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It had been only four months since our last international trip. But somehow, my wife and I felt we had to make another one very soon. Planning usually tends to be my department and this time was no different. When we decided to catch up for dinner at one of our favourite restaurants, I told her that it should be Israel. I could see the choice hadn’t quite gone down well. She had been suggesting Europe for a while and plumping for this tiny Middle-Eastern country was never going to be quite so easy. However, I had absolutely no doubts that we had to travel to Israel. What really was my fascination? Everything, really. Much of it obviously stemmed from the fact that I had read at least five books and watched more than ten documentaries on the history, military events and innovations in Israel. The chutzpah of the newly-formed state, the exceptional military prowess and their famed intelligence added to the extraordinary history that Jerusalem had. Now the question had become — why not Israel? So, that evening, over dinner, I defended my choice and regaled her with stories, events and facts to elicit an affirmative response. And, soon enough, we were onto planning the next steps.
Unlike many of the European countries, Israel was oddly not a place many friends had visited. So, when it came to planning, I had to pretty much start from scratch. Although this presented a formidable challenge, it was an experience I very much wanted. I decided we were going to stay in Abraham hostel, a highly-rated hostel in the centre of Tel Aviv, a city that was going to be the base through the trip. Having considered the weather and the fact that the country has a fair number of holidays during the year, I picked late April–early May as the best time to make the journey. Next up — the flight and visa. Just a couple of months earlier, the Gulf states had permitted the Air India flight to fly over their airspace, thus cutting its travel time by three hours. The Israeli national airline, El Al, however, had no such luck. It had to take the circuitous route over the Red Sea avoiding the entire Arabian region. I, however, chose El Al given my doubts about Air India and that specific route itself.
Israel’s short and turbulent history meant that anyone seeking to enter the country had to be prepared for a rough ride during the visa process. Nearly every major website I looked up seemed to suggest the same. Relations between India and Israel, however, had thawed in recent years and I was hopeful that this bump could be negotiated without cause for alarm. After submitting a massive set of documents to the visa agent, we had to attend a long, interesting, and at times, irritating visa interview. It was a relief when we finallly got the nod. We could not wait for April. However, for me, there was a lot of work to be done in the interim to ensure this would be a trip like no other.
For a country surrounded by hostile nations for much of its existence, it is pretty apparent that its people are the greatest resource. It was scarcely believable that after the horrors of the Holocaust, the Jewish community could rebuild and re-establish themselves, let alone dominate the intellectual space like they did earlier. Here was an opportunity to meet the people who, despite a dark past and a troubled present, never quite gave up. I chanced upon Betzavta , a fantastic initiative that lets tourists connect with a local family over dinner. After a 12-hour delay, we landed in Tel Aviv and were immediately taken in by the modern, vibrant nature of the city. We spent the afternoon exploring the bustling and beautiful Rothschild Boulevard, which was just a five-minute walk from the hostel. What I was looking forward to, however, was the Sabbath dinner planned later that evening with a lovely family.
We arrived excited, yet a little nervous about what to expect. The next three hours were fascinating. We discussed culture, academics, cinema, careers, travel and cricket too. Add to it the fact that the food was exceptional. We could not have imagined a better start to the trip. After spending the next day exploring Tel Aviv, sampling hummus in its various food joints and visiting high-quality museums, we prepared ourselves for what was going to be a special day — the visit to Jerusalem.
I could not stop talking about Jerusalem. Simon Sebag Montefiore’s book on the great city had left a lasting impression. Soon, it became clear why the city was so revered by three major religions. Led by a brilliant tour guide, we started with the Christian quarter and realised soon enough that the city almost seamlessly allows one to enter the other major parts — the Muslim quarter and the Jewish quarter. Walking through to the Western Wall, I felt the history and visualised the many wars fought over centuries. As we neared the Jewish shrine, we learned about how the soldiers had wept after gaining control of the Old City after the Six-Day War in 1967. Although it was apparent that the city was living on the edge, the sense of calm we experienced suggested otherwise. Still hungover from the Jerusalem walk, we spent the next day exploring the fort of Herod in Masada before finally ending it with the extraordinary floating experience in the Dead Sea.
