Day 06 - Galilee/Jerusalem: Beth She’an, Megiddo, Mt Carmel, Caesarea Maritima

This morning we checked out of Ein Gev Kibbutz where we spent the last 3 nights in cute cottages on the Sea of Galilee. I was fascinated by the concept of a kibbutz, which was introduced in the 1910s by young Zionist Jews. It is common for Israelis to join a kibbutz around 18 years old, but they generally don’t do it for a lifetime. In this cooperative, the community works together farming, sharing and pooling their money. They may also collaborate to bring in other sources of income. For example, our holiday resort (as they called it) was run by a kibbutz, in addition to their banana farm.

Fun fact: we have benefited by other kibbutz that have designed drip watering for your garden, as well as the Teva brand of shoes! Another note of interest is that all Israeli citizens must serve in the military at age 18 (minimum 3 years for males and 2 years for females) and in the reserves until 50. Their obligation to serve and protect their country is admirable. And now on how we spent our day…

We entered the ruins of the city gate and took a steep uphill walk to Tel Beth She’an. Facing Mt Gilboa, the Scripture from 1 Samuel 31 came to life as we read about the Philistines conquering Israel. It was here that King Saul fell on his sword in defeat and his body was hung on the wall of Bet She’an by the Philistines—ending the era of the kingdom of Saul. As is common with many tels (which are ancient layers of past civilizations), a modern day version of the city is nearby. From atop Tel Beth She’an, we could see the modern day city of Beth She’an. An unexpected surprise was revealed as we rounded the corner: the sprawling ruins from the Roman city of Scythopolis was in the valley below! This was one of the ten Roman cities in the region (in aggregate referred to as the Decapolis). The city was built with Roman architecture (introducing new building products like imported marble and granite), two intersecting streets forming a “downtown,” and a sewage system. We giggled quite a bit when we sat next to each other in a public latrine, and our beloved guide, Ronen, posed on elevated surfaces to entertain us as we “used the facilities!” In previous times, the water ran through channels below our seats to drain the waste with the sewage technology brought in by the Romans. Beth She’an was a crossroads for international trade, so there was a variety of exotic merchandise being sold. There was a Hellenistic Greek influence that infiltrated these cities and included wearing togas, an emphasis on body image, teachings by philosophers, temples of any god you wanted to worship, and free theatre performances. For a young Jew raised in a small village coming to one of the Decapolis cities, it would be representative of going from a small farming town in the Midwest to a big city like NYC or LA. We discussed the culture clash these cities stirred up in Israel and were challenged to think about how far we go in the culture clashes occurring in our world right now.

Megiddo was our next stop. It is a tel that has 30 layers of civilizations. It is sometimes referred to as Har Megiddo, which some speculate as the Armageddon in Revelation 16. Here we observed the chambers at the city gate, a grain silo, stables built in Solomon’s reign for his chariot horses, and a very sophisticated irrigation system built under the tel.

From Megiddo, we drove past Mt Carmel and did a lesson on the bus about Elijah in this place from 1 Kings 18 and 19.

We continued on to the Mediterranean coastal town of Caesarea Maritima. Built by the very ambitious Herod the Great, this site had Roman architecture similar to Beth She’an (earlier today), but also included a harbor, hippodrome and aqueduct. While there is no evidence that Jesus ever came here, Caesarea Maritima plays an important role in the foundation of Christianity. Peter delivered the first message of Christianity to the Gentiles (Acts 10) here, and Paul was imprisoned here but appealed to Caesar to be tried in Rome spreading the message of Christianity (Acts 25).

We wrapped up our day experiencing Israeli traffic as we made a 2+ hour drive to Jerusalem! Tonight is the beginning of Hanukkah, so twinkling menorahs and an arch lit up in blue adorned the entrance to the city.

Jennifer Sherick