By: Jason

In more than one posting I have described some of my adventures in both the Med Sea (the Mediterranean Sea that is) and the Dead Sea.  Both are so opposite, but beautiful in their own right.  However, this is my first posting for the Red Sea – Israel’s third, yet relatively unknown Sea.  The Red Sea sits snugly at the extreme southern tip of the country bounded on one side by Egypt and the Sinai and on the other side by the Kingdom of Jordan.  The city of Eilat sits right in the middle and is generally described as a miniature version of Miami.  This seems to be about true with the wall of hotels, resorts, and boardwalks. 

Eilat at night

The Red Sea is unbelievably gorgeous – what makes it even more beautiful is its setting among the mountain ranges of the Sinai and in Jordan which give it an amazing and starkly dramatic contrast.  I knew that I would have to go south and see this place, and, as luck would have it, my good friend from Paris was in Israel for a family event and decided he too wanted an opportunity to experience the Red Sea and do some diving.

A stark view of the fortress once belonging to
Salah-El-Din on Coral Island.  In the background
stand the mountains of the Sinai.  Our
last dive of the day was at this site.

We had two fantastic, but completely different days of diving! The Red Sea is known prominently for its diversity, color and wealth of corals, and it did not disappoint.  The lack of precipitation (hence, low run-off), stable but optimal water temperatures, and clear waters, give all that coral abundant sunshine to grow and flourish.  The fish and other sea life were equally as amazing: moray eels, octopus, stone fish, lion fish, schools of snapper, giant clams, and much more.  

A beautiful and shallow patch reef. This is about 10 feet
from shore and about 5 feet in depth. Shot this
picture while snorkeling.

Nemo, or maybe his friend. The Anemone fish
aggressively guards its nest and takes refuge in
this anemone colony. We just wanted to say 'hi'.

Our first day of diving focused on sites in the Eilat Nature Reserve while the second and much more challenging day were dives in the Sinai where the relative lack of divers, coastal development, and beach-goers make for a stunning landscape and endless healthy reefs.

Underwater coral reef ‘forest’ stretches as far as
 you can see.  A variety of fish swim between
communities of hard and soft corals.

As a marine ecologist, I feel extremely lucky to have been able to have experienced this.  My eyes were trying to soak it all in, while my brain was recording an endless list of research projects that were at my fingertips.   

see a few more photos here

By: Jason

We are in the thick of the high-holidays in Israel.  A series of events, virtually back-to-back, starts with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and transitions a week later into Yom Kippur (YK), the Day of Atonement and the most solemn holiday on the Jewish calendar.  Following Yom Kippur is Sukkot, or the harvest holiday and is most commonly represented by the building of small decorative huts called Sukkahs.  These structures symbolize the dwellings that Jews used throughout their several decades spent wandering in the dessert.  In addition to eating meals and sleeping in the Sukkah (if possible), it is traditional to eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, sing, dance, and just hang out.  I hope to do some more of this as the holiday continues here in Israel.  Two other holidays, Shimini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, follow Sukkot and complete the cycle of the high-holidays.

A variety of Sukkah huts (thanks Wikipedia)

YK, a particularly difficult holiday, is spent primarily in synagogue fasting, and contemplating one’s deeds throughout the year and how one can strive to do better for themselves and the world.  One might equate this to making New Year’s resolutions, but it’s a bit more formal than that.  For my very first YK in Israel, I decided to try a neighborhood synagogue (shul, in Yiddish) a few doors down from me, seeing that virtually everything is shut down, and there were no plans for this holiday to be with any close family or friends. 

I was surprised how few people were there, but I was elated to find out that I was the 10^th man thereby completing the ‘minyan’ (in most synagogues you need at least 10 men to be able to initiate the prayer services).  This was the case for the rest of the holiday and for over 12 total hours I stayed put realizing that my presence made a difference.  Turns out, it was an exceptionally meaningful YK for me since I knew that I was helping out others and myself at the same time.  I think this is an astoundingly important attribute to Judaism – the community aspect.  Although it was a solemn and quiet service, I had a lot of time to improve my Hebrew and simply sit and contemplate.  And yes, I also thought a lot about food! 

One thing about the Jewish holidays is that the foods do not disappoint.  Specialty meats, fresh baked breads, including round challah, and in Israel especially, an amazing assortment of fresh (and mostly local) fruits and vegetables.  Of course the tradition of eating apples with honey leaves no doubt that we wish all a healthy and sweet new year.  L’shana Tova!! 

Indelible symbols for the New Year:
wine, honey, a candle, and a juicy
pomegranate (not so easy to eat!).

By: Rebecca

After a great visit back to the US, we are settling back in to life in Israel. Arriving during the high holidays meant things were a bit more hectic than usual (the supermarket was out of milk, for example).

Since we were spending Yom Kippur in Haifa, and wanting to stay close to home, I suggested to Jason that we should check out the tiny synagogue just four doors down the street. We could go for Kol Nidre (the evening services) and if he felt comfortable there, he could go for services during the day as well. Like most synagogues in Israel, there were separate sections for men and women. In this tiny little space, the women sit behind the men with a half wall and a see-through curtain.  Jason sat near the back of the men's section so we could check in with each other. 

I sat down next to a very well dressed old woman, who realized very soon that I was not speaking Hebrew. She switched to English and said she would help me follow along. She introduced herself as Hanna, 91 years old (well almost), she lives in the big building across the street, is deaf her left ear, and speaks 5 languages: Hebrew, Romanian, Yiddish, Russian, and English. She didn't simply point out where we were in the Matzor, she showed me the Hebrew, translated to English, and then gave me an interpretation of her own. It was fascinating! I was so impressed and feeling a bit ashamed of my meager language skills. She insisted that I come visit, with Jason, and wished us Shabbat shalom before heading home early. She wasn't tired, she said, but her helper wanted to go. Please come, she said, 15th floor. Just look for the mezuzah. I will and perhaps I will bring her one of these... 

Holiday Challah

More blog posts to come; we have come catching up to do!