Gone Fishin'

No blog posting yesterday because I traded in Jerusalem and my laptop to go fishing and hunting with my cousin and good friend Moshe. We first spent the morning exploring the site of a Byzantine church (3rd or 4th century) whose intricate tile floors are still mostly intact and impressive. The church is, after all these centuries, a ruin like the town that must have existed around it. I haven't uploaded the photos yet, but I will modify this post to include one when I do.

But, Moshe, Yo'av and I will be among the last to see the church for a while. On Friday, the government will rebury the church as neither they nor KKL (Keren Keyemet Leisrael or the Jewish National Fund) have the funds to build a proper shelter over the ruins to preserve them from the sun, other environmental degradation and, of course, the graffiti and other depredations of humankind.  This happens throughout Israel where ancient ruins are more common than 7-11's in the States. I'm glad I got to go. I love exploring these ancient sites. It not only reinforces the historical importance of Israel in the history of the West, but also has a spiritual dimension, knowing that so much of what we find is there because of spiritual quests throughout the ages, whether we now see those quests as positive or negative influences on our development.

The visit had its amusing moments as well. We were not the only ones who had heard about the excavation and the coming closure of the site. There was a steady stream of serious archeological fans showing up who wanted the archeologist (who was trying to get his work done before the Friday deadline) to show them the site in detail. I heard arcane discussions in English and French about whether the tile work was 3rd or 4th century and everyone was very serious. At one point, the archeologist had had enough and shouted in Hebrew that he had work to do and no time to be a guard (shomer)!

The site itself is on the way from the major cities coastal Israel (Tel Aviv, Ashdod, etc.) to Hebron. There were a number of signs pointing to Hebron, the Cave of the Patriarchs, and Kiryat Arba, the controversial settlement that has for years been the focus of Palestinian anger and attacks in the Hebron area and has bred some of the most radical right-wing, nationalist settler groups.

The day's hunting (for pigeons) and fishing (for ... fish, what did you think we were going to fish for?) kept us in the outdoors until sunset. I actually caught two fish, which we will enjoy along with Moshe's catch on Friday night. Spending the day outdoors in the sun and warmth of the coast (much warmer than Jerusalem) was a restorative. The fact that the outdoors we were in, whether it was the fields of the moshav where we went hunting or the beach north of Ashdod, is real outdoors. The contrast with the beaches of São Paulo is unmistakeable. When we spend two hours walking Baleia, we're still in the city, crowded among hundreds of other weekenders who are the same people we see and speak with in the city. Even though we were only 20 minutes from Moshe's house just west of Ashdod, we were in another world distant from culture and intensity of the city.

I feel restored. One of the best days of my visit by far!