Haifa and Mt. Carmel

It was a nine-hour overnight flight from New York City to Tel Aviv, and it was probably the least peaceful flight I've ever taken. According to one of our travel guide books:

Israel is one of those countries that seems to begin the minute you step on the plane. Soon after the plane takes off, you might notice that a religious service seems to be taking place at the back of the plane. At the same time, everyone else seems to be strolling about, joking, and drinking endless rounds of soft drinks.

The flight attendants gave up trying to keep order. Even the captain was unable to calm the mayhem.

I slept much of the second day, while Mom and Dennis explored Haifa. Haifa is the main port of Israel. Because Israel's coastline is almost straight, there are few good ports. In the 1930s, waves of European Jews fleeing Nazi persecution arrived in Haifa. In 1939, a British White Paper limited immigration to just 750 Jews a month. Many desperate people arrived here after a long and difficult journey only to be turned away. Haifa was the only ground they touched in the Holy Land.

The photo was taken from Mt. Carmel, where Elijah called down fire from heaven (I Kings 18). David's wife Abigail was from Carmel (I Samuel 25:40).