Israel

Thursday, July 6

Friday and Saturday is the weekend in Israel. Today, I had to decide what to do with myself for two whole days. I could stay at the kibbutz and hunker in my single bed (it’s one of the few rooms with air conditioning), or I could check into a hotel. Hotel it was. I booked one across the lake in Tiberias. Even though it’s only about 14 miles away, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get there. In America and Europe, it’s easy. Call a cab. I packed my bags and headed to the fish restaurant. Why the fish restaurant? It’s the only commercial site in the commune that would be on any map. I can’t really tell a cab driver to meet me at Yocheved’s place. So, I sat in the lobby and enthusiastically launched Gett, the Israeli version of Uber. No cabs. I tried again. No cabs. I ordered one to pick me up in an hour, thinking it would give anyone plenty of time. I waited an hour. No cabs. No luck. Dejected, I walked back to my room and got rid of one suitcase. My only other option was to take the bus. I wasn’t really sure where to pick it up. More importantly, I didn’t know where it would drop me off. I asked my Israeli roommate where to go. He gave me directions to the bus stop.

It was almost 100 degrees when I headed out. I walked about ¼ of a mile, took a wrong turn, then had to walk another ¼ mile. Eventually, I saw the bus stop ahead, lonely in the desert. How long would I have to wait in the heat? Suddenly, I noticed a shimmering image in the distance. Was it a mirage? I carefully approached, expecting it to disappear before my eyes. Instead, it was my roommate, Shmuel. And, he had his car! He told me to get in. He was concerned that this helpless American may not make it…and he had nothing to do anyway. So, off we went toward Tiberius. 

He asked me what I was going to do while I was there. I told him that I planned to see a few sites. He asked, why wait until tomorrow? So, my 30 minute trip took about three and a half hours. Shmuel is a licensed tour guide and he would happily show me every site from here to there. 

Our first stop was Kursi, the location of the Miracle of the Swine, where Jesus exorcized demons by driving them into a herd of pigs (Mark 5:1-20). We saw the remains of a Byzantine church and monastery. Our second stop was the ruins of one of the earliest mosques in the world. It was here I saw an advertisement for “Burger Drive” home of the Whapper. I wondered if I could get a strawberry sheik with that.

Next, we went to Magdala. This is a fairly new site, with the most significant finds occurring just in the last 20 years. You already know it as the home of Mary Magdalene, and that by itself is pretty cool. However, archaeologists discovered a synagogue dating to the Second Temple period. So what? There have been many synagogues uncovered all over Israel. Yeah, but if you place it within the context of Jesus, it means so much more. Jesus was from Nazarath…and frankly, it was tiny. Even people in the Bible remarked: “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46) This is a real question about schooling. Jesus was highly educated in the Hebrew Bible. He quotes it often during his ministry. It’s been a challenge for historians to figure out where he learned it. Back to Magdala… This city proves that there was a Jewish place of learning very close to Jesus. (Theories include both Magdala and Sepphoris.) It’s like a country kid from Brunswick being bussed to Cleveland. In other words, the discovery of these synagogues shifted Jesus’ education from “improbable” to “possible.” Here’s a photo of the synagogue along with the Magdala stone. 

Magdala has a religious conference center built on the site. A retreat on the Sea of Galilee sure beats the basement of your local rectory. Here’s a photo of the chapel. 

As a “thank you” to Shmuel, I offered to buy him dinner. He knew of a quiet little Italian restaurant near my hotel. I surrendered to glorious ravioli with no hummus in sight!

With a full belly, I happily walked to my hotel where I’ll spend the next two days. Now, I just need to figure out the Shabbat elevator.

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