The Jerusalem kehilla goes on a day trip

On Friday, July 16, the members of Jerusalem’s kehilla were able to enjoy a parish trip. We all packed the necessary equipment (above all the ice boxes with liters of cold water) into three cars and moved towards the south.

The first goal of the trip was Susya. Though this Jewish city is not mentioned in any ancient text, its remains an impressive site. We started with a presentation prepared by Nadine, during which we could locate ourselves on the map and follow David’s escape from Saul. The southern Hebron Hills are part of biblical Judea, so we were able to identify many famous places in the neighborhood of Susya. We completed our knowledge by watching a movie in an unusual cinema - inside a dwelling cave from ancient times. Even though the ruins of Susya were not easy accessible for our older or disabled travelers, we could visit the most beautiful and impressive parts of the site. We walked through the remains of houses, saw numerous ritual bathing pools (mikvehs) and entered the dwelling caves. A huge, black scorpion stopped us in the middle of a tunnel but we considered it as a good sign for the rest of our trip.

The high point of Susya is undoubtedly the ruins of a synagogue. It is dated as being in use from the 4th until the 9th centuries. Our great guide - Nadine - explained the characteristics of the building to us: the absence of columns to support the roof, the niche of the Torah repository on the northern, Jerusalem-oriented wall and the entrance on the east side (unlike in the Galilean synagogues). We were deeply impressed by the mosaics. The typical motives of Judaism (candelabra (menorahs), palm branches (lulav), and citrons (etrog) mixed with other decorative elements (deer, rams, columns). We played paleographers trying to read the Hebrew inscriptions from the mosaics in the courtyard and discussed the meaning of the text.

The last moment of our visit in Susya was a picnic lunch (congratulations to Sharbel who provided cold beer). After crossing the checkpoint we took the road to Arad and enjoyed the desert views stopping at the panoramic point at Mitsad Zohar to get to the shore of the Dead Sea. We enjoyed a short presentation about the Dead Sea scrolls and the community in Qumran and arrived at El Azariah (the ancient Bethany), to the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus - the friends of Jesus. We felt like them, being invited to the meal with Jesus, since we celebrated the Eucharist in the Franciscan Church there.

In the homily, Fr. Piotr reminded us of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, connecting the “Prophet of fire” - Elijah with the “Fire of Love”, praised by Carmelite Fathers and Sisters. We were encouraged to follow the “little way” of S. Theresa from Lisieux by doing small good deeds so that we can enjoy our life. "Discouragement, spiritual weariness, constant complaining and lack of enthusiasm may occur in our communities,” said Fr. Piotr, “but do not let it overcome you. Enjoy every day, smile more, try to love everyone, see the beauty of life - appreciate all the little things that God gives you”.

After the Eucharist we were able to visit the Crusader Chapel and have a look at the remains of the oldest church - built by Saint Helena.

Safe and happy we came back to Jerusalem. We offer a big hug to Fr. Apolinary and to Nadine for preparing the trip and to all who participated. See you next time.