ISRAEL - DAY 6

On Sept. 23, we set out for the Golan Heights en route to the Sea of Galilee and Mount of the Beatitudes.  We passed by a Druze village and managed to see a Druze man walking on the street.  The Druze are a closed sect who live in the Golan Heights.  One can only be a Druze if the parents are Druze.  There are no career ambitions but they are loyal to the country so the Druze boys serve in the Israeli army.  The Druze are citizens of Israel.  In 1967 when Israel won the Golan Heights, Druze were given the opportunity to become Israeli citizens.

For about the last fifty years, it has been quiet on the Golan Heights.  There are UN personnel on the border of Syria and Israel but they serve merely as ‘watchers’ and ‘incident reporters’.  Israel cannot count on the UN personnel to guard the border as Syrians already tried to get into Israel but were stopped by Israeli soldiers.  As a result, Israel is building a border patrol system high on the mountain but we were asked not to take pictures.  There are several memorials along the Golan Heights dedicated to soldiers who lost their lives in the 1967 war.  We did, however, encounter a few soldiers who had stopped in the same place we did and they obliged us with pictures.

From where we stopped, we were looking at Syria.

A Druze village in the Golan Heights.

This is the UN compound at the border between Syria and Israel.

Looking over into Syria.  (The buildings in the distance are in Syria).

My brother with one of the soldiers. 

My friend (at the end) and I with the soldiers.  We were photo-bombed at the last minute by the woman in front of me.

My niece with the soldiers.

The Sea of Galilee (taken from the bus) 

The New Church of St. Peter (Church of the Beatitudes) built over previous churches.  The rocks are the remains of the house of Peter’s mother-in-law where Jesus stayed.

A view of inside the church.

Some of the remains of a synagogue.

At the Mount of the Beatitudes with the Sea of Galilee in the background.

Date palms laden with dates on the grounds of the New Church of St. Peter.

Rock formation of fishes also on the grounds.

We took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.  The boat we were in was similar to this one.

Picture of the extended family (plus one) on the boat ride. 

Family picture on the boat ride.

Looking at the Mount of the Beatitudes from the Sea of Galilee.

The altar of the Church of the Loaves & Fishes was built over a rock which represents the place where Jesus was when his disciples came to tell him there was no food for the multitudes.

The mosaic floor in the church is the original floor from about 1600 years ago.  The church was lost in a fire and was rebuilt about 43 years ago.

An so ends another great day in this fantastic week of learning!