Trip of the Jaffa kehilla

The past weekend was a very special one for the Jaffa kehilla. Many of the members gathered on Friday afternoon and went off on a community trip. The program of the trip included: visits to Saint John the Baptist Monastery and Saint George in Wadi Kelt, mass at the baptism site of Jesus (at Qasr al-Yahud) and a visit to the Dead Sea.

The visit was pulled off without a hitch, The pleasant climate of Jerusalem lightened the atmosphere in the evening of prayer, a time for “lectio divina” and time to have some social interaction and fun before going to bed at the Saint John hostel. The following day, the enveloping fog and clouds also eased the heat of the day for the members of the kehilla in the Jordan Valley as they made their way to the Monastery of Saint George in Wadi Kelt and it continued throughout the day. The Monastery of Saint George is situated in a Genesis like landscape which caused many of those on the trip to wonder at the view and the atmosphere, enhanced by the desert wind that blows through the curved wadi. The monastery is hidden by the rock of the mountain and the way to the monastery is narrow and winding, demanding great effort in order to reach its doors by foot (unless of course the walker is tempted by the local Bedouin to pay for a ride on the back of a donkey, especially on the way back, up to the parking place of the buses). Inside the monastery, Father Apolinary explained to the members of the kehilla the meaning and importance of the place. He even showed the members of the kehilla the tomb of Saint George.

After a few moments to freshen up in the monastery, thank to the kindness of the monks from there, we once again boarded the bus and made our way to the baptism site, where Jesus was baptized, known as Qasr al-Yahud. There a mass was celebrated and during the mas a new member of the Jaffa kehilla was baptized, his name being Marcus. The place and the time to do the baptize caused great excitement among the members of the kehilla. They received with joy their new brother. Each one contributed to the success of the celebration by means of active participation in decorating or helping with the logistics. The peak of the ceremony was when Father Apolinary wetted the forehead of Marcus with water from the Jordan River, at the very place where Jesus had been baptized by John the Baptist according to tradition.

The trip reached its end with a picnic on the shores of the Dead Sea, a successful moment mainly due to the delicious and diverse dishes that had been prepared. Some time in the waters of the Dead Sea succeeded in restoring sore muscles and burnt skin after the challenging trip and to refuel the members of the kehilla with new energy so that they could get back to their daily routine. I think that everyone had a great time on this trip.

What remains is to wish each of the members of the kehilla a good week, to congratulate the new member of the kehilla and his parents and to warmly recommend to the other kehillot and all the readers to go on this trip.