Bringing the Dead To Life

The Dead Sea is about 30% salt and minerals. Until the 1980's it was believed that no living organism inhabited its waters, until a microalgae was discovered. Israel sold research and development rights to a Japanese firm which then developed cosmetics. Eventually, the rights will expire and Israel will take advantage of the Japanese firm's hardworking to begin putting the microalgae to work for Israel.

This story seems perfectly apropos of Israel. First, there is life hidden in crevices and cracks you would never imagine. In the dry desert areas between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, there appears to be nothing but arid land. But in fact, at Ein Gedi we experienced waterfalls in the middle of the desert – water that secretly makes its way from Jerusalem rainfall down into the water table, only to spring back out of the ground. There, families of Ibexes running and playing, crossing our paths. It was life where none seemed to exist.

Our route to and along the Dead Sea was the same. Long orchards full of fruit trees and date palms extended for miles where 70 years ago, nothing grew. Sure, Israel has engineered that miracle of the desert by bringing the water. But it has – as any Sabra would tell you – made the desert bloom.

Of course, Israelis may have done it best, but they were not the first to bring water – and therefore life – to the desert. We learned how King Herod expanded the Hasmonian Dynasty's small initial, small fort on Masada into a complex, state-of-the-art fortress-city complete with baths, gardens and luxurious appointments – and most importantly a water system to fuel it all. Written accounts say that Herod built five palaces in and around Jericho, only two of which have been found and excavated to-date. These too must have had flowing water to work.

Life even within what appears dead or inaccessible was definitely a theme for our day's journey.

But there is another quintessentially Israeli element to the microalgae story – turning the hidden and undeveloped into scientific and economic success. Israel doesn't just sell microalgae from the Dead Sea – but also farms its minerals, some of which are rare and very valuable. By bringing water to deserts and draining swamps (mostly in the North), Israel now produces so much fruit it exports most of it. Israel thrives on literally bringing the dead to life. But it also does it in abstract ways. In a land with very limited natural resources, Israel has developed incredible biotech, pharmaceutical and medical research sectors – all on the cutting edge of healthcare. New treatments for cancer, new ways to unlock genes, new vaccines, new life saving drugs and procedures are all coming out of tiny, natural-resource scarce Israel largely because – like Singapore which I so often admire – Israel figured out that its people are its best resource. Through education, critical thinking and creativity, Israel has developed not only a first world, but a first-class economy that does not depend on natural resources.

As for our family – we enjoyed life in the desert. However, neither Sennen or Ailyn were especially impressed with the Roman ruins or even the story of Masada. They did, however, really appreciate the gondola lifts. The Dead Sea too was very interesting to look at, but going in was not their favorite experience. Both claimed it hurt and there was a little floating followed by a lot of crying. Sennen made the critical error of passing gas while in the Dead Sea and ending up with a very sore tushy. "Why would it do that????!!!" he wailed as I showered him down. Bailey and Hayden did much better all around and seemed to have the classic floating experience.

However, the swimming pool at the Crowne Plaza Dead Sea Resort where we had lunch and experienced the Dead Sea was much more to everyone's liking. The family swam and played, while I decided to try the well reputed spa and got a deep tissue massage from a very sturdy Russian masseuse.

We ended the day in the simplest way yet this trip – with pizza at a small, local place a few blocks from our hotel. We sat at casual, sidewalk tables and had slices of what was a particularly good – and obviously very popular – pizza. It was a relaxed and delicious way to end Shabbat in Jerusalem, although not exactly what I would have predicted.

But as Sennen told me last night when I asked him if the Western Wall was the way he had imagined it. "No, it wasn't. I imagined it was much smaller. But that's the great thing – when something isn't the way you thought it would be, it's a surprise and that can be great!"