Spring • Passover 5767/2007

Although it was physically cold in Hebron,
Danny, the soldiers, the history warmed our bodies
and souls. We reluctantly departed as we had a tour
of the tunnels under the Kotel booked for 9:00 pm.
Ein Gedi, Masada and Eilat
Our second to last day was physical and
exhilarating. We departed for Ein Gedi, our picnic
lunches neatly stowed in the back of the bus. The
weather had cleared, it was crisp, not too cold, and
we were heading south, so the weather was only
going to get warmer.
We arrived at Ein Gedi and upon disembarking
from the bus immediately began shedding our layers
of clothing. It wasn’t hot, but we were going to
walk up and up and up a mountain. What a time
we had! At first it didn’t seem so high or steep, but
as we kept going higher, the terrain got a bit more
gravelly and one had to watch one’s footing.
Finally, in front of us loomed the most beautiful
sight – a waterfall flowing majestically down from
a high mountain through lush greenery. It almost
looked like a painting. We spent quite a while
there just admiring nature. The walk down was
much easier and faster. We ate our boxed lunches
and then boarded the bus for Masada. We had to
hustle as we did not want to be there when it gets
dark. The cable car stops at 4:00 pm.
The history of Masada is too long to write here.
Suffice it to say that we davened mincha in what
was the synagogue and everyone understood the
deep significance of praying in such a place.
Our Last Day –
A Jeep Ride in the Desert
The jeep ride was not on the itinerary, but
we had been told about it by our guide. Not to
be missed, he said. So, we kept to our morning
schedule, visiting the breathtaking underwater
observatory in Eilat and then, at 2:00 pm, according
to our new schedule, were picked up outside
our hotel by Volf (not Wolf) and two other guides,
in open-air, but covered jeeps. Before we got in we
were already laughing.
Volf turned out to be of Polish descent, his
parents Holocaust survivors. He had fought in the
Six-Day-War in the Negev desert and never left.
He became, to put it bluntly, a
desert rat. He knows every stone,
every leaf, every small flower,
every animal in the desert. He was
married at least three times and
has a few children. He was funny,
sarcastic, sometimes going at
loggerheads with Rabbi New, but
certainly entertaining. We literally
blew through the desert on dirt
roads, dust flying everywhere,
with Volf continuously turning
around to give us a minute by
minute description of where we
were. I was having fits as he was absolutely not
looking at all where he was driving. We finally
reached our first destination, the bottom of a
mountain. When he stopped the jeep and turned
off the motor everyone could not believe the
silence. Can you imagine hearing silence?
He then informed us that we would be walking,
then hiking up some mountains. I will admit
that I hiked up the first part of the mountain but
quickly realized that I would have to be either
pushed up the second part (not too modest) or find
a crane to hoist me up (not happening), so I opted,
without the knowledge of Volf, who would have
hauled me up himself, to go back to our little base
and wait for the others to return. I was told that
the view was breathtaking and the climb worth
every moment.
When we were finished, we were
rewarded with an unusual treat. Volf’s
two other guides had built a campfire
and were preparing to bake fresh pita
on what looked like an upside-down
wok. It was served with delicious yogurt
and hot tea. Our ride back was, believe
it or not, freezing cold and pitch black
dark, although Rabbi New was fanning
the desert with the biggest flashlight
I ever saw, hoping to glimpse some
wild animals.
Our Last Meal Together in Eilat
Taking leave of one another after such an
intense, close nine days was not easy. We had
become a very close-knit group. Our last meal was
spent together in a secluded corner of the restaurant
in our hotel in Eilat. Many of us, at Rabbi
The start of our jeep ride
in the desert
Ein Gedi
Negotiating the descent in the
‘Negev Rockies.’
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