Where we are staying

My wife and I arrived in Israel on Sunday, after a long flight from the city we live in, that went through Toronto and Poland. In Poland, we got to spend time with people from my family, whom I haven't seen in a decade. It was a great time, full of laughter and stories and good food and drink, and even involved sightseeing some parts of Warsaw, the capital city of my birth country.

We arrived in Israel, after almost 2 days of flying. Activists and human rights workers are often denied entry into Israel, so we were a bit nervous on the way. Thankfully, we had no issues whatsoever. We saw a few people, including an elderly African Muslim man, get pulled aside for further questioning.

After getting through security, we took a group taxi (called a kashrut) into Jerusalem, and checked into our hostel/hotel. It is an amazing place, with very helpful owners, who provide very good tips on where to visit, and how to save money. They also have a fantastic daily free breakfast buffet. The food is kosher, and in Jewish dietary law, meat cannot be mixed with dairy products. For breakfast, there is cereal, juice, bread, hummus, fresh fruit, eggs, and several delicious spreads and herbs. I am not a vegetarian in any sense of the word, but with food like this, I actually don't miss the meat.

The hostel's owners at the same would probably not understand or support my work in the West Bank, that will be coming up soon. One of them has commented on the first day on how we should stay away from the "mixed" areas, and commented on how, before the current riots, things were so "peaceful".

I have to disagree with her assessment. When I was here in July 2010, there were no massive Palestinian riots anywhere in Jerusalem or the West Bank. However, there were home demolitions, including one time that a whole Bedouin village was destroyed. There were also attacks by Israeli soldiers on non-violent protesters, and savage beatings and burning of property by Israeli settlers against Palestinians. Things were not "peaceful". Peace only happens when people from both sides are able to sleep soundly at night and live without violence and fear.

*** I had a few very interesting discussions with some of the people at the hostel, after having spent a few days traveling and after the day my wife and I spent in Hebron and Bethlehem. I did not tell them my plans to work with ISM, but I shared what I saw, and also what I saw in 2010. This led to some angry conversations with some. Others though were willing to listen. (updated Jan 25/15)

Although my wife and I really enjoy the hostel and its people, it will remain nameless for that reason.

                                         Ben Gurion airport, after you get out of the plane
                                        

Ben Gurion airport, about to go through Customs

My wife and I after having went through Customs, after a very long 2 days of flying