Oy Vey

Reading about the activities around Haifa today put me in a reminiscing mood.

During the spring of 1978 the ship spent a fair amount of time patrolling the Eastern Mediterranean. After about three weeks we were scheduled to make a port call at Haifa, Israel. The day before we were to pull into port, some a**holes from Lebanon arrived first. They came down the coast and landed on a beach just south of the city. They immediately killed a woman who happened to be taking pictures along the beach. Next, they hijacked a bus and proceeded to shoot up the freeway between Haifa and Tel Aviv. Eventually they blew up the bus resulting in a death toll of 53. (I still have the Newsweek magazine for that week.) The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) immediately went on full alert and we were diverted to Naples, Italy. A few days later we allowed to anchor at Haifa.

We had a couple of days off, so decided to tour the country. An aircraft carrier is too big to actually dock at most ports, so we were anchored out a few hundred yards. To get to shore we take “liberty” boats, which hold about 100 people at a time. The IDF ran a gunboat along side every liberty boat going to and from the shore. Having a 50 cal nearby did provide some comfort.

We picked up a few tourists maps, which interestingly showed the Israeli, Syrian, Jordanian, and Egyptian forward lines rather than the borders. We took the bus from Haifa over to the Sea of Galilee. We crossed the Jordon River, which is not deep and wide as the song says. Guess Michael didn’t have to row very far after all. Basically played tourist and wandered around Galilee and Capernaum. I remember signs saying “Danger! Warning! Israel-Lebanon Frontier 10 Kilometers” Lots of troops up in this northern area as well.

We took the bus down through Nazareth and on to Tel Aviv. At one point the bus was all by itself on a deserted two lane road going up a hill through a series of switchbacks. It was a little spooky considering the events of the week before. At the top of the long hill was a sign that said “Elevation: Sea Level”. Talk about the low lands! Spent the night in Tel Aviv. Our hotel doorman had an Uzi slung over his shoulder. The next day it was on to Bethlehem and Jerusalem, which had armed troops on all street corners.

At the Wailing Wall, I noticed a group of about 30 school children, probably about 6 to 8 years old. Accompanying them were two men in civilian clothes. One carried an M-16, the other an old M-2 carbine. I asked the bus driver about it. He said that a law had just been passed requiring armed guards to escort school children on field trips.

I walked along the 15 Stations of the Cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulture. I’m not too religious, but it sure was an awe inspiring walk. Inside of Christ’s tomb, was a priest collecting donations. Talk about feeling pressure! How can one not contribute? So I gave him a big handful of shekels.

I noticed that churches are built on everything; Jesus’ birthplace, Peter’s House, Joseph’s Workshop, Mary Magdalene’s house, the crucifixion site, the tomb, etc. It was a lot different than I had pictured.

In the evening we went back up the coastal freeway to Haifa. For souvenirs we traded hats and shirts with some of the IDF guys at the dock. Also picked up a flag and a few other trinkets. Shalom.