Several people in our group went to Shabbat services this morning at the Reform Congregation Beit Daniel. The majority of us, however, chose to sleep in, relax at our beautiful hotel in Tel Aviv, or walk on the beach. As I write this I am on the balcony of my room overlooking a marina and the gorgeous blue water of the Mediterranean Sea.
Those who went to Temple reported that it was a lovely service. There was a Bar Mitzvah, an aufruf for a couple about to be married, and a special prayer for a young man going into the Israeli army.
Joining our group today are Katie, granddaughter of friends of Fran and Bob who moved to Israel about a year ago and will be joining the Israeli army in a couple of weeks; Mark’s brother Jay and his family, who live on a kibbutz in Israel; and Mike and Pat from northern California, who will be with us for the remainder of our time in Israel.
Lots of traffic on the road, unlike Shabbat in Jerusalem. We stopped for lunch at a small mall on the way to Caesarea. All the stores were open, which was also a surprise. Leslie, Judy, Fran and I took advantage and went shopping instead of eating a proper lunch! The women on the tour are definitely doing our share helping the local economy.
Arrived in Caesarea, which was the capital of Roman Byzantine Palestine. Caesarea is located on the Mediterranean coast, about midway between Haifa and Tel Aviv. It was founded by King Herod in the first century BCE. It was a walled city and had the oldest deep water harbor in the world. It also was where early Christianity spread.
Archeological excavations during the 1950s and 1960s uncovered remains from many periods. In the Tiberium (a temple dedicated to Emperor Tiberius) a stone was found bearing parts of an inscription mentioning Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect who presided over the trial of Jesus. Herod’s palace was built on a rock promontory jutting out into the sea and was an elegant structure. Within the last 5 years, excavations have revealed a huge hippodrome, used for racing horses and chariots where we took our group photo.
The Aqueduct, which provided an abundant supply of water, was built in the Herodian period. The upper aqueduct begins at Mt. Carmel. It was constructed with considerable engineering know-how, ensuring the flow of water, by gravity, from the springs to the city.
During the 13th century, Caesarea was fortified with a thick wall, moat and a Crusader gate, where an iron grill could be dropped from the ceiling, trapping an intruder inside where he would be killed.
Today Casarea is home to many wealthy Israelis and boasts one of the few golf courses in Israel.
Tonight is the last night of the tour for Leslie and Al, Hannah and Elliott, June, and Sheila and Irvin. We had a farewell dinner for them at a Yemenite restaurant in Tel Aviv. Joining us were Noam and his girlfriend Rachel, and Noa, the daughter of a family friend of Rabbi Mark and Rabbi Debbie who is doing post-doctoral work in Israel. The food was delicious but we were sad to say goodbye to our friends. We wish them a safe trip back to San Diego!