Masada and the Dead Sea - Sweating in the Sun

Today we didn’t do anything directly related to the Holocaust, but some things that were indirectly related and some things that were just plain fun.

We started the day on another “Bennie” bus ride (our bus driver’s name is Bennie and the guy drives this massive bus like it’s a Formula 1 race car.  I sit in the back and it’s crazy, but fun.  He’s actually an amazingly skilled driver) but this time we went outside the city towards the East. 

When we left Jerusalem we immediately began driving downhill as Jerusalem is a several hundred meters above sea level and we were heading down to, as our guide put it, where it’s “hot as hell.” 

As we went through a tunnel, we noticed the landscape change dramatically.  We were now in Bedouin country and we saw goat herders along the road in many locations.  Our guide said they are living there illegally because it is state land, but the government doesn’t move them off unless they are building a road or something like that.

When we reached sea level (no water in sight) there was a big marker.  The bus stopped so we could all get out and take a picture.  Alongside the road was a Bedouin with his camel and he would let you get up on the animal for 20 scheckles.  A couple of our group took him up on his offer, but Jeremy and I chose not to as we didn’t want to snap the poor beast’s legs like twigs.  J

My buddy Jim from Minnesota on the camel.

Me at Sea Level

The trip began again and we continued to go down in elevation.  Eventually we came to the Dead Sea and Masada.  Masada is a large mountain (it looks like an extinct volcano plug) where King Herrod built himself a palace.  Later, the Jews took it over and used it to defy Roman rule.  The Romans didn’t want a rebellion on their Eastern Border, so they went in to put it down.  They built fortifications below, a wall around the mountain, and began building a large earthen ramp up to the top.  When the Jews realized it was hopeless, they killed their wives and children, then they drew lots.  The 10 men chosen killed the other men and the remaining 10 drew lots again.  The one man chosen killed the other 9 and then killed himself.  This way they would die rather than become slaves of the Romans and only one man had to commit suicide – worse than killing in Judaic law.  Interesting. . . . .

Mesada

View of the Dead Sea from top of Mesada

Mesada has some really cool mosaics, tile floors, and other remnants of Herrod’s time.  Fortunately there was a gondola to take us up to the ruins – I was not in the mood to hike up this crazy “snake trail” in 120 degree heat.  I drank over 1 ½ liters of water while walking around and sweating.  It was a lot of fun, but we were drained when we finished.

         Representing the Bronco Nation - and sweating like a dog - on Masada

When we returned down to the museum, we loaded up and went to the Dead Sea.  We were warned not to rub our eyes or put our faces in the water – it would burn our eyes seriously.  I had a cut on the bottom of my foot and it really stung for a while when I got in.  We walked into water that is 10 times more salty than the ocean.  We were all bobbing around and having a great time.  But with such corrosive water you don’t stay in long (or wear any jewelry – even gold as it will begin to ruin it) because the water can be pretty harsh on your skin after a while.  It’s kind of like being in one big chemical peel.  But, I can say my skin is pretty “supple” right now.  J

Supple skin and one heck of a sunburn on the shoulders

We even got to go to the “factory store” that sells cosmetics made from minerals taken from the Dead Sea – very expensive, but as the ladies in the group told us – very essential.  So we went in and many of us helped out the Israeli economy.

After the Dead Sea we needed a change of water sources so we took off for En Gedi – a nature preserve that has a large spring with pools and a waterfall.  We left the bus to incredible heat – it felt like standing in front of a mammoth hairdryer.  We had to hike 1km into the preserve to get to the pools.  After sweating our butts off at Masada, sitting in crazy salty, corrosive water at the Dead Sea (though it was pretty fun), we were ready for some cool refreshment.

We all jumped in and were immediately refreshed.  We paddled over to the waterfall and each took turns standing under the water, allowing it to pound our heads and run down our bodies, cooling us thoroughly.  We all felt the hike was worth this little piece of heaven in the middle of the hottest place (and lowest in elevation) on the planet.

