Uncategorized Archives - Yoni Tours

Apr 13
0

Yom Hazikaron, Remembering Israels Fallen

Posted by | current events, Holidays, Jewish History, Memorials, Uncategorized | One Comment

We are about to start Yom Hazikaron – Remembrance Day for Israel’s fallen soldiers. It’s difficult to convey how solemn this day is as opposed to Memorial Day and Remembrance Day in other countries. I grew up in Canada. Both of my grandfathers served in the Canadian Military as did other members of my family. Canadian Remembrance Day was important to me and had its place, with a minute of silence being observed and a couple of national ceremonies taking place, but it wasn’t vastly different from most other days.

Yom Hazikaron in Israel is different. It is all-encompassing. The entire country stops and mourns. The feeling of melancholy starts to set in a day or two before.  All of the programming on the news, radio, and the national TV is about fallen soldiers. Yom Hazikaron is so central and focused due to the fact that everyone is connected to the fallen.

In Israel, there is a mandatory draft at the age of 18, right after high school, and the military selection process begins a couple of years earlier. Although there are a number of people who get exemptions to the draft, almost everyone’s social circle includes many draftees.

Israel is a very small country so everyone knows everyone- in one way or another everyone has a personal connection to the army and to combat units.

I moved to Israel in 2003 and joined the army. These are some of my experiences and memories that have impacted how I feel on Yom Hazikaron:

I served in the Nahal infantry unit. During my training as an infantry soldier I began to feel a connection with every infantry soldier; a kinship with any soldier with the same beret colour; a familial connection to everyone in my brigade; and like a brother to everyone in my company.

Army training isn’t the safest thing in the world. Many mishaps occur.

As the months of  training progressed by we were told of a few cases in which soldiers killed each other in training accidents. One evening my squad and I were talking about how we would feel if we killed one of our group by mistake. The overall conclusion was that we would feel a tremendous amount of guilt and grief that would be too strong to bear.

The Friday after the conversation, we got the newspapers and read of an accident that had occurred in a unit that was doing training in the north. A jeep had gotten stuck in mud and had then been driven over by an APC [armored personnel carrier], killing the two people in the jeep. Reading about this tragedy so soon after having that conversation my squad, I understood the tremendous loss that the members of the unit training in the North must have been feeling, and I felt a loss too. The feeling spread through the platoon and I realized that the whole army was mourning for those two soldiers. A few days later I visited some family in Rehovot and was told that my friend was at the funeral because he had done the Commanders’ Course with one of the soldiers in the jeep. I felt the loss from a different angle.

We finished training, started active duty and were placed in Hevron, A few months later we moved to Gush Etzion/Bethlehem.

One day were sitting in our rec. room watching ‘Friends’ when our company commander ran into the room and yelled ‘everyone go pack your combat gear and your sleeping bags, there’s an order that we may  be taken by helicopter into Gaza in the next few hours!’.

In the chaos that ensued word spread that a mine had blown up an APC of the Givati Unit, killing a number of soldiers. Rescue attempts had been launched resulting in a loss of close to 13 soldiers. Terrorists had then stolen body parts from the wreckage. We were all shocked and outraged by this.
During the time I spent packing my gear my anger changed into sorrow, fear and then terror! I  realized that my friend was a commander in the unit that had been affected! I was scared for him. Was he ok? was he injured? Had he lost his soldiers? those were the thoughts that started to run through my head.

Some time passed during which we were doing standard operations when  I got sick and spent two weeks in the hospital. I was then given sick leave. During that time my brigade moved from Bethlehem to Jenin. Our Unit held three bases surrounding Jenin.

One day I was out at the beach with a friend when I got a call from my friend Ron. He said ‘Yoni, someone at one of the bases has been hit. but we don’t know what’s going on- try to find out!’

I called as many people as I could. No one knew anything. I called the officer who was in charge of all the wounded soldiers. She told me that she couldn’t tell me anything. I realised that it meant that she couldn’t tell me as his parents hadn’t been notified.

I was sick with worry!

