In the same amount of miles you could fly from Dallas to San Francisco, we found ourselves in the one of the most religious places you could be over Christmas and Chanukah...Israel! Luckily we got to share the journey with Corey's family which made our adventures all the more special. Lauren's bat mitzvah made the trip all the more spiritual.
Masada was also a highlight. Several of us chose the 45 minute hike up to the top of the 1,400 foot mountain. Others took the gondola for the 
spectacular views of the Dead Sea below. Atop Masada, we learned about the community of 1,000 Jews who fought off the Romans for over 8 years. Occupying the palace once built by King Herod but later abandoned, they had a tactical advantage. If the Roman soldiers tried to climb up the steep cliffs to their site, the Jews there would take large boulders and bascially bo
wl for Romans. Their rolling stones, seen in the 
picture, were quite deadly. Eventually the Romans figured out they would have to build a ramp to reach the top of the mountain and end the siege. The picture with what looks like the ridge of a mountain below actually shows the man-made ramp slowly made by the Romans, or should I say by their slaves, which eventually allowed them to reach the top. The Jews occupying Masada realized they had no further defenses and eventually committed suicide rather than being taken as slaves.
Back at the bottom, we headed to the Dead Sea which sits at the lowest place on the planet 
earth...1,200 feet BELOW sea level. At 33% salinity, the Dead Sea allowed us, like others before us, to float without the aid of life jackets. What a feeling! Of course, we also covered ourselves in mud, 
believing in the inherent medicinal qualities it would impart on our epidermis. If you are not aware, it is important to note that the Dead Sea is unfortunately reducing at a rate of 1 meter per year, due to both global warming and the harvesting of minerals from the sea bed. Its long term demise is almost irreversible, but Israel and Jordan are working together to try to do what they can to save this special place.
One afternoon was spent almost entirely underground. First we
toured some underground excavations that go down to the base of the Western Wall and showed us just how tall the wall really is and gave us a view down to the original street level. The City of David was also a treat as we toured the underground tunnels that lead to a hidden well. Through these tunnels, it is believed that David actually led his troops into battle.
It was also very interesting in general to be in the Jewish state. There were no Christmas trees anywhere. Instead there were Chanukah menorahs 
everywhere...in hotels, restaurants and on the streets. Though Israel is the center of Judaism, Muslim and Christianity, it is very clear how the country is run when the shops all close at 2:30 on Friday for the Jewish Sabbath. In addition, the conflict in the region is still prominent. The day we left, there were major bombings underway in the Gaza strip. It's a country of rich history, but also with deep seeded emotions that unfortunately may not even be resolved in our lifetime.
We definitely dug the dig...the archaeological dig that is. 
Using our chisels and shovels, we carefully 
sifted through the sand 30 feet underground searching for treasure. Ariana was the first to call out. "I've found something," she said excitedly. She had found some 2,000 year old pottery shards. Brody, Corey, Chris...we all found something. Animal bones, pottery, even burned pieces from a fireplace. We were digging through what amounted to a 2,000 year old garbage dump which is how the professional
archaeologists could allow us to work at their dig without professional training. Our hands dirty, dust covering our clothes, we returned to surface, proud, like famous archaeologists. And, celebrating the first night of Chanukah that evening was particularly meaningful after touching pottery that was last held in the time and place of the Maccabees.
This is just one of many adventures we encountered on our recent trip to Israel and Jordan.
So, no, the title does of this blog does not convey some gruesome mystery. It is instead a summary of the beautiful and diverse seas we visited. From the large waves of the Mediterranean, to the salty waters of the Dead Sea, and down to the deep blue of the Red Sea, we frolicked in water rich with history.
Our real reason for being there though was the bat mitzvah of
Lauren Siegel who is Corey's sister's 12 year old daughter. It was a very special event held at the southwest corner of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Most interesting was being in Israel, while saying prayers that mention the sanctity and importance of Jerusalem and Israel in the Jewish faith. It was a neat experience that I know meant a lot to Lauren and her parents.
"Dew dee dew dew, dew dee dew..."
Our greatest adventure, however, was following in the footsteps of Indiana Jones. He even was there during our visit. See picture to the right. But seriously, Petra was a fantastic site. Just 2 hours north of the border between Israel and Jordan, Petra is a a 2,100 year old community literally carved into the sandstone in the middle of a canyon, in the mountains, in the desert. The Nabataeans got rich by developing a trade center on a trade route that served many middle eastern countries and even India. Imagine convoys of camels travelling 
across the desert with spices for sale. They would all stop in Petra to trade, and pay a tax to the Nabataeans in return. Thus…the myths (or maybe truths) of the treasures in what is now known as the "treasury," the royal tomb shown in the picture with Indiana Jones.
On our trip to Petra, we enjoyed being accompanied by Juliet and Jerry Klein who are good friends of Corey's mom, Sylvia. They were good fun to have around, and Brody and Jerry spent many hours at restaurants playing military games on napkins.
We also visited Yad Vashem and saw the horrors of the Holocaust as viewed from the Israeli perspective. This was Brody's first detailed exposure to this and it is clear that it had a lasting effect.
One evening, we had dinner in a "bedouin village." Ok, it was really a tourist spot, but there we each received our camel license after a short 2 person ride on a camel. Ariana in particular is an expert 
camel rider after TWO rides. And, 
under the dark desert sky on a cold, windy evening, we sat on rugs and pillows on the floor under a tent and dined on wonderful Mediterranean fare such as hummus and baba ganoush.
