Posted on 06/10/2024 2:03:34 AM PDT by Uncle Miltie
I’m on the El-Al flight to Boston, just taking off from Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv. Here’s my last situation report, and a reminder that you can do this too!
Previous Postings: Week 1 was building 328 new bunk beds in new barracks on an IDF combat training base. Week 2 was building 44,000 lunch meals for troops in Gaza, one of whom I bought drinks in a bar, and had eaten lunches we packed. Week 3 was making 3 meals a day for the Navy in the Eilat heat. Now for a wrap up of the last weekend, afterthoughts , and showing fellow FReepers the opportunity they have to similarly volunteer.
Jerusalem:
Caught the train to Jerusalem, very fast, very cheap. Excellent lodgings and location.
Great Food: If you are ever there, find the restaurant and wine bar “Crush5” on Hillel street. Their 1.25 pound “prime rib” was unavailable, so I settled for the 1.75 pounder they had in stock. I grill the best steak I’ve ever had weekly: prime ribeye 1.5” thick, marinated 12 hours in a custom umami sauce. The steak (a classic steak, not the prime rib we get in America) at Crush5 was equal to my best, and ties for the best steak I’ve ever eaten. Outstanding.
Great Drink: “Gatsby” up Hillel hidden beside an Aroma coffee shop is the best bar in town. I had them make me a Last Word, a cocktail that involves Chartreuse, a green liqueur made by monks with hand picked Alpine herbs, Luxardo cherry liqueur, Gin and lime juice. This is now my standard for a world-class cocktail. I brought some Chartreus home with me, as it is both available and cheaper in Israel.
Religious Overload: I visited the Western Wall (“Kotel”) for the first time, and made my prayers for family, friends, country, and Israel through sobbing tears. There is nothing like your first visit.
Later Friday night around sundown, the plaza was choked with Jews, with two main bunches. On the left were your classic Orthodox / Ultra Orthodox in black coats , black fedora style hats or black cylindrical fur hats, tsitsis, and long curling sideburns. On the right were two large groups of burly young men in white shirts singing and dancing in apparent competition with each other; nearly ecstatic and having a heck if a good time. Dozens of young women were peering over the fence at the young men, in open appreciation of the manhood on display. These people especially, and the young vibrant vibe of Tel Aviv leave one heartened about the future of Israel. Lots and lots of babies and children in both cities.
Tour of The Old City and Temple Mount: Every pair of eyes quickly judges who you are, what your business is, and whether you are friend or foe. Plenty of muslims size you up as a Jew, Christian, or other, and having decided which they think you are, either ignore you or try to sell you something. Jews are watching their 6. Christians are proudly displaying their crosses. Everyone believes this is THEIR holiest place, and everyone else is an interloper. At several junctures and sites, exquisitely crafted agreements among the parties dictate what can and will happen and when. It is clear that if one or the other party were to break any one of the fragile agreements, literal gun-fighting war would break out regionally.
I walked the Temple Mount on Sunday morning. My Judaism being the correct religion in my mind, the al aqsa mosque and dome of the rock shrine are muslim conquistador blights on my holy site. This is Mount Moriah where Avraham prepared Isaac for sacrifice to G-d, with the words, “Here I am!” (Hineni!) This is the site of the First and Second Temples, all of which preceded that bastard murdering child rapist mad mo and his invading colonialist settler arabs. I pray for the day those superiorist blights are removed, and I’d be happy to help. But hey! I’m quite sure they feel the same way about Jews. Here’s hoping our side wins.
If it weren’t for Avraham and G-d, I see no reason for Jerusalem to exist.
Saturday day is a waste of time in Jerusalem. Nothing is open. Go somewhere else unless you’re shabbat shomer and staying in for the day. Saturday night is party time before work on Sunday morning.
Speaking of Shabbat Shomer, I played Shabbos Goy to a couple who needed into the apartment building in which I was staying. The door closed too quickly behind me, and they didn’t catch it. They were observant Jews, and were unwilling to press the buttons they knew would open the door. And they were worried about asking any other Jew to do it for them. After some halting communication and hints and such, it became clear that they were safe, allowed into the building, and needed the non-converted “Jew” (me) to open it for them. So I did, and everyone was happy.
