European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 05, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse                                M i d d l e e a $ t continued from Page 7 than j had imagined i suppose that its spiritual significance made it seem larger than life. It s All that remains of Jerusalem s ancient Temple As in other areas of Israel armed soldiers were present and served As a reminder of the realities of life in the Middle East. Vav a v the following Day the Sabbath my husband,.paul/"" and i joined a Friend in exploring the Temple mount although we were advised not to visit Arab holy Sites in East Jerusalem we were eager to learn about cultures and Wen anyway.  " / we were approached by an Arab guide who offered us his services in touring the mosque. We visited the dome of the Rock and the mount of olives where we took turns Riding camels and enjoyed yet another spectacular View of Jerusalem. The visit to the Church of fhe ascension where Christ is believed to have ascended to heaven emphasized How important Jerusalem is to so _ Many religions. Local christians said that the footprint embedded on the floor of the Church is that of Christ. Our visit to had Washem the holocaust museum that includes a memorial to the children who perished made us witnesses of the atrocities of world War ii. Against its graphic photos and films of ghettos and concentration Camps i Felt helpless. Somehow i wanted to change history but i could  had Washem we visited a huge Stone site called the Valley of the jewish communities. This is a place definitely Worth seeing. Visitors walk through enormous structures with names of towns and villages in ,s4s rat ruins of Masada an ancient jewish fortress in Israel near the dead sea above. Arabs dear the sidewalk As an armed israeli Soldier passes by in Ramallal left. Is photos by Ken George Europe that were destroyed during world War ii. Early one morning our group was invited to participate in an archaeological dig in beit Muvrin a town Well in Bart in biblical and roman times. We dug through one of the caves that served As Torero Paris Buria Chambers or Homes the feeling of unearthing a 2,000-year-old Coin or finding a significant piece of ancient pottery cannot be properly described we Only dug for a few hours but i could have spent All Day doing just that. The pottery shards Are painstakingly reconstructed into whole items. As i continued to explore Israel i saw How civilizations were piled on top of each other. Every time another culture rolled Irr they flattened what was there and built on top of it. ".  "   under the old City in Jerusalem several cultures were uncovered. The deeper the archaeologists dug the More they found. A Hole near the Western Wall which was at least 40 feet deep revealed intricate tile work from the hellenistic period. The journey into ancient times continued on a visit to Masada. This site s history marked the end of an Era of jewish Independence in 73  common Era. A trek up the Side of Masada is symbolic of the three year struggle against the romans. The Long siege ended in a mass suicide by the jews to avoid becoming slaves. The Day concluded with a float in the dead sea. Because the body of water is so dense with Salt one has no Choice but to float. This is an experience not to be missed a feeling of weightlessness probably would describe it Best. Or these experiences coupled with the creation of personal link to Israel made it important to find Schindler s grave. All of the Gates to the Catholic cemetery outside of the old City were closed. Most were locked. Finally we found one Gate secured with an easily opened twist tie. An Arab guide who also was searching for Schindler s grave saw us and followed us in. Schindler was the German industrialist who saved Over a thousand jews from nazi concentration Camps. His Story most recently was told in the Academy award winning Steven Spielberg movie Schindler s list. In the Middle of this old cemetery one area stood out almost glowing. Rocks were piled High a jewish Symbol of remembrance of the dead. Somehow selfless acts touch All of us. We took photos of each other before the Arab Man left our company. The Day we left Israel we hailed a taxi to take us to the Airport. The cab Driver told us about his family his visit to the United states and a passion for old american. _ musicals when we arrived at the Airport he asked if we would Send him two videotapes of old musicals in lieu of payment. We agreed and exchanged addresses. Two weeks later the cab Driver was reveling in that s entertainment and a Vintage Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie. There is an israeli tradition if As you Are about to Plant a tree in Israel the Messiah arrives finish planting and then Greet the Messiah. Before we left Israel we planted a tree in a Hillside overlooking Jerusalem for , see Yoor local travel agent or Call the Israel government tourist office in now York at 212 560-0600. Ext 245 or United jewish Appeal 212 818-9100. 8 stripes Magazine january 5, 1995