April 15, 2004 Christian Friends of Israel (CFI) which is located in Jerusalem, laid out a spread for the Holocaust Survivors that included a meal along and a concert. They wanted to know if we could bring some any of the survivors living in Arad, and if so how many.
We have a 9-seater: me driving, Lura navigating, leaving room for 7. But when we actually hit the road it was only Lura, me, and only 4 others. Three Holocaust Survivors at the last minute were not feeling up to par and we had to leave without them.
The whole event was only going to last 1 ½ to 2 hours. With that being the case, Lura and I decided on making brief stops, pointing out points of interest, along the way.
We purchased a couple of nice Tour Guide Books, one in English, the other in Russian. Both had corresponding pictures and page number.
Traveling along the Jordan Valley, adjacent to the Dead Sea, we pass a lot of interesting sites. A couple of breathtaking overlooks, Dead Sea hotels and beaches, Masada, En Geti, Quamran Caves, etc.
Pulling off at the 1st overlook, I gave them all a nice glass of water.
Instead of zooming pass the hotels and beaches using the bypass road, we took the scenic route, up close, in your face.
Pulling off to the side of the road, I pointed to Masada, we opened the tour books and did some reading.
Moving down the road we came to Ein Gedi. I wanted to drive along their service road (a well kept secret) to see if we could spot some wild Hyrax (called Conies in the Bible, see Lev 11:5 and Deut 14:7 KJV) and some wild goats (1 Sam 24:1-2) and PTL we did!
Next we made a pit stop at Qumran, everyone using the W.C. (water closet, bathroom, toilet). Then we watched a 15min video, in Russian, all about the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls being found in one of the caves.
By this time people were getting antsy. “When are we getting to Jerusalem?”
Long story short…Lura and I dropped them off, had a bite to eat, picked them up, and we all got back home safe and sound.
They really appreciated what we did! We were so glad to have had the opportunity! Finally got them in the system! This was the 1st time anyone from Arad was invited by CFI because the 42 Arad Holocaust Survivors previously were unheard of.
P.S.
I didn’t find out until the next day that each of the four Holocaust Survivors received a gift along with 500 shekels apiece from CFI.
Edwin Beckford
(4/04)