Being vegetarians, we had been unsure about the food options. Soon enough, we realised that the country was extremely vegetarian- and vegan-friendly. We explored some world-class restaurants on Rothschild Blvd. but sought out a few exceptional hummus joints including the famous Abu Hassan in the old city of Jaffa. Later, walking on Tel Aviv’s Allenby street, we discovered a quaint little book store which was a treasure trove of rare books. The store owner, who had served in the military until a few years ago, not only recommended a set of terrific reads but also told me about the scary day during the Gulf War when rockets landed a few metres across the street. As we entered the second half of this unforgettable trip, we figured we still had a few more boxes to tick. We started with the much-awaited visit to a Kibbutz.
A Kibbutz visit was going to be special, I knew. Unique to Israel, this life was something we definitely wanted to sample, even if for only a few hours. A few weeks before our trip, I had reached out to Elad Shippony, an Israeli stage-show artiste who also helped tourists experience life in a Kibbutz. Elad picked us up from the train station near Kibbutz Magal and drove us to a small shop where we had some delicious Sabich — a traditional Jewish sandwich. Everyone we spoke to, including my parents and friends, had questioned our choice of Israel given the region’s problems. But, when we drove through a quiet Arab village and stood a few feet from the wall at the Israeli-Palestinian border, we felt no danger and wondered why there could not be lasting peace. Later, that afternoon, we had lunch at the communal dining hall in the Kibbutz and imagined how peaceful life in this setting would be.
The Golan Heights was on my agenda well before we planned the trip. The region’s natural beauty, coupled with the recent military history, somehow made it too attractive to miss. Despite there having been some tension in the air when we planned our trip, I was convinced that we could not afford to miss out on a visit to the Golan. When we reached the peak, it was mind-numbing to think that we were standing on a ground where one of the fiercest battles had been fought a few decades ago. We made the journey back to Tel Aviv with another Jerusalem visit on the radar. This time, we would not be on a tour but would plan it ourselves.
Friendly, knowledgeable, smart, and optimistic, the people of Israel had truly been inspirational. Innovation was at the heart of everything they did and the term ‘Start-up nation’ was coined not without reason.
On the road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, there is a little town called Latrun. This strategically important town was the scene of one of the most pivotal battles during the War of Independence in 1948. The military museum in Latrun has a collection of 200+ tanks and is a must-visit for anyone remotely interested in military history. I also happened to walk through a museum section dedicated to the fallen of the Yom Kippur War when Israel turned around what seemed certain defeat into a resounding victory. From Latrun we boarded a bus to Jerusalem and went straight to the wonderfully-designed Yad Vashem, the holocaust museum . Poignant and emotional, this tour was a tough pill to swallow. The enormity of the tragedy, the grit shown by survivors, and the personalisation of the tributes made us realise how insignificant our problems really are. The stand-out element of the museum was without doubt its thoughtful design — one could not leave the museum without exploring it fully once they entered. However, once we exited the museum, our gloom gave way to joy as we set our eyes on a glorious, green landscape. This symbolised the positive outlook of the community and their ability to move forward despite a horrific past.
On the last day in Israel, I visited the lovely Yitzhak Rabin museum while my wife explored the city of Tel Aviv through a photography tour. It had been a trip filled with dozens of great memories. Friendly, knowledgeable, smart, and optimistic, the people of Israel had truly been inspirational. Innovation was at the heart of everything they did and the term ‘Start-up nation’ was coined not without reason. For me, personally, it was an educative and satisfying journey through history, the allure of which was what had prompted me to pick Israel in the first place. Tel Aviv’s brash, modern streets filled with graffiti merged beautifully with its rich sense of culture. Jerusalem, unmatched in its splendour, was in a league of its own. In many ways, it was the most perfect trip. While l hope for peace in the region, I realise that it may never be a reality. What I do know, however, is that I am not too far away from another visit to this most fascinating country.
