Views from Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam

Sunset toward Tel Aviv - Jaffa.

The beautiful Alayon Valley.

The Latrun Monastery.

Serene's tree -- a gift for my daughter when she was born, planted at the Fred Segal Friendship Library at Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam. See post: http://jetsetmom.blogspot.com/2011/02/tree-planting-at-neve-shalomwahat-al.html

Few things are harder for me as a mother than to leave my kids at home, while I fly off to some place far away. The greater the distance between us -- and the more number of days away -- the harder the goodbye. One of the few things that eases the empty heart is going to places I love. No where is that more true than my home away from home at Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, the "Oasis of Peace."  My extended family and friends who live in this special village established by Palestinians and Jews who have made a determined effort to live, work and educate their children together set an example for not only the Middle East, but the world. They are proof that people embroiled in a long-standing, bitter conflict can still find ways to respect and understand each other. My work takes me here a few times each year, and as much as I miss my own children, I hope that my small efforts lend its way toward a more peaceful future for them, the children at the "Oasis of Peace" and all those in Israel-Palestine.

On the road to Jericho, Palestine

On the road to Jericho -- mama & baby camel.

Baby Camel!

Downtown Jericho.

Downtown Jericho.

Lunch in Jericho.

Delicious!

Making bread.

Sweets.

A few years ago, a colleague and I started making multiple trips to Israel-Palestine and Jordan. During one of those first trips, a rental car agency warned us to be very careful driving at night as camels tend to wander onto the roads. I grew up in the Midwest so I know the damage a deer can do to vehicle. I didn't want to imagine what a camel could do. We diligently went on "camel watch" each time we took to the roads after dark. But, we never saw a camel. During our most recent trip to the region, we finally got to see camels roaming the roads. We've never been more excited to see a mother and her calf wondering along the roadside near Jericho.

The city of Jericho may be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. Archaeologists have unearthed remains dating back 11,000 years. Today, Jericho is located in the West Bank, Palestine some 850 feet below sea level not far from the banks of the Dead Sea. Its Jericho Cable Car whizzes tourists to the Mount of Temptation in just five minutes. From there its just a short walk to an ancient monastery chiseled in the mountain side. A great place for lunch -- the people are friendly, the food is delicious and nothing beats the desserts!

Arafat's Tomb in Palestine

Built next to the compound where he had his headquarters for many years, this mausoleum contains the tomb of Yasser Arafat, a mosque and a garden surrounded by water. An honor guard stands at his tomb, the water symbolizes a journey since it was his desire to be buried in Jerusalem. A laser beam points to Jerusalem from the top of the minaret. (See: http://www.palestinepilgrimage.org.uk/places-to-visit-in-the-holy-land/ramalah/arafats-tomb/)

From Palestine to Mahmoud Darwish

The people of Palestine built the Mahmoud Darwish Museum. No foreign donations were accepted.

Memorial to Mahmoud Darwish where he is buried.

The Mahmoud Darwish Museum is part of the cultural center of Ramallah.

An outdoor theater at the museum seats more than 500 persons.

The Mahmoud Darwish Museum opened in 2012.

Steps leading up to the museum.

Perhaps no one is more loved by the Palestinian people than Mahmoud Darwish. Buried in Ramallah, West Bank, Palestine, Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008) was Palestine's National Poet. An author and a poet, Darwish's literary works are cherished at the Mahmoud Darwish Museum (Al-Biryeh Garden). In his work, Palestine became a metaphor for the loss of Eden, birth and resurrection, and the anguish of dispossession and exile.

Qalandia Checkpoint entering Ramallah, Palestine

Entering the city of Ramallah.

Israeli guard tower at Qalandia Checkpoint.

Graffiti on Wall of President Yasir Arafat and Marwan Barghouti.

This road leads [to] the Palestinian Authority. The entrance for Israeli Citizens is Forbidden, Dangerous to your lives, and is against the Israeli law.

The city of Ramallah located in the West Bank, Palestine is just 6 miles north of Jerusalem, but it will take you an hour to get there either through the Qalandia Checkpoint or on roads that lead around the Separation (Apartheid) Wall. It is the defacto captial of the Palestinian Authority and serves as a strong political, economic and cultural center for the Palestinians. Entrance for Israeli Citizens is forbidden, as is exit for the Palestinian residents who live locked under Israeli military control.

I have visited Ramallah dozens of times in during the last 16 years -- and almost 40 trips to Israel-Palestine. The food is amazing. The hospitality is always warm. And, the city offers great hope for the future of Palestine. I pass easily through checkpoints using my American passport, but for Palestinians who aren't allowed to pass through at all -- it is a prison.

Is Ramallah different than New York?

Ramallah is different than New York. There is a giant wall that Israel built to separate it inhabitants from the rest of the world. Its not easy for tourists to visit and its people need to pass through checkpoints to exit.

But, otherwise, it isn't. Its vibrant downtown, nightlife, excellent restaurants, cultural offerings such as theater and movies, position as economic center of Palestine and its political center with dozens of government offices make it a center for the world.

