Day 6 - Israel

Day 6: Mark, Rob, Colin, Cheryl and I met in the lobby of our kibbutz at 6:00 a.m. for a quick run before breakfast. The weather was soft and cool and provided for a beautiful setting as the sun rose across the Holy Land. After a few miles, we came to an Israeli military post which said “Do Not Enter” and “Border Ahead”. We heeded the advice and headed back the way we came not realizing how close to the Lebanon border we were! We later found out that this kibbutz has bunkers on the property that the workers and residents can retreat to in case of missiles coming over the border! It was eye-opening to think that the people of this area have to live in this way…but they do.

Our first stop today was a visit to the excavation site of Tel Hazor. This ancient city is located in the Hula Valley at the foot of the Galilee Mountains. The area around Hazor is very fertile as the streams in the nearby Hazor stream provide ample water supplies. This city was one of the greatest cities in the land of Israel and one of the most important cities in the Canaanite period. The biblical account of Hazor is found in Joshua 11:1-12. King Jabin of Hazor aligned himself with other Canaanite cities in an effort to attack the Israelites led by Joshua. However, the Israelites were victorious and they burnt Hazor to the ground. Recent archaeologists have confirmed that the ruins of Hazor were indeed burned.

While there were no major walls or structures that have survived, the site is mostly comprised of the original stone walls which gave us a good understanding of the layout of the city. One interesting aspect of this city was the intricate water system. The Canaanites developed a cistern and a tunnel shaft measuring over 45 meters which led down to an underwater spring. This spring provided an ample water supply within the walls of the city--very important if an enemy laid siege to the city.

From Tel Hazor, we traveled to the ruins of the ancient city of Zippori. Zippori was a large and sprawling city located on a hill in the lower Galilee and is currently under extensive excavation by archaeologists. The city has a system of streets, public buildings, houses, a huge theater, bathhouses, a synagogue and several churches dating back to the Roman and Byzantine periods. In addition, this city was occupied by the Crusaders around 1178 AD. They built a huge citadel which served as a lookout over the valley below. The structure still exists, and we were even able to climb to the top of it to take in the view.

The synagogue and the Byzantine house within Zippori currently hold some of the best preserved mosaics in all of Israel. The floor of the synagogue has a preserved mosaic which measures 15 x 7 meters. The mosaic has inscriptions in both Greek and Aramaic and is divided into several panels. The panels represent several Bible stories arranged horizontally across the floor. This mosaic was amazing to see! The intricate design and production of the mosaic took years to complete.

After exploring Zippori, our group headed for a trip to the top of Mt. Tabor. Mt. Tabor is generally considered to be the “traditional” site for the Transfiguration of Jesus. However, Tim led a discussion on the matter as to whether or not this was indeed the actually site. Many biblical scholars think that the actual site of the Transfiguration was atop Mt. Hermon. Nonetheless, Tim made a great point as not to get into the “X marks the spot” mentality, but rather to realize that we may never know the exact location, but we know that it occurred and that we are in the correct area in which it occurred.

This traditional site of the Transfiguration, as was other sites, is currently under the control of the Franciscans. There is a church at the top of the mountain as well as a residence of the monks. Now, this mountain is very steep. The road up is very narrow and winds back and forth, sort of like Lombard Street in San Francisco…but worse! The road is so narrow, in many places only one car can pass on the road. Needless to say, the friendly confines of our travelling home (our bus) could not drive up the hill. The solution was to park at the visitor’s center and take a “taxi” to the top. Now, you are probably thinking what I thought: “Wow, a local taxi. Sounds exciting.” Indeed it was, but not for the reason you may think.

Upon conclusion of our “taxi” ride, many of us were introduced to what may be considered the “Disneyland” of Israel. Each of the taxi’s can hold 8 people. Imagine a small minivan from the 80’s, with no seat belts and squeaky breaks. Our local driver pleasantly greeted us, and then the ride was on. He took off at a high rate of speed, rounding corners at every opportunity, apparently not wanting to waste any time for our journey by applying the breaks. We held on for dear life as we sped up the hill, swerving often to avoid the taxis driving down the hill with the same vigor. Roberta, Cathy and Cheryl weren’t sure whether to laugh or cry, while Tom tried to take advantage of the swerving car to snap a few photos out the window.

Half way up the mountain, I noticed the tip jar near the center console (which had a few dollars in it). My mind flashed back to a Starbucks a few weeks prior… I usually like to donate a dollar to the always starving baristas. I thought to myself I’d gladly give that same dollar to our driver if he kept us alive a few minutes longer. We made it to the top in one piece. Upon arrival, our driver smiled and shouted, “We are here!!” We gathered our senses and stumbled out the door. I tossed a dollar in the jar and thanked him for the wild ride.

The top of the mountain was very beautiful. The church was Catholic and built in the Byzantine style and reminded me of the many churches we saw in Rome. We read some passages on the Transfiguration and Tim provided a brief teaching for us. After taking some photos, we headed back to our taxi and made our way back down the mountain to our bus.

We headed back to the Sea of Galilee to the Kibbutz Ginosar, where they have an ancient boat on display which dates back 2000 years ago. The boat was found buried in mud in the Sea of Galilee by two fishermen. Experts managed to recover and restore the boat. The boat gives us an amazing view of what a traditional fishing boat looks like in the time of Jesus.

We ended our day by taking a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.

We embarked at the adjacent harbor and set sail to the city of Tiberius, about 35 minutes away. Earle provided a talk to the group about the time of Jesus and how he used the area of the Galilee to spread His message throughout the known world. Nicole sang a beautiful song for us and we had an awesome time to reflect and concentrate on our Lord. The experience of being on the Sea of Galilee…where Christ performed many miracles…was amazing! We thanked God for the beautiful day, hopped back on our bus, and headed back to our Kibbutz.

(Submitted by Steve Rego of the Rego Tribe.)