Part I: Introduction Part II: Rockets, Jerusalem, and the Kelev Part III: The Incomparable Boaz Shalgi Part IV: Sacrifice and Courage at Masada, Qumran, and the Dead Sea Part V: Between Two Caesareas Our day began early as we departed Jerusalem and headed to the east along Highway 1. The scenery gradually changed from the relative lushness of the Jerusalem area into what I had pictured before the trip began, mainly: desert. As we drove, we saw various Israeli settlements that were well-fortified, because this was in the West Bank area and these were “disputed settlements” under constant threat of attack. Again, it’s hard to escape struggle in this land, the Israelis are determined to survive and prosper, yet face pressure to do both only as long as it doesn’t offend other governments that are mostly hostile to Israel anyway. The towns of Bethlehem and Jericho are located near Highway 1, but we had to bypass them. Bethlehem features the Church of the Nativity and not much else, so we skipped it due to time pressure. There’s not much to see in Jericho, as the walls came a-tumblin’ down many thousands of years ago, and it’s Muslim-controlled at this point, so our tour guide, being Israeli, would’ve faced trouble entering with us. As I mentioned earlier, our car was a royal piece of junk. The Kelev had maybe 30-40hp and the engine sounded like it was powered by two squirrels fighting each other. This bit of driving was the only easy part of the trip... read more