Was it Hayim who had shared a tent with me during field week?

Was it Ido who sat beside me for hours while I was in the hospital?

Was it Ilan who had always managed to keep my spirits high?

I called the person who would know, and would tell me, my company commander. He told me that “It is Yair Tourjeman”

“WHAT?! Tourjeman’s been hit?!” To us he had been a legend. He had done basic training with my commander, who had ‘brought us up’ on stories about him.

With a sinking feeling in my stomach I called up my previous commander who had finished the army a few weeks earlier. He started to cry but at the same time he thanked me for telling him.

30 days after the funeral I was standing by Tourjeman’s grave on Har Hertzel listening to his parents talk about how happy they were to have had such a good son who had helped so many people. Through misty eyes I looked around and saw the religious standing with the non religious, new immigrants standing with old Israelis, Sephardim standing with Ashkenazim, all standing together untied around Tourjeman. I realized that it was due to thousands like Tourjeman that we have Israel today.

Even though I only knew of him and never actually met him, till today I feel like I lost a brother.

Two years later, while in university a friend called me out of a class and introduced me to a friend of hers – Mikey. I met a nice guy with a great sense of humour who was in the paratrooper unit, we hit it off.

A little while later the second Lebanese War started. My friend told me that Mikey was in Lebanon and she was sure that something bad was going to happen to him. Every day I saw that she got more and more anxious, so we went out for a day in Jaffa to relax. As we were walking through the shuk (market) in Jaffa she got a phone call, I saw all the colour drain out of her face, and knew right away what had happened.

The store owners brought a chair and water and inquired what had happened, I explained that her friend had been killed in Lebanon.

The people told me that nothing could have happened because it wasn’t reported on the news.

I had the gut wrenching realisation that his parents hadn’t been notified yet.

The funeral wasn’t going to be for a few days because Mikey was American and the army had to bring them in from America.

All of Mikey’s friends spent the days leading up to the funeral together, comforting and supporting each other.

The funeral took place on Tisha Be’av. The Jewish day of mourning of the destruction of the Temples and every other tragedy that befell the Jewish people.

Once again I was standing on Mt. Hertzel for a funeral.

Up until then I had been strong and not cried. But as I heard Mikey’s father saying Kaddish (a prayer that one says over a family member who dies), I imagined how it must feel to say Kaddish for the first time and the emotions just swept me away.

In the years that pass, while guiding tours I go up to Mt. Hertzel (the main military cemetery) . I tell the stories of Mikey and Tourjeman and I hear stories of loss from other people.

Each year the number of people and stories grows.

My sister inlaws best friend who was killed in a terrorist attack, my friends student who was killed during a military operation, and many other.

unfortunately the pain never ends.

On Yom Hazikaron we aren’tidolizing an idea rather honouring the memory thousands of brothers, sisters and friends who gave everything so that we can be here today.

 

Sep 09
0

Brand new ancient dates- a rebirth of botanical history

Posted by | Archaeology, current events, Food, History, Nature, plants, Uncategorized | No Comments

If you’ve been on a tour with me in the Judean desert, then you may remember hearing about the ancient history of dates and their significance in Jewish culture. I probably offered you dates and coffee and talked about the ancient seeds that were found in the area, and were planted by scientists.

Now there is an update to that story: fifteen years after those ancient seeds were planted, the date tree has borne fruit.

The story behind this fruity adventure is surprising, exciting and unlikely!

It started in 2005 ,at the Arava Institutein Kibbutz Ketura, when Dr. Solowey planted two thousand year old date pits.

In order to get the pits, that had been found in an archaeological dig at Masada in 1960, to sprout, secret combinations of heat, hydration, plant hormones and fertilizers were used.

Against all odds the seeds sprouted and grew to be a small palm tree. The tree, which was named Methuselah, turned out to be a male tree which can’t bear fruit.

The researchers went looking through other stores of ancient seeds that were discovered around the Judean desert and planted multiple seeds in the hope that they would be able to grow a female tree.

