Winding up 2006 in Israel

November December 2006

What an eventful two months in Israel. Here are a few highlights of many days of beautiful sunny warm weather, with winter only coming in the last days of December – but with a real chilling touch. Haifa knows only one kind of rain: the torrential drowning kind!

Firstly, it is very strange to live in a country where there is no lead up to Christmas – this caught us completely by surprise and so apologies for all those dear friends who did not receive greetings for the new year. Allan had lots of jam donuts for Hanukah but missed the beautiful Chrissy fruit cakes sold by the Lions Club, ah!!!

Our son Munib came for a very short visit at the end of December and worked in the Office with Allan. While here, he met Dr. Varqá, one of the wonderful Bahá’ís living in Haifa – at 94 he has an amazing memory and he has a great love for all the wonderful staff here, and the many pilgrims who visit. Dr. Varqa has served the Baha'i Faith unremittingly for all his life and has seen it unfold and grow into a world-embracing Faith; he has a great wealth of inspiring stories to share. This is a photo of Munib with Dr. Varqa in his Office.





We took Munib fruit picking at a garden near Akka called “Ridvan” (means paradise) and though it was very cold, it was truly heavenly. There were orchards and avenues of citrus trees so laden with fruit – so many varieties of oranges, mandarins, grapefruit, lemons and pomellos. We have not seen so many shades of orange outside a fabric shop! Muna has already made a couple of batches of marmalade, and there are still many more empty jars to fill; they make nice gifts for our friends, some of whom helped in a recent working bee.



We seem to be going chronologically backwards, so into November and a “memorable” few days holiday in Turkey, of which the less said the better. An unseasonable cold snap came through which resulted in pouring rain and snow in early November. Added to this there was a luggage strike in Israel so we had no luggage on arrival, but the weeks after we left had magnificent weather. Of course, Muna skidded on the ice and fell and hurt her knee so became intimately familiar with out hotel room! It was really nice though for Muna to catch up with her brother Jim, who came over from Jordan to see us.

A celebration of our 26th wedding anniversary also took place at the end of November (oops, chronology going off the rails again!). Allan organised a surprise party for Muna (you know how much she loves surprises!!!) and all our North American friends had a lesson in how and why Aussies do not open their mouth to speak. Lots of fun and laughter and a lovely dinner.


The three members of the International Board, who work closely with Allan, arrived back in town in December (that’s it, I give up on the chronology of this narrative!) and had several days of meetings. A lovely dinner at the Hencks one evening gave a couple of youth a chance to join these amazingly capable individuals.




Allan continues to hold regular classes for the staff serving at the Bahá’í World Centre and this photo shows his high tech approach to PowerPoint. Such a huge change from the wonderful gadgetry he used to travel the world with – no doubt his former work colleagues will get a great laugh out of this photo. The classes are a great source of satisfaction and an effective means of meeting the many staff from 85 countries.

November was also the time that we went south with 4 other couples to Masada and the Dead Sea for a bit of R&R. It was perfect weather for the climb to the top of this moutain fortress where 450 Jews held off the legions of Rome for some years. Finally when the Romans broke through the fortress walls, all 450 were dead - killed by common agreement - lots were drawn to decide who would do the deed. It has become a symbol of Jewish resistance. On the way we saw wild camels traversing the steep hillside on narrow paths. it is amazing how such a desolate and barren spot can be so beautiful!Unfortuneately the Dead Sea is drying up and receding - it has received a lot of international media attention in recent months - but that makes a great "Danger of Drowning" photo - it gives you an idea of the extent of the issue. The black mud is supposed to be good for your skin and make you beautiful so Allan went all out (Muna says therecan never be enough mud for that!!!)- and followed it by a relaxing spa in sulphur saturated water that bubbles up from the centre of the earth.






























So, although we did not get around to sending seasonal cards and greetings, we do wish each one of you, a very joyful, healthy and satisfying 2007 and may it pass a little bit slower than 2006!

Tranquility returns to Haifa

The recent month has flown by and who can believe that there was a nasty skirmish in July/August. Muna is convinced we did not have a September this year, and I must admit, it feels this way! With the weather moving into northern hemisphere winter, Allan is doing less swimming in the morning in the Mediterranean Sea but still the water is not too cold so there is hope for a few more swims. It is definitely autumn, the days have shrunk, though still warm and our clock has gone back one hour – we now go home in the dark!

Muna’s niece, Sahba, visited recently for 3 days and so it was an opportunity to introduce her to some of the Baha'i youth serving in haifa and tour around Haifa. Here near a Druze village in Daliyat al Karmil – a great tourist hub!



Most of the shops and cafes are owned by descendents of one Druze man, Al-Halabi (of Aleppo) who left Syria and settled in these parts some 250 years ago. Their craftsmanship (woven tablecloths, placemats, cushion covers, china and glassware) is superb and very distinctive in patterns and colours. Jews think of the Druze as the “friendly Arabs”--the Arabic-speaking minority group who are loyal to Israel and whose men serve willingly in Israel’s Defense Force.
Muna and Allan visited a magnificent 12th century Crusader fortress, called Belviour” (beautiful views) south of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret), last month; from this very high vantage point the vista is magnificent: spectacular views of the Rift valley farming lands and over into Jordan – in fact the road in one place is less than 100m from the border of Jordan.
















