After my super short visit in Albuquerque, it was time to head to Israel for my mother's wedding in Jerusalem. Getting there was task in and of itself with extra security checks at the boarding gates in Newark before hopping the ditch to Israel. As many of you may know, I landed in Tel-Aviv without luggage and absolutely no help from Continental airlines, not even an offer of a tooth brush (rat bastards). At first, it wasn't too bad, just a little paperwork to fill out and a lengthy trip through customs explaining that I had no idea where my luggage was and that I was fine with my bag going through customs without me, provided I would eventually get it back.
I borrowed an outfit from my mother for the big day which was a huge disappointment to me since I went out of my way in ABQ to find the perfect outfit. The outfit I had purchased in Albuquerque was a hand made dusty rose pink tunic with hand embroidered silk pink roses on the collar and sleeve. It was (and still is) a one of kind piece I found at Wear It in Nob Hill, one of my old favorite shops from back in the day. While it was sad that I couldn't wear it to the wedding, I was able to wear it to the philharmonic the following night.
The day of the wedding came with a reunion of old family friends and relatives, some of whom I haven't seen since I was living in Israel almost 18 years ago when the first Iraq war began. My 'Aunt' Tova was really upset with me for not calling more often. Her kids, both married with children of their own now, were also present and gave me a much more forgiving welcome. My 'Aunt' Rina was also their with her kids and they all looked fantastic. Rina, too let me know my extended silence was unacceptable. The list went on and on for the relatives and old family friends. They laughed, danced and reminisced about earlier life in Israel, perhaps when life was both a little more and a little less simple. My mother for lack of better word looked nothing short of incredible. John, the groom certainly knows how to wear a suit and also looked great. As dance partners, they were completely in step with each other and I think it's safe to say they are a really great match for one another. I happily welcome John and by proxy his children and grandchildren into my ever growing family.
Post ceremony and festivities, we headed south to the Dead Sea, Ein Gedi and Masada. Our driver Yasser, was probably the second greatest highlight to my trip. A father of 8, yes 8 (6 girls and 2 boys), he made sure we were safe, well fed, well cared for and from my perspective made sure I was on time to meet up with my mother and John later in the day after Kevin, Urte and I finished hiking up Masada. Yasser was a gem- a rare, kind and gentle soul who wanted nothing more than to make sure we were happy. I'll come back to Yasser in just a bit... The hike up Masada was a great way for me to get to know Urte and catch up with Kevin. I hadn't seen Kevin since my own wedding 9 years ago and I am still beyond words to say how great it was to see him and catch up with him. He hasn't aged a day, save a few more gray hairs.
After the hike, Kevin and Urte parted ways with us and Yasser delivered me promptly to my mother and John as promised at the Dead Sea. On the way, he made sure to let me know I was a little crazy for actually wanting to hike up Masada in the heat of the day and was worried that dehydration or starvation was imminent. With that, we ate. Immediately after eating, we headed to a spa where my mother and John surprised me with a full body massage.
Vladamir, a very imposing man from the Ukraine who barely spoke Hebrew or English was my therapist. Once we established what kind of massage I wanted (deep tissue), he left the room while I prepared myself on the table. Now, I've had my share of massages- deep tissue, hot stone, Swedish, etc., but this... THIS was unique. First, there was only an itsy, bitsy, teeny, tiny white towel with which to cover up. I am a rather modest person, so this threw me off just a little, but in the spirit of submitting to the gift, I pretended like this was common place for me to be nearly nude in front of a complete stranger who was about to be given rather free reign over my extremities. Then, the definition of DEEP TISSUE was redefined in a whole new way! After working on my back with almost laser precision, he warned me that I should tap the table to let him know if I was in pain. At one point, he jumped up on the table itself and used his knees to dig in to my back even getting my spine to crack. After all was said and done I felt like I was stoned. It was quite a treat!