A pit (Hannah) found in a dig at Wadi Makhukh near Jericho grew to be the long-awaited female palm. She (the pit) dated back to the fourth century BC making her one of the oldest ever found.
After growing for six years Hannah flowered!

The researchers collected pollen from nearby Methuselah and brushed it onto Hanna’s flowers.
Against all odds, Hannah bore fruit which ripened and were harvested.

At a special celebration a few of the dates were tasted- they have a dry nutty flavour similar to dates originating from Iraq.

During this time of year right before Rosh Hashanna, The Jewish New Year, as dates are being harvested across the country and palm fronds are being collected for the celebration of Succot, the connection of dates and palms to Jewish culture and history is more tangible and flavourful than ever!

Apr 27
0

Yom Hazikaron- memorial day in Israel

Posted by | current events, Holidays, Memorials, Uncategorized | No Comments

I grew up in Canada. Both of my grandfathers served in the Canadian Military as did other members of my family. That being said- Canadian Remembrance Day was important to me and had its place, but for most, it is a usual day. In Israel the experience is very different.

Memorial day in Israel is all encompassing. the entire country stops and morns. All of the programming on radio and tv is about fallen soldiers. The reason that it is so central and focused  is due to the fact that everyone is connected to the military.

In Israel, everyone is drafted to the army at the age of 18- right after high school, and the process begins a couple of years earlier. What it means is that everyone’s social circle drafts, if a person drafts to a non combat unit, they probably know someone who is in a combat unit. and all of your friends from your clubs, scouts, sports are also in the army.

Israel is a very small country so everyone knows everyone which means that everyone has a personal connection.

 

I always felt a connection to Israel’s memorial day but since 2003, when I moved to Israel and joined the army my thoughts and emotions on this day have changed drastically

I served in the Nahal infantry unit and saw action in a number of areas.

During my training as an infantry soldier I began to feel a connection with every infantry soldier, a kinship with any soldier with the same beret colour, like family to everyone in my brigade and like a brother to everyone in my company.

Army training isn’t the safest thing in the world. Many mishaps occur. As months went by we were told of a few cases in which soldiers killed each other in training accidents. One evening my squad and I were talking about how we would feel if we killed one of our group by mistake. The overall conclusion was that we would feel a tremendous amount of guilt and grief strong enough to drive us to suicide.

That Friday, as is common on army bases, we got the newspapers and read of an accident that had occurred to the Golani infantry unit. A jeep had gotten stuck in mud and had then been driven over by an APC [armored personnel carrier], killing the two people in the jeep.

Having occurred so close to that conversation my squad had had, I understood the tremendous loss they must have been feeling in the unit and I felt a loss too. The feeling spread through the platoon and I realized that the whole army was mourning for those two soldiers. A few days later I visited some family in Rehovot and was told that my friend was at the funeral because he had done the commanders course with one of the soldiers in the jeep. I felt the loss from a different angle.

Time went on, our unit moved to Hevron, A few months later we moved to Gush Etzion/Bethlehem.
One day were sitting in our rec. room watching ‘Friends’ when our company commander ran into the room and yelled ‘everyone go pack your combat gear and your sleeping bags, there’s a 50/50 chance that we’ll be taken by helicopter into Gaza in the next few hours’.

In the chaos that ensued word spread that a mine had blown up an APC of the Givati Unit, killing 4. Rescue attempts had been launched resulting in a total toll of close to 13 soldiers. Terrorists had then stolen body parts from the wreckage. We were all shocked and outraged by this.
During the time I spent packing my stuff my anger changed into sorrow. Then I realized that the tragedy befell the platoon that my friend Yossi was in.
I was scared, was he still alive? I called he answered the phone, bawling his eyes out. He told me about the guys who had been killed. Once again I felt the loss from a different angle.

A few months passed, I got sick and spent two weeks in the hospital. I was then given sick leave. During that time my brigade moved from Bethlehem to Jenin. There we held three bases surrounding Jenin.

