Page 40
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
April 18, 2008
The power of Israel by YELENA MASHINSON spiritual and mystical Kabballah texts in There are many beautithe vicinity of the splendid lake and the ful places around the lavish emerald colored peaks. For world, places whose Christians, Bethsaida is the birthplace of scenery, history and culthe apostles Peter, Andrew and Philip ture capture the visitors’ and a site of Jesus’s miracles. attention and imagination. During the Judeo-Roman war, or the And yet, none of these Last Revolt, the Bethsaida region was places have that unique the site of the opening battles. The city power Israel possesses. served as a focal point in the weapons, The miraculous power provisions and information channel that that differentiates it, separan through the Galilee. As the Romans rates it from the rest of the wrought defeat upon the Jews and world and makes it a truly moved across the land, destroying it acre special place. by acre, they came to the rebellious city The bus picked up the to take the final revenge against it. They pace as it left the city demolished the structures, murdered the zone, and rocked by the Dr. Rami Arav, right, director of the Bethsaida Excavation project inhabitants and set fire to the city. smooth ride, I dozed off. for UNO, instructs students and volunteers at the dig. Bethsaida burned for days in a giant Three hours later, I was awakened by one Bethsaida, the ancient Israeli city we came fire. It burned until nothing but ashes of the professors, announcing that we to excavate. were left of it. Israel suffered the same Bethsaida was founded in the 10th cen- fate. Joseph Flavius observed the once were about to arrive at our destination. As I slowly opened my eyes, a view so tury BCE. The city was the capital of the delightful lake, abundant with fish and breathtakingly beautiful appeared before Kingdom of Geshur, whose royal family plentiful with fresh water, turn red from me, that the fatigue and drowsiness dis- was related to the Davidic dynasty the blood of the warriors, for whom the appeared at once. Majestic mountains, through a marriage between King David calm waters of the Kinneret became the covered with lush green forest, surround- and the Geshurite Princess Ma’acha. The final resting place. The thriving Bethsaida ed a gigantic blue lake whose waters were panoramic Bethsaida, spread on the hills was reduced to patches of burned soil. sparkling in the sunlight. As the road overlooking the Sea of Galilee, was The Kingdom of Judea became no more descended toward the shore, colorful beloved by King Herod, who granted it and its people turned into defenseless, fields, palm trees and gorgeous flowers the status of a city and choose to be homeless wanderers. sprang up everywhere. The whole area buried there. The Bethsaida I walked into turned out Due to its proximity to the lake, to be a collection of ruins ... shattered remwas covered in bright sunlight, shining Bethsaida was a center of the fishing nants of indistinguishable structures, potlike a humongous diamond. Our group of student volunteers industry. The major North African, Asian tery shards, rocks and dirt. As I listed to arrived at Ginosar, the picturesque kib- and European roads led through Professor Rami Arav give an overview of butz on the shore of Lake Kinneret. In Bethsaida, thus making it an important Bethsaida’s glorious history, I found myself the evening, we enjoyed a delicious din- trading location. The city holds religious unable to reconcile the stories of the forner, had a quick introduction and went to significance for both Jews and Christians. mer grandeur with the images of utter sleep. The next day an early start awaited The great rabbis came from the holy city destruction that appeared before my eyes. us. We were to rise at seven and travel to of Tzfat to Bethsaida to work on the We began excavating around six in the
morning and spent the next six hours digging, removing stones and rocks, brushing the layers of the floor, carrying and sifting buckets. We then would soak the pottery shards and artifacts, found in the debris, in water for 24 hours, wash them with soap and carefully examine them in order to determine which ones to keep and which to discard. Sometimes the shards could be reconstructed back into the objects they once were. Broken pieces, buried deep underground for 2,000 years, were connected and again made into vases, plates, lamps, bowls, jugs and jewelry they used to be. As I was staring in amazement at a delicate ancient vase, I was hit with a revelation. I could see these artifacts, the city the whole country for what it truly was: a symbol and a statement. They are the symbols of survival. They are the oral statement that the Romans did not succeed in destroying Israel. The shattered pieces of what was once Israel, burned and buried under the layers of dirt and stones, emerged from the centuries of oblivion, formed back into one and came back to life. Bethsaida was no longer a pile of ruins. I began to see. To be able to distinguish the chambers and houses where my ancestors lived, the pavement on the streets they walked on, the gates that defined the contours of the city. And most important of all, I began to see and recognize that special power that Israel has. The power that no other place on the face of the earth holds. That power is the power of resurrection. The power to bring back to life, to unite and to revive.
Happy Holidays 12800 West Center Road Omaha, NE 68144 402/330-0200 Fax: 402/330-3884 Member FDIC, N.A.
A Happy and Joyous Passover
Enterprise Bank
210 Regency Parkway Omaha, NE 68114 402/392-0400 Fax: 402/392-0100
www.enterpriseebank.com
The Promise of Convenience. Our dedicated staff helps patients enjoy better quality lives through convenient, in-home healthcare. If you or someone you know could benefit from our services, please call us at:
(402) 342-5566 (800) 456-8869
Richard and Fran Juro Kevin and Kimara Clark Steve Moskovits Keri Juro