MARC BOIN'S ISRAEL DIARY

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Day 5 (Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008) - Letter to Lori

Well, as usual, today has been a whirlwind of activity.  We began the day eating too much at our kibbutz.  The food here is unbelievable and the variety is so fabulous that we all end up tasting too many new dishes.  We loaded onto the bus and then headed south along the entire eastern border of the Tiberias (aka The Sea of Galilee, where Jesus supposedly provided fish for the masses and walked on water).  We stopped in a local cemetery where several of the founding fathers and thinkers of Israel's origins are buried.

From there, we drove to Beit She'an.  This is a massive Roman city which is still undergoing archeological exploration.  If you remember the set of the HBO show "Rome" and imagine walking along its streets (now in ruins), you get a feel for the city.  We spent about two hours there walking all over the Theater (seating over 10,000 people), the public bathhouse, the main industrial street (the Cardo), and through the marketplace - actively seeing and touching every existing structure.

After that, we went to a local shopping mall where we all sat down to a relaxing lunch.  From there, we drove to Bet Alpha, which is an ancient 5th century synagogue that was discovered as a result of the identification of its gorgeous mosaic floor.  Then we got in the bus and drove for another two hours along the Jordanian border (yep - right inside the West Bank) until we reached our next destination.

On to the good news.  WE ARE IN JERUSALEM!!!!!  The city is so breathtaking that you can feel it deep inside your body the minute you enter the area.  Even the air feels different.  We stopped our bus on Mount Scopus overlooking the Old City and said a Shehechyanu as a group.  I personally got quite teary-eyed at the emotion of the experience.  Things will only get better from here! We drove immediately adjacent to the outer wall of the Old City enroute to our hotel and saw many interesting sights along the way.  The next four days should prove to be something to remember.

That evening, we had dinner on our own.  Rabbi Thalblum, the Westalls, and I walked to Ben Yehudah Street, which is a local pedestrian shopping area in downtown Jerusalem.  The remainder of our group took a taxi to a fish restaurant, Dolfin Yam, but Todd and I were never able to find it.  Finally, I had dinner on my own at the Hotel Tzio, and eventually hooked up with everyone else while we were all out shopping.  Quite a few interesting shops, and every form of Judaica you could imagine!  Walked back to the hotel on my own at about 10:30 and collapsed in bed.