Saturday, January 20, 2018

Jonah's Hill (Givat Yona)




On Wednesday, I had some things to do in the city- port of Ashdod. I thought I'd go afterwards to visit Jonah's  Hill which , they say, offers great panoramic views of the city , the sea, the harbour, and the Lachish river. 

Well, the weather was not cooperative. It changed every hour or so from clear and pleasant to rainy and windy, and vice versa.   Not a very suitable day for climbing a hill.


at first,clear sky, calm sea ; (me with a thin head cover)

Nevertheless, I decided to reach the hill with the intention to, at least, learn about its interesting location - in a residential area, close to the promenade, overlooking the sea and city.

Before approaching the hill, I stopped at two spots on the promenade:  the monument in memory of the sunken ships Struma and Mefkure, and the open market near Lido beach and the Sundial tower.

Struma and Mefkure monument

Struma and Mefkure were two ships carrying over a thousand romanian- born jews on their way to, then, British Mandate Palestine, The british refused their entrance; the ships turned back and got torpedoed, probably by  a russian submarine in the Black Sea (Mefkure in 1942, Struma in 1944).

I'm of romanian descent,born and raised in Romania, and I've known  this story all my life, so I felt I had to stay for a while in silence near the memorial, and think about those tragically lost innocent lives.


Sundial Tower near Lido beach


The Wednesday market on Ashdod's promenade, under the shadow of the Sundial Tower is quite a big, versatile  known flea market, but not on this wednesday. Because of the weather, the vendors closed their stalls earlier , and what was left were vegetable/fruit stalls only. People have to eat .


fresh strawberries - I bought some.

Fruit and veggies

vegetables

preserved olives


herbs

Now, back to Jonah's Hill.  There's a lighthouse on the top of the hill. It is clearly seen from the street and the surrounding area. To get to the top one has to climb stairs. For the locals, so I'm told, the hill is a perfect leisure place;it has  a park, picnic spots, a nice cafe-restaurant, and... gorgeous panoramic views. Well, God willing , I'll visit it some other time, in better weather.


Lighthouse

Lighthouse - closer view

This hill is named after the prophet Jonah who, according to the Bible, was swallowed by a whale (or some other sort of sea creature) and released from its belly only after three days and three nights of praying to God. The prophet is said to be buried on the hill, and some excavations done in the area seem to confirm that.

Jonah, was a disobedient prophet. He was told by God to go to Nineve, one of the largest (and wickedest) cities at that time (Mosul in modern day Iraq), to preach, and foretell its destruction.

Well, some sources claim he tried to escape the mission and that's why he got punished ; other sources say he did what he was told to do, but he was angry with God for saving the wicked city from destruction, after all.  Either way he was disobedient.

"Nothing new under the sun": corruption, violence, destruction, disobedience; and a case of "History repeats itself". Nineve was bad, Mosul (especially under the late ISIS occupation) was bad as well. This part of the world, I'm afraid,  will always be bad.




28 comments:

  1. Nothing new under the sun.
    But we can create our own little wonder if we wish.

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    1. Yes, we can and we usually do, until something gets wrong, something that doesn't always depend on us.

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  2. The story you tell with pictures is fascinating. Despite the wind the masses need to be fed. I'd have loved the olives.

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    1. Olives are an important part in our mediterranean diet, and very appreciated; the greater the variety, the better.

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  3. Feels like the weather really added mood to your trip and images.

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    1. You're so right! Weather has a great impact on our mood, and that is also reflected in our images. Standing at the memorial of Struma and Mefkure both the weather and my feelings were gloomy.

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  4. it looks peaceful there! i think my son would like to hear the story and visit it, he's in to bible stories :)

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    1. Bible stories are so versatile and life teaching! Good for your son to like them!

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  5. I can feel that too about the weather and the mood of the visit! Hope you will have a chance to go back on a sunny day too, it might be a whole different view. I guess the stormy weather though goes with the Jonah story! I love that story and would like to see the Jonah hill site one day. Happy Travels thru your days!!

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    1. One should not only consider the weather, but also plan to go straight to the hill, be there for a couple of hours, and only then turn to other things. Climbing the hill needs all the energy one can get.

      You're right - stormy weather does indeed go with the story of Jonah.

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  6. Despite the weather it seems like an interesting walk!

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    1. True. It was indeed an interesting walk, and a long one, in spite of the fickle weather.

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  7. Determination will not be swayed by changes in the weather.

    Sad reflections on a sad, sad time...a time when so many wrongs were callously afflicted upon the innocent.

    A cloud of sorrow engulfs one's soul, one's whole being when visiting such monuments....

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    1. Well put, Lee!
      Sadness can hardly be overcome when near such a monument. WW2 and its atrocities.

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  8. Yes, I too read that Jonah was mad at God for giving him that assignment. Disobedience has a price and we learn so much about figuring it out in our finite minds compared to a limitless God. The rain looks refreshing to our desert landscape here! I enjoyed every photo and appreciate all the fruits, veggies and herbs! Oh, I want badly that peace will come to Israel, Shalom dear Duta.

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    1. God forgave Jonah after all, by releasing him from the whale's belly, just as he forgave the people of Ninive after they expressed repentance for their sins. God is forgiving.
      Thanks for your kind words about rain and peace in our region.

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  9. Thanks for this story, Duta. Even though the weather was not as cooperative as you would have liked, you seemed to complete your goal and perhaps will indeed return on a brighter day. Those strawberries and vegetables looked wonderful and olives are a favorite of mine as well.

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    1. The weather might cause a lot of inconveniences, but , luckily, in our parts doesn't disrupt our life. Storms and rain are usually of short duration during our winters.
      Yes, strawberries and olives are very sought after in our markets.

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  10. You are such a great story teller, I feel like I've actually been there with you by the time that I get to the end of your post. I'm sorry the weather wasn't very cooperative, but hopefully you will get a chance to go again under better conditions.

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    1. Thanks, Alicia, for your kind words. I'm very flattered by your opening sentence.

      Well, I'm glad we have some rain; we badly need it, so the hill can wait. There are some other attractions I would like to see in Ashdod, so I hope to revisit the city someday and 'explore' Jonah's hill.

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  11. "Struma and Mefkure were two ships carrying over a thousand romanian- born jews on their way to, then, British Mandate Palestine, The british refused their entrance; the ships turned back and got torpedoed..."

    Horrific. Turned away... I wonder how they could turn them away.

    I had no idea Mosul was Ninevah!

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    1. Horrific indeed. The ships were refused entrance because it was considered illegitimate immigration. Most, if not all of the refugees were Holocaust survivors!!

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  12. Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, and for liking the photos.

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  13. Your photographs are absolutely exquisite and give me such a taste of the place.

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    1. Thank you. I try to be loyal to the saying: " a picture is worth a thousand words".

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  14. Good for you climbing that hill. It sounds like our weather, suddenly changeable.
    What a tragic story. Thank you for telling us.

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    1. Well, actually I didn't climb the hill. I hope to do so in a better weather. I was just around the hill assesing its position in the neighborhood.

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