Very special, very tasty. One regret I had in producing "Rick Steves' The Holy Land: Israelis and Palestinians Today" was that a lot of fascinating material wound up on the cutting-room floor. Exploring Jerusalem's Old City, with its tight quarters and religious passions, I was impressed by the diversity, the feeling of community, and how, all in all, things seem to work together. My three guides were instrumental in the scouting and production of the Holy Land TV show. Wandering these lanes, I can't imagine living in such dense population…the lack of privacy…being a parent with children and little money…the frustration of an uncertain future. And, with Israeli government subsidies for housing and transportation, young Jewish families can afford to live here and commute from West Bank settlements back into Israel. And, while Israelis celebrate the birth of their nation, Palestinians call Israel's Independence Day the "Day of Catastrophe." And there were a lot of cases when we found ourselves debating whether we should even bring up a particular topic, given the fact we wouldn't have time to cover it as thoroughly as we'd like to. These are all no-win areas, so we would try to use both terms, or, when possible, find a term that would be more acceptable to both sides. Rick: This feels so free and beautiful here, and you have such a future, but you're living behind a wall. Today, the combined population of Israel and Palestine is about 12 million — roughly half Jews and half Muslim Arabs, and only a couple percent Christian. Out of context, it can be made to look like bias. — Boom. Its thriving market is a classic Arab souk. Rick: Free women with a good future. In my endeavor to talk to different people with different views in the Holy Land, I talked with three charming young women about their reality: Western popular influence; how and why they might wear a hijab to cover their heads; and a few fashion tips. Season 1, Episode 1 TV-G CC SD CC HD. The state of Israel was born, in part, out of the Holocaust, a defining event in the long history of the Jews. God intervened and saved Isaac. In Palestine, by harvesting olives, making a home visit, and popping into a university, we'll get to know a land few travelers visit, and a point of view few people consider. Kamal: Those settlements are making these, this, this idea of us building the states on that land impossible. We sat down with our Israeli guide Benny and driver Kobe to get an edible lesson in this part of their culture. I’m wearing my yarmulke…and I’m ready to learn. Rick: My hunch is they've learned that there [is] only one future and that is to respect Israel and not be violent. This is something special: This we call tabbouleh. More often than not I would say yes, I want to broach this. I felt safe the whole time. Rick: I think it's impossible for a traveler to be hungry in Palestine. Travel with a Mobile Device That's why I love this place. Knowing people like Husam, you become more tuned in to the ramifications America's policies in this region have on real people. L'chaim. What is the thinking in Palestine about, about violent resistance now? Rick: Now, there's a lot of confusion in America about settlements and so on. But, I've learned that these Israeli enclaves embitter the Palestinians as much as violent resistance embitters Israelis. Considering the impact of American policies on the daily lives of both Israelis and Palestinians, this is my attempt to introduce you to some people in both camps whose voices might otherwise not be heard. Galilee is popular among Christian pilgrims. It's enlivened with singing, studying, and praying among the tombs of their great patriarchs. In this Q&A, Rick talks about the reasons why he decided to produce the "Rick Steves' The Holy Land: Israelis and Palestinians Today" TV special, how he arrived at certain decisions he made, and what he learned from the experience. With its international professionals and university students, Ramallah has an almost cosmopolitan energy you feel nowhere else in Palestine. European Travel Skills Tour Account › Travel Forum › Home / Travel Forum / Beyond Europe / Holy Land; Please sign in to post. There was a history of violence during different struggles. Second student: Yes, we can do everything together. They are licensed guides and independent professionals who would love your business. Because if they can't get together, they're saddled with the unfortunate baggage of their parents' struggles. Famed (or notorious) for its fighting spirit, the city has walls crusty with political posters. Explore Europe with Rick Steves, best-selling travel author and host of public television's "Rick