Sunday, September 30, 2007
The Tree at Hayarkon Park, Tel Aviv
"One hundred year old" tree planted in a concrete enclosure ,
obviously telling of its importance

Will someone please translate, especially the Hebrew line in quotations

Yesterday, I decided on taking some morning walk at the Hayarkon Park along Bnei Dan Street in Tel Aviv. Just on the area of the park near the RP Embassy I chanced upon this 100 year old tree. I say 100 years old because the number is indicated in the Hebrew sign, obviously referring to the tree’s age. This is as far as I can guess. Perhaps the sign tells about the species of the tree, and its significance. I want to know more, so I stopped one bike rider to solicit a quick translation. Well, he said the sign is about “Respecting the elderly as they deserve such treatment.” I tried to ask for a more detailed translation, but he says it’s difficult to translate it in English. Perhaps anyone here can help? I feel a little sad about the tree because it looks lifeless to me, with all the leaves already gone and barks shedding off. I am sure it is being kept and preserved because of its historical importance.
 
posted by Ernest-jr at 1:08 AM | Permalink | 3 comments
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Etzel House of Israel: Muzeum of the Irgun



Just outside Jaffa is where you can find the Irgun museum, which is dedicated to the secret Zion military group operating in Palestine in the 30’s and 40’s.

Upon personally seeing the museum, it really is apparent that the structure owns strong elements of being a mighty military fortress.

Also known in Israel for its Hebrew acronym Etzel, the organization fought against the Palestinian and Arab groups, with the main ideology that all Jews have the right to Palestine – be able to go and live there. It can also be said that the Irgun was formed in reaction to the many riots happening then.

Ze’ev Jabotinsky is Irgun’s first leader and recognized as one of the important political leaders of the Irgun. His political views become a basis of the Zionist policy – which is leaning on activism and social orientation. The last Chief Commander of the Irgun, and one whom I am more familiar with is Menahem Begin, once Israel’s Prime Minister.

Eventually, the Irgun was dissolved and merged with the Israel Defense Forces.
 
posted by Ernest-jr at 10:06 PM | Permalink | 1 comments
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Yom Kippur at Jaffa
Kids enjoy biking during the afternoon of Yom Kippur

Bikers treading Yefet Street

Single row of bikers

Clock Tower area at Jaffa
Time out from the long ride. This shawarma restaurant is the only
one open in the Clock Tower area

Bridge on the Tel Aviv beach walk

Zero-car Kaufman Street

Surely the Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, is the most significant holiday of the Israelis / Jews if only because it is obviously the most observed of all the holidays.

From last Friday’s sun down up to today’s (Saturday, Yom Kippur) sunset, everyone refrains from doing anything. The religious especially, refrain from work, and taking in food and water. This should be the case as the Yom Kippur holiday is considered a total Sabbath.

Yom Kippur is also a car-less, autobus-less and sherut-less day. People, especially the children, get around with their bicycles. Others go with their pair of skates and even skateboards. The bike shops along the Yerushalayim Street surely had brisk sales yesterday.

We went out for some walking from Even Shoshan Street at Jaffa all the way down to the corner of Kaufman Street at the Textile Tower. And as expected, more people can be found in the area, mostly riding their bikes or simply strolling along, some in the middle of the streets and on road islands.

And now that Yom Kippur has ended, I am looking forward to another Jewish holiday which is the Sukkot, starting September 27.

 
posted by Ernest-jr at 12:24 PM | Permalink | 0 comments
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Elijah's Cave of Haifa Israel



During our trip to Haifa, major port of Israel, we did not go straight to the Bahai Gardens, but instead passed by first at Elijah’s Cave, which is found at the Cape Carmel’s area, just below the Stella Maris Monastery.

One of Israel’s well-known biblical sites and Haifa’s popular tourist attractions, the cave is so-called because it is said to be where Elijah, a Hebrew prophet, stayed and preached. It is a much revered place, as it was here where he stayed to meditate before conquering Baal’s prophets. Upon his return from exile, Elijah used the cave as his place for preaching.

Elijah’s Cave welcomes everyone and is a blessed place to all – Christians, Muslims and Jews. Another story is that Joseph, Mary and the Holy Child Jesus stayed at the cave one night as they passed by it going home from Egypt.
 
posted by Ernest-jr at 9:41 AM | Permalink | 1 comments
Friday, September 14, 2007
A Day in Bahai Gardens, Haifa




Another “light” blogging work for me today. The pictures are courtesy of my French friends Julien and Sylvie, who took these magnificent Bahai Garden shots the second time they went there. The following text is courtesy of RP Embassy to Israel attaché Alvin Conchas III. Thanks guys!

It was just another “extra holiday” in Israel. I love this country! As a newcomer in this country, I enticed my colleagues to visit one of the most scenic spots, i.e., Haifa. We took the train early that morning in order to save time. Our destination was the famous Bahai Gardens. Haifa is located in the northern part of the State of Israel. It offers not only scenic spots for the tourism industry but also commercial activities owing to its port.

I was quite excited to visit Haifa although it was not my first time to set foot in that place since we had an outreach program a couple of months ago. The excitement stems from the stories I heard from our Parisian visitors, Julian and Sylvie, who gave enormous and colorful testimonials that Haifa was really a wonderful place to visit. One more thing that is interesting is that Haifa is a model community where Christians, Arabs and Jews live together with fewer animosities as compared to other places in Israel.

Upon arriving in Haifa, we began to feel the scorching heat of the sun. Perspiration began to cover my face and my back. I really thought that Haifa would be cooler as compared to Tel Aviv-Jaffa since it’s relatively situated on higher grounds (but not as high as that of Jerusalem). We immediately went to the bus stop and waited around 15 minutes for bus 22 which would bring us at the top of the Bahai Gardens.

Finally, we reached the top of the Bahai Gardens. Although a gentle breeze welcomed us, the scorching heat began to intensify. Upon reaching the gates of the garden, we learned that we could only enter the garden through a reservation and it would only be for limited access. Thus, we only saw the “dome” of the garden from a far. The only consolation we had was to see the whole panoramic view of Haifa and its port.

I heard that during the war with Lebanon in 2006, Haifa was bombarded with missiles. Haifa was fortunate because the Bahai Gardens were spared during that war.

We again took bus 22 and went down to find a place to rest. We had lunch and initially planned to visit other places nearby, such as the Elijah’s cave. We decided however to spend our time in the restaurant because the heat have already bested us and I feel I could no longer continue walking because the sweat had already consumed my strength.

Although our trip was short and quite tiring, it was an experience of my life that I cannot forget. There’s more than meets the eye in Israel. No words are adequate to describe how beautiful this country can be.

There will be more travels in the days to come since it is the caprice of my childhood and all these memories I get from these travels will be the fond of recollection during my old age.
 
posted by Ernest-jr at 9:44 AM | Permalink | 0 comments
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
A Good New Year to All

The past days, some greeted me “Shana Tova,” others, “Hag Sameach.”

So I thought both referred to the Jewish New Year.

Well, sort of.

My Israeli friend explained Hag Sameach is the Hebrew term for Happy Holiday, which can be used as a greeting for all Jewish holidays and festivals, Jewish New Year included.

Shana Tova, on the other hand, is the more appropriate greeting nowadays as it means A Good Year (to you).

So, my sincerest Shana Tova and Hag Sameach greetings to all my Israeli friends as well as my compatriots staying here in Israel.

My God shower us all with bountiful grace, and bless us with the best of the best in this coming Jewish New Year.
 
posted by Ernest-jr at 5:34 AM | Permalink | 0 comments