Tzefat to Tel Aviv             December 4, 2012

          Today’s schedule looked a bit lighter but once again we were starting around 7:30 and were back in the hotel at 10:00 pm. 

It was difficult to leave the Pastoral Hotel up in Kfar Blum.  The rooms were large and comfortable and the setting was so peaceful.  But after breakfast and a shacharit service we were off to Tzfat (Safad) the city of the Jewish mystics.   We arrived there with winter blessing; meaning, it was raining.  After walking a while we entered a gallery of a young couple where the woman was both a painter and a glass blower. They both came from the US and found meaning in an Orthodox life style in Tzfat. 

We sat in their gallery a while and then visited both the Joseph Karo Synagogue  and the synagogue of Isaac Luria (the Ari z”al).  We were then given 15 minutes to walk around on our own.

From there we drove to Tel Aviv – Jaffa.   With the rain and the traffic it took a bit longer than expected.  We grabbed a quick snack at Aboulafia’s (pita with zatar and olive oil and a fresh sufganiya).  We then proceeded to a section of South Tel Aviv where we visited a few different unusual food shops.   The first was and olive and pickled vegetable store run by a family who came from Greece after WW!!.  Then across the street for Bourekas, which are accompanied by a hard-boiled egg, run by Turkish Jews.  Our next stop was a spice and coffee shop that also sold some other unusual concoctions such as a mineral mixture run by a Georgian family that helps with joint and cartilage problems and something called am bur, which is contains an excretion from a male whale mixed with wax.  This am bur is supposedly a natural form of Viagra of sorts.  Our next stop was for a sweet nut and grain mixture next to a store that sold halva.  All of us were totally stuffed.

We then went to Rothschild Boulevard one of the early large avenues of Tel Aviv. We stopped where the recent social protest movement began over the issue of affordable housing.  It  paralleled the “Occupy” movement we experienced in the States.

Our last stop of the day before checking in to our hotel was Independence Hall where the State of Israel was declared on May 14, 1948 by David Ben Gurion.  Even though I have been there multiple times it is a very emotional place especially when you hear the recording of Hatikvah that was played at the end of the ceremony. 

Before dinner we heard a fascinating talk by Gershon Baskin, a man who was instrumental in the negotiations that freed Gilad Shalit.  He also was in contact with members of Hamas before the recent violence.  He claims that before he was killed Ahmed Jabari was involved in negotiations that were heading toward a longer cease fire between Israel and Hamas.  He in no way felt Jabari was not a person who had done terrible things against Israel and may have been worthy of execution, but at the same time Baskin believes Israel might have had a stronger and longer cease fire agreement without the war.  He has been working in dialogues with Palestinians and Israeli Arabs and has advised many top level governmental leaders.

Our evening ended with dinner at Maganda Restaurant, a place where a number of you have eaten on other trips.