If you want to visit a place where remains of ancient civilizations remain intact, Jerusalem awaits.
Susan Vergeront and Lon Foree spoke about their tour last year to the Holy Land at the Dec. 6 Rotary meeting.
Traveling with Good Shepherd Travel, they walked in some areas recorded in the Bible. This included the site of Jesus’ first miracle, changing water into wine. Another was the Sea of Galilee, the potential site of the loaves and fishes where Jesus met his disciples on shore after resurrection.
At Jacob’s Wall and Magiddo, they also saw remains of different civilizations. At Magiddo, 18 levels of civilizations dating back to 3,000 BC are layered in a hill. Susan was impressed with the engineering of the water system there, with the well outside of the city walls.
Their tour also took them on a road from Jerusalem to Jericho, the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
At Qumran, they visited the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found with actual writings from the Old Testament and New Testament.
They also saw Masada and the site of the Roman siege there. A few of the Jews built a fortess to hold out. When the Romans came, they all committed suicide, Susan said.
“All of these places were so impressive because you could just feel what it would have like. The history is so alive,” Susan said.
At the Temple Wall or Wailing Wall, there are three quadrants – one for Jewish men, one for all other men and another for women to write down their prayers and shove them into the cracks. It’s just a stone’s throw away from the Muslim shrine, Dome of the rock.
Vila De La Rosa is the path Jesus carried the cross on. It’s commercialized with reenactments.
Susan said her trip allowed her to better understand the Palestinian conflict. She noted that in 1947, the United Nations moved some Palestinians out of their homes, and after the war of 1967, Israel took over more of their land.
“You can see why the Palestinians are mad,” Susan said. “Palestinians feel very righteous about their land being stolen from them.”
Israel refuses to negotiate until the violence ends, but the Palestinians don’t trust the Israel, she added.
There is a Tent of Nations, a huge farm owned by a Palestinian that Israel tries to block access to. The mission is to build a bridge between all peoples, and they invite others to plant trees there to keep the farm viable.
“When we were there, we planted a tree,” Susan said. “For me, a big part of Jerusalem was finding out why there’s so much controversy.”

 

Other News:
–Kathy Cefalu, who is able to  attend only a few Rotary meetings, gave her 90 seconds of fame. She has been a Rotarian for nearly 30 years and a TDS employee for 33 years. She brought Mark, her husband of 30 years, to the meeting. They have two grown children. Jonny Buroker, who greeted with Kathy for the meeting, has been a member since 2007, and for three years before that. He has three children, and his wife does, too, so they are the Brady Bunch. One still lives at home and is a senior in high school. Jonny works with small businesses, helping with their online marketing.
–President Mark McFarland thanked the members who helped with Adopt a Family and the Rotary Lights. Help is still needed with the lights, and also with replacing bulbs. Contact David Weishoff if you can help.
–The board of directors approved donations of $2,000 to the Waunakee Food Pantry and $1,500 toward a global grant, Mark said.
–Four volunteers are needed for the upcoming ethics program at the high school. Contact Mark if you can help.
–Elections will be next week. Let Taylor Endres know if you’d like to nominate someone.
–Rotarians with kids 15-18 years old have until Feb. 1 to sign them up for an exchange program. See Lori Derauf or Scott Biba if you’re interested. Also, a grant management seminar will be held Feb. 6.
–The Christmas Party will be Jan. 10 at the Meadows of Sixmile Creek Clubhouse. Westside Andy and Glenn Davis will perform.

*****

Guests: Mark Cefalu, guest of Kathy Cefalu; Lon Foree, speaker.
Visiting Rotarians: None.
 
Birthdays: Dec. 14, Rich Wipperfurth.

 

Anniversaries: none.

Greeters: Dec. 13, Scott Cochems and Jon Cullen; Dec. 20, Allan Dassow and Liz Diehs; Dec. 27, Lori Derauf and Breck Dokken.