where's wolmut?: heavy israel

dome of the rock

crowded and 70's tel aviv

overlooking old jerusalem

emil says:

why do i get the feeling that as i write about israel i need to be positive and constructive? talking about israel is like talking about abortion. everyone has an opinion but proper etiquette is to turn the conversation to the upcoming undefeated jets season with tebow at the helm. israelis are a tough breed. its not a california smiley type attitude. i thought russian babushkas were tough but older israeli women are refrigerators with the head of a rottweiler that can easily solo kick-start a jumbo-jet. the first town we visited, eilat, was fantastically disappointing. i was told this was a sort of 'riviera' on the red sea. it was more similar to an uninteresting part of poorly developed baja mexico, accept extremely expensive. next up was the 'the miami beach of israel' or tel aviv. i was hoping to catch a 'viver-fever', but alas here too i was underwhelmed. 10% of tel aviv is a sub-splendid stretch of uber crowded mediterranean sand and zero surf that goes on for miles but with an impressive boardwalk for running and spectacular people watching. 5% of tel aviv is almost-soho and kinda cute streets with smoothie and falafel shops aplenty, and an almost san francisco modern ferry building scene. but 85% of tel-aviv is extremely run down and tired looking. buildings and architecture circa 1950s and maybe even as modern as the 1970s in spots. dilapidated and soviet-bloc grey facades are truly everywhere. on a positive note the gritty urban landscape does lend itself in kind to a sincerely vibrant and fun urban hipster scene, which goes on 24/7. it was finally in jerusalem that we saw some captivating scenes. history and more history and more faiths than i can count all tightly wound in a ball of near fury in old town jersusalem. walk along the path jesus carried the cross. go through several metal detectors on your way to the wailing wall. go over the wall via a footbridge (which the jewish community does not condone) to the muslim side of the temple mount. its all so compact. everyone is on top of each other and all feel they have claim. it is here in old crowded jerusalem that you get a sense that peace might forever be elusive. 18 year old israeli soldiers with big machine guns are as common as hummus and they are busy keeping the peace (or taking it, depending on your perspective). its a tense place. religion and religious artifacts are literally everywhere around you, yet so too is the negative energy. our next stop, bethlehem in the west bank, was where i began seeing the non new york times perspective. hundreds of thousands of palestinians being patrolled with suffocating checkpoints which all but stifle any tourist flow to this area, and the depression in the local economy is obvious. add to which are the ever expanding israeli settlements on the outskirts of town. surely there is another side to the story and the reality of day to day israeli existence, always defending and protecting one's turf and identity is something i cannot begin to comprehend.

the wailing wall

church of the holy sepulchre

the old jerusalem citadel

streets of old jerusalem

emi dons a yarm to enter king david's tomb

streets of bethlehem

entering old jerusalem thru damascus gate

laurel says:
isreal is a tough one for me. i have to say, i just don't get it. i have heard people rave about the place. and the isrealis we met while traveling said tel aviv is a city amongst the ranks of ny or la. maybe we did not stay in the right place or go to the right spots but i leave isreal slightly confused as to what all the hype is about. our first stop in eilat, on the red sea, was one of the biggest busts of our whole trip. there were hundreds of people crammed on a tiny patch of rocky beach. then you are nickle and dimed (or shekled as the case may be) for everything. you have to pay for your chairs, lockers, snorkelling, breathing (just kidding, but close!). and it is not exactly the riveira! afterwards we headed north to tel aviv. i had visions in my head of sleek, modern, cool. in reality it is a super dilapidated city full of cement block buildings from the 70s. the party scene, which has a huge reputation, was fun but nothing to rival ny to which it is often compared. there were some nice cafes on tree lined streets that gave off a very buenos aires feeling. and the beaches were ok, if you don't mind sharing the sand with about a million other people. needless to say, i was really starting to fade on isreal until we got to jerusalem. our experiences there made the whole trip worth while. undoubtedly one of the most unique places on earth. christians, muslims, and jewish folk all crammed into a tiny old walled city. each group holding it equally sacred and fighting for every last inch of land. seeing the place of jesus' crucifixtion and resurection, the room where the last supper was held, the western wall and the dome of the rock were humbling experiences. you are standing in the cradle of all society. and it is overwhelming to think about how we are still essentially fighting about the same things we have been for the past 2000 years. our trip to bethlehem, in the west bank, was another highlight. crossing thru the horrific check point is a gut wrenching experience. i am not sure how people can live like this. palestinians have been absolutely crippled by the creation of the 'safety wall' that divides isreal from the palestinian territories. the people of bethlehem are left trying to scratch out a way of life. and we met some christian palestinians who aren't even allowed to go into jersualem for church, because they don't have the right permits. it is a land filled with so much hatred and so much segregation that i struggle to believe there can ever be peace. i leave this country feeling very uneasy and slightly depressed.