One day I was out at the beach with a friend when I got a call from my friend Ron. He said ‘Yoni, someone at one of the bases has been hit. Try to find something out!’ I called as many people as I could. No one knew anything. I called the officer who was in charge of all the wounded soldiers. She told me that she didn’t know anything. Half an hour later she called me back and told me that someone had been hit, their status wasn’t good, they were being air lifted to a hospital.

‘Who is it?’ I asked? She said that she couldn’t tell me as his parents hadn’t been notified. I was sick with worry, was it Hayim who had shared a tent with me during field week? Was it Ido who sat beside me for hours while I was in the hospital?

I called the last number I could, someone who would know and would tell me, my company commander. He told me that “It is Yair Tourjeman” “WHAT?! Tourjiman’s been hit?!” to us he had been a legend. He had done basic training with my commander, who had brought us up on stories about him.

With a sinking feeling in my stomach I called up my commander who had finished the army a few weeks earlier. He started to cry but at the same time he thanked me for telling him, and not letting him find out from the news. Then I called my sergeant who had been Tourjeman’s commander. He too started to cry.

30 days after the funeral I was standing by Tourjeman’s grave on Har Hertzel listening to his parents talk about how happy they were to have had such a good son who had helped so many people. Through misty eyes I looked around and saw the religious standing with the non religious, new immigrants standing with old Israelis Sphardim standing with Ashkenazim, all standing together untied around Tourjeman. I realized that it was due to thousands like Tourjiman that we have Israel today.

Even though I only knew of him and never actually met him, till today I feel like I lost a brother,

Two years later, while in university a friend introduced me to a friend of theirs. a nice, funny guy in the paratrooper unit, we hit it off and agreed to meet again.

A little while later the second Lebanese War started. . My friend told me that her friend was in Lebanon and she was sure that something bad was going to happen to him.

I spent the whole day trying to calm her down. As we were walking through the shuk (market) in Jaffa she got a phone call, I saw all the colour drain out of her face, and knew right away what had happened.

The funeral wasn’t going to be for a few days because Mikey was American and the army hadn’t managed to get hold of the parents. I was with all off Mikey’s friends for the days of mourning leading up to the funeral.

The funeral took place on Tisha Be’av. The Jewish day of mourning of the destruction of the Temples and every other tragedy that befell the Jewish people. Once again I was standing on Har Hertzel for a funeral.

Up until then I had been strong and not cried. But as I heard Mikey’s father saying Kaddish (a prayer that one says over a family member who dies), I imagined how it must feel to say Kaddish for the first time and the emotions just swept me away.

In the years that pass. I hear more and more stories. meet more people who have lost loved ones and the loss of Yair and Mikey grows. As I grow and as my family grows I realize the loss and what they could have become.

On Yom Hazikaron we aren’t remembering an idea but thousands of brothers, sisters and friends who gave everything so that we can be here today.

May 02
1

Reflections on Yom Hashoah 2019

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Starting on the eve of Yom Hashoa- holocaust remembrance day- I find myself restless and don’t know where to place my emotions.
A myriad of thoughts go through my mind.
A jumble of thoughts and memories and half memories.

Memories from my trip to Poland, things that I heard from family friends, the stories that are still very alive in my wife’s family, everything that I’ve studied and come across as a Jewish educator and much more.

In the time leading up to the siren I have too much going on in my mind to think clearly.
As Hani said yesterday after she told our kids about her grandparents- ‘It is with us all year round- yom hashoah is for everyone else’. True to a degree.
The siren sounds. A blaring noisy silence. I think back to the hall of names in Yad Vashem where the names of holocaust victims are collected.
The most striking aspect of the hall is that most of it is empty.

All memory- Even the names of more than half of the victims are unknown. in the emptiness of those shelves I see the infinite possibilities of what could have been.
The non-ending generations of the Jewish people that were erased.

How our people were treated as non humans

How humans lost all of their humanity

How so much land in Europe feels cursed to me.

How Anti-Semitism never disappeared and is growing once again

These fill me with sadness, pain, thoughtfulness and anger all at the same time.