Steves' Europe" and public radio's "Travel with Rick Steves." Only now, the tents are gone, replaced by multi-story cinderblock tenements. While complete Muslim control of Jerusalem is unrealistic, many Arabs envision an independent Palestinian state, with this part of Jerusalem — East Jerusalem — as their capital. Travel — especially here in Palestine — is filled with opportunities to learn. They say, "It was planted by our grandfathers for us to eat and we plant it for our grandchildren to eat.". Traveling here humanizes the Holy Land. And the commerce enlivening the main street of the camp is like that of a town. Rick: Ah, so everybody who's wearing a yarmulke, it's a constant reminder the maker is up above. We love it here. We would talk to people in the markets in Jerusalem. Husam talks of the frustrations of living under what many Palestinians consider an Israeli occupation. For centuries, Jews were generally not allowed to worship here. They remember their loss — the destruction of many Arab villages that once thrived here, and how hundreds of thousands of those who fled ended up in refugee camps over a newly drawn border. And, immersed in this vibrant city's commercial commotion, I found simply being part of the scene a powerful experience. And you're not using it, you know? Rick: That's my hope. They'll say, "No, we're not settlers." A young father, he was enjoying what he considers the good life: to be a farmer, back to nature, and raising his kids in an idyllic settlement in the West Bank. The 10-foot-by-10-foot platting — marking where tents were posted back in 1948 — survives. For political reasons, for religious reasons, for family reasons? It was the only way for them to survive. I'm not selfish man. And just like Seattle's a city so is Ma'aleh Adumim a city. I didn't want to just talk to tour guides, and I didn't want to just talk to activists or people from the tourist board or the public-relations folks. Emperor Constantine, the first Christian Roman emperor, had this church built in 326. Every day they looked up to Golan saying, "Is it going to be a day of shelling today — " We were impressed at how easily we could get into the settlements. We're joining little Mustafa, who's been sent by his mother to get chicken for dinner. Israelis say this is a security fence, built after losing a thousand of its citizens to suicide bombers in the previous decade. I wanted to just surprise people on the streets and see if they'd be willing to talk to us. When I write TV scripts for shows all over Europe, I don't need much expert input. He also offers the "Kamal Mini-Tour Package": $700 per person for double, or $600 for single, which includes three nights and two days of sightseeing (one day covering Bethlehem, the second day visiting Hebron, Jericho, and the desert) with breakfast and dinner (add a third or fourth person to the double rate for $100 per person per day). We'll go beyond the sights, opening our minds to both narratives to better understand and empathize with the people. Scotland It's made of bulgur and parsley and cucumbers. Amazon.fr - Achetez Rick Steves' The Holy Land: Director's Cut Edition à petit prix. Buy Season 1 HD $6.99. But most of these are secular Jews — non-practicing. "No, we're living in a city." Jump to bottom. (I'd happily to pay the cost to hire Kamal for anyone in the Trump Administration who might like to balance their understanding of the challenges of this region by hearing the Palestinian narrative firsthand.) Benny Dagan was helpful in our researching and filming of the Holy Land special. Starring Rick Steves Subtitles English [CC] Audio languages English. womens walking shoes for Holy Land Tour in June 2010. While he certainly has plenty of detractors, this Palestinian statesman, who led the PLO from 1969 until 2004, is without a doubt the father of modern Palestine. The square operates as an open-air synagogue, with men and women separated by a barrier. Posted by BEVERLY (Pembroke Pines, Fl, USA) on 09/17/09 12:50 AM. Joining locals in an afternoon stroll down Ben Yehuda Street, in Jerusalem's New City, we appreciate this culture's compelling mix of east and west, secular and sacred, modern and traditional. We would drop in on people in cafes in Israel. With everything that happens around us. With a quick and decisive victory in the Six Days' War, Israel increased its territory substantially. We exist to today. The western foundation of this ancient temple complex survives. In 2012, the United Nations recognized Palestine as a state. think 14 HD 12/24 04:00: The hour-long RICK STEVES' SPECIAL: THE HOLY LAND, ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS TODAY weaves