The First Shalom

I made it through the Israeli security into the enclosed gate. I was chatting on the phone with my mom, when an extremely charismatic orthodox jew came up to me asking if I wanted to Davin with him and some other Jews. He said I had a "certain look in my eye." I did not really know what he was talking about, but I said sure. The next thing I know I have a yarmulke on my head and am swaying back and forth as a stocky man in a orthodox hat mumbles in hebrew the blessings. I have a guy next to me guiding me through it. "Ok. Now Amen." You need to realize I am in the airport, in f the gate where everyone is waiting, swaying back and forth in a corner with these super orthodoxz jews. Mosha, the jew who invited me, finds me in the plane and sits next to me. We start talking about G-d ect.. He does most of the talking. I then do some other orthodox rituals (tafilin in the little room in the back of a plane where all the food is kept). On the plane, and get a crash course in Orthodox Judaism. I even awoke to a Kosher Breakfast  that Mosha did me the favor of ordering for me while I was sleeping.

I arrive into Tel Aviv, make it to my bag, and head to the main terminal with the goal of finding the shuttle to Jerusalem, when, I practicely walk into Mosha. His two sons, who live in Israel, are there; they came to pick him up. One has a year old son with him. They offer to give me a ride to Jerusalem, and to the appropriate bus station and put me on the bus to my relatives. So, there I am riding in a little european car with three orthodox jews listening to Israeli Pop and eating chocolate (which they generously shared). While in the car, Mosha informs me that the area we are driving through was the site of big battles in 1948. The Jews drove armed cars to try to keep the road open for settelers to get to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. He then informed me that the Arabs would mutilate people publicly during these battles, dead or alive. I said "oh" and gazed out at the lush Israeli hills and bombed out cars painted green in memoriam. I got on the bus in Jerusalem, parting fare-well to my new friends, and headed to the Tel Zion settlement in the West Bank from where I write now. I passed giant checkpoints and Israeli soldiers and tanks silhouetted upon a massive fire-red sunset. I can't really describe the feeling of moving through occupied land. 

I was greeted warmly in Tel Zion, and my relatives are very relaxed and nice. They have four kids, super cute and hilarious. 

"I tell my grandmother we live in a gated community that is a suburb of Jerusalem."

This is true, we both laughed. The diffrence, Simcha added, is that the gate here is a security fence patrolled by soldiers. Oh well, he assured me I would be safe.

Last side note. There is something special here. Simcha described it as "in all other lands, G-d sends angels to be his contact to the land, there are no angels in Israel, only G-d." The "flow" here is remarkable. Synchronisity is something taken for granted by all the people it seems, religious or not. There is a remarkable flow of "right place right time" and a powerful magic. Also, a quick commentary. I noticed quite a few stray cats on the bus, but no stray dogs. I think that says something about the general spiritual view of Israelis; Him, Our Lord, God, Patriarch, Man, Men of Israel, Man of the Torah. Hmmmmm. It all remains to be seen.