Principal Sign Parking

Principal Sign Parking

Is Water the Solution to a Holy Land?

Walking through Korazim, a small national park on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, I met Brigitta, a German economist and ex-resident of Bethlehem, with an unparalleled knowledge of Israel. It was a hot summer day and we sat down under a tree to talk. The tree happened to be a Zizyphus spina Christi, from whose branches it is said that a crown of thorns was prepared for Jesus. Not just any shade. Biblical shade.

Brigitta was of the opinion that the patchwork that is Palestine cannot last. The economy, the statal system, the land itself cannot support the nearly ten million people that live in Israel and the Palestinian Authority, yet Israel continues to encourage immigration. The country's present course is unsustainable.

WATER FLASHPOINT OF THE FUTURE
Up there in cloud-cuckoo land, then, what is her solution? A holy land, comprising Israel, Palestine and Jordan, in which power and resources are shared. Chief among the resources is water, now in severely short supply. Water is the oil of this geographically unpromising and politically uncompromising corner of the Middle East. Both Israel and, subsequently, Jordan have been systematically draining the Dead Sea for irrigation. Its level has fallen ten metres in the last thirty years and at the present, faster rate it will fall a further 100 metres over the next century.

Palestinians and Israelis alike want land, livelihood, security and neither side has anywhere else to go. Water will be the flashpoint of the future.

WATER AROUND THE SEA OF GALILEE
There's not much water at Korazim now, that's for sure. But it wasn't always so. Up until about 1,500 years ago, this whole region was far wetter and more fertile. There are ruins of a ritual bath and an oil press.

Korazim is one of Israel's 54 national and nature parks. We were trying to see as many as we could in the two weeks we were spending there. Most of the parks are archaeological sites. But then, so is much of the region itself. There are sites dating back to Neolithic times, there are wonderful fortresses and palaces from the Crusader period Yehi'am, Belvoir, The Castel, Nimrod and Herodion. Although most of the parks are havens of peace and beauty, even at the worst of times, some of the national parks are in Palestinian territory and it is wise to take advice before going there.

The synagogue at Korazim is a monumental structure with broad stairs and a huge pediment (now resting on the ground beside the entrance). It is made of hard black basalt, a stone that is difficult to carve, yet it was impressively engraved with many patterns. Unlike later synagogues, which usually had mosaic pavements; early ones like this had floors of stone. And although the Jewish Commentaries (tosafta) prescribe that doorways to the synagogue should always face east, most of the synagogues in the Galilee, including this one, face south towards Jerusalem.

According to the New Testament, Korazim was one of the villages whose inhabitants refused to accept the teachings of Jesus and was cursed by Him.

WATER AROUND EASTERN GALILEE
Kursi, on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, is also directly associated with the life of Christ. The place is mentioned in the New Testament as the scene, 'in the country of the Gadarenes', at which Jesus exorcised the devils from the body of a man and transferred them to a herd of pigs. The pigs then purportedly hotfooted it down to the water, where they drowned. Left at the site today are the remains of the largest known Byzantine monastery in the Holy Land, measuring 145 by 123 metres.

WATER AROUND LOWER GALILEE
Zippori, in lower Galilee, 'perches on top of the mountain like a bird', according to the Talmud (zippor in Hebrew means 'bird'). The chalk hill was described as 'as most assuredly a land flowing with milk and honey'. A settlement is confirmed from the days of the First Temple (eighth to seventh century BC). But the city had an extremely troubled history and changed hands several times. It became a Jewish city, a bishopric, a Crusader stronghold and an Arab town before falling to the fledgling Israel Defence Force in July 1948.

Zippori's Christian significance lies principally in the fact that it was the birthplace of the Virgin Mary, whose parents, Ann and Joachim, lived there. Today its most remarkable artefacts are the coloured mosaics dating back 1,700 years. One depicts the life of Dionysos and measures 1.5 metres across. Another, the Nile Mosaic, depicts Egyptian festivals celebrating the high-water peak of the Nile, coupled, unusually, with a variety of hunting scenes. Most famous of all is the mosaic portrait of a beautiful woman, nicknamed the 'Galilean Mona Lisa', framed with medallions, on the floor of a luxurious Roman residence.