We have also been to Nazareth which is, naturally, an important city for Christians – the Church of Annunciation- which has magnificent mosaics from different countries around the world depicting Mary with the Christ child – the Japanese Christ as well as South American Mary are touching. There is a 2nd, much smaller Church of Annunciation (Orthodox) on a different site – both to do with the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary with glad tidings of bearing a special child. Nazareth is an Arab town, as you can see from the head dress. A classic sight is this shop selling Arab women’s head dresses (for modesty) and right next to these they advertise racy ladies underwear!!!





















Allan has missed gardening since we live in a flat here; so he has started taking a car-load of fellow enthusiasts (also with desk jobs) to do some Saturday volunteer work in the gardens at Mazra‘ih which is a very special house that Bahá’u’lláh moved to after more than 20 years of imprisonment and exile. Here are orchards with all kinds of citrus fruit and avocados and pomegranate trees – but it also has neighbours who throw their rubbish over the fence – hence a working bee to clean up the grounds.

Muna has been taking different friends down to Talpiot markets – the major Jewish/Arab fruit and vege outlet in Haifa. We go Thursday mornings before work and it is a lovely way to start the day. We’ve got to know most of the stall-holders and manage to give them a thrill every so often when we take young attractive staff members shopping with us. Here she is with Amelia from the USA and Ana Gerda from Brazil – the vendors ask which ones are our daughters – they guessed that Youngmin from Korea was definitely not ours!

So, we have survived our first summer in Haifa and continue to enjoy living here. May peace and tranquility reign here and all over the world, and especially where you are!

The Sounds of Relative Silence

Well, the heat is off with a fragile truce declared and still holding! Now, a different kind of heat is upon us: “wet” heat – Haifa at its hottest and most humid! What a marvelous thing air-conditioning is, and it is great to spend most of the day at work where it is nice and cool; the flat is very hot when we get back in the evenings, but by then the worst is over and it cools down fairly quickly. May be 2 or 3 more weeks of sauna conditions before we can think of autumn!

We are both really well, busy at work (the day just flies by) and then there are other happenings in the evenings: Allan is kept busy with deepenings on the Right of God (small groups of 8-12) held in participants’ flats somewhere fairly central.














I have sessions with kids who attend Arabic schools (their parents don’t speak Arabic) and we read and study Arabic prayers and Writings; discuss the issues that they raise and have stories about some eminent believers – all in Arabic! These four kids range in age from 8 – 15 and belong to 2 families that live very near to each other; I often go home with one of the mum’s and share a meal with them before the “lesson”, and then Allan picks me up after he finishes his deepening session (perfect!). Another 2 girls join me for lunch, on Wednesdays, at the Dining Room and we do a similar thing – they are really lovely kids who have had a miserable summer holiday this year because of the conflict and they’ll start school on September 4th.

Everyone working here at the Baha'i World Centre are volunteers, and the length of service varies from 12 months to many years. Two youth who recently left haifa used to bring a lot of joy to morning tea and here they are with Allan. One returned to South Africa, the other to Australia.














On a more international level, we have just had the International Board of Trustees of Huqúqu’lláh meeting here for a few days (the 3 members live in different parts of the world!); they have just finished their discussions this morning and are returning home. It was a joy and a privilege to have such delightful and devoted souls for dinner at our home on Saturday night in an informal Aussie-style! This photo includes the Chief Financial Officer, Doug Henck.














Before the International Board came to town Allan and the office staff went to the Shrine of the Bab to pray for a fruitful meeting and took this photo. In this photo the young woman on the left is moving to another section and the young lady second from the right is serving in her place - Claire (from the USA of Korean/Chinese parents) started her first day of orientation in the bomb shelter on the first day of the conflict: she is still smiling!



This afternoon, Allan and I accompanied Dr. Ramin Khadem (who is staying one day longer than the other 2 members) to Bahji. What a blessing to be able to visit the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh after nearly 5 months absence!

The olive trees are heavy with ripening olives and the air was sweet with the smell of cut grass and hedges; it was great to see the gardeners busy at their tasks once again after a few weeks of inactivity due to the war.
















This is the summer period when pilgrimage is usually suspended for “deep cleaning” and maintenance work. Today, we found the volunteer Carpet Expert from Canada, Mr. Khurrami (here for a month or so for the very delicate and specialized task of washing the carpets of the Holy places) with his 2 assistants at Bahji on their lunch break and they very kindly posed for us!














Muna's niece Sahba (from Sydney) has just arrived arrived for a 3-day visit (her first time in the Holy Land!) and we are planning to show her around Haifa, ‘Akka and surrounds (God willing!). More on her visit next time.

So, more about those exploits at a later date; Oh! by the way, to quote our dear Grant Hindin Miller: “there is still honey in the gardens on Carmel……and the air is full of song; yes, the air is full of song, I can tell you….I can tell you”.














