Day Seven: 5/14/09
Trip to the Emergency Room
Jericho Hospital
I woke up this morning after a terrible nights sleep. My arms and face were on fire all night long. I woke up several times due to the pain of the blankets rubbing against them. I knew then that a trip to the doctor would be in order. I let Gordon know as soon as a I saw him and he got right on the case. We made arrangements to take a trip to the hospital before moving on with our itinerary which had us heading for Jerusalem. The nurses and doctors were great but looked like they had never seen anyone breakout from over exposure to the sun. They kept insisting that it had to be the sunscreen that I was using. After much insistence on my part that I had experienced the condition before and was sure that it was due to the sun and climate and not any other external causes, they decided to give me a shot of cortisone and a prescription for Allegra and send me on my way. The visit took about 20 minutes and cost 50 shekels or $12.50!
P.S. What a drama queen!
P.S. What a drama queen!
Taybeh Beer Company
We visited the only Palestinian MicroBrewery. We were given a tour of the small brewery by the daughter of one of the owners, Madees. She walked us through the process of beer making and the challenges of doing business in Palestine/Israel. Because Palestine is not recognized as a nation, all of its business, from the importing of raw materials to the exporting of finished good must go through Israel. This poses particular problems because of the check points and taxes that must be paid. She spoke perfect English because she was raised and educated in the US and came back to Palestine after graduating from college to help her father and uncle with the business. Don't ask me why the video is sideways. I can't figure out how to straighten it out.
Shepherd's Field
I did not go into this site because it was an outside site and I was forbidden to be in the sun until my mess got straightened out. I sat on the bus. :(
Bethlehem
I recorded the bus ride through Bethlehem. We were stopped once again at a check point as we attempted to enter into Jerusalem. Once again two soldiers entered the bus, both with M-16s and looked at our passports and checked the luggage compartment. Always a tense moment. I don't think that I will ever get used to the feeling.
Saint Andrews Scottish Church and Hostel
Simple yet comfortable accommodations for the young traveler. It's no InterContinental, but it is very nice.
Shabbat Service: Kehillat Yedidya
After our check-into St. Andrews, I was able to take a quick shower and change for Shabbat service. We went to a Shabbat Service at Kehillat Yeddiya which was a "Modern" Orthodox Community. They follow many of the practices of the Orthodox Jews but have set themselves up to be more inclusivist and open to women in leadership. They don't have a "senior" Rabbi, but everyone in the community participates in the service, including women. We were given an introduction to the flow of the service as well as the community itself by Debbie Weiseman. The sevice was very interesting although a bit difficult to follow as it was completely in Hebrew. It consisted mainly of the recitation of the scriptures in a very rhythmic and almost musical fashion. I was only able to keep up with the Hebrew on one small part, and was so proud of myself.
After service we all broke up into groups of twos and went off with members of the community to share in their Shabbat dinner. Sarah Henkle and I went with a woman named Ilyat. Ilyat is an Australian Jew who grew up for three years in Israel as a child and moved back as an adult. She has four children, two boys and two girls, with the younger two still at home. After a short walk to her home we met her two youngest children Pela (18) and Gedalyah (16). It was a very interesting night to say the least. They were a family that is very Zionistic and pro-Israel all the way. When topics regarding the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israeli's came up this was most evident. Ilyat framed the Israeli response as an attempt to minimize casualties. According to the news 13 Israeli soldiers were killed and somewhere between 1166 and 1417 Palestinians were killed. I could understand her point of view. She is a mother with one child just coming out of the military and two more on the way. She is concerned about saving the lives of her children. All mothers are. But I couldn't reconcile in me how people can't see the other side of the coin. Palestinian women are concerned about the lives of their children too. Are Palestinian lives any less valuable than Israeli? It was burning in my gut to ask this question but I just couldn't breing myself to do it. I don't know if I should have, I don't believe that it would have changed her views and she was gracious enough to invite me into her home, it would be downright rude to confront her like that. Or would it? At any rate, I did not, and part of me really regrets it. A BIG part!
After service we all broke up into groups of twos and went off with members of the community to share in their Shabbat dinner. Sarah Henkle and I went with a woman named Ilyat. Ilyat is an Australian Jew who grew up for three years in Israel as a child and moved back as an adult. She has four children, two boys and two girls, with the younger two still at home. After a short walk to her home we met her two youngest children Pela (18) and Gedalyah (16). It was a very interesting night to say the least. They were a family that is very Zionistic and pro-Israel all the way. When topics regarding the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israeli's came up this was most evident. Ilyat framed the Israeli response as an attempt to minimize casualties. According to the news 13 Israeli soldiers were killed and somewhere between 1166 and 1417 Palestinians were killed. I could understand her point of view. She is a mother with one child just coming out of the military and two more on the way. She is concerned about saving the lives of her children. All mothers are. But I couldn't reconcile in me how people can't see the other side of the coin. Palestinian women are concerned about the lives of their children too. Are Palestinian lives any less valuable than Israeli? It was burning in my gut to ask this question but I just couldn't breing myself to do it. I don't know if I should have, I don't believe that it would have changed her views and she was gracious enough to invite me into her home, it would be downright rude to confront her like that. Or would it? At any rate, I did not, and part of me really regrets it. A BIG part!