We awaken to sunny blue skies in one direction and foreboding clouds of rain in the other, hoping we can chase the sun and not need the umbrellas. The day’s journey will take us to northern Israel, all the way up to the Lebanese border, and we’re excited to get going, but first must have breakfast. And donuts. It is Chanukah, after all.

Caffeinated and sugared up, we pile into the 10-seater Hilik has for us, say goodbye to Tel Aviv and set out for Caesarea. The Roman Empire spanned continents but it’s still an unexpected scene as we come into these ruins along the Israeli Mediterranean. There’s a huge amphitheater (still in use today), the remnants of King Herod’s palace with mosaic floors visible at the water’s edge, and a hippodrome echoing with the sounds of chariot races that once took place there. If you close your eyes, you can hear the crowds cheering, the horse hooves clicking and the scrape of wooden wheels, one chariot against another, straining against the dusty earth.

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To begin, Hilik breaks out the Timeline Tie (it’s awesome) and chats about the place as we huddle around the scale model and then as we wander through what remains of time gone by. Some of what was here has been swallowed by the sea, to be visited only by scuba divers willing to brave the chilly rough waters. Why Herod built much of the palace over the sea is a bit of a mystery (because he could?), and enough remains today that it’s easy to imagine how spectacular it was.

In addition to the structures, the historical evidence uncovered here is significant. A tablet reads: “Pontius Pilatus, the prefect of Judaea, erected a building dedicated to the emperor Tiberius.” Pontius Pilate presided over the trial of Jesus – not very far south in Jerusalem – that lead to his crucifixion. Connecting documented history to biblical events is always fascinating, and imbues a reality that makes us all wonder what life was really like 2,000 years ago. We also ponder practical things, like how we would fare using the Roman toilets at the hippodrome (public, open, and seats in very close proximity to each other…in the entrance hall).

Hilik challenges Soli to a race – it is a stadium, after all – and we cheer them on. Soli wins…but they both celebrate. 😁

We pass through the gift shop, of course, on our way to the van. And you know what we see off to the right? The Casearstone factory – yep, that manufactured stone you might have just used for countertops in your kitchen. And it’s a kibbutz. We try to make sense of all this as we take our seats and hit the road, bound for Haifa.

One of the basic tenets of Judaism is to leave the world a better place, even if just a bit and in small ways. “To save one life is to save the world.” The people at the Neve Michael Youth Village are doing this every day, and we stop to pay them a visit. What an incredible program – they have about 150 kids who were “at risk” in their family situations, and they give them an alternative path. Maybe their parents have drug problems or are violent or incarcerated, putting the kids (some very young) in challenging environments. This program takes them out of that, sheltering the kids from their parents’ potentially harmful situations. And it’s incredibly successful – 95% go on to fulfilled adult lives, a path very different than they might have taken without Neve Michael.

We are taken through the facility with Hava, who has been at this since the 1970’s. She is clearly the dedicated and amazing mother hen of the village, with deep caring and love for the kids. We meet some of them, bright eyed and smiling and laughing and engaged with each other and with us. It makes your heart swell, truly. Everyone working tirelessly in these programs – and those who support them – is not just saving the one life of a Jewish proverb, but many, and many times over. To call it a mitzvah is a misnomer; this is truly beyond a terrestrial good deed. It is G-d’s work.

We bid adieu to Hava just as the foreboding sky rumbles with the promise of showers. By the time we stop in Haifa for lunch, it is a deluge…when the sky just opens up and the windshield wipers attempt unsuccessfully to provide a clear view. Traffic accidents slow us down to a crawl, if not a full stop. Will we make it to the last ride down to the water at the Rosh Hanrika Grottos?!

We do! We are a bit apprehensive at boarding the aging gondola hanging over the cliff side. It reminds me of those temporary rides at carnivals…how safe is this thing, swaying in the wind and rain?

We take a deep breath and ride down the hillside’s edge to the angry sea below. After a two minute ride, what we encounter is amazing. It is loud, grumbling and wet with salty splash, the sea pounding and crashing against the limestone in a never ending attempt to get further inside the caves. Imagine the tale of Jonah and we are inside the whale…that’s really what it feels like. SO cool.

The caves are all natural, with walkways added by us humans to experience it. We snake our way through the barely-lit underground labyrinth, avoiding the waves that chase us up onto the paths, marveling at what Mother Nature can do as we wind our way through the tunnels. We emerge from the fish’s belly to have Hilik lead us along the cliff’s edge, chatting about the history of this promontory that at one time connected rail lines from Egypt to Europe. He points out the buoys in the water that mark the Lebanese border, and our attention turns away from the natural spectacle before us.

Indeed we are at the Lebanese border:

It’s a rude awakening. Hezbollah is right over there. Somewhere in the bible it says that threats to the Israelites will come from the North, a prescient thought, for sure. This becomes a topic of our conversation, noting that Syria is a stone’s throw away as well, Damascus just a bit northeast from here.

As we think about it, we realize that in spite of these threats, or maybe because of them, we live, we love, we prosper…