Apparently an interesting cultural activity of Israeli youth is to drive around at various times of the night with their car mega-stereos pounding out an earth-shaking beat. Although I was sufficiently exhausted to awake only once, Roz informs me that this was a repeated activity. I speculate that perhaps it was part of a geologic experiment by the Weizmann Institute since they certainly were recording the earth tremors of the base notes on seismometers in Rehovot.
After a leisurely breakfast and a quick visit to the City Museum of Haifa we catch a city bus up to the top of Mt. Carmel so we can join a tour of the B’hai Gardens. The gardens are quite amazing, extending virtually all the way down the mountain in 18 plazas (one for each of the original disciples of Baha’ Allah). Luckily the tour has us walk only down halfway and so we only have to make it down 700 steps.
On our way back to our hotel we spot a demonstration by the Women in Black. This is an Israeli peace group that has expressed its opposition to the Israeli occupation of the territories by mounting public vigils on Friday afternoons dressed in black. We decide to join them and spend an hour standing with them on the rotary at the intersection of Hagefen St. and Ben Gurion Avenue holding up signs for an end to the occupation . Since this is a mixed area of Jews and Israeli Arabs, our reception is not as negative as it might be and if their translations of what a few drivers have shouted at us is accurate, Yankee fans in Boston have received much worse from Red Sox stalwarts. In any case, our conversations with them about Israeli politics and other topics are most interesting.
On our way back to our hotel we spot a demonstration by the Women in Black. This is an Israeli peace group that has expressed its opposition to the Israeli occupation of the territories by mounting public vigils on Friday afternoons dressed in black. We decide to join them and spend an hour standing with them on the rotary at the intersection of Hagefen St. and Ben Gurion Avenue holding up signs for an end to the occupation . Since this is a mixed area of Jews and Israeli Arabs, our reception is not as negative as it might be and if their translations of what a few drivers have shouted at us is accurate, Yankee fans in Boston have received much worse from Red Sox stalwarts. In any case, our conversations with them about Israeli politics and other topics are most interesting.
Loving your blog. Nothing you write is new to us, but you write it so well. Wait'll you hear the full story of the battle to prove to the Israeli rabbinate that Josh is Jewish enough and single enough, so he and Diana can be deemed 'kosher' enough to marry in less than two weeks. We've had armies of cousins, rabbis, good friends, and strangers in both countries employed in this battle. We think they're almost approved, but if not....well, then, there's always Las Vegas. And if so, you can start another blog!
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