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March 26, 2004/Nisan 4 5764, Vol. 56, No. 27
Going home
Valley residents reflect, offer tips on traveling to Israel
RAEANNE MARSH
Special to Jewish News
Patsy Bakunin recently traveled to Israel and recommends booking a tour - in English - of the Baha'i Gardens.
Photo by Patsy Bakunin
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A visit to Israel not only stays with you for life, it also creates an ache to visit again... and again. That message comes through loud and clear when those who have traveled there talk about their experiences.
"You think Israel is a war-torn country, but it's just not so," says Dave Sherman, a Phoenix resident who has been to Israel seven times. It's the attitude of the Israelis that strikes Sherman as so life-embracing, he explains.
"It's one of those things - if you've never gone, you'll never understand the attraction." One of his favorite places is Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem. Besides being where he finds his favorite falafel stand, he observes that, no matter what is going on in the country, this pedestrian-only outdoor mall is always teeming with people and activity.
Gary Grove, another local resident who has made multiple visits, describes Jerusalem as the heart of Israel and says, "If you want to know what Jewish history is all about, you go to Jerusalem."
President of Hillel Jewish Student Center at Arizona State University, Grove and his wife, Sandi, were recently in Israel to visit their children, who attend school there. One of the stops he enjoyed was the archaeological gardens at the southern wall of the second temple, with stones more than 2,000 years old - a contrast, he points out, to historic building sites in the United States that are a mere 200-300 years old - with models of the buildings from where the stones came.
This most recent trip for the Groves nearly came to an abrupt stop in England, where they had a layover between the first leg from Phoenix and the final leg to Tel Aviv. Aware that their passports would expire in three months, they were unaware that the impending expiration might cause them to be denied permission to enter Israel. British Airways almost refused to let them board the plane in London, relates Grove.
Israel is one of a few countries that require a visitor's passport to be valid for a certain number of days beyond the scheduled visit, explains Jerry Rose, owner of Carefree Travel in Scottsdale. That knowledge is part of the expertise and service he and other travel agents provide in this era of the Internet and "do it yourself" travel arranging. Speaking from experience, Rose points out that a traveler may need his travel agent to step in as liaison if, for instance, a prepaid voucher is not honored or some other snafu occurs.
"I would never leave someone stranded," he says, which is why he, like most travel agencies, offers 24-hour service. In addition to offering valuable first-hand experience, the agent will keep up-to-date on the travel arrangements, including reconfirming flight schedules, which might change without notice to the traveler.
There are certain things Rose says "you can't go and not see": The Western Wall, Yad Vashem (Holocaust Museum), Masada (mountaintop site where Jewish zealots held out against the Roman army), the Dead Sea (so salty that "you just lie down in it and you float," says Phoenix resident Patsy Bakunin, and "if you have a cut or abrasion, you'd feel it," cautions Rose), and the Old City of Jerusalem. One of Rose's special memories of Israel is the experience of planting a tree in one of the forests.
An overriding sensation that Bakunin recalls from her visits to Israel - two within the past year - is the "vast distance in terms of spans of time (contrasted with physical) distances that are so small." Specific memories include the golden cast thrown over the city of Jerusalem at sunrise and sunset and the "sea of black" created by throngs of men in black coats and hats in a "very, very ultra Orthodox" area of Mea Shearim. In Ein Gedi, on the north shore of the Dead Sea, a "beautiful hike" yielded views of waterfalls and sightings of ibexes and hyraxes (the first a type of goat, the second an animal that resembles a rabbit) - animals from ancient times kept there in a preserve.
A tour of the Baha'i Gardens is one of Bakunin's favorite memories of Haifa, but she suggests calling ahead to find out when tours in English are offered because some tours are given in Hebrew, others in Arabic, and visitors are not allowed to meander on their own. Friday night at the Western Wall in Jerusalem was "an amazing time to be there," Bakunin shares.
"It was incredible to see the yeshiva boys singing and dancing. You really got the feeling that Shabbat is so joyful."
In Tel Aviv, she experienced the reason it is called "the city that never sleeps."
"Israelis tend to start doing things late at night. It's not unusual for kids to go to a disco at midnight," she says.
In Safed, Bakunin noted the concentration of both Sephardic and Ashkenazic synagogues, and enjoyed the opportunity to see havdallah candles being made.
Safed (or Tzfat, as Grove prefers) has special attraction for the Groves as well, who enjoy sitting at one of the outdoor cafes in this mountain town, visiting art galleries, and seeing the synagogue where the great medieval mystic Joseph Caro served as rabbi after leaving Turkey in 1536.
Bakunin's visits to Israel have been with missions arranged through the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, as have Sherman's.
"It's very cool to be able to go with the UJC (United Jewish Communities) mission or other tour," says Sherman. "It adds more meaning." (Banish that image of street-corner proselytizing that word may conjure up; 'mission' simply means a trip to Israel enhanced with a people-to-people aspect, according to Robin Loeb, missions director for the federation. Such trips give participants the opportunity to meet with Israelis, from students to soldiers to immigrants from Argentina to government representatives, and there are many different kinds of missions available.)
Traveling with a UJC mission is one of Rose's suggestions for keeping travel costs down. All-inclusive package tours, he notes, offer good travel value. And there are many available in addition to federation missions, including ones with a specific focus such as spas or historical sites. They will include local guides who are very well-trained. An additional "plus" to any tour, Rose points out, is that it's safer traveling in groups. However, he recommends spending a little extra on cabs rather than buses for travel within the country.
Making arrangements yourself on the Internet is one way to save money on travel, but Rose points out that travel agencies, especially if, like his, they are part of a consortium, may have "good deals" available because of their combined buying power. Another consideration is that individuals relying on the Internet have no way to determine the reliability and solvency of the people with whom they are dealing.
"The agent works with bonded organizations," to which may be added the experience of having previously worked with those organizations.
For those wishing to make an extended visit to Israel, there may be volunteer opportunities to help defray the cost of the visit. Eitan Ben-Ami, director of the Israel Center of federation, says there are programs available ranging from one week to one year. These require the participant to work during the day, but weekends and nights are free for sightseeing and exploring.
"For a small area, there are so many things to do," observes Grove, also noting the variety to be experienced, from the warm resort town of Eilat to the ski resorts on Mount Hermon. Even old favorites yield new experiences.
"Every time I go to Jerusalem, I find something different that I didn't notice before," he says. On his last trip, it was the Jerusalem tunnels, which extend along the whole length of the Western Wall of the second temple.
The tunnels were an awesome experience for Sherman, as well.
"We were walking along this nondescript wall, and the tour guide stopped and said, 'On the other side of this wall lies the actual Ark of the Covenant.' And whether or not you believe it, the idea that you are that close to religious history of this depth gives you goose bumps."
RaeAnne Marsh is a local free-lance writer.
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