The Big Prison - West Bank/Palestine

Mommy blogs are meant to be sweet tributes to children and opportunities to brag about the most mundane things your little ones do, while showing off their cutest pictures. It is fun and challenging to jetset around the world with children, and in doing so I hope they will be instilled with a sense of deep curiousity, independence, cultural respect and political knowledge.

A visit to the West Bank is not a trip to Disney Land. The Separation-Apartheid Wall that acts as the barrier between the West Bank, Palestine and Israel is designed to imprison over 2 million Palestinian people. Taking my 3-month-old, daughter, Serene, through-and-around checkpoints is a privilege, because she is allowed to be pushed like cattle back-n-forth behind this wall. Palestinian children and their parents are locked behind it living under occupation in an oversize prison and have little hope that their situation will change in the near future.

Bethlehem

Bethlehem is beautiful. I spent a summer studying Arabic and living with a Palestinian family when I was pregnant with Alex. It was a tense time politically in the region. My memories are of Palestinian families hiding in their homes as tanks patrolled the neighborhood, a child scratching his fingernails deep into my neck when guns' blasted, hundreds of young men lost without work waiting in the streets for something to change, and dozens of tourist shops empty without the busloads of visitors that use to take over the downtown.

This city of Christians now has a Muslim majority due to the occupation, and political as well as economic strangulation of its people by the Israeli government's policies. I took my little babies to this city, the birth place of the little baby Jesus. Both Alex and Serene visited the Church of the Nativity when they were less than three months old. These days, its hard to describe, but the city is less tense.  When Israel opens its checkpoints, tourists still love to visit. Tall cement wall lock its people in like prison.

We tried to enjoy the tourist shops, hot tea on a rainy day, wonderful hospitality and hope for days when Serene, Alex, and all their cousins, will not need to walk through gates or be frisked by Israeli soldiers to come and go.

Floating on the Dead Sea

Alex saw a dolphin in the Dead Sea.....and a Humpback Whale. Since the sea is so saturated with salt nothing can live in it and its saliency allows your body to float without effort, its hard to imagine how he saw these creatures, but I'm his mom, so I believe him!

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on the planet at 420 meters (1378 feet) below sea level, and the second saltiest place on earth. It's bordered by Jordan and Israel/Palestine. For centuries, travelers have come from near and far come to cover themselves in the boiling mud and float. The healing effects are well known as the salt & mud is packaged and sold in spas and malls worldwide. The mining of the sea has caused it to drop well below natural levels leading environmentalists to wonder for how many years future tourists may even be able to come to enjoy its effects.

We arrived mid-morning with temperatures reaching near 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The bumpy, two lane road through the West Bank to get there included passing through military checkpoints and a Separation Wall that divides Israelis and Palestinians politically and geographically. Unconventional tourists, we stopped for lunch in the ancient city of Jericho and drove up to the border crossing with Jordan and looked across with talks of our future trips. The newly paved freeway that connects from Jerusalem for the Israelis guided us back. Even on vacation, its hard to avoid the reality of the geopolitical and national conflict that challenges the Palestinian and Israeli people. The juxtaposition of nomadic bedouin tribes alongside newly constructed 4 Star hotels within minutes of each other is hard to miss. Neverthesless, the trip is worth the effort.

When floating with children on the sea, be aware that the salt stings the eyes, the rocks burn the toes, the mud boils and Alex warns it is "dirty." Oh, and most importantly, watch out for unexpected dolphins!

The Old City of Jerusalem

The Old City of Jerusalem is holy to Christians, Muslims and Jews. Inside its ancient walled City, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Al Aqsa Mosque and the Western Wall, the holiest of sites for the Abrahamic faiths, are just footsteps apart. Nevertheless, its not so easy to navigate by stroller. The ups-and-downs of the uneven stone steps, its small passageways and the seething heat of the summer sun make it a challenge for even the most rugged 2-year-old traveler.

As Alex longed to run free and I jetted behind, I couldn't help think about the reality of the life for the Jewish and Palestinian children who call this Old City their home. Though they are stacked in small flats on top of each other and neighborhoods that bleed together, these children will not play or study together; they will not meet and get to know each other as equals. They will grow up on opposite sides of a national conflict prepared to take up arms against each other. While Alex is having the chance in his life to mingle with children of different faiths, ethnicities, cultures, traditions and geography, the children of Jerusalem live in the shadow of hopes for peace and the reality of a conflict all around them.

Like all parents of the 21st century, we worry about the food our children eat, who they play with, where they will go to school, if they will dart out into traffic, and if they'll break their arms when they fall from trees. But, we need to do more to place our own fears aside and teach them equality, respect, mutual understanding. It's easy to know that broccoli should be on the dinner menu, its harder to instill a culture of peace in a child. But, the future of humanity for all of us depends upon our healthy bodies and our healthy hearts.

As for Alex, peace in the Middle East wasn't so much on his mind. He liked the french fries at Abu Shukri.