It is hard to overstate how religion drives Jerusalem. For example, my 1:1 private tour guide was on the streets as a photojournalist during the 6 Day War in which Israel kicked out the Jordanians. He gave me street by street battle stories. Here is one of his famous photos of those days, Israeli soldiers at The Wall for the first time in about 2,000 years:
Nothing I saw or heard did anything but strengthen my antipathy for muslims and islam. I hate it with every fiber of my being. Those people are driven by evil, in my opinion. < / rant off >.
Trinkets and Trash: I collected stuff. Sar-El and IDF T-Shirts. IDF Navy ball cap given as a gift in exchange for favors. A small backpack a soldier carried in gaza. A topo fold-up ops map of gaza. A large silk persian carpet for my daughter. IDF Unit ball caps and kippah. A small rock from the Temple Mount. Cool stuff to treasure.
Back to Tel Aviv: Good night out with the half crazy great friend The Major, a special forces parachute rigger. Very fun and funny guy newly dedicating himself to the project of Israel. Oaxacan Old Fashioneds. Huge meat platters on the beach. We closed the best bar in Tel Aviv and stayed up late (early?) at my place with Campari and Pellegrino on ice.
In case you missed it, here is my Pre-Flight Intro:
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4237961/posts
My Week 1 Sit Rep:
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4239681/posts
My Week 2 Sit Rep:
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4241282/posts
My Week 3 Sit Rep:
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4242593/posts
If any of these posts have sparked an interest, you can learn more about the organization Sar-El through which I volunteered here:
https://www.sar-el.org/
Here is their mission statement:
“The purpose of Sar-El is to enable supporters from around the world, and at home, to contribute to the security of the State of Israel by assisting on IDF bases in a logistical support role. • Sar-El is a unique volunteer experience fostering new friendships, greater understanding and the creation of a cultural exchange between Israel and the volunteers’ home countries
• Sar-El welcomes friends of Israel as volunteers, many of whom become “goodwill ambassadors” for our country
• We are the only volunteer program that places volunteers directly on IDF bases. working side-by-side with our soldiers”
You can join too! 1, 2 or 3 week stints are available. Indeed, some of the hard core are doing around a dozen weeks per year. The average seems to be about 2 weeks.
Please let me know in FReepmail if you have any questions I can answer that would help you feel comfortable volunteering!
FReep on! Uncle Miltie, Since Nov, 1999, Monthly Donor.
Q&A from with a fellow FReeper:
Q: I am 67 years old, semi-retired but still healthy and active
Would I be able to volunteer?
A: You bet. Lots of ok fit guys in their 70s were doing fine.
There were two guys in their 70s who couldn’t walk 200 yards. They shouldn’t have come, in my opinion.
But if you can walk 200 yards over uneven surface and lift 20 pounds, you’ll be fine.
Thank you, sir!
Thank you, Uncle Miltie.
The dumbing down of a sane and civilized world is picking up speed...
When Western Europe and America fall the world will return to the Dark Ages much as it did after the fall of the Roman Empire.
Welcome home.
L
Good job.😉👌
well done
Very active all of my younger years, now mid 70’s. Chainsaws, weed whackers, Log splitting for firewood, building a log home 40 years ago and all of the maintenance, etc. etc. Nothing as exciting as your tour. 2 shoulder roto cuffs, a spinal fusion, and just had a knee done. A home built .300! Pretty impressive, I love to shoot. If I could kick myself in the ass I would, for selling a 1903 12 gauge Browning. Serial no. 503, in great shape. Thought I needed the money, and it turned out I didn’t.
Welcome home!
Great job, Uncle Miltie. Welcome Home!
Taxman Bravo Zulu!
For your courage in going to Israel to help the IDF and for your informative and entertaining reportage!
Welcome home! and well done!
G-d Bless You, Uncle Miltie.
I am Christian and hold EXACTLY the same views as you do re: Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.
My first time at the Wall was in 1984, and i will never forget it.
Keep me on your ping list, Please.
Excellent report. Many blessings to you, Unc.
[[(I’m pretty good out to a mile with a homebuilt .300 win mag platform]]
Wasn’t there a famous sniper who used the 300 mag? Seems I recall one who did and who didn’t use a scope either if I recall right? He had an Incredible record at one point for the number of peeps taken in one go, at night, no scope, - I’ll have to see if I can find it- im probably off about the gun he used.
Congrats! You did a massive Mitzvah!
Absolutely fascinating!! This is the first I have heard of your journey. I love this. I have so many questions, will Freep you.
Thanks for helping and serving our Israeli friends, you do God's work, but you know that.
Welcome back and thanks for keeping us informed.
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