WATER-SUPPLY SYSTEMS
A testament to the technological skills of the residents in the second century AD is the water-supply system, consisting of two aqueducts and an enormous reservoir 260 metres long, between two and four metres wide and about ten metres deep. The capacity of the reservoir was 4,300 cubic metres, and at its end was a gate valve which regulated the water flow passing into the city through a tunnel 235 metres long., You can climb down some steps and walk through the reservoir, which winds through the Tunnel of the Shafts, its golden stone walls worn smooth by the action of the water.

At Tel Hazor, Tel Megiddo and the still more famous Masada, gigantic water systems are also among the most stunning features with cisterns as big as aeroplane hangars sunk into mountaintops or carved into hillsides and openings the size of the First Temple itself.
At Masada the thirty or so cisterns kept the 968 Zealots supplied with water throughout the four-year Roman siege that eventually ended with their mass suicide.

On Brigitta's advice, we visited Bet Shean, where excavations have revealed this ancient city dating back to the fifth millennium BC. The area, it is said, once enjoyed plentiful water and the first Hebrew historian wrote, as recently as 1322, that it 'is situated on many sweet waters ... and is fruitful like the Garden of Eden.'

Albeit dry as dust now, the city boasts glorious, mosaic-floored bathhouses and a hypocaust bigger and better-preserved than any I've seen.

ARMAGEDDON
Traveling back again another six thousand years, you may come to Tel Megiddo, or Armageddon, a hilltop city that commanded the strategic highway from Egypt to the north. It was fortified by King Solomon and turned into a chariot centre by King Ahab in the ninth century BC. The excavations look like a broad, gently rising staircase, representing twenty-five layers of civilization, with the oldest structures at the foot of the flight. At one point there are three temples, one on top of the other.

Christian teaching holds that Armageddon is the place where the battle of good and evil will be fought 'at the end of days'. As we strolled down the hillside, a couple of doves flew over our heads a sign, perhaps, that the end is not yet nigh. 

TRAVEL BRIEF
When to go: Spring, when flowers are in bloom, and autumn are the best times. Not only is the weather extremely hot in summer (minimum daytime temperatures in August around 30°C) but also the countryside is not at its best, looking brown and parched. Also avoid times of war.

Where to stay: Youth hostels are basic but adequate and cheap, from about £32 per night for a double room with breakfast. For information www.youth-hostels.org.il; for reservations e-mail samy@iyha.org.il. Many kibbutzim offer accommodation too, e.g. Ginnosar Inn on the Sea of Galilee (fax 00 972 6 672 2991).

Further information: General information: Israel Government Tourist Office (tel. 020 7299 1111; fax 020 7299 1112); www.holytravel.com; www.inisrael.com; Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority (tel. 00 972 2 500 5444; fax 00 972 2 652 9232; www.parks.org.il) offers various deals, including the Green Card, which costs $40 and permits entry to unlimited parks within a 14-day period. Admission to the parks otherwise costs between about IS8 and IS18 (£1.30-6.00).

About the Author

© Harish Kohli (2006).
Harish Kohli is an avid traveller and author of a book ‘Across the Frozen Himalaya’. He has travelled widely across four continents and shares his experiences in his many articles he writes for various magazines. He is CEO of AwimAway.com. You can tailor-make adventure holidays and activity travel from quality tour operators from around the world.

Parking at schools?

I have a daughter in middles school who was having some problems. I had to go in and speak to the principal. We are not allowed to park in front of the school for more then 10min. or you'll get a ticket. So I parked in the parking lot and they said I couldnt because it was for school staff members. There is no sign stating that it is only for school employees. I tried to argue my case but they just kept getting worse. I want to know if parking in a school parking lot is illegal? Can they make me move ? Can I get a ticket ? Im just not sure where I stand.

It is not illegal to park there if there is no sign that says it's private property or only staff parking. They have to label it if they don't want you or any of the public to park there. If they ticket you or threaten to ticket or tow you and there are no signs saying you can't park there, just ask them for the name of who's in charge because you plan on suing their ass. The police won't ticket you if there are no signs. Next time, I just wouldn't tell them where I parked.

PRINCIPAL FACES POSSIBLE JAIL TIME FOR PRAYING ACLU VIOLATION FRANK LAY (PACE HIGH SHCOOL)