2011 Holy Land Study Tour - Days Eighteen and Nineteen

Days 18 and 19: Masada, Qumran, and the Dead Sea, and free day--Reflections sprinkled in

Well, things have wound down to the end.  In the interest of full disclosure, these entries are being written after all of us have returned safely and soundly to our homes, cities, and lives, no doubt forever changed and enriched by the experiences we have shared together.   But being home also puts me in a position to reveal a personal detail that those of you who know me already know, and those who do not perhaps caught a few hints in the earlier entries.  I am the one Jew on this Catholic Holy Land experience.  I did not feel comfortable divulging this fact in some of the mixed companies in whose presence we would be on this trip, particularly when we would be in Arab lands such as the Palestinian territories.  I even chose to remove my "Chai" (Hebrew for life) charm necklace for the duration of this trip, as I had no desire to present any remote security risk to the group.  Frankly, this infuriates me to no end that we still live in a time in which a Jew cannot freely roam all areas of the Holy Land--the land of his forefathers--without fear for his life or putting his non-Jewish friends at potential risk.  I just had to vent a bit about this, and I pray that one day very soon the incitement will forever end and those who continue to choose terror and strife over peace will finally undergo a change of heart.   

But I digress.  I have nothing but wonderful things to say about everyone involved in this experience.  My group and our leader, Fr. Michael, couldn't have been more welcoming, open, kind, and every possible glowing adjective I can say about them.  My Judaism was NEVER a source of anything but fantastic (though sometimes humorous) interactions among the group.  We were inquisitive and curious about each other and our traditions, (there were other non-Catholics as well--a Lutheran and an Anglican) and  I hope the connections made can be replicated many times over within members of all our communities as we have seen on this trip. It is truly a blessing that we all must carry with us back to our lives and communities. 



Masada at the top.



The last sights to see left for the entire group were Masada, Qumran, and the Dead Sea.  Masada is the great fortress in the desert which was the site of the final Jewish revolt a few years after the destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70 A.D. (or C.E., depending on your tradition). Jewish tradition has generally taught that it was the greatest act of martyrdom in Jewish history, with nearly all those camped on Masada choosing suicide with honor over capture by the Romans and likely slaughter, torture, or at best, slavery.  This is the account of Josephus Flavius,  though archaeological evidence has since called some of this into question and it is now believed that there were more left when the Romans got up to the top than the earlier account contended, and that not all had in fact chosen suicide over capture.  So it's a bit less concrete than is sometimes taught, and for this reason and others, Masada has lost some of its sacred significance even in certain Jewish circles.  It used to be a spot for a significant ceremony for new inductees into the Israeli Defense Forces, but it has since been put aside on the grounds that even if the Josephus account were completely true, a mass suicide is not perhaps the right symbol to inspire those charged with protecting the very existence of a Jewish state.  In any event, the fortress consisted of practically an entire city, with homes, a synagogue, a palace, a cistern, and all the other necessities of life at the time.  The so-called "snake path" dates from this time--a serpentine path of over 1000 steps to the top of the mound.  Many groups walk this path to be at the top for sunrise.  We were not so ambitious--taking the cable car to the top instead, much to the relief of several in our group.     

Ancient ruins of Qumran.

Next was Qumran, another ancient village where, in caves just above this village, the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls was made in the 1940's and '50's--the oldest known surviving copies of the early Hebrew Scriptures which now make up the Tanach in Jewish tradition or Old Testament in the Christian tradition.  Again we were awed at the knowledge of the significance of what happened where we were standing.

Finally we ended the day with a swim in the world renowned Dead Sea--the lowest point on earth, 1312 ft. below sea level--the body of water with such a high salt content that it is physically impossible to do anything but float.  Quite an odd, but wonderful sensation.  Just make sure you don't get any water in your eyes like yours truly--OW, DID THAT STING!!!! Not to mention making sure you don't ingest any significant quantity of the water.  This can be deadly.  But no disasters, and we returned for our second to last dinner as a group, to discuss plans for our free day, the final day we would spend in the Holy Land.

I will leave it to other members to write about what they did on their free day--some went through Hezekiah's tunnel.  But this day was quite special for me along with Brother Michael-Leonard, Andy, and Brother Elias.  We first went back up to the Temple Mount to take some pictures since we thought we couldn't have cameras the first time up there.  But the highlight for me was bringing my friends (and particularly Michael-Leonard, with whom I have been close friends since my sophomore year at St. John's--everyone laughs when I tell them that one of my closest friends from college is a future priest--the Jew who went to St. John's, but I personally think it to be an incredible story) to the Kotel--the Western Wall--the holiest spot in all of Judaism--for a Jewish service.  My friends were interested and seemingly quite moved by the collection of prayers, particularly the moment when it is traditional to say a silent prayer, and when you are at the Kotel you normally write out a prayer of your own and place it between the cracks in the wall for God to find directly.  This we did, and again were hushed with awe at the tradition of all who have gone before us in this same action, century in and century out.  If I've ever seen religious harmony among differing faith traditions, this was most certainly it.

The dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,
as seen from the Temple Mount

We later went into St. Savior's Cathedral, the home church of the Catholic bishop for the area, hoping to find the time for his mass, but were unsuccessful.  We also did the Ramparts Walk--a walk along the top of the walls of the Old City, giving us never before seen views of the life within those walls, so similar, yet so different, from how things have been for thousands of years.    Finally we had lunch and coffee in the main square of the Jewish Quarter and did some people-watching and reflecting there.  Then, ironically to my friends, I was the one who decided I had to wait in line to go into the Holy Sepulcher one more time (as I still hadn't sanctified my holy object for my friend). This I did without a hitch, but I was in line for one more crazy story, which anyone who knows me can attest to how prone I am to such.  I decided I had to return to say one more set of prayers at the Kotel before going back to Dormition for the last time.  Unfortunately, I hadn't deep enough pockets to hide the crucifix with body of Jesus that I had just sanctified at the Holy Sepulcher, and let's just say that didn't go over too well with the Orthodox Jews who man the Kotel to ensure it remains pure and unblemished.  I explained that I was simply carrying it for a friend.  They understood (possibly anyway--their English was a bit elementary), but made me leave it with them while I prayed one more time at the Wall.

With that story under my belt as a fitting way to end this trip, I then returned, we had a farewell dinner with even more laughs and smiles, and then over the next few hours we all headed to the airport, all understanding that none of us would ever be the same, in the most wonderful way a person can be changed.  There is truly nothing more I can say to describe it.  I will forever be grateful for all that has happened in these three weeks, and I know my colleagues feel the same.

L'Shalom--again, to peace everlasting,

Alex