2016 • Israel
April 4, 2016 to April 7, 2016
Israel is one of the most historic places on Earth with evidence of human habitation going back thousands of years. It is a place in which two major world religions developed and that a third regards as holy. It is also one of the most contested regions in the world with two groups claiming nominal sovereignty over the entirety of the area and numerous wars fought over it. Because of this, I was a bit nervous about going to Israel. Sure, the things are can be overblown when it comes to conflicts like this, but there was a stabbing just a week before my arrival in response to Vice President Biden’s visit to Tel Aviv. What I found, however, was nothing like you see online or on television. When speaking to an Israeli, he laughed saying that whenever there is any kind of violence, the international media blows it completely out of proportion as a new intifada when in reality, crime isn’t any more or less likely than any other major metropolitan area. I suspected that when planning my visit, but you never know until you actually go and visit. While there are indeed unresolved issues in this region of the world and there always is a risk of some sort of conflict breaking out, most people, on both sides of the conflict are starting to recognize that diplomacy is the best way forward, not violence. That is a message I received by speaking to both Jewish and Muslim people in Jerusalem and around Israel. While in Israel, I was able to visit some of the most important historical sites, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christians believe Jesus’ tomb was and the Western Wall and Temple Mount where the second Jewish Temple once stood and where Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to heaven. Also, I made it down to the lowest point of dry land in the world: the shoreline of the Dead Sea. I ended floating in the water for a bit and did indeed feel as if my skin were a bit smoother after spending some time in the extremely salty water. Finally, because my flight was extremely delayed when I was supposed to go to Athens, I decided to take a day trip to Eilat at the southern tip of the country. This part of the Red Sea, known as the Gulf of Aqaba, is the northernmost point on Earth in which coral grows and is the converging point of four countries: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
