Early November 1999

Shalom everyone,

It is finally cooling off here and raining occasionally, but there is still a serious water shortage. Some people are concerned that if Israel starts turning over land to their former enemies, war could start all over again about water rights. We have not been asked to conserve water, and our little neighborhood remains as green and flowery as ever. Perhaps the Israeli Government is reluctant to tell the millionaires and Ambassadors that they have to let their gardens and lawns dry up!

Starting this month, Embassy personnel get a 30% discount at Michael Mercier, an Israeli-based, internationally known hairdressing chain. Upon our arrival in June, I asked for recommendations on where to get a perm, but no one I knew permed their hair. Apparently most Israeli women get color, but not perms. I had to pick a shop at random. It turned out to be a disaster, and my hair was so damaged that Mercier's refused to perm it. In fact they had to cut it pretty short to get rid of the damage. I ended up buying special restorative products from them to help repair my hair. It is also difficult to find blowdryers and special attachments here. In spite of this, my "new doo" got rave reviews from my Israeli co-workers! I thought Kevin would have a fit, but other than smashing a few inanimate objects, he's adjusting nicely.

My mother and her friend are visiting us in early November. We have tried to find places to take them that are not too physically taxing, which in Israel can be a little difficult This is definitely not the United States, in that Israeli tourist attractions do not particularly consider the needs of the elderly or handicapped. Not surprisingly, animals are not treated as well either. You see camels kneeling on sidewalks waiting for the next tourist to come along, cows being transported inhumanely, donkeys carrying heavy loads, and stray cats and dogs loose everywhere.

Now that the Fiscal Year 1999 property surveys are completed, I stopped working overtime and took a few days off to sightsee with Kevin. We went to Bethlehem, where King David and Jesus were born. Like Nazareth, it is undergoing heavy remodeling in preparation for the expected heavy influx of tourists. There was dust everywhere, narrow streets with lots of smelly tour buses, and it was hard to find parking. Bethlehem is behind the Green Line (the border of Israel prior to the 1967 Six-Day War), and is under Palestinian authority. Palestinian flags were flying throughout the city . When you leave you have to pass through a security checkpoint and a sign that reads, "have documents ready." We accidently got on the wrong road and were headed toward Hebron, which is inadvisable as there is much tension and unrest between Arabs and Jews there. We turned around in a hurry! The Church of the Nativity is shared by three denominations. The Roman Catholic sanctuary is being enlarged for this year's Christmas Eve services. There were long lines, but we hired a tour guide who got us in and out the side entrances quickly. We also visited Rachel's Tomb. Rachel was Jacob's favorite wife and the mother of Joseph, who became a ruler in Egypt. She died in childbirth and never made it to Egypt with the rest of the family. There are separate entrances for men and women. Sleeveless shirts are not allowed - I was given a piece of cloth to drape over my shoulders. The Tomb has road barricades and is guarded at the entrance and from a watchtower across the street. The soldiers carry M16's modified to accept grenade launchers. Because this is such a holy site to the Jews, the Arabs tend to riot at this spot. We were told that everything can seem perfectly calm, and suddenly a riot will start. There has also been tension in Nazareth because the Muslims want to build a mosque near the Church of the Annunciation. The Pope is supposed to visit, but has said he will cancel his trip if this can't be resolved. Needless to say, Israel wants everything under control for his visit and for all the Year 2000 tourists. Since our visit, there have even been several riots in Bethlehem!

