to the south

yesterday, we went to tzfat or safed - there's no standard spelling - it was very beautiful, with a great view of the surrounding countryside. we visited two synagogues, then went shopping. after shopping, we worked with livnot u'lhibanot - to build and to rebuild - an israeli group a bit like habitat for humanity. we did some weeding in a park in tzfat, where there was an old fortress dating back at least to the romans. after tzfaat, we went to bet she'arim, where there are caves where jews were buried during the roman period, and we learned about the revolts against the roman and the greeks. finally we went to a bedouin camp, where we rode camels a short distance, then enjoyed traditional bedouin hospitality and coffee. the bedouins drink three cups of coffee with their guests, one to honor the guest, one for protection, and one for fun. we took a night walk into the negev desert where we meditated a bit, then came back and discussed faith and religious experience in the desert. we slept at the bedouin camp after a night of singing and fun around a campfire.
today we got up very early to go to masada. we saw an infantry brigade, the young pioneers, walking through the desert on a long hike to masada, where we climbed the roman ramp with the soldiers. we viewed and learned about the ruins at masada, then went to the dead sea for lunch and relaxation. after that we went to ein gedi, a freshwater spring, where we haad fun in the water. after ein gedi, we went to jerusalem, where we had a short shehechiyanu ceremony before going to the hotel. we spent the night out in jerusalem, in a pedestrian mall. we had a lot of fun, especially tonight.
sammie - george mason
dov - rutgers