Ofer and Mesha lead a small group of Canadian tourists behind the walls of the Old City at the heart of modern Jerusalem. Both men are sabra, Jews born and raised in Israel, although except for their talents for educating and entertaining their wide-eyed charges, the two are opposite sides of the same shekel.
Ofer has sharp eyes, a gleaming bald head and a charismatic bravado that evokes a young Yul Brynner. Mesha has softer eyes and a kinder, more thoughtful way of carrying himself, like your favourite schoolteacher. Ofer’s stories are dramatic and filled with passion. Mesha, an Orthodox Jew, often draws upon the bible he carries to bring thousands of years of religious and cultural history to life. You hang on to his every word.
Clearly, though, the two men have something else in common. The tourists, mostly Jews and Christians on a pilgrimage to explore and connect with the foundations of their faiths, are beguiled and captivated by their presence.
“Ofer is like a rock star, so magnetic and charming, and Mesha is truly one of the most decent human beings I’ve ever met, so thoughtful in every word and gesture,” says Toronto’s Susan Talbot, who recently spent two weeks with her family touring Israel under Ofer’s and Mesha’s expert guidance.
The Land of Israel, known in Hebrew as Eretz Yisrael, has been the heart and soul of human history for as long as there’s been human history. Today, it’s quickly becoming one of the world’s fastest-growing travel destinations. Jerusalem was named the Best City in the Middle East by the influential magazine Travel + Leisure in their 2009 rankings while Tel Aviv placed third.
Whether devoutly religious, mildly spiritual or merely curious and seeking enlightened adventure, people are drawn to the Holy Land in increasing numbers and it’s easy to see why. Israel combines the most remarkable aspects of the Old World and the New. For example, Tel Aviv, the country’s second-largest city nestled on the picturesque coast of the Mediterranean just north of the 4,000-year-old port city of Jaffa, is the centre for business and performing arts in the Middle East. It’s the home of the Pentium computer chip, which helped earn the city the nickname Silicon Wadi, and the Israeli Opera, where Placido Domingo was once house tenor, and it has been called the “Mediterranean’s new capital of cool.”
“Tel Aviv is one of the most modern and progressive cities in the world,” says Ehud Telem, owner and CEO of Peerless Travel, one of two Toronto-based agencies that specializes is high-end travel to the Holy Land, the other being Aufgang Travel. “There are more theatres in Tel Aviv than in Toronto, more music, more night spots, more restaurants, more museums and art galleries, more nightlife, more life.”
Beneath Tel Aviv’s gleaming architectural marvels of glass and steel designed by the likes of IM Pei rests a garden city of arches, domes and ornamental tiles dating back to the Ottoman Empire. “Driving through the city after we arrived we saw a shepherd walking his flock as though it were still 500 years ago,” says Talbot with a chuckle. “Pave paradise and put up a parking lot, they say.”
Tel Aviv is a 12-hour flight from Toronto via Air Canada or El Al (dubbed Ninja Air due to its heightened yet secretive safety precautions). But for all its technological, cultural and religious wonders, it’s merely the jumping off point for anyone looking to explore the lone Middle Eastern democracy.
It’s only a 45-minute drive from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, although you’ll probably want to set a more leisurely pace so as to take in everything. Visit Caesarea, the ancient Roman capital built by King Herod, and Safed, where Madonna-popularized Kabbalah was born. Continue through the mountains of Galilee overlooking Lebanon and then dip down along the east bank of the Sea of Galilee (aka Lake Kinneret), where according to Christian beliefs, Jesus lived, preached and performed miracles, such as the miracle of the loaves and fishes and walking on water.
Once in Jerusalem’s Old City, which is divided into four quarters (Jewish, Armenian, Christian and Muslim), every day becomes a marathon as you visit wonder after wonder after wonder. It’s a city of overwhelming emotions, with every street corner filled with the promise of a spiritual experience. The only difficult task on your agenda is keeping your jaw from scraping on the millennia-old stone streets. “Everyday was filled with ‘Wow!’ moments,” says Talbot. “It’s an awe-inspiring experience that floods you with so much emotion.”
Perhaps you’ll begin at the Mount of Olives, which overlooks the Kidron Valley, the site of Mary’s tomb, or Mount Zion (aka the City of David), which is home to King David’s Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper and offers a panoramic view of the Old City to the north.
From there you can take the steps up to Zion Gate to discover the Jewish Quarter, with its old Sephardic synagogues, the Cardo, which was the main street of Byzantine Christian Jerusalem, the Tower of David and the Western Wall, Judaism’s most-sacred site. A remnant of the Holy Temple, the Western Wall attracts millions of worshippers each year and notes containing their heartfelt wishes are wedged into the crevices between the blocks of stone.
The Christian Quarter grew over the centuries around the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulcher, one of the holiest of Christian holy sites. The Church houses several important relics, including the anointing stone upon which Jesus’ body was laid before His burial as well as His grave, and it’s the end point for the Via Dolorosa, the “Way of Sorrows,” Christ’s final path, which led from the courthouse (in the Muslim Quarter) to Golgotha Hill, where He was crucified and buried.
“In Jerusalem, you step on stones that tell a story that’s 3,000 years old, 2,000 years old,” says Telem. “You can imagine what happened here. In North America our history goes back only a few hundred years, our buildings even less than that. Israel is the cradle of civilization. You can visit and touch the sites that are dear to you.”
Apart from the holy places throughout the Old City, there are several sites in the New City worth visiting, including the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and museums, and the Knesset (Israeli Parliament). Bargain hunt for treasures in the colourful Makhane Yehuda open-air market in the Armenian Quarter or shop for souvenir T-shirts from a Muslim shop in the Christian quarter. And every dining experience imaginable is available in the city, from the falafel stand on the street corner to the funky Chakra Restaurant, or fresh whole fish at Dolfin Yam.
Perhaps your trip will include a camel adventure in the Negev desert, which is part of the historic Spice Road trade route, where you’ll share a traditional Chafla lunch with the local Bedouins. After that, a muscle-rejuvenating float in the Dead Sea followed by a mud bath are definitely in order.
And there’s no better way to begin your day than a pre-dawn cable-car ride to Massada, the ancient mountain-top fortress overlooking the Dead Sea and the desert. It’s here that Jewish rebels made an epic stand against the armies of Rome nearly 2,000 years ago, choosing to commit suicide rather than fall into the hands of their conquerors. Its powerful history and breathtaking views make Massada a popular destination where tourists can participate in a Bar or Bat Mitzvah service.
Of course, no trip to Israel would be complete without a visit to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ. Because it’s a Palestinian city in the central West Bank a few kilometers south of Jerusalem, you have to leave the care of your Israeli guides so that a Palestinian can tour you around sites such as the Church of the Nativity and Rachel’s Tomb. Though tourism is the primary industry, it is always best to gauge the political climate before traveling to Bethlehem.
If, after all of that, you feel you need some “lay on a beach” relaxation time to recover from your vacation, a visit to Eilat, a resort-minded city at the southern tip of Israel along the Red Sea is just the prescription. “It’s like the Cancun of Israel,” says Telem. “There are beautiful beaches for swimming and snorkeling and diving and the weather is always amazing. Israel has everything, from sandy beaches in the south to mountains in the north, the comforts of modern living and the history of ancient life.”
Peerless Travel & Cruises – 7117 Bathurst St., Suite 200, Thornhill, ON, L4J 2J6, (905) 886-5610
Aufgang Travel – 7077 Bathurst St., Suite 204, Thornhill, ON, L4J 2J6, (905) 771-7800