I am here as a proud Jew to protect my people wherever they are, to make sure this doesn’t happen again and most importantly to make sure that Jewish life, culture and religion flourish

Yom Hashoah 2019

Jul 31
1

Ein Tina- Water fun in The Golan!

Posted by | Hikes, Nature, Uncategorized, water | No Comments

Have you ever wanted to climb up a mountain as water is rushing around you? Ein Tina spring is the perfect spot!

Ein Tina is a spring that starts half way up the side of the of the Golan heights. and runs down into the Kinneret.
The nice, cool rushing water makes for the perfect stop in the middle or at the end of a long day.

There is a pool at the foot of the stream which is great for small kids to play in.
The water isn’t very deep (at most places around knee high which makes it great for children).

For the older children there is a circular route that allows you to climb up the mountain side to the source of the stream. recently railings were put in because the wet rocks can be quite slippery.

There is a secondary path that takes a dry route back to the lower pool.
Ein tina is a great experience! It makes for a nice and easy climb up hill walking against the rushing water.
The walk is rocky and you should definitely wear water shoes. Bring drinking water and snacks.

 

Directions:
for waze users: ‘Ein Tina’ or חניון עין תינה

Approx. 6 Km south of Gonen on road 918 there is a little bridge. Just before the little bridge there is a dirt road heading off to the left.
Turn onto the dirt road and park the car in the clearing. You can continue driving but the dirt road is quite uneaven (1 on the map)
Walk or drive along the dirt road and follow the green trail symbol for 800 meters and you will arrive at the lower pool of Ein Tina. (2 on the map)
From the pool you can climb up the rushing wateron the  green trail untill you arrive at the source of the spring (3 on the map)
From the spring you can loop back on a dry path blue trail (4 on the map)

Have a great time!

Mar 07
0
Dig in cave 49 of Qumeran

Qumeran- Dead Sea Scrolls and Indiana Jones

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A few days ago I was given the opportunity to take part in an archaeological dig. When I realized the location- I told my wife that I had to go regardless of the long drive and hard work.

What was it about this particular dig that captivated me so much?

The story starts 2000 years ago in the barren cliffs in the northern Dead Sea when a group of Jews decided to start living an ascetic, communal life and brought/wrote a number of scrolls which were placed into caves.

In 1948 a Bedouin shepherd found a segment of a scroll in one of the caves. In the years following other segments of scrolls were found and made their way onto the black market. In 1949 the Jordanians did the first organized archaeological digs and more have been done since then. Thousands of segments of written material were found from 972 original scrolls.

These scrolls give us a interesting view of what was important to the people who lived there thousands of years ago. The Dead Sea Scrolls, as they are referred to, fall into a few different categories:

• From the Jewish Bible meaning that they are segments or scrolls that were canonized and are part of the
Tanakh.
• Jewish Apocrypha which are Jewish theological texts that were written around the time of the second temple
but were not canonized
• Sectoral scrolls which are scrolls that have been found only at Qumran and have no known parallels

The different texts that were found have given raise to many theories as to who the people that lived there were and what segment of the Jewish people they belonged to.

In addition to scrolls, the remains of a small communal village were found. The buildings of the village included a communal dining hall, ritual baths and a water system.

Clearly the inhabitants decided to live a secluded communal life in the mountains.

One of the widely accepted theories claims that the people were Essenes. This was a sect of Judaism that, according to Josephus Flavious and Piloni the Elder, lived in communities that held a philosophy that promoted lives of piety, celibacy, communal life and lives devoted to prayer, charity and the study of holy scripts.
The theory that the Essenes were the inhabitants of Qumeran is widely accepted due to the types of scrolls found, the communal dining hall, and the ritual baths.

There is even a strong suspicion that ‘John the Baptist’ יוחנן המתביל was a member of this group of people and he was influential in the spread of the group’s ideas. Some people see this site as being the fore runner of the Christian idea of hermitage and monasteries.

