As told by Elise Hanley
First off - How ever did I get here?
A couple of months ago, I was summoned up to Gayle Robinson’s office, Chief Financial Officer of Marble Collegiate Church. My immediate thought: I am so about to be laid off.
I ascended to the 7th floor of our office building with my heart pounding, trying to think of if or what severance package I may receive, and how long I could live off unemployment. Gayle was on the phone, but motioned me to sit down in her office and close the door. While she was probably only on the phone for 2 minutes tops, it felt like an hour. My face must have showed my shock and fear, for Gayle finally cupped her hand over the receiver and mouthed to me, “It’s OK!”
When she got off the phone, she informed me that I, along with Miriam Chaudoir, had been selected from the staff to go on the March 2010 Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. They had almost 80 people going, and thought that Sr. Carol and Dr. Brown could use assistance on the trip. I am still in as much disbelief now, as I write this from Tel Aviv, as I was that day. For a girl who has barely traveled, this is the greatest journey on which I have ever been, and I feel incredibly blessed to be here. And to go with Sr. Carol. And what better time to walk in Jesus’ footsteps towards Jerusalem than during Lent?
We have a wonderful group of attendees from the Marble Community and beyond. We’ve all come by different means – many have skimped and saved and sacrificed to come on this trip, purported to be Sr. Carol’s last. And now we’re here!
Thursday, March 4th – Friday, March 5th:
We were split up into 2 different groups on 2 different flights. I was with the group flying on El Al, Israel’s national airline. El Al is supposedly the safest airline in the world. All of their pilots are former Israeli Air Force pilots; there is an armed air marshal on every flight, they put luggage through compression chambers, etc. These people don’t mess around. Therefore, I was, of course, the randomly selected person to be further searched – a female TSA agent patted me down, and thoroughly searched my carry-on. I’ve got nothing to hide, and we had plenty of time. But then, just prior to boarding, I was summoned to have my bags searched AGAIN in a little room. Finally, at the last minute, I was cleared, and boarded the plane. Our group had gotten to know each other in the waiting area. I hate to say it, but you could almost guess who was from Marble Church, as we were not easily identifiable as religious Jews, who made up the vast majority of the flight. My seatmate was the lovely Barbara Bishop. We had a relatively easy-going and smooth 10-hour flight.
Upon arriving in Tel Aviv, we were met by a man named Peter from Ophir Tours in the terminal. He informed us that the Continental Flight (on which Sr. Carol and Dr. Brown were flying, among others) had been delayed 3 hours, for reasons not yet known. We gathered our bags and gathered the group, and Peter led us out to our bus. Here we met Moshe #1, who is to be the Israeli Tour Guide on the Red Bus (the one I will be riding). Moshe #2 is the Israeli Tour Guide on the Blue Bus. Moshe, pronounced mo-Shay, is the Hebrew form of Moses. A quirky, funny guy, he introduced himself to us, and briefly reviewed the itinerary for the week. We then took off to drive around Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv is somewhat like New York – it is a city that “doesn’t sleep,” with a young population and many bars and restaurants. We drove through an area of shops and cafes that very much resembled SoHo. We saw the site where Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in November 1995, now commemorated with a rock garden memorial. We then stopped on Dizengoff Street, the main street of Tel Aviv, to get our very tired, jetlagged selves some coffee. I had a latte at Cup O’Joe with two of the Barbaras, Patty and Florence. They have good strong coffee in Israel – Praise the Lord! There was also a small pharmacy on the corner, so several of us stopped in there for various forgotten items. The currency throws me off – for example, my latte cost 12 shekels. When the bill for 5 coffees came to 61 shekels, I had to calmly remind myself that a shekel is not a dollar - it is about equivalent to a quarter (give or take). Today is a warm day and sunny, nice for walking about!
Tel Aviv is known for fashion, and most people are very well dressed. It is also a city that loves dogs! As we sat in this sidewalk café, we observed many attractive people walking very attractive dogs. Some of the eateries put out bowls of water outside their doors for the dogs, which I’ve seen in New York. Many people ride mopeds and motorcycles here, too. We were reminded that as it is Friday, many people do not work, in preparation for the Sabbath. Others work only a half-day. Many businesses (with the exception of restaurants) close early on Friday. People definitely get an earlier start here. We arrived at the café area at about 8:30 am. If I had guessed the time off of the people lounging about drinking coffee, I would’ve thought it were mid-afternoon!
Back on the bus – Moshe spoke about Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is a very new city; it was only established in 1909 (it celebrated its centennial last year). Tel Aviv is right on the Mediterranean, and the beaches are just beautiful (our hotel for tonight looks out over the water). In 1909, 66 families purchased land north of Jaffa, which was then primarily an Arab community. They then drew lots, and this area became Tel Aviv. Just to throw in some facts: Israel’s total population is about 7.5 million, and 75% of the people are Jewish. Moshe pointed out that Israel is the only country in which Jewish people are the majority. Approximately 20% are Muslims, and 5% consists of various other minorities, including Christians.
The bus driver then took us to Jaffa. Jaffa is an ancient port city, and is now technically a part of Tel Aviv (which explains why Tel Aviv’s full, official name is Tel Aviv-Jaffa). Peter was in Jaffa in the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 10 – Cornelius was sent to find him in the house of Simon the Tanner, where Peter was fasting and praying. In Chapter 10, the sheet of various animals, birds and other creatures descends from Heaven to Peter, who at first refuses to kill and eat the “profane or unclean” critters. He is then told by a voice that ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ Upon Cornelius meeting Peter, Peter says, ‘You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean.” Thus the Gentiles were allowed to join the church, and the Jewish Kosher laws were no longer kept by the Christian Community.
We visited St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, and we all made a wish on what is known as the “Wishing Bridge.” We browsed some vendors, and we also viewed the Statue of Faith, a three-part arch that represents Jacob’s Dream, Isaac’s sacrifice and the Fall of Jericho, carved out of stone. By that time, we were all starting to drag. We returned to the bus, and thankfully, our rooms were ready at the hotel. We got to our hotel and checked in. The views from the rooms are just lovely – bright blue water and powder white beach and sailboats!
We stay here one night only, and then move on bright and early tomorrow morning. Many of us are napping this afternoon. Leslie and I walked a bit on the boardwalk, trying to find a healthy lunch, finally setting on fruit smoothies for 18 shekels a pop. We are awaiting our delayed Continental friends who are yet to arrive. We have our Welcome Dinner at 6:00 tonight. We then we need to be up and at ‘em for 6:30 am breakfast tomorrow, to leave for Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Megiddo and Nazareth!
That is my take on today. LeHitra'ot, or goodbye for now!