re: arrived in israel

EFTA00580027

hi there, well, i arrived at 4.30am today. after an uneventful flight though no sleep; Dear Arik picked me up and we whizzed on into jerusalem and up to the mt of olives for an early morning 'hi' - - city beautiful as ever. very very windy, dad's grave was actually the messiest i have ever seen it and i spent a while trying to clean up. papers, broken glass from beer bottles everywhere ugh. most likely from the wind, but still it was not great, but otherwise, fine. he seems to have 'more company' up there now... :-)

then i went to my good friend isaac applbaum who has an appt in Bekka in the old city where i'm staying tonight - a couple of miles from the king david where i'm typing this now, who had invited me to a wonderful private showing of hte ancient, famous tunnels under the western wall. about 120 of his closest friends were there, many of whom i nkow, for his son's bar mitzvah the event really was. the tunnels are amazing, really, right under the western wall, very moving. Mom, i know you would love to see this if yo havn't already!!

then we were taken up to the very top of one of the buildings overlooking hte western wall for lunch. - totally amazing views of the Dome of the Rock and up to the mt of olives - (i.e. we are about 300-yards awy from the wall, v high up. there were police and secret service and soldiers with us cos it turned out that the minister of housing was there, v v right wing (ugh) but anyway we kind of felt quite fine

I noticed over in the distance to the right of hte wailing wall, a kind of path full of police/soldiers seeming to wait at a green gate into the Wall, all of a sudden i noticed that the door opened and they seemed to be tearing inside behind the wall. then there were lots of popping sounds and it turned out that israeli police had torn into the mosque area on the other side of the wall cos youths were stoning them so we were 'treated' to tear gas and rubber bullet noises over the wall we could see nothing and we were assured that all was 'well' and not to move. So the lunch continued to the bazaar popping noises and some smoke from over the wall and the minister carried on eating without turning a hair! It was all quite surreal - hundreds of kids and tourists and people at the Wailing wall itself, still praying, as if nothing was happening on the other side... And then we looked over the balustrade from our lunch place and saw hundreds of law-abiding palestinians just going home normally from the mosque....

anyway, we all left in good order and here is the haaretz report of what they say happened. Just in case you hear about this on the news i thought I'd tell it from my perspective -

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/411876.html

i'm off back to my friends appt to sleep ! and tomorrow i will head off for Hertzliya and my good new friend there. Edna and Ruvic are not back for a few days but of course i shall see them, if not stay tiwht htem for a bit. i'll keep yo u posted.

The weather is sunny and warm if windy and i'm glad to be here. All my love, i'm truly fine and will write again v soon.

all love,.

isi/mom