Historic America in Israel: Aaron's Travel Journal PART 1

A few months ago my wife Molly & I took a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Israel as part of an amazing journey with the Israel Collective. These are my journal entries over the course of the trip. Today’s post is the first installment. More to come!

DAY ONE / 2.8.22 / Evening / El Al Flight

Arriving in Israel via Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Molly is excited.

Currently descending into Tel Aviv. It was a long flight and I stayed up all night working because I couldn’t fall asleep on the airplane. I’ll continue to take bites out of the Historic America apple and keep working remotely as time permits over the course of the trip, although I think they’ll keep us busy throughout this journey. I hope we get a chance to rest after landing. I’m tired.

[Later that evening]

We’ve now arrived at the Caesar Hotel in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. Getting here was easy enough, it just took a bit of drive time. An interesting flight with dozens of Orthodox & Hasidic Jews as our fellow passengers. Not your typical plane ride! I was struck by the men with their long, dark coats and hair ringlets, all placing their black hats in large boxes for overhead storage. It makes sense I suppose. Not much to report on the local scenery as of yet. It’s nighttime so Israel remains largely hidden from view. Our hotel is on the Sea of Galilee and I can see water from the balcony window. Our guide Yoav seems knowledgeable and the members of our group are exceedingly kind and varied in their backgrounds.

DAY TWO / 2.9.22 / 9AM / A Boat on the Sea of Galilee

We’re on a boat! It’s morning on the Sea of Galilee and we’ve taken a trip out on the water. Our vessel is quite literally dubbed, “The Faith Boat”. This means we can’t sink, right? We just read the passage from John where Jesus walks on water. Our captain sang a few hymns for us and we’ve had a miniature worship service. It’s cold enough for a jacket. Who says the Middle East is always warm?

Panoramic shot of our boat on the Sea of Galilee.

Tiberias is on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee (which is really more of a lake) and sits on a sort of terraced hillside. To the north is Magdala - our destination. The sun is off the eastern horizon where the hills are hazy in the distance. The lake water is quiet and the lake itself is surrounded by rolling hills and small mountains on all sides, so you feel as though you’re in a large bowl. The buildings which dot the landscape beyond the shore are low lying and light in color with brown roofs. They look mediterranean and sunbaked.

This is the water where Jesus told the disciples to cast down their nets! An amazing sight to see. Our boat is docking now. I look around and think, “Were these the same type of birds flying overhead as when Jesus was here? Did they make the same sound? Would he have seen the same landscape I’m looking at?” I guess so.

[Back at the hotel later that day I finish my journaling]

Learned some Hebrew today from our guide Yoav. “Boker Tov” is good morning and “Boker Or” is the response. Back to the narrative…

After coming ashore, our next stops were Magdala & Capernaum followed by one of the spots where Christ might have delivered the Sermon on the Mount.

Exploring the ancient synagogue in Magdala.

Magadala is the site of a synagogue (now an ancient ruin) where Christ almost certainly taught. Our tour guide Yoav told us the land where the ruin sits is currently owned by the Catholic Church. The archaeological footprint was fairly extensive and detailed, with many surrounding homes which contained floor mosaics and mikvahs (ritual cleansing pools). The highlight, however, was the synagogue, centered around a carved stone which, in ancient days, was used as a type of pedestal or podium for the Torah. Christ stood inside this place. This was my first encounter with the real flesh & blood person of Jesus in a place He actually set foot. Amazing. I made a point to touch the stone of the synagogue with my hand. Maybe He did the same thing long ago.

Capernaum was next.

Here we walked along a sparkling shoreline where Jesus called out to the first disciples. We then entered another synagogue where He taught and also saw the site where the Biblical narrative says He healed the paralytic man (specifically, the fella that had to be lowered through the roof because of the crowds). The general impression was that we were visiting Jesus’ hometown.

Before lunch we made one more stop at a likely location where Christ delivered the Sermon on the Mount. On one side of the mountain sat a church where the Catholics claim the event took place, and on the other side was our spot. We were overlooking the Jordan River where it met the Sea of Galilee, and nearby the site of ancient Bethsaida (home of Simon Peter). Interestingly, the patch of mountainside on which we stood was also the site of a 20th century battle between Israeli and Syrian forces. This meant that a war memorial and abandoned personnel bunkers now stand within hailing distance of the spot where Christ told the world, “…blessed are the peacemakers”. Quite a juxtaposition.

Lunch was shawarma at a tasty roadside eatery. All the shopkeepers are so happy to see us! No wonder, seeing as we’re one of the first foreign tourist groups to reenter the country after the prolonged COVID lockdown. The local economy has been sorely missing tourist dollars. Along the road we saw fields of banana plants under heavy netting and rolling green hills covered by a smattering of trees. Olive orchards are a common site.

Our guide Yoav talks to us where Christ MIGHT have delivered the Sermon on the Mount.

After lunch we had a fascinating security program focused on Israel’s northern border situation w/Syria & Lebanon. It was at the office of an Israeli army Colonel named Sarit Zehavi who runs her own consulting firm called the Alma Center. She gave us a briefing on the threats and geopolitical issues which challenge Israel, many of which originate from the terrorist regime in Iran. We learned how Iranian support for Hamas in the south and Hezbollah in the north is an ongoing threat. The briefing then transitioned into a role-playing scenario where we were broken into groups and assigned the parts of different Israeli ministers as they tried to coordinate a response to a hostile missile shipment. Randomly, I was given the role of Prime Minister. My choice: ATTACK!

The moral of the story was that there was no right or wrong decision - only tradeoffs between difficult options. There were stern consequences everywhere you looked. It is obvious that Israel has a fine line to walk. “The War Between the Wars” is the term of art Israeli security experts use describe the current liminal era the nation is in. All of this security talk worked up an appetite.

Back at the hotel we’ve been enjoying an amazing buffet spread. There are loads of tasty baked goods, fresh produce, endless cheeses, a carving station, strong coffee, and savory dishes (all kosher of course). After an ample dinner we journeyed with some of our new tour friends in search of a wine tasting. We found it at the Scots Hotel - a former hospital site founded by the Scottish Church (Presbyterians perhaps?). The wine grotto was intimate and built with old stones, like something you might see in a European castle. I talked with my new buddy Woody about family histories and traveling across America in search of roadside adventures. A great beginning to the trip.

If you want to learn more about the Israel Collective, click HERE. If you’d like to learn more about our great tour guide, Yoav Rotem, click HERE.