A different theory claims that the scrolls didn’t belong to the inhabitants rather they were brought by kohanim (priests) from Jerusalem right before the destruction of the Temple in the year 70.

This theory gave rise to the idea that treasures from the temple may have also been hidden in the caves.
One of the ‘scrolls’ that was found was actually made of copper. It was written in a cryptic way and gives directions to find hidden treasure.

These attracted adventurers who searched for the treasures of the temple in the mountains of Qumran. One of these Adventurers/scholars was Wendell Jones who claims to be the inspiration for Indiana Jones.

After the short ‘rescue dig’ that I took part in – in order to find relics before antiquities thieves got to them – there were a number of minor findings. These findings included a few coins and the remains of jars that could have previously held scrolls. In the upcoming months the objects will be studied and may give us more information as to who the inhabitants where and what their life style was, but the mysteries remain and the treasures of the temple have yet to be found.

Feb 06
0

Outrage at the Lack of Outrage

Posted by | current events, Uncategorized | No Comments

Yesterday I walked into the park with my son. There I met my wife who had earlier gotten my daughter from her kindergarten.

‘Did you hear?’ she asked
‘Hear What?’ I replied
‘There was a terrorist attack a little while ago beside Ariel’ she continued
“I didn’t hear anything yet’….

In the few minutes that followed we realized that Rabbi Itamar Ben-Gal from Har Bracha had been murdered. He was stabbed to death while on his way home after teaching at a high-school in Givat Shmuel.
His family is very close to my sister in-laws family. My wife was shocked.

In a matter of minutes a family, that we were used to seeing a couple of times a year, was destroyed.

As we got home, we took care of our kids, made a few calls and turned on the news.

The first story on the news was a short blurb about the terrorist attack followed by footage of police arresting
Jewish protesters who started to demonstrate against the resent terror attacks.
While being arrested one of the Jewish boys yelled out ‘how can you arrest me while the blood is still warm on the street!’ I felt like he was right.

The news continued on as two how this was similar to two other recent terror attacks and then switched to the regular pre-filmed items about shopping and politics.

After the news the regular TV shows were aired. On social media I saw next to no mention of the terrorist attack.

I am sad, insulted hurt and outraged!

From both the terrorist act and the way it has not been over reported in the media.

We got to used to picking up and carrying on.

I don’t understand how a man was just murdered by terrorists and the country barely pauses. I don’t understand how we have become so ‘used to it’ as a society that we allow ourselves to not be outraged!

To the terrorists it doesn’t make a difference who the man is and where they lived. there were no questions asked before the attack. All the terrorist cared about was killing someone who was Jewish.

We have to carry on. We can’t get stuck in depression. But at the same time we cannot allow ourselves to be jaded for that more than anything else would be a victory for the terrorists!

We cannot allow this to be just another name. we cannot allow any name to be one that passes in a second as we carry on with our lives.

We have to be outraged and demand outrage at every single attack and ever single rocket as they are all attacks on our people and our nation!

Sep 27
0
Wolf in Judean Desert

Wolf attacks in the Judean Desert

Posted by | current events, Nature, Uncategorized | No Comments

In the past couple of years there have been a number of incidents of wolves attacking people in various camp sites and outdoor areas across the Judean Desert.

These have occurred in the areas around Massada and Ein Gedi which have are visited by thousands of tourists and Israelis every year.

The attacks have almost always been attempts to capture small children, generally in dark areas and only a small distance from adults.

This is alarming because it appears that two things have happened- the wolves have lost their fear of humans and they have begun to view humans as an optional food source.

researchers feel that there are a few things that may have lead to this happening.

It is possible that wolves have started identifying people with food as a result of food not being stored properly or being left in nature.

Another possibility is that these aren’t purebred wolves but a mix of wolves and dogs which would account for them not being scared of humans.

You’re probably asking; is it safe to go out to the desert? how do I protect myself?

It is safe to go out hiking in the Desert although you need to make sure to clean up after yourself and store food in away that animals can’t get to it.

Stay close to children!  Especially after dark.

