Israel - Holy Cultures Day 3
Israel - Holy Cultures
Day 03 - Sunday, October 17, 2010 - Tour Tel Aviv & Old Jaffa/Visit Llana Goor Museum & Rokach House Museum/Explore Carmel Market/Dinner with Bnei Brak
The wake-up call came at 7:00 and we had our breakfast and then met for an orientation gathering at 8:30 in the lobby of the hotel. The first news Ran told us was that Delta found Gennie’s bag and they would send it to Nazareth and she will get it tomorrow late in the afternoon.
Ran gave us the regular OAT briefing and stressed being on time and being open minded about all of the different cultures we would be exposed to on this trip. The 15 of us introduced ourselves and I reminded everyone about the web-site in case they wanted tell their friends and family to follow our trip on GarciaTrips.
Because of the heat wave and unusually high temperatures, Ran also encouraged everyone to drink a lot of water. OAT will provide us with water each day and the hotel has also given us fresh bottles. It is also safe to drink the tap water which is always a reassuring thing to know.
Ran discussed the three optional tours available on this trip and gave us a sign-up sheet to learn even more about Israel. We finished our orientation and we gathered our belongings for our exploration of Tel Aviv.
At 9:15 we met our driver Andre and we boarded our 18 passenger bus that would be our transportation for the next 14 days. We drove south along the Mediterranean Sea to the walled city of Jaffa.
Andre let us off the bus and we began our walk along the sea wall. I took a quick weather reading and it was 83º and the humidity was 63% with a somewhat cooling sea breeze.
We paused to listen to Ran give us the history of the Port of Jaffa and the significance in the Biblical times as Jaffa is over 4,000 years old! We also learned about the young city of Tel Aviv which was founded in 1909 by Jewish immigrants and is located outside the gates of the old walled city.
Climbing the ancient steps we found ourselves in the Old City of Jaffa and the many trendy art galleries and shops. We met our guide Enso at the Ilana Goor Museum and Gallery.
For 40 minutes we were able to tour this stone home which was once a Pilgrim Hostel for Jewish immigrants in the 1700’s. Ms. Goor is an Israeli-American artist who is world renowned for her earthy sculptures and jewelry.
We finished our tour at 11:00 and walked back to the seacoast. Although it was hazy, it was warming up and now 86º and the humidity was 68%.
Our walk took us to the ancient center of the city where we saw excavations of the Rameses Gateway from 1550BCE (Before Common Era). We also visited the very beautiful St. Peter’s Catholic Church which was built in commemoration of the time St. Peter spent here converting the pagans to Christianity.
Andre was waiting for us and took us back into one of the oldest neighborhoods of Tel Aviv, Neve Tzedek. We visited the Rokach House Museum, the former home of Shimon Rokach who was one of the original settlers in 1909.
The highlight of the visit was meeting Rokach’s granddaughter, Lea Majaro-Mintz, an outstanding artist. Now 84 years old, Mrs. Majaro-Mintz was kind enough to spend about 15 minutes talking to us in her third floor apartment and studio.
At 1:00 we thanked our hostess and walked to a main commercial district and Rothschild Boulevard. While others had lunch, Ran took us to a bank to get the local currency, the New Israeli Shekel.
We met back at the park at 2:00 and Ran gave us more historical information about the
building now famous as Independence Hall which was once the home of the original mayor, then an art gallery, and where David Ben Gurion declared Israel a free and independent nation in 1948.
Our final adventure of the day was the Carmel Market, or outdoor shuk. We saw stands of fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses, spices, nuts, and even “genuine” designer watches and DVDs and CDs.
Andre took us back to the hotel at 4:00. I went through almost 300 photos and Gennie began to type the journal.
Our dinner tonight was shared with David, a 21 year old Orthodox Jewish Bible Student of the Bnei Brak yeshiva (place of learning) in a local synagogue north of Tel Aviv. We spent an enjoyable 2 hours discussing the beliefs of the Orthodox Jews, their learning and their commitment to their church and teachings.
Accommodations: The Art + Hotel, Tel Aviv, Israel - - - Meal: B, D
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Old City of Jaffa
Ilana Goor Museum
Lea Majaro-Mintz
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