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| Home > Israel > Day 1: Problems at El Al- trip to Jerusalem |
| Day 1: Problems at El Al- trip to Jerusalem | | Date Created: Jan 03, 2005, 07:12 AM |
What is Passover?
It was a momentous first few days of our journey to Israel! Looking over to the entire city of Jerusalem with all its lights will be one of the top highlights of the trip... but the exitement and adventure started even before we left New York. I had to pass El Al security, and of course I didn't think I would ever be a security threat, right? The woman started asking straight about my Judiasm. She smiled frequently and was mildly attractive. She asked me about why my last name sounded Italian-- and had to explain that I am from a mixed marriage-- father is Catholic and mother is Jewish. So, she asked me what holidays I celebrated-- I told her just Hanukkah-- then she asked me what we did for Hanukkah. I told her we open presents and spin the dreidel. I started to smile because I thought she was hitting on me. The questions got harder- she asked me to explain the meaning of Passover. I tried to remember the Ten Commandments movie and my brief knowledge of the religion-- and I answered, "well, it was like about these people and something about blood and a door and the Romans and your first born... I'm sorry i told you before we're not religious and I don't know much!" She snapped and reminded me that it was the Egyptians that persecuted the Jews, not the Romans.. She finally started probing me about my Grandparent's Jewish activities, which I had no knowledge of-- and immediately deemed I was a security threat and told to report back to security for extra screening at 10:15 PM. I came back to be searched-- I had to take off my belt, my shoes and socks and be probed with a metal wand which reacted with a loud beep when waved around my midsection. They tested my wallet, passport and phone for radiation or something and finally, 30 minutes before departure, I was cleared to board! I was escored by El Al staff through airport security and watched when I had to pee all the way to the plane. |
The Flight
The flight was long-- a clear 11 hours from takeoff to landing, and I was placed away from the bulkhead between two ultra-orthodox Jewish men-- but luckily a seat opened up closer to the group. I was lucky to have met a few people my own age, and was very relieved that there were people on the trip with similar interests- to see the sights, take it in and then party in the evenings! I started my usual international flight with a small bottle of red wine. Read my book, talked with the others and listened to my iPod a bit. My main focus, however, was drinking wine. My plan was to get wasted then pass out for the rest of the flight. It was the only way I would sleep. Five bottles later, Doreen, Josh, John and I were causing a ruckus! Our mission was contagious-- the college students sitting next to me decide to break out the wine too-- then the guy across from me opens his bottle of Grey Goose.. and walla- a big party on El Al Flight 6 to Tel Aviv! Doreen spilled soda all over my jeans and then spilled on John. I was absolutely not intoxicated, but a younger passenger vomited- so she decided to cut all the alcohol off. We were quite upset, but it worked.. within minutes, I was passed out and slept for a good, quality three hours. |
 Arrival
I woke up to a bunch of orthodox gentlemen praying in the back of the plane. I hoped they were praying for a safe passage to Tel Aviv! The landing was very turbulent, but we did touch down safely. I was now in the Holy Land! It was pouring, but I didn't mind as I was excited to get to know my new travel companions better. After a bit of organizing, we boarded the bus for our first destination- JERUSALEM! We met Aviad, our Israeli tour guide who spoke briefly about the trip and a bit mor about the Holy City-- I was really impressed by the infrastructure. The airport was beautiful and the roads were well maintained. After a 45 minute ride, the skyline of the city was approaching. It was everything I expected-- many hills and medium sized buildings that covered the entire area. We stopped at an observatory and some participants said an opening prayer, followed with a glass of wine and a toast. The wine was way too sweet, but shortly thereafter we started a "horaesque" dance that was awkwardly received by the American students in the circle. I thought it was cool, but I quickly realized that there were many young students that would have to put up a facade to this to gain acceptance from the other members. I was 19 once too.
We got to the hotel and immediately ate supper. There were my favorites, beef swharma, hummus, tahini and harissa (which is an incredibly spicy condiment made of multiple chiles. I enjoyed the food immensely-- and expected to endure middle east cuisine for the remainder of the trip.
We capped off the night with a bit of American football. Surprisingly, a game was on the television at the bar although the Jets were not on. I watched the ticker, had a few beers with friends and met three cool orthodox guys who were studying at Yeshiva. I glanced at my watch. It was midnight (5 PM EST) and realized I was up for 31 hours... it was time to go to bed and prepare for our following day in the Holy City. |
 My travel companions |
 John |
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