I'm the fat white guy under the left waterfall - Heaven on Earth :)

Once we hiked back to the bus we were all pretty tired.  This was the last major stop for the day and we went back to the hotel to rest and have dinner.  I was

able to find a hotspot outside the hotel and “skyped” Brenda and the rest of the family.  It was nice to see them again – it had been a while.

Tomorrow we check out of the hotel in Jerusalem and head to Tel Aviv. . . . .

Jerusalem and Yad Vashem

Well, it’s July 7 and I made it to Israel yesterday.  It’s a beautiful country and the food is amazing.  We had dinner last night in the rooftop restaurant of our hotel where you can look over and see the walls of the old city – how cool is that!?!?!?!?!  J

 I thought I would put in a pic of me at my hotel with the old city behind me just so you'd know I'm really here - not just "phoning it in!"

It’s quite the posh hotel with a real “modern meets ancient” look.  When we arrived they greeted us with drinks (I was afraid it would be cocktails, but it turned out to be freshly-squeezed orange and grapefruit juice) and cookies.  The restaurant cooks amazing food (so much for losing a few pounds due to all the walking!) and we are treated really well.  The only problem is the pricey internet service so I may not post every day until I get somewhere with free internet access – we’ll see how long my scheckles hold out.

Here's a panoramic view of the city from Yad Vashem - the hilltop above Jerusalem.

This morning we went to Yad Vashem – the Israeli Holocaust Museum.  It was very impressive - however, I was very puzzled by the museum when I had finished the main exhibits just before lunch (I’ll explain later). 

We went to the museum and went through some orientation by one of the instructors and then they turned us loose in the museum.  We are one of the only groups that has permission to go through the museum as individuals.  Yad Vashem policy is that each person goes through with a guide who tells them about the artifacts.  This way they can “help” you learn the viewpoint of the museum.  Evidently, Steve and Elaine fought pretty hard for the privilege of having us go through the museum on our own and draw our own conclusions.  So, we did just that.

The museum is a series of rooms along a large triangular corridor that runs through the top of the mountain (hill) in Jerusalem.  I had thought it was outside the city a ways, but it was really quite close to the hotel.

Each room has its own “theme” or time period and the artifacts that are displayed were very powerful.  They showed the partially burned effects of Jews who had been murdered and then piled up and burned in the hopes of destroying the evidence before the Russians caught up (near the end of the war).  But, the Russians got there pretty quickly and collected the belongings to document who died. 

There was also a doll of a girl who was hidden in a basement while her mother worked.  Her mother was injured while working so the mother had someone go and smuggle the girl out of the ghetto in a coal sack.  After the rescue the girl realized that she had left the doll her mother had made for her behind in her hiding place.  She made her rescuer take her back in the coal sack to retrieve the doll because, “No mother leaves her baby behind.”  A great lesson she learned from her mother.  They made it out a second time.  Amazing.

The thing that confused me most was the lack of information on the camps themselves – especially the killing centers.  It was as if the Holocaust went from the ghettos to the end.  It was a little disjointed for me.

Later, I realized that the main mission of the museum is to humanize the victims.  They don’t deal with the death and humiliation – I didn’t see mass amounts of hair, etc.  Just a display of some shoes (fewer than at the USHMM) and then personal effects of individuals – no large piles as you see in other places and museums.  Their goal is to give dignity where it was lost, names where they were taken and replaced by numbers, covering where there was nakedness. 

In the Hall of Remembrance there is a large dome with photos of individuals – you stand under the dome.  Then, around you in this circular room there are thousands of books containing the names of the Jews murdered in the Holocaust – or as many as they can individually document.  I believe they are over 4 million at this point.  It was awe-inspiring to see the books and think of all the names they contain. 

This building contains the "eternal flame."  Tomorrow we will be conducting a ceremony here.