together both the Israeli and the Palestinian narratives to better understand a place that is, for a third of humanity, literally holy land. Turkey, ©2021 Rick Steves' Europe, Inc. | Kamal's mother: Bon appétit. Meet the Middle East fosters relationships between the US and Middle East through education and immersion travel for students, adults, and businesses. It was important for me to understand and share both narratives, and Benny was a big help in fairly presenting the Israeli point of view. Kamal: Why should I leave my country? Poignantly, access for the feuding descendants of Abraham is divided by a pane of bullet-proof glass. Rick: The reality is…? First student: They live freely, like womens in the world. A Holy Land Miracle. When on the road, the more people I can talk to the better. But that view isn't really newsworthy. Holding the Torah high, joyous families celebrate at the most holy place in Judaism. Take the refugee problem, for example. Here in the Muslim Quarter, a bustling and labyrinthine marketplace is popular with local Arabs. A no-man's-land with Jewish political art decorating closed buildings divides the two communities. The fresh oil, after filtering, becomes a golden liquid poured into jugs to be taken home. If nothing else, you'll come home appreciating why the land is treasured by people on both sides of that wall. This time we’re venturing beyond Europe. Here in the Holy Land, the land itself is holy to its inhabitants. It's a very contentious issue, and Israel seems determined to keep Jerusalem whole and in its control. Turnstiles and checkpoints are a way of life. The Muslim Quarter, with over half of the Old City's population, is Arab. — Rick. Jerusalem is a sprawling and modern city of about 800,000 people. Rick: What's the significance of the yarmulke? In this culture, food is love, and seems to celebrate the bounty of the land. Rick: So there are many different stripes of Orthodoxy in the Jewish faith. Outside the Old City, we're immersed in modern Jerusalem. Who are these half a million people who live in the West Bank in Israeli settlements? And peace is possible only when both sides move beyond the past and make real concessions. Or at least enjoy the vicarious benefit of having traveled there with us so they can humanize the Holy Land and better understand that it's not as simple as black and white. Second student: Of course to live in peace. This hour-long special weaves together both the Israeli and the Palestinian narratives. It's famous as the place where Jesus did his three years of ministry, and where so many Bible stories were set — from loaves and fishes, and the Sermon on the Mount, to Christ walking on water. Kamal's private guide service rates are $200 for a full day with a car (add $50 in and around Bethlehem), or $100 per day for anywhere in the West Bank (Jericho/Judean Desert/Hebron/Ramallah/Nablus). Whew! We're meeting Kamal's mother, fiancée, his sister, and her children. Rick: Beteavon.Thank you. Very good. They also believe in Mary; they worship her. I don't think we've seen it yet. And, in the 16th century, after the return of Muslim dominance, the Ottoman Turks surrounded Jerusalem with this mighty wall. Second student: We're very happy that you're coming and give you this point and this thoughts about us, because we know that Americans and public in general, they know the bad idea about us. And for Jews, the Temple of Solomon stood right here. Posted by dmr.countrygirl on 01/15/16 11:00 PM. Road signs are in three languages and three scripts: Hebrew and Arabic for Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel, and English for visitors. Man in café: Well the word ‘settlement' has all kinds of connotations. But, when times are tense, checkpoints are manned, and only yellow plates are allowed. I love you. I do not endorse any of these organizations or individuals; they are listed at their request. Plenty of these people would have loved to talk to us. Call him what you like, people here celebrate Arafat as the man who did more than anyone else to raise awareness of the Palestinian struggle for independence. Getting around is easy. As a visitor, traveling from Palestinian city to city on fine, modern freeways, it's easy to underestimate the complexity of the region and the extent of Israeli control. Our goal as TV producers was to produce a show that people would enjoy watching from beginning to end without slamming the door and thinking we are just "agenda" journalists. The focal point for both faiths is this: the tomb of Abraham. Italy And Jerusalem is the most contested city within this contested land. 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