Arrival in Israel – (Tel Aviv to Tiberias)

From my arrival in Israel to my departure ten days later, my life was falafel, 2000 years of history, and new connections. I even rode a camel!

On the whole, the trip surpassed any and all expectations, and I found myself impacted in unpredictable ways by the surrounding culture. 

But, guess what??? I’m going to take you with me along my journey over the next few weeks! Aren’t you excited??? (Come on, I know you are.) Furthermore, you can read the posts and follow on social media (the links are in the upper-right hand corner) for daily pictures during the series.

I want to share Israel one moment at a time (because it was THAT awesome).

To start, let’s begin with the pre-trip scenario. Honestly, I packed two days before. Usually, I’m a bit more on top of things. But, I had just moved and, seriously folks, life was reeling. We left on Sunday afternoon and landed in Tel Aviv on Monday for our arrival in Israel.

The most common question I received before my arrival in Israel was, “Aren’t you afraid to travel there?”

Now, we were nowhere near Gaza or the areas of open conflict. Not only was the region safe, but Israel was literally the safest place I’ve ever traveled. Not kidding.

For example, I received a pat down (everybody did) like you would not believe at the Frankfurt airport prior to entering the gate area (there was separate security just for the Israel flight)! Folks, it was like sexual harassment. I wore leggings but the woman must not have believed what she saw because she felt the need to double check… Everything.

(Shalom and add another country to my list)

Arrival in Israel

Once we landed in Tel Aviv, I saw no panhandlers, no suspicious people in the streets, and no one accosted me to buy something or to come into a restaurant. Our tour guide told us Israel has an incredibly low crime rate (quite a bit different from Baltimore).

My first night in Tel Aviv set the tone for the trip! I had an amazing opportunity to catch up with a friend from high school. She, along with her husband and daughter, took me out for what became the first of many amazing falafel encounters.

Vulnerability and authenticity existed in our meeting. We discussed real, deep things even though I haven’t seen her for over twenty years.

Sometimes I get caught up in the day-to-day and forget to invest in what matters: the people around me. To establish and foster intimacy in relationships should be a priority for me.

The next day after our arrival in Israel, our group left Tel Aviv and headed toward the better-known areas of Jesus’ ministry, including Capernaum and Galilee.

You Mean That Happened There…

We stopped at the ancient port city, Jaffa, on the south side of Tel Aviv. This is where Simon the Tanner lived and where Jonah is thought to have departed. We read about Simon the Tanner when Peter receives the vision that all food is clean.

He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven (Acts 10:11-16 NIV).

Next, we headed to Caesarea, originally built by Herod. There, we toured the Coliseum and surrounding city ruins.

AND We Kept On Going…

Our tour group stopped for a brief time to mosey around a 2000-year-old aqueduct. 

Next, Tony, our tour guide, explained the various regions of the area and the battles fought along the vast plains from atop Mt. Carmel. To hear the stories while I scanned the landscape where some events of the Old Testament took place blew my mind.

It was here at Mt. Carmel where Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal in the Old Testament, 1 Kings 18: 20-40.

At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench (1 Kings 18:36-38).

How did this make me feel?

Truthfully, the Bible came to life. I’m not sure how many other people find the Old Testament (and, honestly, some parts of the New Testament) a bit dry at times. However, at some points, I really struggle through it.

But, SEEING the places created a whole new dimension for me. I tried to visualize the stories… Peter accepts the Gentiles, Elijah fights for the people of Israel against false gods, and the apostles preach in Caesarea. Bible passages took on a new level of relevance!

To conclude, we rounded out the day with our last stop in Tiberias, where we would stay for two nights. Incidentally, the boardwalk reminded me of Ocean City!

In summary, so many religions and cultures involve this region. Consequently, an enormous amount of history exists in Israel…for all of us, not only Christians.

From the moment of my arrival in Israel, I felt like someone handed me the keys to my heritage.

Alright…that’s it for this week. Spoiler alert: NEXT week I’ll take you onto the Sea of Galilee (maybe I walked on water?)!!!

Love from the Holyland,

K.