Using our chisels and shovels, we carefully 
sifted through the sand 30 feet underground searching for treasure. Ariana was the first to call out. "I've found something," she said excitedly. She had found some 2,000 year old pottery shards. Brody, Corey, Chris...we all found something. Animal bones, pottery, even burned pieces from a fireplace. We were digging through what amounted to a 2,000 year old garbage dump which is how the professional
archaeologists could allow us to work at their dig without professional training. Our hands dirty, dust covering our clothes, we returned to surface, proud, like famous archaeologists. And, celebrating the first night of Chanukah that evening was particularly meaningful after touching pottery that was last held in the time and place of the Maccabees.This is just one of many adventures we encountered on our recent trip to Israel and Jordan.
So, no, the title does of this blog does not convey some gruesome mystery. It is instead a summary of the beautiful and diverse seas we visited. From the large waves of the Mediterranean, to the salty waters of the Dead Sea, and down to the deep blue of the Red Sea, we frolicked in water rich with history.Our real reason for being there though was the bat mitzvah of
Lauren Siegel who is Corey's sister's 12 year old daughter. It was a very special event held at the southwest corner of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Most interesting was being in Israel, while saying prayers that mention the sanctity and importance of Jerusalem and Israel in the Jewish faith. It was a neat experience that I know meant a lot to Lauren and her parents."Dew dee dew dew, dew dee dew..."
Our greatest adventure, however, was following in the footsteps of Indiana Jones. He even was there during our visit. See picture to the right. But seriously, Petra was a fantastic site. Just 2 hours north of the border between Israel and Jordan, Petra is a a 2,100 year old community literally carved into the sandstone in the middle of a canyon, in the mountains, in the desert. The Nabataeans got rich by developing a trade center on a trade route that served many middle eastern countries and even India. Imagine convoys of camels travelling 
across the desert with spices for sale. They would all stop in Petra to trade, and pay a tax to the Nabataeans in return. Thus…the myths (or maybe truths) of the treasures in what is now known as the "treasury," the royal tomb shown in the picture with Indiana Jones. On our trip to Petra, we enjoyed being accompanied by Juliet and Jerry Klein who are good friends of Corey's mom, Sylvia. They were good fun to have around, and Brody and Jerry spent many hours at restaurants playing military games on napkins.
We also visited Yad Vashem and saw the horrors of the Holocaust as viewed from the Israeli perspective. This was Brody's first detailed exposure to this and it is clear that it had a lasting effect.
One evening, we had dinner in a "bedouin village." Ok, it was really a tourist spot, but there we each received our camel license after a short 2 person ride on a camel. Ariana in particular is an expert 
camel rider after TWO rides. And, 
under the dark desert sky on a cold, windy evening, we sat on rugs and pillows on the floor under a tent and dined on wonderful Mediterranean fare such as hummus and baba ganoush. 
Masada was also a highlight. Several of us chose the 45 minute hike up to the top of the 1,400 foot mountain. Others took the gondola for the 
spectacular views of the Dead Sea below. Atop Masada, we learned about the community of 1,000 Jews who fought off the Romans for over 8 years. Occupying the palace once built by King Herod but later abandoned, they had a tactical advantage. If the Roman soldiers tried to climb up the steep cliffs to their site, the Jews there would take large boulders and bascially bo
wl for Romans. Their rolling stones, seen in the 
picture, were quite deadly. Eventually the Romans figured out they would have to build a ramp to reach the top of the mountain and end the siege. The picture with what looks like the ridge of a mountain below actually shows the man-made ramp slowly made by the Romans, or should I say by their slaves, which eventually allowed them to reach the top. The Jews occupying Masada realized they had no further defenses and eventually committed suicide rather than being taken as slaves. 
Back at the bottom, we headed to the Dead Sea which sits at the lowest place on the planet 
earth...1,200 feet BELOW sea level. At 33% salinity, the Dead Sea allowed us, like others before us, to float without the aid of life jackets. What a feeling! Of course, we also covered ourselves in mud, 
believing in the inherent medicinal qualities it would impart on our epidermis. If you are not aware, it is important to note that the Dead Sea is unfortunately reducing at a rate of 1 meter per year, due to both global warming and the harvesting of minerals from the sea bed. Its long term demise is almost irreversible, but Israel and Jordan are working together to try to do what they can to save this special place.One afternoon was spent almost entirely underground. First we
toured some underground excavations that go down to the base of the Western Wall and showed us just how tall the wall really is and gave us a view down to the original street level. The City of David was also a treat as we toured the underground tunnels that lead to a hidden well. Through these tunnels, it is believed that David actually led his troops into battle.
It was also very interesting in general to be in the Jewish state. There were no Christmas trees anywhere. Instead there were Chanukah menorahs 
everywhere...in hotels, restaurants and on the streets. Though Israel is the center of Judaism, Muslim and Christianity, it is very clear how the country is run when the shops all close at 2:30 on Friday for the Jewish Sabbath. In addition, the conflict in the region is still prominent. The day we left, there were major bombings underway in the Gaza strip. It's a country of rich history, but also with deep seeded emotions that unfortunately may not even be resolved in our lifetime.
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