Behind the Headlines Israel is a Rewarding Place to Visit

Dangling like a yo-yo off a cliff in the Judean desert somehow closes the gap between the diaspora Jew and the State of Israel. There is a kinship at that vertical plane of suspension between the terrified tourist praying that his harness and ropes are sturdy and the resilient Israeli who must be constantly prepared to face physical and emotional challenges for survival.

The undercurrent of danger is part of the cathartic pleasure of rappelling, one of Israel’s vast array of outdoor adventure sports. At Metzukei Dragot, a field school that is part of Kibbutz Mitzpeh Shalom in the Judean desert, tourists entrust their lives to arm and leg straps attached to a double rope as they descend the sheer face of a cliff.

The daring traveler is first harnessed securely to the double rope by an unsympathetic instructor who rapels as often as a dog owner walks his pooch. Their reassurances of the safety in rapelling fall weightlessly on the apprehensive tourists and tension mounts with each committing albeit faltering step toward the cliff.

Equipped with a protective hard hat, the rapeller begins inching down the short jagged edge of the rock until reaching a 90-degree angle. Movement at all times is controlled by the individual feeding the rope slowly through his clenched hands.

AN ENVELOPE OF TIMELESS SERENITY

Where the cliff gives way to open space, signals the start of a free-floating mid-air descent into an envelope of timeless serenity. Below this secluded air bubble lies a brown carpet of dirt and stone speckled with tufts of green plants and trees.

It is in this hanging position that the rapeller is linked to the land and to the people of Israel. Instead of merely observing the maze of canyons and crevices, the rapeller is part of the land, a falling rock attempting to control its own destiny and the law of gravity.

There is also a growing, closer understanding of the Israeli people who are constantly suspended about their position and acceptance in the outside world. Their whole existence is a challenge, harsher then the tourist’s decision to rapel, yet yielding a similar thrill of achievement and pride when that obstacle is overcome.

RECALLING A HEROIC LEGEND

The same oneness with the State of Israel is possible with other outdoor adventures. Climbing the snake-like path to the top of Masada recaptures an entire history of a people. The hardship of hiking and living on the isolated water-barren mountain is a leap into centuries past, as leg-weary tourists relive a heroic and epochal legend.

On top of Masada, tourists, with the aid of a guide, discover ancient cisterns, half-topped palaces, remains of mosaic floors, and Roman baths, all accompanied by a colorful and detailed history. As thirst and fatigue build while experiencing Masada, there is a powerful sense of admiration for both the Jews and Romans who tolerated inhuman conditions atop this mountain in the middle of the desert.

A strong bond between the diaspora Jew and Israel can be woven through the layers of rock that represent Israel’s birth and childhood. By participating in an archaeological dig for one day or more, the 20th century Jew is propelled back into an earlier time warp of the First or Second Temple period of Judaism.

Uncovering Herodian coins and stones is an exhilarating burst of life that transcends a textbook knowledge of Jewish history. Measuring a 2,000-year-old mikvah to find that its dimensions conform to Jewish law (halacha) lends credibility to the 20th century interpretation of the Bible. Just walking through an excavation area can draw the tourist closer to Israel as an evolving reality through the centuries.

LINKS ARE WELDED

A bond also forms between the visitor and the land and the people of Israel by working side-by-side with sabras on a kibbutz. Stumbling out of bed at an unholy pre-dawn hour to crate chicken eggs or change insect traps in cotton fields builds the tough exterior, characteristic of Israelis. The foreigner functions as an Israeli in community life and becomes part of the soil of Israel with each ounce of dirt caked to his clothes.

The tourist, who participates in these ventures and adventures, which is coordinated by the American Zionist Youth Foundation and by the Youth and Hechalutz Department of the World Zionist Organization, experiences Israel’s past and present like an Israeli. The history of the people and the land begins to flow through the bloodstream of the tourist and becomes part of his feeling and being.

In the process, the diaspora becomes part of Israel’s future, as well. The links between the diaspora Jew and Israel are welded and the unity of the Jewish people is forged.