Seeing every square inch of Israel

Okay, I managed to disable my netbook, so can't get on the internet, and can't send pictures. Maybe some one in my group can help me.

We have an Israeli guide, a secular Jew, like a lapsed Catholic or inactive Mormon. We also have an American guide, a sort of active Jew. She goes back to Utah tonight. Between them, I swear I will have seen every square inch of Israel and the pace is exhausting.

Yesterday, the 28th, our professor took us to the West Bank to visit his daughter. Oh, and our professor is an Orthodox Jew. He is also very liberal. His daughter and son-in-law and kids live in the West Bank, which is mostly Arab inhabited. They get along with all their Arab friends and neighbors. The place they live is called Gush Etzion, and and one point was ambushed and all the remaining settlers killed. This was several years ago. Decades ago. For Mormons, this is similar to Hauns' Mill Massacre, only the Mormons did not return after the massacre. The children of the settlers did return to Gush Etzion.
We also visited an outlet store. There is a kibbutz that makes shoes and has outlet stores all over Israel. Then we visited a center for Ethiopian Jews who need to acclimate to a new country. This takes several years, as they need to learn a new language and how to buy simple things. When one has lived in a hut, and now needs to know how to use electronics ....... It was very interesting.

Today, we went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. Our Israeli guide was adament that only Jews studied them. When several of us explained that the scrolls had traveled to Utah, and that there was a team of BYU professors working with the Israelis, he was genuinely surprised. Our professor says the guide has a lot to learn about religion in general.
We also toured the Old City, which I said I would explain. I will have to put that off until I have time to do so.

The schedule for tomorrow is scary looking! Some of us want to see things, and they won't let us, or tell us it is not a good idea to do so. Finally a few teachers hired a van to go to the Garden of Gethsemane on their own. I am supposed to take a group to the Muslim sites of the Dome of the Rock, but when that will happen, I don't know.

With our American guide going home, maybe we can lighten up the schedule.
And people think I am on vacation! HA! I am going to bed now.