Sunday, December 30 - "Freedom Fighters or Fanatics?"

Morning, visit to Hadassah Hospital at Ein Kerem, including a tour of the enhancement center (helping cancer patients deal with hair loss) which was made possible by donations from a family associated with Beth Jacob, and a visit to the hospital synagogue with the famous Chagall windows. After the tour we drove to Masada, and went to the top to explore the ruins of Herod's palace and the Essenes community. I climbed the Snake Path instead of riding the gondola; making the ascent on my own two feet helped me feel a deeper connection to this mountain and its history.

Lunch: By the time we finished our explorations it was nearly 2:00 p.m., long past the proper time for lunch as far as several members of our group were concerned, so everyone took a break for food from the visitor center's small snack shops, cafeteria, or the vendors selling dates and fruit juices on the plaza.

After lunch we did a very quick tour of the Masada museum, then drove to Mineral Beach in order to take a dip in the Dead Sea. By this time it was close to 4:00 p.m. and getting cool, so some of us literally only dipped our feet and hands in the water, while others went out and floated. Then many of us warmed up in the sulfur hot tub, or relaxed and listened to one of our group tell The Tale of the Kaplan's Bar Mitzvah Adventure.

Dinner and evening on our own again: Mike, Michelle, and I explored Yoel Solomon street (with the New Deli restaurant) before ending up back on Ben Yehuda again. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Sunrise from our Jerusalem hotel window	Commemoration plaque at Hadassah Hospital	Three of the twelve Chagall windows
Masada and the Snake Path, viewed from the gondola	Me in blue shirt, heading upward	Masada guide describing the layout of the summit
Remains of beseiging Roman army camp	Some of the remaining buildings on Masada	I looked for the rest of the group from the top of the watchtower
Jonah floating in the Dead Sea	Flowers for sale on Ben Yehuda Street (yes, there was quite a change in temperature between daytime and night!)

Photos of December 31--January 1