Nostalgia for Israel


This week we would have been traveling to Israel with a tour group if the organizer had not canceled the trip due to the pandemic. It would have been a 12-day round trip, with new destinations I haven't seen yet. I feel sad to miss the trip.

But every day for the last week, Facebook has provided me with memories of our last visit to Israel two years ago. I can look back at what we saw and experienced there. Pictures from Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Jerusalem, and Hebron flutter onto my screen and conjure up fond memories. I can almost feel the storm on the beach in Tel Aviv, see the stalls at the Carmel Market, hear the muezzin in Hebron and taste the apple strudel in the Café Trieste of the Austrian Hospice on the Via Dolorosa.

Last weekend, the Austrian Hospice in Jerusalem hosted a group of pilgrims for the first time in about two years. The country is opening up to tourists again. Two years ago we were among the last to be allowed into the country. We too were able to enjoy moments of peace at this place of Austrian imperial history in the middle of Jerusalem's Old City. It is nice that people are allowed to come again to experience this oasis amid the daily hassle.

I am always drawn to this land. In preparation for our planned trip this year, I read a very interesting book: "Israel Journey: Eight Days In One Of The World's Most Complex Countries” by Michael Bauer, who has many years of experience as a tour guide. In his book, he describes an 8-day journey across the country to the most important sights. Along the way, the reader can participate in conversations with his group of media professionals from diverse religious, ethnic, and political backgrounds about the most important issues in Israel: religion, history, geopolitics, economics, culture, and the country's existence. The book impressed me with its candor and objectivity, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand what Israel is all about. Israel evokes strong emotions in many people, which can vary greatly depending on their worldview. It is important to be well informed before making judgments.

I could now list everything we saw, or make a list of the destinations that are still on my "bucket list" - the places I still want to see before I die. I won't be able to check everything off. Israel is a country that I have taken to my heart. It engages me emotionally. I can never be indifferent to the homeland of a people that has experienced so much suffering.  I will never be able to simply tick it off.

 


Photo: Private

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