Haifa

I woke up on day eleven and wondered which batch of hummus that I'd eaten had upset my stomach so much. I knew that I'd be spending less time exploring Haifa than I'd intended, but considered myself lucky to feel well enough to go out at all after the night I'd had.

My first stop in Haifa was Elijah's Cave. The cave is sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims. It is the spot where the 9th century prophet, Elijah, lived while he was fleeing from King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Elijah also open his school here when his exile was over. It is located on the westernmost part of Haifa Bay, where Mount Carmel meets the Mediterranean Sea.
Just down the hill from Elijah's Cave, is The Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum. This exceptional museum documents the period in history when Jews from all over the world attempted to flee the deadly persecution they endured, especially in Eastern Europe & Germany. The British, attempting to placate the Arab masses who lived in Palestine, had put serious limits on Jewish immigration even though they knew what was happening to the Jews.
The stories are uplifting and heartbreaking- desperate people who know that not attempting the journey will almost certainly lead to death, while also accepting that the difficult path to Palestine could also very well lead to deprtation, detention or even death. The centerpeice of the museum is the clandestine immigration ship Af-Al-Pi Chen, or the Nevertheless, a name that is so fitting in this struggle.
The inside of the ship has been turned into a gallery and theater, which displays many excellent photos that paint a picture of what life was like for those refugees. You can tell how difficult their situation is, but also can see the hopefulness of a people who really had nowhere else to go.

The film that was aired in the theater was very moving, using testimony of the refugees themselves, set against the background of archival footage from the era. The museum below the ship expanded on the life on the ships as well as what life was like in the detention camps which a large number of the people wound up in. The museum also pointed out the positive outcome of the tenacious immigrants, the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.

Jetski used in a failed terrorist attack

The second part of the museum focused on the history of the Israeli Navy. It highlighted Israel's military struggle with it's neighbors (especially Egypt) during the first few decades of the countries existence. The most amazing part of this museum to me was the section that dealt with all the foiled terrorist attacks that the Israeli Navy had been part of. I has heard of a few of these, but the sheer volume of attempts was shocking, even though it probably shouldn't have been. It was a vivid reminder why Israel takes it's security so serious. A little over three weeks later the Israeli Navy was involved in the disastrous boat ride off the coast of Gaza. While hardly condoning their actions, I was a much more sympathetic to the Israelis after seeing how many attempts are made to threaten their security.
After the museum I rode the cable car to the top of Mount Carmel.

The Port of Haifa
Israeli Navy sub escorting ship into the Port

The top of the mount provided great views over the western part of the city, the port of Haifa (Israel's largest) and over the whole of Haifa Bay.


On top of the mountain is the Stella Maris Carmelite Church and Monastery. The beautiful church's highlight is it's ornate dome.
Returning via the cable car to the bottom of this mountain, I drove around the west side of Mount Carmel and up into Carmel neighborhood, Haifa's main pedestrian downtown area when many of the cities best reputed hotels and restaurants are located. Still not feeling all that good, I spent a short time walking around this area, eventually winding up at the top of Haifa's most famous attraction, The Baha'i Gardens. The gardens are beautiful and immaculately maintained, spreading from the Central Carmel are almost all the way down the hillside to the port area. The most striking feature of the gardens is gold domed Shrine of the Baab, but unfortunately for me, the whole building was covered by a scaffolding.
Although disappointed to have my day in Haifa cut short, the extra rest proved essential to the rest of the trip.