A VISIT ACROSS THE ATLANTIC (Israel) (5-8th grade)
Laura Glessner , links by Amanda Bryson and Christy Hoover
Benjamin woke up with a start. His alarm was blaring and he reached up to slam down the "off" button. There was no pushing snooze today. Although his clock read 4:31am and outside was as black as ink, Ben jumped out of bed and felt a shiver of excitement run down his spine. Today he and his parents were flying to Israel to visit his aunt and uncle and his cousin, Jacob! How long had he been counting the days? His parents were slower rolling out of bed, but soon they were headed up I-5, toward the airport.
The flight was a long one. They had to fly across the States to Newark, New Jersey, transfer airlines, and stop in London before they were on their way to Tel-Aviv. Despite valiant efforts on Ben's part, his eyes refused to stay open as they took off from Newark. Several hours later, Ben woke up and looked out the window. It was dark out, and no shapes or lights could be seen. "We're over the Atlantic," Ben's mother explained. "We'll arrive in London in about an hour." The rest of the trip, Ben amused himself reading Louis L'Amour novels and filling out a silly crossword puzzle provided by the airline.
Finally! The descent to Tel-Aviv! Ben pressed his nose against the plastic window and gazed down. The city grew in size. At first he was disappointed because it looked just like every other city he had seen, but then he thought of seeing Jacob and once again felt a thrill of excitement as he thought of all the fun they would have together. It would be just like it was before he had moved to Jerusalem three years earlier.
After Ben and his parents passed through customs, the two families met in a happy reunion. "I'm so glad you're here, Ben!" Jacob exclaimed, "There are so many places I have to show you!" Ben was thrilled to see Jacob, but unfortunately, his weary body would hardly allow him to stand up. Gratefully, he followed his aunt, mom and cousin out to the car to wait for his dad and uncle to pick up the luggage.
Immediately the next morning Ben and Jacob were up and out the door, ready to see the Old City of Jerusalem. Ben couldn't believe how narrow the cobblestone streets were. Everything was made of stone - all of the buildings, the sidewalks and streets. As he followed his cousin in and out of the narrow streets with tall, stone buildings rising up on either side, Ben felt like a mouse trapped in a never-ending maze. His head spun from the amount of information Jacob was spewing out. " . . . and here is part of an old Roman colonnade. See how low the streets used to be?" Eventually though, Ben adjusted to the streets and understood how easy it was to find his way around. Jacob explained that if he ever got lost, he should start going uphill, because "up" led the way out.
The northeastern part of the city was the Arab quarter. It was much dirtier than the Jewish quarter where Jacob and his parents lived. Horrible smells assaulted Ben's nose. This shopping center was a far cry from the sleek malls at home! Food was stacked on less-than-perfectly clean tables or the ground. Everything from clothes and toys to sandals and cheap souvenirs hung from ropes and wires stretched across the street. Merchandise was crammed into every nook and cranny, and men, old and young, sat at the entrance of their shops talking, watching customers, and crying out to every passerby "Only 15 shekels! Oh! For you, 12!" Jacob and Ben waded through a sea of human bodies as they made their way through the market.
Back in the Jewish quarter, the boys headed south, toward the Zion Gate. "It's really cool," Jacob said to Ben, "You can see all the chips and marks on the wall that were made when the Israelis attacked during the Six Day War of 1967." As they headed toward the gate, they passed several men dressed from head to toe in black, wearing black trench coats, and tall, black top hats. Two really long curls that looked like sideburns that had never seen scissors stuck out of the hat. Ben stared in amazement. "Who are they?" he whispered to Jacob. "Oh, those are the ultra-orthodox Jews. They follow theTorah exactly, and don't believe in cutting their forelocks."
