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Israel, 12/99-1/00, 5/02, 6/02, 11/03, Part I
Part II •
Part III
I've
been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit Israel
on four
different occasions, each as a conference delegate, trip participant,
or journalist.
Unlike any place I've been, Israel has an effect on me that
goes far
deeper than any sense of adventure- I feel a constant resonance
with my history and culture every time I step off the plane...
Click any of the thumbnails to
see a larger version in a separate window
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The
edge of the desert, just outside the city of Arad, which
is only a few miles from the ancient fortress of Masada. |
From
my 2002 trip as a camp counselor. These were huge sand
dunes near the town of Sde Boker, probably 200 feet high.
Avi, left, and Omer, a counselor (on the right) sure look
like they're having a good time. |
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The
Azrieli Center, which is, I believe the tallest building
in Israel. There's a huge shopping mall at the base, and
a visitors center with an incredible view at the top. |
I
saw this sign when I went to Jerusalem for the General
Assembly conference in November 2003. The intifada has
crippled Israel's tourism industry, and for the most part
Israelis seem to embrace wholeheartedly those who do make
the journey. |
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Three
break dancers in the Dizengoff Center, one of the largest
malls in Tel Aviv. I guess I just happened to catch them
at a good time... |
Watching
the sun rise over the mountains of Jordan and the Dead
Sea on top of Masada, about 4:30 in the morning in July
2003. |
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Another,
more barren, view of the desert just outside of Arad. |
A
range of desert mountains, also near the Kibbutz at Sde
Boker, which was where David Ben-Gurion settled after
serving as the first Prime Minister of Israel.. |
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One
of the main streets of Jerusalem, which is completely deserted
on a Shabbat morning. Although it seems cliché, it
really does feel like a ghost town on Saturday mornings
in the city. |
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large group of Ethiopian Jews who were protesting at the
General Assembly, trying to inform the delegates of the
plight of the Jews who remain in Africa, and their desire
to immigrate to Israel. |
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These
next three photos are of the band Ethnix, one of the most
popular bands in Israeli history, who did a special performance
for all of the GA delegates under 30, at Ha'Oman 17, one
of Jerusalem's largest nightclubs. |
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Ethnix, and although I wasn't originally going to post this
picture, I realized that it actually looks pretty cool. |
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| The
entrance to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, which was just
rebuilt. I later found out that I really should not have
been taking photos here, as it's a very good way to get
Mossad (Israel's secret police) agents very angry at you. |
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A
group of dancers at the General Assembly... |
| This
memorial was built alongside the road near Gilo, a southern
suburb of Jerusalem, on the spot where a large suicide bombing
killed more than 20 people. We stopped and lit small 'yahrzeit'
(memorial) candles. |
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A
wall built on the edge of Gilo, which faces the city of
Bethlehem, inside Palestinian territory. There had been
many incidents of snipers firing into homes here from across
the valley, which prompted the wall. Gilo is technically
on the other side of the 1967 border, and was challenged
by the Palestinians, but it seems unlikely that it'll leave
Israeli control. |
Part
II • Part III |
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