Zach and I had both written notes prior to coming to the Wall and we found our special cracks in the Wall to place our notes. I leaned my hands and head against the Wall and said a pray for my Aunt Beverly who just passed away the other day and a pray for my other relatives that passed away especially my Father. It is a very emotional place and you feel as though you are as close to G-D as you can get. Zach and I sat down on the plastic chairs they have in front of the Wall and absorbed our surroundings. All around you could see Jews of different types praying and getting very into the moment. As the official Sabbath time approached (7:20 PM) flocks of people began entering the area in front of the Wall. The other people in our group joined together at a prayer table and Rabbi Lewis led us in the Shabbat prays. Even though it did not matter, for some reason I noticed we had a minion of 10 people. I am not a highly religious person but this service seemed to take on a special meaning. As we looked on the other side of the fence, we noticed that the women were right there participating in our service too. During our service you could hear the loud chatting of the Hasidim and other small groups of Jews all doing their special thing. Occasionally you would see a soldier praying while he had his rifle slung over his shoulder.

Soldier praying at Western Wall

By the time we finished our service there must have been over a 1000 people by the Wall. After we finished our service at the Wall we met up with the women and started to walk back to the hotel. We walked thru the Arab shook area (old marketplace) where they were selling all sorts of spices, clothing, hookahs and much more. Since it was the Sabbath we did not stop to purchase anything and just continued on. We took about 30 minutes to walk back to the hotel. Al and I went back up to the room to change quickly for dinner and then headed downstairs to the dining room. Tonight was the Sabbath dinner for our whole group. The kids sat at a separate table from the adults so I don’t know what they ate. I had a salmon filet appetizer (Al had an avocado “tower”), I had the noodle soup (Al had the zucchini soup), for the entrée I had the chicken stuffed with veal, rice and pine nuts and Al had the steak and Cornish hen “duet”. We also brought our wine that we had purchased at the Golan Heights winery the other day and enjoyed that with our meal. For dessert there was only one option of the sampling plate with 5 different desserts on it. We hung talking for awhile and then headed back up to the room around 11 PM. We relaxed, watched TV and went to bed at 11:45 PM.

Day 10: July 17th, 2010 (Jerusalem)

Woke up at 7:45 AM and showered then headed down for breakfast at 8:25 AM. We then met in the lobby at 9:00 AM and went across the street to The Great Jerusalem Synagogue which is an Orthodox Synagogue. Then woman went upstairs to another section while the men went down to the main sanctuary. We stayed there for 45 minutes then headed down the street to another Synagogue that was conservative. In this Synagogue they spoke a lot of English so it was much easier to follow. We caught the second half of the service which lasted a little over an hour. Behind the Synagogue we had the Kiddush and then we took a tour of the Fuchsburg Center which runs the Synagogue. The Fuchsburg Center is part of the National Jewish Conservative Yeshiva that houses and teaches people conservative Judaism from around the world. The Director gave us a quick tour and then walked back across the street to our hotel and went back up to the room at 12:15 PM. We relaxed in the room until 1:00 PM and then headed downstairs for lunch. We had no scheduled plans for the afternoon so Al hung out and I took the kids to the marketplace in the old city (Arab Shuk). The shuk was a maze of little side streets where hundreds of vendors sold anything you can think of.

Arab Shuk

The kids were very focused on getting Israeli t-shirts and there was no shortage of them.

Rows of Hebrew T-Shirts

We spent hours there and the kids bought a few things. We walked back to the hotel and got to the room around 6:15 pm. I was exhausted and took a quick nap before meeting the group for Havdala at 8:15 PM. For dinner we walked over to Ben Yehuda street. Hannah and I split a falafel and Schwarma and Al and Zach had pizza. After dinner we walked around the shops that started opening up after the Shabbat and we bought Zach a couple of Kippas and Tafilin.

Kippa Center on Ben Yehuda

After a couple of hours we walked the 15 minutes back to the hotel and got back to the room around 11:45 PM. We finally went to bed around 12:30 AM.

Day 11: July 18th, 2010 (Jerusalem)

Woke up at 6:45 AM and showered then headed down for breakfast at 7:30 AM. Had our usual buffet meal and then went to the bus at 8:00 AM. We had a big day and our first stop was a camel ride at a gas station. On the outskirts of Jerusalem this gas station has a convenience store, shopping and camel rides.