We also did some sightseeing within Jerusalem's old walled city. This is referred to as "East Jerusalem" and was under Jordanian control until the 1967 war. At that time Israel regained everything except the Temple Mount, the top of Mt. Moriah where both the First and Second Jewish Temples were built. The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. and the Second Temple was destroyed on the same date by the Romans in 70 A.D. Religious Jews of today fast this date (Tish B'Av), and they still pray at the one remaining wall, known as the Western Wall, Wailing Wall, or HaKotel. The Muslims retained control of the Temple Mount, on top of which sits the huge golden Dome of the Rock at one end, and the lead-domed El Aksa Mosque at the other. The Dome itself, which can be seen from all over Jerusalem, is not actually a mosque, because it's the wrong shape. It is the Muslims' third holiest site because they believe their Prophet Mohammed ascended from there to heaven to meet with Adam, Jesus, Moses, etc. as is briefly mentioned in the Koran In order to enter either building, you must buy a ticket, remove your shoes, and leave your purses, backpacks, and cameras outside. The Temple Mount area is really huge. The Bible book of Ezekiel prophesies that the Third Temple will also be built on this site at the time of Christ's physical return to earth. I used the Temple Mount men's room by mistake. I failed to see the sign, and for some reason all the men standing in line looked like women. I wondered why a bunch of people were standing outside the door staring at me, but not coming into the bathroom.

A word of warning to anyone who might be visiting Jerusalem: Do NOT take a picture of the Western Wall on the Sabbath (Friday dusk to Saturday dusk). I tried it once because I overlooked those signs, as well. (Funny, I just had a check-up and bought new glasses before we left the States. Hmmm.) The signs state that people who do such things are subject to fines or imprisonment! All I got was a scolding.

We also went to some underground museums showing the remains of homes and some of their furnishings dating back to the first century and earlier. The Romans destroyed the city in 70 A.D. During the attack, some Jews tried to hide in the sewage systems, of which you can still see sections. The priests lived in really gorgeous mansions, for that era. One museum showed a video presentation in Hebrew. You could rent headphones in English, but several of them didn't work, so I narrated for the tourists who had broken equipment. It's hard just keeping up in English - I have a new respect for translators!

East Jerusalem is divided into four quarters: Armenian, Catholic, Jewish, and Arab. There were Jews living in the Jewish quarter at the time Israel was declared a nation in 1948. Israel was immediately attacked by her Arab neighbors in the War for Independence. Israel withstood the attack, but lost the Old City to Jordan, and the Jews living there had to flee. Jordan held all of the Old City for 19 years, until the 1967 war. You can still see where parts of the city wall were damaged in the fighting. Between the wars and neglect, the Jewish quarter was pretty much destroyed. After 1967, the Jews rebuilt the Jewish quarter into what it is now.

Kevin and I visited Jaffa, also known as Yaffa or Joppa, an extremely old city that is now part of Tel Aviv. Jaffa was an important port in Biblical times. The cedars of Lebanon for the Temple arrived via Jaffa. The disciple Peter stayed in Jaffa at the house of Simon the Tanner, which is still there, but is privately owned and closed to the public. In addition to all the other conquerors of Israel, Jaffa was also conquered by Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III and Napoleon. There are little statues of Napoleon all over, pointing the way to tourist attractions. Until recently, Jaffa was pretty much a slum. Now the area near the ocean has been rehabilitated for tourism. There is a Church of Scotland English-speaking school established in 1863, that some Embassy children (none American) attend. There are a lot of artists and craftsmen in Jaffa. We went through the famous Ilana Goor sculpture studio.

We found a restaurant near our home that is modeled after TGI Friday's. I tried their specialty - ostrich! For some reason, ostrich is not considered kosher. Kevin was even able to order his beloved pork. Pork is quite expensive over here because most of it is imported - the rabbis try to limit pig farming as much as possible. The waitress told us that Israeli pigs are raised on platforms above the ground to keep their feet from polluting the Israeli soil!

Odds and ends: My assistant and his wife (who also works in our office) gave me the same birthday gift that just I gave my sister for her birthday earlier this month! Our Commander sent me a cute e-mail birthday card with hopping, singing cartoon animals. Our office was preparing for a manpower review and I noticed that my assistant took off several hours for maternity leave last year! Over here, husbands can take maternity leave so their wives can return to work earlier. Is this true in the States? Does anyone know?

Kevin & Elizabeth