If you see wolves getting close to people contact the parks authority.

Jan 31
0
evacuation of allepo picture from AP

Syria and Israel- When your enemy is in need (How is the middle east such a mess?!)

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The Mess
The whole mess called the Middle East is exactly that- a mess. In order to understand the conflict we need to understand the root issues that led to the current situation.

 
In the Arab world a person’s loyalty is to their family and clan. They have little loyalty to their city and much less to their country. The idea of a country is a foreign one to Arab culture and this contributes to many of the problems in the Arab world.

 
The majority of Arabs are Muslims. There are two major groups of Muslims- Shi’ite and Sunni. The Shi’ites and Sunnis have been at war with each other since a disagreement in 632 C.E. over who would be the heir to the prophet Muhammad. This disagreement has been the basis for many bloody wars throughout the Muslim world.
There are many other ethnic groups spread around the Middle East – including the Alawite, Druze, Kurds and Yazidis among others.

 

Throughout history, until the fall of the Ottoman Empire, there was free movement of clans throughout the area. In the modern period borders were decided upon without taking peoples and clans into consideration. It ended up that there were many clans in one country and sometimes one ethnic group was split between many countries.
In each country there was one clan that ruled over the others. The ruling clan benefited from their power and the other clans were treated as second class citizens. Only a strong and sometimes ruthless leader was able to keep all of the clans and peoples in line and keep the country functioning. If the central power wavered the country would fell into anarchy with each clan fighting for its own.

These factors- loyalty to the clan, Shiite and Sunni dislike, and a combination of other ethnic groups are the basis of the instability in the Middle East.

This is what happened in Iraq. Liberia, and Syria.

Assad, the leader of Syria, is Alawite. Although the Alawites see themselves as Muslims, most Muslims see them as heretics. The largest ethnic group in Syria are the Shiite Muslims who started a revolt against Assad. As opposed to other countries that experienced the ‘Arab Spring’, in Syria many minorities in aligned with Assad fearing that they would be worse off under Shiite control.
As the rebel forces pushed away Assad’s control a vacuum of power was created. That created a situation where any person with charisma who felt that they could win could have conceivably created their own state. ISIS also noticed the opportunity and stepped in.

Iran supports many Shi’ite factions around the world including the Hezbollah in Lebanon. When Iran saw that there was a danger of the Sunni gaining power in Syria, they sent the Hezbollah in from Lebanon. As time went on and they saw that the regime of Assad was losing power.

In addition to their proxies they sent Iranian soldiers into Syria.

At the present time there are Muslims worldwide traveling to Syria to fight on either the Shi’ite side or the Sunni side.

To make matters worse- the non-committal Obama government stuttered and was unclear on where it stood in the conflict. Seeing the lack of leadership in America, Russia saw the possibility in growing their influence of power and swooped in to aid Assad.

Rather than get directly involved, America armed Kurds and used them as proxies against ISIS. Russia is currently bombing Kurds because the kurds are also fighting against Assad, meaning that on that front Russia is unintentionally helping ISIS….

In comes Turkey! Although Turkey is backed by America, as are the Kurds, Turkey has had an issue with the Kurds for well over a century. Turkey is not passing up this opportunity to pummel the Kurds.

Currently there are over 600 armed factions fighting against one another. It is estimated that close to half a million people have been killed and millions have been displaced.

The Israel Side

In the Middle East is the phrase ‘My enemy’s enemy is my friend’ does not hold true. All of the aforementioned clans, countries and others are, if not at a state of war with Israel, at the very least are anti-Israel. Any side that Israel attempts to help will be turned on by everyone else.
Syria has been in a state of war with Israel since 1948. The current border between Israel and Syria is not an agreed border. Rather it is a cease-fire line that has been a point of debate since 1967. Syrian civilians who are caught in the middle grew up knowing that Israelis are demons and have no love for Israel.

Due to these reasons, from the beginning Israel adopted a policy of not getting involved. For us in Israel the bottom line is that there is a huge armed conflict going taking place on Israel’s northern border.

