Israel, the Start-up Nation – Part 2

Jerusalem

The city might surprise you with its size and modernity, but at the same time you may feel the weight of complexity it carries. Be prepared for traffic jams which can be avoided if you navigate through the city while avoiding rush hours or during the Shabbat. Take enough time to explore Jerusalem’s history and wander through all parts of Old Jerusalem. The Old City consists of four main quarters – the Jewish, Christian, Armenian and Muslim quarters, the latter being the largest one. In the Christian part you might not want to miss out on the shrine of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but there might also be very long queues, in case you want to see the Tomb of Jesus inside the small shrine. The 14 Stations of the Cross, depicting Jesus before he was crucified, are also worth visiting. Keep in mind that the last four stations are located inside the church. From the Christian quarter, you can continue towards the Jewish quarter, where you’ll find the Wailing Wall. It’s a wall of the mountain on which the Holy Temple once stood. Inside the temple was the Holy of Holies, the most sacred site in Judaism. The Jews believe that this was the location of the foundation stone from which the world was created. Many Jewish people come to the wall, also commonly known as the »Crying Wall«, where they pray to the Holy of Holies. I would say it’s an experience in itself, especially if you belong to another religion; seeing their way of praying, connecting with the God etc. So you may stop there for a few minutes and silently observe the hustle and bustle of the place on one hand and the peace and quiet on the other. The Wall is separated into two parts, one for women and one for men, so keep that in mind when visiting. You can then visit the souvenir shop in the Muslim quarter’s street market and get a coffee in the Armenian quarter (I recommend the Christ Church Coffee Shop!). The City of Jerusalem is also very much alive during the night. Just few kilometres from the HI Yitzhak Rabin Hostel in Jerusalem, where we stayed, there’s the Machane Yehuda city market that brings more life to the city during late evening. Take your time and go for a walk through the market and grab a cocktail or some shisha. Or both. It’s definitely worth visiting because of the amazing atmosphere.

In Jerusalem, there is also the modern Memorial to the Holocaust, Yad Vashem, where the history of the Holocaust of Jews is very thoroughly explained, while the museum at the same time serves as a residence of the Holocaust survivors. The museum, with its size, gives you the feeling of intimacy and leaves an enormous impact and stirs up a whole range of feelings of disaster linked with happened to the Jews during the last century. Admission is free.

Acre – Haifa – Tel Aviv

Getting slowly to the northernmost part of the country, two cities spread out right next to the Mediterranean Sea, famous for something they both share – they both have impressive Bahá’í Gardens. This was the first time I heard about this relatively new religion and if the gardens hadn’t fascinated me so much, I wouldn’t have got so deep and researched the whole thing. The Bahá’í religion, in its essence, stands for the Oneness of God, religion and mankind, the equality of men and women, and mainly the harmony between science and religion. The spectacular gardens and mausoleum of Báb, the herald of the Bahá’í Faith, are in Haifa. The Shrine is a place for quiet prayers and meditation, where no ceremonies or religious services are held. The terraces of the Shrine of the Báb exuberantly stretch up Mount Carmel for about a kilometre. They are unique in style and were created with a meticulous attention to detail. Admission to all the gardens is free, so you might not want to miss out on this aesthetic perfection, plus one of the entrances to the gardens on Mount Carmel offers a spectacular view over the entire city of Haifa.

The city with a completely different character close to Haifa is Acre. HI Akko – Knights Youth Hostel is located directly at the gates to the old part of city centre of Acre. Hostel rooms meet exceptional standards and the same goes for dining, which is far more than DIVINE, in my opinion. And speaking of cuisine, let me just say that it might shatter your prejudices if I tell you how attentive, careful and clean the preparation of kosher meals is. The Jewish people following strict dietary standard that can be summed up under the term kosher. There are three main kosher food categories: meat, dairy (milk, cheese, butter and yogurt) and pareve (any food that is not meat or dairy, including fish, eggs, and plant-based foods). In this manner, any food categorised as meat and dairy must be kept separate. Pareve food is considered as neutral and may be eaten alongside either meat or dairy. Furthermore, all equipment used to process and clean meat and dairy must be kept separate – this also goes for sinks in which they’re washed. If, for example, pareve food is prepared using the same equipment as meat or dairy, it may be defined as a meat or non-kosher meal.

The old city of Acre is listed under UNESCO heritage. The city is surrounded by a well-preserved wall all around, reminding of a fortified settlement. You might not want to miss out on a visit to the Ahmed Al-Jazzar Mosque (admission is 10 ILS), Akko Harbour, Old Town Souk and of course the Bahá’í Gardens, where the founder of the Bahá’í Faith has a dedicated shrine. This very place represents the holiest place on Earth for the Bahá’í and the point towards which they turn during their prayers each day. The founder of the faith (Mirza Husayn-Ali; 1817–1892) brought to the religion an essential message of unity, the teaching that there is only one God, one human race, and that all the world's religions have been progressive stages in the revelation of God's will and the purpose of humanity.

Of course, when you’re in Israel, you can’t avoid visiting Tel Aviv, a city with a population of almost half a million. It lies right next to the Mediterranean Sea. Your first impressions of the city might trample your expectations because Tel Aviv is a very developed city with numerous skyscrapers, a long city beach with lots of surfers excitedly catching waves (despite ended up with a rainy day there were plenty of them, so if you want to learn surfing there are many surfing schools there and you can rent surfing equipment).

When coming to Tel Aviv for the first time, one might feel the very liberal vibe of the city and its alternative scene full of young and innovative people. When it comes to that vibe, the city has a lot to offer. Here, you might not find a lot of Orthodox Jews. It might just happen that the only place you’ll feel like you’re in Israel will be the Old part of the City – Jaffa. Take your time and go for a walk through the city promenade along the sea until you get to the Old City – Jaffa. Lose yourself in narrow streets where you will find a lot of tiny vintage, creative stores with different collections of hand-crafts and art, and small restaurants. You can pass by the Hanging Tree and the First Fashion House Maskit. And while you’re in Tel Aviv, don’t miss out on a visit to the Peres Center for Innovation and Peace. It’s a mind-blowing Center that holds exhibitions of the striving visionary approaches through history and the most cutting-edge start-ups of the Israeli nation. Their futuristic innovations have helped improve many people’s lives. Visiting the centre, you might experience a completely different way of looking at the future, encourage you to strive towards innovation and take advantage of technologies. Presented exhibitions of start-ups, which change every now and then, stimulates and twist your senses to encourage creative thinking. After you’re done with the visit, you might find yourself fully inspired as we were – it was the perfect conclusion of our trip before we headed to the airport. In front of the entrance to the Peres Center, a sign saying DREAM BIG is proudly situated. This motto, in my opinion, sums up Israel’s driving mentality and is what pushes the nation to the edge, from where all futuristic ideas are driven from. This I how a small country, such as Israel with its population of barely nine million and no major natural sources as well as 60% desert land coverage, ended up in the first place on the list of most innovative countries in the world. May your trip to Israel be full of inspiration. I will keep in touch with you, Israel.