The Caves of Judea and a Kibbutznik Millipede.

Hello everyone. Thought I'd give a brief update. Yesterday I went on an excursion to the hills of Judea which is Southwest of here. Basically, Jerusalem is surrounded by Palestinian territory except to the West, so you go West then South. For those of you who don't know geography very well, Israel is about the size of New Jersey. We went up to the top of a big hill yesterday to a forest ranger post where they watch for forest fires, and you can see from one side of Israel (the Mediterranean Sea) to the other (Jordan). It's actually really bizarre to say you can see across an entire country from one high spot like that. It's also a little sobering to realize that we were standing on the border of the West Bank looking East to the Gaza Strip. So - all those places in the news are quite literally a stone's throw away. The University issued a statement to calm our families that we are well out of harm's way. Security has escalated somewhat, and they intend to bring in some "experts" at the beginning of next week to discuss in greater detail with us (students) what is going on nationwide and to advise us concerning travel plans, general safety, etc. I can't explain how odd it feels on one hand to be going about life very much as usual here - normal classes - normal activities, but at the same time watching the news and seeing what is going on literally an hour and a half away. It's like living in Rochester and knowing that there's a war on in Buffalo. Some people are a little concerned. Basically, I'm taking my cues from Israelis. When they get nervous, I'll get nervous.

We went into Judea and saw some nifty caves. Caves used by the Jews in the Bar Kochba rebellion against the Romans - like - lots of years ago. I still can't get over how rich with history everything is here. The caves aren't in some well marked tourist park where they are well travelled and selling postcards on the way out. We went to one first and because there were people there already, our guide simply took the bus a little further down the road. You then just walk out into the fields and there are caves pretty much every dozen steps. It's not hard to see why the Dead Sea Scrolls could be more or less stumbled upon by some farmers. The only people around were Arab shepherds. The Jews lived for about two years in these caves like little gophers and would pop up long enough to wreak havoc on some Romans with Guerrilla warfare and then dodge back underground into a network of tunnels. This little system apparently worked well enough for them to mint their own coins and such for this underground Judea of theirs. Neat-o, eh?

Afterwards we went to a kibbutz, swam in the pool, looked at their cows, then ate cows in form of hamburgers. Actually, until last night when I had an ice cream bar after the hamburger, I had unintentionally and effortlessly eaten Kosher since getting here. It's actually hard not to eat Kosher here. Downtown, many restaurants are split into two sides: one dairy, one meat. You have to decide before you go in what you intend to eat. Now, in Tel Aviv, where things are a bit more secular, you can order ham at some places. I know this because my roommate had a seizure over the fact after visiting some of his relatives there last weekend. Pork is available in Israel, but the pigs have to be raised on platforms such that they never touch Israeli ground. Obsessively fascinating, don't you agree?

Pictures of the hills of Judea, the caves, and some cows from the Kibbutz.

Oh, and a millipede. And a cell tower made to look like a palm tree.

Look for the guy standing up in khaki shorts smiling to his right, your left. That's my roommate. No, he does not look menacing, as indeed he's not. But, we definitely see the world differently. He just completed his PhD and has a position as assistant professor at Columbia. BUT, like some doctors I know, he's decided he wants to go military. He's decided he wants to join the Israeli Army. SoOoOo...

Tomorrow I am going to Yad VaShem which is THE Holocaust museum. I'm told it will be among the most memorable experiences in Israel. I'll let you know. After seeing the camps themselves in Europe...well, we'll see.

Hope you are all well stateside. It's beautiful and endlessly eye-opening here, but I do miss home. Az, Jalla. Bye. Az, Jalla-bye.