Post massage, Yasser collected us and we headed back to Jerusalem. Initially the plan was to grab dinner somewhere near Bet Schmuel, but Yasser insisted on taking us to his friend's restaurant in East Jerusalem. Pasha's restaurant is a small hole-in-the-wall type place that you enter through a dark stone entrance in what feels like some back alley where you'd expect to find illegal gambling or something like that. However, when you get inside, you're instantly overwhelmed with the scent of freshly grilled lamb, beef and other tasty bits along with the rich aroma of apple tobacco being smoked from communal hookah's placed around the room. Pasha's is also the the home of the owner with the living area on the other side of the enclosed courtyard by the back door. Within minutes, I had fresh mint tea in front of me and our table was FULL of 18 assorted salads and other home made dishes. As if that weren't enough, fresh lavash (home baked paper thin Arabic bread), fresh baked pita bread and a rather large dish of grilled meats were brought in from the open air kitchen/grill. It was just a stunning display of great food, good hospitality and a taste of some of the best Arabic food I've ever had. Desert was no joke either. I'd never seen these little donut like things before, but they weren't glazed with the regular icky donut goo and they weren't fluffy like traditional donuts. Instead, they were glazed in honey, had a little crunch to them and were served in a stack of about 30 small balls with tooth picks. They were divine! Yasser's goal to make sure we were well fed and didn't starve was met. And of course, after our feast, Yasser drove us home and we parted ways for the evening.
In the morning, on the way to Tel Aviv, Yasser once again took us on a customized tour of Jerusalem. I say customized, because Yasser knew I was interested in some of the better views, the slightly less touristy areas, and some of my mother's less known history (that is less known to me). We snaked through tiny streets in East Jerusalem, drove down into the cemetery, took pictures from the eastern side of the Mount of Olives and then went to Yad Vashem, but not before a trip through Yasser's neighborhood for more food- the best falafel, arguably in the world.
Yad Vashem (hand of God) is the holocaust memorial and museum. I'm not going to go into detail about Yad Vashem because it deserves to be talked about in detail as a stand alone topic. My thoughts about this place, what it has to teach and the significance it has for my family and me personally are still muddled. Perhaps, when I'm emotionally in the right place, I'll go into my own thoughts on it. For now, I'll simply confess that I was supremely overwhelmed and it left me speechless.
Of course, beyond this place, we parted ways with Yasser after he drove us all to the airport in Tel Aviv where we attempted to catch a plane to Eilat. Yasser mentioned that he would love to have us back at his home in a future trip, but told my mother that he would only do so if I was present. He said I reminded him of one of his own daughters (strong willed or stubborn, I guess), something I can only hope is a good thing. While at the airport waiting for our 45 minute flight to Eilat, UN envoys showed up at our terminal to go to Ashkelon/Gaza.
First, I'll say that security at any airport in Israel is stiff. Second, that the Israelis do not trust the security of the UN and have had a few problems with UN soldiers smuggling bad things into the airport. Their presence completely shut down the airport- no flights in, no flight out...for over THREE HOURS. On top of that, the local airport policy states that any flight delayed for more than 3 hours requires that ALL passengers and personnel be removed from the airport and must come back through security prior to the flight. Once they UN folks left, we were all routed back through security 2 more times to make sure that none of the UN soldiers had given anything nefarious to any of the passengers. On the bright spot, Israir Airlines bought lunch and soft drinks for every single passenger in the terminal for the inconvenience. It made the afternoon interesting to say the least.
Eventually, we made it to Eilat. Eilat is located on the Red Sea exactly between Jordan and Egypt. You can see both Jordan and Egypt from any point in Eilat and the Red Sea is a spectacularly clear sea with a reef unlike any I've seen before, teaming with life. Eilat was not always a tourist destination, but it sure is now. While there, we visited my mothers long time friend Yoski Zuarets, the very first mayor of Eilat from nearly 50 years ago. My mother's reunion with Yoski and a couple of other friends was filled with stories from their "good old days" when my mother was one of 3 single women in a sea of handsome men. They laughed about getting caught by MP's, scaring the hell out of their parents and how they got lucky with their lives on an occasion or two.
Eilat was the perfect place to kick back, relax and enjoy the last days in Israel. If you ever have the chance to go, I highly recommend it. It's warm, beautiful, safe and friendly with plenty of entertainment to go around, not the least of which is the Red Sea itself. It's great for wind surfing, diving and snorkeling. The waters are warm and very inviting! With that, I left Eilat and Israel. I learned a lot about my family, my mother and a few things that the media fails to report on about Israel. It's a great country, worth protecting and definitely worth visiting. I will miss it and my family dearly and hope to return at some point in the future.
Until next time...
Vered
(...and Zev too)
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