Air France took me on another adventure of a lifetime...
Israel's flag blowing in the breeze with a beautiful Tel Aviv Skyline behind..
From May 10-28, 2012, I had the incredible opportunity to travel around Israel with a Syracuse study abroad program. One of the countries I have wanted to visit for a long while, Israel is a really unique place; it is often categorized as the crossroads of the world. Sitting perfectly between three continents, Israel is a dynamic location with extraordinary culture, cuisine and conflict.
As it was only a two week program, I definitely did not explore every aspect of the country, but I surely got a feel for Judaism and the role Israel plays in the middle east.
There was only a small group of nine that went on the program (from L-R: Malinda, Me, Hunter, Caitlin, Ardean, Scott, Linda (Program Leader, front), Mushi (back), Victor, and Chris). One of the interesting aspects of this particular program is the "exchange" component of it; our group traveled to Israel for a two week program and the students we met there will be traveling to Syracuse for a three week program in late September. It was really great getting to know the Israeli students and knowing that we will see them again in the states. As I mentioned, this was a study abroad program -- even though it was during my summer-break from school, we still attended school. Classes were held at the beautiful IDC (Interdisciplinary Center) Herzliya campus. We had several lectures a day all taught by different professors, each specializing in something different. Everything from: The formation of the state of Israel, Religion and Culture of Israel, Rifts within Israeli society, Global Terrorism, Hezbollah and the Middle East, Cyber-Terrorism and others.
We had some really amazing lectures from very knowledgeable people. One class day even took us to the Knesset, which is the Israeli Parliamentary Government building in Jerusalem -- the capitol of Israel:
I would be the only person looking away from the camera..
We were accompanied by Yoti (far right), the girl I later stayed with on my last night in Isael
We were accompanied by Yoti (far right), the girl I later stayed with on my last night in Isael
We were able to get to Jerusalem twice though, which was really nice! It was an amazing feeling to be standing in such an incredible city. Given all that I have learned and heard about Jerusalem, being there in person was beyond surreal. As one of the oldest cities in the world, with such religious history and purpose, it was difficult to be spending only one afternoon there - you could realistically spend more than a week in the nearly 50 sq. miles.
Part of Jerusalem's Old City
Home to the Abrahamic Religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Seen: The Western Wall, The Dome of the Rock, Temple Mount
Jerusalem is characterized as such a unique place, and after being there it was obvious why. Although the old, religious city is such a relatively small place, the three major religions are all competing for the same space and recognition. While in Jerusalem I was able to walk through the underground Western Wall, visit the Christian, Jewish and Muslim quarters (which was mostly the old, market cities), and the Church of the Holy Sepelcry (which in itself holds a lot greater meaning for the Christian faith..). After visiting all of these great religious sites, it is challenging to not understand the tremendous land-conflict occurring all over the middle east right now, and in Jerusalem especially.
Independently, as a small group, some of us decided to travel on one of our free Friday's to the Masada and the Dead Sea in south eastern Israel. Since it wasn't built into our original schedule, some of us thought it would be a good use of time to visit this old and important landmark.
The Masada, which is the name for a site of ancient palaces and fortifications, is located on top of an isolated plateau on the very eastern edge of the Judaean Desert. Overlooking the vast and empty Dead Sea, it is best known for the violence that occurred there between the Jews and the Romans in the first century. Eventually, during the first Jewish-Roman War, the seige of the plateau by the Roman Empire led to a mass suicide of all the Jews who lived there.
The Dead Sea, which is also sometimes called the Salt Sea, is a very large salt lake holding the border between Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank. It is Earth's lowest elevation on land, with its surface and shores 423 meters below sea level. It is such an incredible place to be; the Dead Sea is most well known to be the lake in which you can just float. With such high saline content, it is actually difficult to move through at times because you are so buoyant in the water. And.. believe me.. you do not want some of the water to get into your eyes.
An interesting ride to the Masada/Dead Sea through the West Bank and Palestine..
The Arab people are notoriously far less fortunate than Israeli citizens, which creates obvious riffs in an already complicated system.
On top of the Massada
Looking out toward a vast Israeli desert nothingness
We were pretty low in the Earth..
Malinda, Caitlin and I enjoyed the mud-covering portion of the Dead Sea Adventure
Apparently, your skin feels incredibly smooth after you bathe; I just felt itchy
Going with a school/abroad program allowed me to do some really unique things. The same tour guide who brought us to Jerusalem took us on a tour of the north. We were able to visit Caesaria (an ancient seaport in north-western Israel dominated by different groups for thousands of years), Nazareth, and all the way up to the Golan Heights -- which is the disputed land area between Israel and Syria. We stood 4 miles from the Syrian border, which was beyond cool. Even though their country is going through a lot right now, being on the border in the midst of beautiful farm land and mountains put the conflict into perspective for me. This land means something to the people who live on it (or maybe, the people who want to live on it).
60 kilometers from Damascus and only 800 kilometers from Bagdad?!
Through the IDC we were also invited to hear the current Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, speak in front of the school. It was a really unique experience, and I felt incredibly honored to be there. It was a reminder that people in foreign policy are constantly traveling and meeting with others all over the world. That was confirmed when we got to meet and speak with members of the US Embassy in Tel Aviv. They told us about their career paths and how they got to serve at the level of government that they do. It was all a really enriching experience for me, and I found the passion for international affairs still lives within me.
Each day there was something new to explore. Some days it was a new restaurant or a new way to eat hummus. Often it was a new part of the Mediterranean. I even saw The Avengers in a beautiful movie theater in Herzliya. I was able to stay with one of the girls from the IDC delegation, Yoti, who will be coming to Syracuse in late September for a day. The people and country are so welcoming. It was a really incredible opportunity that I will never forget.
And if anything.. I will go back for the mountains, the ocean, and the beautiful flowers in bloom most of the year. You have got to love (or fall in love) with the Mediterranean climate!
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