Jerusalem kehilla goes out to see the sites

Last Saturday, April 16, the Jerusalem kehilla went to see he sites in the Shephela. We were 29 adults and 13 children. Most of the day was spent in the Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park, a sprawling site that covers about five square kilometers. At the beginning of the trip, Father Nicola explained to us the basic facts about the site, its geographical importance, the wars that had taken place there and the different populations that had settled there over the centuries. After this, we began our trip through the caves (the Colomarium cave, the bathouse cave, the maze cave, etc). The beauty and diversity of the caves aroused the interest and wonder of all of us, ypoung and old alike. The beautiful weather contributed to our enjoyment.

It was already 14.30 when we finally sat down to have lunch, after the mass that we celebrated in the remains of the Crusader Church of Sandahna (named for Saint Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin), a place rather removed from the rest of the site. It is noteworthy that the meal did not leave us hungry because of the good food brought by the families but especially because the three Filipina mothers prepared a real feast for everyone.

At the end of the trip, after we had left Beit Guvrin, we went to the ruins of Madras, where there is a hidden cave from the time of Bar Kokhba, where there is a series of chambers joined by narrow rtunnels that can only be accessed by crawling. Not everybody was able to crawl but the vast majority made their attempt with torches on their foreheads. No one was injured but those who enjoyed this the most were undoubtedly the children.