christmas in ashqelon
Ashqelon is a beautiful city on the Mediterranean coast, just a few miles from the north border of Gaza. After deciding not to go to Jerusalem or Bethlehem for Christmas Eve (because of crowds and security issues), I figured Gaza was the next best place to the West Bank :) Actually, a friend invited me to spend Christmas Eve with her family and some friends. There were a total of 6 women, ranging in age from 23 to 82, none of whom were Israelis. Besides myself, two from Germany, one from England, and 3 of them were from Switzerland. German was the dominant language (shared) though all of our conversations were in English, with an occassional smattering of Hebrew. coincidentally, most of the women were English teachers, having taught here or abroad. The most important common bond we all had was our faith, we are all Believers.
Being in Israel is such an incredible experience, but is an especially powerful time when in Jerusalem, or anywhere where the topic of God is concerned. Though Israel is a Jewish State, you will find people of many faiths here. Muslims, Jews and Christians coexist, as well as people who have somehow been able to live here with NO focus on God (I'm not sure how, other than having some Jewish lineage, or are Arab Muslims on the Palestinian side). But to be in Israel, God's Holy land in and of itself is an opportunity to be among "family" those who feel the same attachment to the land and its promises. This concept is particularly important around the holidays, times that are usually spent with loved ones.
My "Christmas present" this morning was being able to wake up and walk to the beach. I had never been to the beach at Ashqelon, and is actually the closest beach (about 1 hour) to Beer Sheva. The weather was clear, and the Mediterranean is so beautiful. Greeting the brisk morning air, the only other people around were a few fishermen, and the occasional jogger. The beach was lined with shells, and seemed hardly trodden by humans. it is amazing to me how a place so tranquil can be so close to Gaza, an area of so much unrest and conflict. Overall, this was an incredible Christmas experience, the next best thing to being home with family.
Being in Israel is such an incredible experience, but is an especially powerful time when in Jerusalem, or anywhere where the topic of God is concerned. Though Israel is a Jewish State, you will find people of many faiths here. Muslims, Jews and Christians coexist, as well as people who have somehow been able to live here with NO focus on God (I'm not sure how, other than having some Jewish lineage, or are Arab Muslims on the Palestinian side). But to be in Israel, God's Holy land in and of itself is an opportunity to be among "family" those who feel the same attachment to the land and its promises. This concept is particularly important around the holidays, times that are usually spent with loved ones.
My "Christmas present" this morning was being able to wake up and walk to the beach. I had never been to the beach at Ashqelon, and is actually the closest beach (about 1 hour) to Beer Sheva. The weather was clear, and the Mediterranean is so beautiful. Greeting the brisk morning air, the only other people around were a few fishermen, and the occasional jogger. The beach was lined with shells, and seemed hardly trodden by humans. it is amazing to me how a place so tranquil can be so close to Gaza, an area of so much unrest and conflict. Overall, this was an incredible Christmas experience, the next best thing to being home with family.
posted by :: Lisa :: at 7:18 AM
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