So what is Israel doing? Where is the most humane country that sends aid to every disaster? Good question!
Relatively early in the conflict wounded Syrians were being smuggled to the Israeli border. Israel quietly, and under cover opened up field hospitals to treat the wounded by the border. Israeli doctors treated the wounded in the field and sent them back. Soon the severely wounded people were transferred to bigger hospitals in the north. Once the treatment was finished they went back into Syria. Some of these people who were treated praised Israel while others said that they wished Israel nothing but destruction!

Israel doesn’t ask how the person was wounded or whether the wounded person is a civilian or a combatant. To date

Israel has treated more than 2600 Syrians.

Recently there have been three positive developments in Israel’s involvement. These changes in policy towards Syria are on the humanitarian level and far away from anything military.

1. An Israeli civilian organisation called “Across the Border” is raising money and sending aid to civilians in Syria.

2. Israel started openly accepting wounded civilians, as compared to their previous undisclosed medical aid.

3. Israel recently announced that they would absorb a number of orphaned Syrian children.

I believe that there is more that we have to do to help the people suffering so close to us, but I am very proud of my country for taking these steps to help an enemy in need.

Sep 22
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Foot print site in the Jordan valley

Archaeology, Altars, and our Footprints at Risk!

Posted by | Archaeology, current events, History, Uncategorized | No Comments

Thousands of years ago Joshua lead the children of Israel across the Jordan river. According to the book of Joshua they crossed the Jordan River parallel to the city of Jericho at a place called Gilgal. When they completed the crossing they made a ceremony with twelve large stones symbolizing the twelve tribes. From there they began the conquest of the promised land.

In this week’s Torah portion (Ki Tavo) we read of a blessing and a curse which will be given to the twelve tribes once they are in the promised land. In the book of Joshua this same curse and blessing is recorded as having been given.

These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are passed over the Jordan: Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin and. these shall stand upon mount Eval for the curse: Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.; Devarim 27:12-13

Adam Zartal- an Israeli archaeologist found the site on mount Eval where this blessing was given.

In1989 a number of ancient archaeological sites were discovered in the Jordan valley. The most intriguing of them are the five ‘foot print sites’. These sites are dated to the 12-13th century B.C., which aligns itself with the period of the conquest.

foot print site

foot print site

Incredibly when viewed from above they have an uncanny resemblance to the sole of a shoe or a foot print. Hence being called ‘foot print sites’ (אתר כף הרגל )

The conquest of the land of Israel was completed over a period of many. It started with the city of Jericho followed by the Ai followed by other cities in the Jordan Valley.

Adam Zartal believed that these were ceremonial cites due to their shape and the presence of an alter at the center of each of them. He also drew a connection between these sites and ‘Gilgal’ ,which is mentioned multiple times in the bible, as they are made of conjoined circles.

He believed that the foot shape of the sites signifies that the children of Israel making a statement that they had taken ownership over the land.

The above-mentioned curse and blessing was given at one of these foot print sites which is located at mt. Eval which is close to the Palestinian city of Nablus (Shchem).

Shchem and Mt. Eival

Shchem and Mt. Eival

These incredible archaeological and historical sites are in the mountains of the Jordan valley, The majority of which is Palestinian controlled territories. This area has little supervision, legislation and/or enforcement over the well being of archaeological sites.

Many decisions pertaining to building of infrastructure made by the Israeli military administration in the areas of Judea, Samaria and the Jordan valley are influenced by strategic, or sometimes monetary decisions while failing to take into account possible damage to archaeological site. The decisions or making them less accessible to Israeli citizens.

Unfortunately the Israeli military administration recently made such a decision with regards to one of these foot print sites. They have given permission to the Palestinian authority to build a garbage dump beside this archaeological and historical treasure.

I highly recommend learning more about these sites and getting out to see them if you can.
Further more If you are concerned about the protection of these and other precious archaeological sites you can write to The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Unit (COGAT) at Cogatspokesman@gmail.com with your concerns about the foot print archaeological site located at Rimonim!

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