The Rittenbergs in pain

A number of people went on the rides but the Saffran kids were not interested since they had been on a camel before. Instead we enjoyed watching some of the other people especially the Rabbi and his wife. We stayed for about 30 and continued our journey to Masada which was one and half hours from our hotel. Close to Masada we passed the cave where a Bedouin found the Dead Sea scrolls. We finally reached the base camp for Masada. Masada was a mountain top walled city that the Jews occupied thousands of years ago that the Roman Army tried to overtake. It took the Roman’s three years to finally succeed, but as a result, Masada has become a place of significance for Jews due to the fortitude and diligence of its inhabitants. All Israeli soldiers are taken there when they become officially sworn in. There are two ways to get to the top of the mountain; 1. Cable Car and 2. Walk. Because it was so hot out, they did not allow us to walk up so we had to take the cable car. When you get to the top you see the ruins of the city and learn about how the Jews fended off the Romans for so long. Also from the top you get amazing views of the surrounding mountains and of the Dead Sea which is close by.

Scott on top of Masada

We walked around for awhile and then a few of us decided to walk down the mountain. Zach and I walked and Al and Hannah took the cable car. The walk was not that bad but the sun was beating down on us pretty strong. As you descend there is a path, called Snake Path, not because of snakes but because it serpentines down the mountain. On parts of the path there were railings but not on the full length. We were commenting that one could easily descend too quickly and stumble off the path. It took about 25 minutes to get down the mountain. If we were allowed to go up the mountain it would have been quite difficult especially in the hot weather. At the base we spent some time at the gift shop where they sold Ahava products and the other usual Israeli souvenirs. Around 1:00 PM we boarded the bus and headed to the Dead Sea. It was about a 15 minute drive there and we stayed at the Crown Plaza Hotel for the afternoon.
They must have a lot of tour groups because they had arranged for us to use the facilities without actually staying in their rooms. We ate lunch first and had a delicious buffet with a number of nice dishes. We ate pretty quickly since we were excited to go to the Dead Sea. We changed into our bathing suits and went past the pool area to the beach which was right on the Dead Sea. For those of us that had not been there before we didn’t know what to expect. We cautiously entered the water and instantly we felt the salt bottom and very hot water. As we walked further in and got into deeper water that’s when we experienced the phenomena. All you had to do was lean back in the water and you instantly floated.

Alan and Scott floating in the Dead Sea

It was a crazy sensation because you could not sink. Once we grew more accustom that’s when we leaned all the way back with our hands and feet out of the water but we still floated. Between the water and the outside temperature (116 degrees) we were feeling the effects. The problem was when we would sweat and the water would get in your eyes. One time I got salt water in both of my eyes and I was basically blinded. I had to work my way back to the chair on the beach and wipe my eyes off with a towel. It was also interesting to hear tanks firing in the distance and every so often a pair of F-16’s would fly by a few hundred feet above the ground. The middle of the Dead Sea is actually the border between Jordan and Israel.

Hannah and Zach in the Dead Sea (Jordan in the background)

I needed to cool off so I went over to the outside pool and jumped in for a while. The water was very refreshing. There was also an indoor pool with the Dead Sea water in it so I checked that out also. Mostly elderly people were in it since it was much safer and then dealing with the Sea. I floated in the water and relaxed for about 15 minutes and then worked my way back out to the Sea. Since we only had a few hours there I needed to maximize the experience. I decided to float in the shady part under the sun protector instead of baking in the open sun. Everybody had enough of the sun so we all walked back to the pool and played there for the last 45 minutes. The kids were having a great time playing chicken and the adults lounged around. When 3:50 PM rolled around we went inside, changed and met up with the rest of the group to board the bus. The bus ride home took about one and half hours so many of us closed our eyes and rested. We arrived back at the hotel around 5:45 PM and needed to be back down at 7:00 PM to meet for dinner. Since it was a holiday tomorrow night and the Rabbi was fasting we had our farewell dinner a night early. Everybody took the bus over to a restaurant called Olive and Fish. They brought over five different appetizers to the table which we shared family style all were very tasty. For dinner Zach and I had the steak (I had a Goldstar beer also), Al had the chicken (and a wine) and Hannah had the lamb and steak kabob. Zach did not like his steak and actually tried and enjoyed Hannah’s kabob. This was the first time he had lamb. For dessert they gave us a choice of an apple or chocolate tart. After dinner a bunch of people wanted to go shopping over on Ben Yehuda Street.

Scott on Ben Yehuda Street (Jerusalem)

Al was tired and went back to the room while I took the kids. We walked the streets for a while and then Hannah got tired and had to use the restroom so we walked back to the hotel. We got back around 10:30 and I did some blogging while Al was sleeping. I finally went to bed around 11:30 PM.