But, I think my favorite place was the Children’s Memorial.  It is underground and is so dark you have to hold on to a hand rail to keep from running into glass walls or mirrored walls.  There are small lights reflecting off of every surface and you hear a voice speaking the names of the 1.5 million (or as many as they have been able to document) that were murdered in the Holocaust.  I wish I could have stayed in their longer, but the line just kind of moves you along.

The museum also has other memorials but I haven’t had a chance to look at them – that’s on the agenda for tomorrow.  Also, the museum has an exhibit on the 50^th anniversary of the Adolf Eichmann trial.  He was the one who was responsible for the logistics of deporting Jews to ghettos and then concentration camps and extermination camps.  He fled to Argentina after the war, but was arrested and sent to Israel for trial where he was found guilty and sentenced to hang.  He was executed on May 31, 1962.  I am interested in seeing their exhibition on Eichmann’s trial.

Tonight after dinner there are several of us who are going to head back to Ben Yahuda Street to the shops to do some shopping.  I guess I’d better get some more dollars exchanged into scheckles.  J

Pictures

Here's some of the fireworks in DC.  If you look close, right at the base where the launchers would be - you can see the Lincoln Memorial.

Just a few of my 150,000 closest friends on the Mall!  :)

The 4th of July in Washington

The 4th of July in Washington, what a day!  Here's a copy/paste from my journal.  Sorry it's so long, but I heard some very interesting histories. . .

In the evening, we had dinner at the hotel again.  Roman Kent and his wife were with us. 
Roman wanted to send us off with a few words – it was amazing.  Shortly after Roman began, his wife kind of cut in and began speaking (sitting – she is a very small, quiet woman) and told us her story of being in a camp (Auschwitz?) with her mother and how her mother cooked for the Jewish men working for Germans.  Her mother said she would do this if she could keep her daughter (Mrs. Kent) with her and it was agreed to.  She described how her mother died in the camp of sickness and how she was alone at 14 years old, but still survived.  She also mentioned that her hair was never shaved at the camp.  Somehow she had avoided it the whole time she was a prisoner.  She ran her frail hand over her gray hair and smiled at the thought.  I think she felt a sense of victory, of resistance, when she remembered.

Later, Elaine mentioned that we were a privileged group as she had never heard Mrs. Kent speak about her experiences – to which Mrs. Kent said, “it was an awful time, who wants to remember?”  But, she and her husband have been instrumental in making sure the world remembers what happened to them and their families. 

Roman then returned to his story and told us of how he was working in the forests outside the Goss-Rosen camp.  He was with a group of young men who were scheduled to be replaced by a group of grown men who had recently been transported in from a ghetto.  Roman was there with his younger brother and they heard rumors that they were going to gas chambers since they were no longer useful.  At morning roll call when the new workers came into the camp, Roman stepped forward to the camp commandant and asked if he and his brother could stay working in the camp.  Roman said the commandant could have done three things – shot him on the spot, punish him and his brother, or simply refuse.  But, the commandant looked at him and asked where his brother was.  Roman identified his brother and 3 others came up and asked if they could stay as well.  The commandant looked at them for a few seconds (Roman said it felt like years) and said they could stay. 

Later, Roman found out that the transport had 800 men exactly.  There were 805 young workers at Goss-Rosen scheduled to be replaced, but it was supposed to be a direct swap – 800 for 800.  Roman’s suggestion solved a problem for the commandant and saved their lives at the same time.  Amazing. 

He also mentioned that he was later transferred to Auschwitz.  But, since it was so busy, and they were all supposed to be gassed upon arrival anyway, he was never tattooed.  He is one of the few prisoners in that camp that was never tattooed (frowned upon in the Jewish religion). 

After dinner several of us went off to watch the 4^th of July fireworks on the National Mall with about 150,000 of my closest friends.  It was great.  The mall was packed with people which was fun until it was time to walk back to the hotel – Bedlam!!! 

