May 10 - Jordan River to Dead Sea

Saturday
This day was less intense because Israel's Sabbath affects some scheduling options. Our first stop was at the Jordan River where some of the group were baptized or reconfirmed their baptism. Betty, from Houston, said this was a lifelong dream for her.



We drove past the city of Cana but didn't stop, because the real site was across the valley. Nazareth is now a city, but at the time of Christ there were only 200 or so living in the small community, When Pilate wrote, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," it was real sarcasm. Nazareth was a nothing town with a 6 year education system. Pilate was basically saying, "You want me to believe that such a person could be a rabbi and a Messiah!"
A typical Nazareth village has been re-created in the middle of the city near the original site, with characters, goats, olive trees, an olive press, a carpenter shop, and a typical home. This was interesting to visit. Most alluring for me was the little boy about 7 running around in his native clothes. He just represented the boy Jesus to me!



We spent a lot of time in the bus driving from Tiberius to Nazareth and from Nazareth to the Dead Sea, so today's notes will contain many pieces of information that Schmulik shared with us.
Sales tax in Israel is 15 ½ % for everything. If shoppers buy over $100 worth, they can fill out a form for a refund of their taxes on those purchases.
Schmulik has led many groups of Nigerians. He is impressed by the depth of their Christianity. The Nigerian government pays for 6000 Nigerians each year to come to visit Israel. Each Nigerian citizen is eligible to come to Israel once in their lifetime. In addition to all expenses, each is given $500 spending money.
When Sharon decided to withdraw from the Gaza strip, King Hussein didn't want the Arabs back. Schmulik says they are a stupid bunch of people who fight each other and can't pull together to better their lives. They currently have 6 different armies. You can't make an agreement with one, because even if they would uphold it, the others won't. They constantly fight with each other. He says that if you just put a big fence around the Arabs, they will kill each other off!. The Palestinians who live inside Israel under the Palestinian Authority, live peacefully and are bettering their lives.
The Druse are a group of peaceful people who originated in the Caucasian Mountain Region are strong warriors and good citizens. Their pattern is to declare loyalty to the region in which they live. However, those in the Golan Heights have declared loyalty to the Syrians, even though they love Israel. They are just afraid that Israel will give the Golan Heights back to Syria, and if the Druse had declared loyalty to Israel, Syria would kill every one of them.
The bus drove a long time toward the Dead Sea. It is so amazing how much of the land is fruit and olive and date trees and vegetable farms of many kinds. Irrigation methods are highly refined to not waste a drop of water. However, without much rainfall, crops all look lush. We followed the Israel/Jordan border for many miles along the double high fence to keep the Jordanians in. If one escapes, they track him down mercilessly.
The Dead Sea has been receding since 1917. 3 feet per year are drying up. At one point, the Sea had been well above the road and we stopped to see a sign that marks the spot. The Sea is now split into two halves. Sink holes have become a huge problem. Ways are being explored to bring some Red Sea water into the Dead Sea, but they don't want to disturb the chemical balance of the Dead Sea, which is a very important economic resource to Israel. The hills east of the Dead Sea in Moab (Jordan) are made of a material called "liss." The first drop of rain seals the ground, and minerals, salt, and sulfur enter the sea with each flashy flood.
Schmulik showed us an area in Moab across the Dead Sea waters, where Herod Antipas had a castle. This is where he beheaded John the Baptist.
Hot, dry Qumran was fascinating.



We could go down close to the mouth of Cave 4 where many scrolls were found. Excavations and information about the Essenes was at the site.
The most beautiful stop of the day was at En Gedi, where we could look across to a lovely, big cave area, which is very likely where David forced his men, who were hiding in the cave to spare Saul's life.



Schmulik is convinced that when Saul came in the relieve himself, he essentially came in to take a siesta. Otherwise, David and his men could not have discussed what action to take and cut off the hem of Saul's robe without knowing they were there. The site is beautiful with a waterfall coming down and a huge green area. I could have stayed there longer.
We reached the Moria Classic Hotel by the Dead Sea at about 7:30. I put my swimsuit on and played for a half hour in the Jacuzzi and water playground. It was so relaxing to let the water massage my body and feet.