Last Day in Herzliya

There have been 22 applications so far to the Russia and Israel
SEED term: 5 from Israel and 17 from Russia. I have been in meetings with potential SEED mentoring program participants all morning,
plus taking time to talk with a local journalist. This is my last
day working from this office. Tomorrow, John and I will get to
see something more of Israel. We are talking about taking a tour
of Masada and the Dead Sea before moving to our hotel tomorrow
in Jerusalem.

John visited Bethlehem and Jerusalem with a local tour company
yesterday. He said he was surprised by how small everything was.
These are places that loom very large in the imagination and
have a great presence in the world. However, the physical reality
is much more intimate, even crowded. The metal star set into
the floor of the cave under Bethlehem’s Nativity Church is
supposed to be the exact spot where Jesus was born. The star
itself is two hand spans wide and the hole in the middle (so that
pilgrims can touch the rock itself) fits one hand at a time.

John said that there were very few tourists in Bethlehem yesterday.
His Israeli tour guide drove to the gate, John walked through
and had his passport checked, and he was met by a Palestinian
tour guide on the other side of the wall. Bethlehem was
quiet and the adults had one purple finger tip from voting in
the Palestinian legislative elections. John bought the traditional
hand-carved olive wood nativity set: 1 shed with star and palm
tree, 2 sheep, 2 cows, 3 wise men, 1 shepherd with staff,
Mary, Joseph with staff, and Baby Jesus on a separate manger,
with a little camel thrown in for free because John was the
only customer. The shed has a music box which plays when the star
is wound up. (Our son will love this!)
John said Bethlehem was very poor compared to the
surrounding area and that there were lots of beggar kids. He
could not visit Rachel’s tomb nearby because it was blocked by
the wall between the Israeli and Palestinian lands.

The Sun Israel staff have lunch together on Thursdays – a very
pleasant way for everyone to keep in touch. We just got back
and John is talking with the local Engineers about Sun’s products,
tools, and architectural review systems. He is supposed to be
on vacation today but this is too good a chance to miss.
I will have my first afternoon meeting soon.