For 15-20 minutes the fireworks went off to different songs.  It was extremely loud and we were standing right next to the Washington Monument.  All around the drained reflecting pool they had firework launching tubes.  The fireworks didn’t rise too high before exploding – they were right in front of us.  The concussion from the explosions felt as if it could knock you over.  I had never felt fireworks before.  It was fun.

The finale was very impressive.  I recorded much of it on my little camera – I hope it looks good when I go back and watch it. 

July 5:  Back in the museum for some more instruction on artifacts.  We had one of the curators of the museum show us (powerpoint) several artifacts and go through the specific stories behind them.  It really showed me how I can restructure my class by choosing artifacts to show students that will take me where I want to go that day in terms of discussion, history, concepts, etc.  I hope to refine the idea more.

After that, we were given a little more time in the museum and then we went back to the hotel to collect our bags and go by bus to Dulles Intl’ Airport for our flights to Frankfurt then on to Tel Aviv.  We will then climb on a bus and drive to Jerusalem where I plan on collapsing until the next morning.  Here’s why:  We fly out at 5:45pm and “enjoy Hotel Lufthansa” for a night.  We arrive in Frankfurt at 8 tomorrow morning.  Then we take off a couple of hours later for Tel Aviv where we arrive at 3pm their time.  Then the bus to Jerusalem where we should arrive by 6pm.  Wow.  That’s some serious traveling. . . . but, it’s going to be worth it!!!    J

More to come when I’m in Jerusalem.

Survivors I met today

This is Roman Kent - the chairman of the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors:

Below is Henry Greenbaum.  The German Army occupied his hometown in Poland when he was 12.  He was liberated by US soldiers at age 17.  He weighed 75 pounds. . . .

Here he is showing his number tattooed onto his arm when he was deported to Auschwitz.

Day 1 - We all arive in DC

QUESTION: How do you get a US History teacher who loves Washington DC, her museums and monuments, more than any other city to NOT want to go out and see what there is to see?

ANSWER: Take him to the United States Holocaust Museum and explain what he’ll be seeing and experiencing over the next three weeks.  Then take him and his 26 fellow participants and feed them a nice dinner while listening to two Holocaust Survivors tell their stories.  That’s how you keep him from wanting to go out and see the sights. . . . .

Today has been a great day.  I was able to sleep in a little bit and then head out to the best museum in the DC area – the United States Holocaust Museum.  The 27 of us went in the back door as a group and went down to a classroom where we went through orientation. 

It was great to hear exactly where we would be and what things we would experience – I am getting really excited.  Our facilitators (group leaders) are amazing and have done this trip for years.  They are extremely knowledgeable and a lot of fun to be with.  They will be showing us some amazing places.

Tomorrow (July 4) we’re going back to the Holocaust Museum (the only days the museum is closed is Yom Kippur and Christmas) where we will have a chance to go through the permanent exhibits before they are open to the public.  I’ve had this experience before – to stand and look at the exhibits with no one else in sight.  It’s a powerful thing and I look forward to it.

And, tomorrow night we'll be watching the fireworks from the Mall!  How cool is that!?!?!?!?!

Well, I’ll have more for you tomorrow (today was really only a half-day) so we’ll catch up then. 

Getting Started - In DC

Hi all,

Just 4 days after returning from China to pick up my son from his LDS mission in Hong Kong, I've flown to Washington DC for meetings at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum before we fly off to Israel. 

I've met a few of the other teachers who are a part of our group.  All seem dedicated teachers and fun individuals.  I look forward to getting to know them better over the next 3 weeks.

Someone suggested we go to Chinatown to have dinner.  I wasn't too excited with this idea, having eaten Chinese food for the last two weeks straight, but I went with them anyway.  We went to Tony Cheng's Mongolian Restaurant - and it was pretty good.  (that's the pic)

Well, I really get started tomorrow.  I'll have more for you then..