Ben and Jacob passed a group of soldiers, some in uniform and some in tee-shirts and jeans. All of them had huge machine guns slung carelessly over their shoulders. Ben's eyes popped out. Carefully, he edged over to the side of the street, and put Jacob between the soldiers and himself. "Give me a break, Ben! What's the matter?" Ben answered angrily, "You don't exactly see soldiers walking down the streets at home, you know. Especially with guns that size." "They won't bother you. Just ignore them. You get used to them real fast," Jacob explained.
As they passed through the Zion Gate, they had to make two sharp, ninety degree turns. Outside the wall, Ben gazed up at the imposing gate. Sure enough, broken stones and marks from gunfire were very plain. He shivered with excitement at the thought of having real evidence of war so close to where his cousin lived. At twelve, he still thought battles and wars were terribly exciting, thrilling adventures. "Why can't you go straight through the gate? Why do you have to turn so many times? Ben asked Jacob. "Dad said that it was to stop horsemen from invading through the gate. The sharp turns make it impossible for galloping horses to run through. They can't turn quickly enough."
Jacob and Ben looked at each other and grinned as their stomachs growled in unison. "Guess it's time for a falafel!" Jacob said, smiling broadly. "You'll love them!" "What in the world is a falafel?" Ben asked warily. "We'll have one for lunch, come on." Jacob pulled Ben back through the Zion gate and toward the direction of the nearest falafel shop.
After they ordered, Ben stood looking at his falafel. Jacob refused to tell him what it was made of until he tasted it. It didn't look too bad. Ben saw tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and sour cream in pita bread. Gingerly, he took a bite. Mmm! It was good! With his mouth still full, he asked his cousin what the deep fried balls of stuff were and the paste that held everything together. "It's chick pea! If I told you that first you wouldn't have liked it. You Americans are so picky," Jacob teased his cousin. Ben nodded his head. "It is good. In fact, it borders on delicious!" he admitted. As they left the shop and headed down the street, Jacob said, "I'll make an Israeli out of you yet!"
For a Biblical tour of Israel click here!
1.What did Ben do to amuse himself during the long plane ride to Israel?
2.Describe how the Old City and the market place looked.
3.From what you know about Israel, give at least one good reason why you think there were soldiers in the streets.
4.Would you be willing to eat a falafel before you knew what it was? Why or why not?
5.Think of a place that you know very well. Briefly write about its highlights that you would show to a visitor.
1. Laura Glessner "A Trip Across the Atlantic"
2. Outline of "A Trip Across the Atlantic":
I. The Plane Ride
A. Waking up B.
Amusing himself on the plane
C. Descent
D. Customs
II. Touring the City
A. Streets of cobblestone
B. Arab market
C. Ultra-orthodox
D. Soldiers
E. Zion Gate
F. Falafel Props: suitcase, travel clothes, novels, radio, crossword puzzles, map of Israel, pictures of a falafel
3. Answers to questions:
1.Ben slept, read Louis L'amour novels, did crossword puzzle, and looked out the window to amuse himself.
2.The Old City streets were made of cobblestone and all of the buildings were stone. The streets were narrow, and it was hilly. It was claustrophobic. The market was smelly, dirty, and crowded. It was also noisy, and there was merchandise everywhere.
3.Answers will vary. Possible answer: Israel is dangerous, they need to patrol the streets for terrorists, and they need to have tight security so problems between the Arabs and Jews are kept at a minimum.
4.Answers will vary.
5.Answers will vary.
4. Sources:
1.My own information, gathered from my Israel trip.
2.Bernheim, Alfred, Pictures: Maraini, Fosco. Jerusalem: Rock of Ages. Helen & Kurt Wolff Books. New York. 1969.
3.Dolan, David. Holy War for the Promised Land. Thomas Nelson Pub. Nashville. 1991.
4.Kollek, Teddy, and Pearlman, Moshe. Jerusalem: Sacred City of Mankind. Weidendfield & Nicolson. London. 1968
5.Marshall, Brigadier General S.L.A. Swift Sword. American Heritage Pub. Co. 1967.
6.Pedahzur, David ed. Israel 25. Arlington House Pub. New Rochelle. 1973