Our hearts overflow with thankfulness to a merciful Providence for keeping these precious places safe from harm. Bye for now! Muna and Allan

Dodging rockets and seeing beauty everywhere

Muna: This morning, as I turned on the computer at work (which is how my work day begins, and all of you who know me may find this hard to believe!) I found these words of Bahá’u’lláh in the daily readings to which I subscribe. They seemed so apt given the state of the world today, so I share them with you:

"True learning is that which is conducive to the well-being of the world, not to pride and self-conceit, or to tyranny, violence and pillage."



We have had a fairly "quiet" weekend, siren-wise, though socially busy and "noisy" with the chatter and laughter of dinner and lunch with lovely friends. Since we (the staff at the Bahá’í World Centre) have been unable to walk by the beach or dawdle round the bustling Ben-Gurion Avenue and Markaz Carmel cafes or savour the delights of Wadi Nissnass (our Arab bakeries, butcher, grocers and fresh fruit/vege stalls) due to the current conflict, we have made up for it by hanging round in each other's flats and "visiting"!

We (the Waters) have had friends over for lunch every Saturday since start of conflict and likely to continue; it has been a great incentive for clearing the back room - our "safe or protective area" - and which still had a lot of unpacked boxes and 2 unmade beds (even after 4 months of the arrival of our shipment - disgraceful!!!).



So, now it is set up with a small table adorned with one of Mum's beautifully embroidered table-cloths, a number of chairs "artistically" arranged and 2 beds with cushions and a FAN! We can proudly herd our guests into the back room whenever the siren sounds - as it did yesterday and the Saturday before! With this safe area ready for habitation, we have embarked on weekly modest entertaining; Allan whips round our flat and gives it a good clean in about an hour on Friday afternoon, and I indulge in cooking (bliss!) and then on Saturday we share the results with wonderful friends who we find have amazing backgrounds and life-stories; so a lot of eating, laughter, good fellowship as well as learning and gaining insights!

We were invited to a young (recently married) couple's flat for dinner on Friday night; "Bahareh" serves in Allan's office, and the occasion was to welcome @Claire" (Korean / Chinese young lass recently arrived from the USA) who has just started serving in the same office. Their flat has terrific views of a great wooded wadi (gully) and also the Mediterranean; we heard a symphony of jackal calls (we do have some wild life in Haifa!) - a most unusual sound and were treated to a most magnificent sunset over the Mediterranean (where is the camera when you need it?!!).

After the delicious, yet simple meal, the siren sounded, so we moved to their "safe area" and we studied one of the Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh (often referred to as the Fire Tablet) sitting around their small dining table…and 90 magical minutes slipped by as we became engrossed in a feast of soul-stirring, poignantly beautiful imagery and language laden with meaning and significance, and a veritable "fire" of love was lit in our hearts.

Allan: You may think we are having a great time here, Katyushas (literally little Katie in Russian) notwithstanding.......and you would be quite right! Actually there has been a sense of “normality” this last week as the gardeners have returned to the gardens after about 2 weeks of having to be indoors. Who would have thought that the sound of lawn mowers and shears would be such a welcome sound – not noise, but they certainly cut through the eerie quietness of waiting for that next siren. And the sounds of booms in the distance, over the border, continue night and day.

Another aspect of life at the Bahá’í World Centre is the diversity and quality of service here. From the “jannies” who clean and clean to a standard not seen before, to the gardeners who weed, and mow, and plant, and create such beauty – these young people on their youth year of service, usually just out of school, do an amazing job.

So we thought that we would share with you each update some aspects of the life of the staff here. But to begin, we are sharing the work of a very special group, seen in this photo with us. They are painters, who come every year for 2 to 3 months and paint and paint. This year it is the windows of the seat of the House of Justice building. Other times it is the shrines or the many other holy places here in Haifa. This year, six painters from Australia and New Zealand are here and this is a photo of 4 of them with Muna and Allan during a coffee break. Such wonderfully dedicated professionals.





So between dodging rockets and eating well, we have been having a very special time here in Haifa these past few weeks and we would not want to be anywhere else. The days go by so quickly and we only hope that the outcome of our service here is truly beneficial for all mankind. Till next week………………….



Photos from top to bottom (all taken in last week): small garden outside level 5 of the International Teachine Centre building; frangipani outside the entrance of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice where we work; a view of the beautiful path leading to the front of the Seat; frangipanis and marigolds on the side of the International Teaching Centre building; marigolds in one of the gardens on the upper terraces; volunteer painters from down under.

News from Haifa

Monday 24th July 2006:

We woke up today to the sound of the fan and the radio alarm – what a nice way to wake up! (less than 2 weeks of conflict and already we appreciate the good simple things in life, like absence of sirens one morning!). Anyway, Allan woke up and got up; I woke up and groaned and turned over and tried not to scratch my one-day-old rash which kept me awake a good bit of an otherwise hot, humid but “rocketless” night. I developed this rash late yesterday afternoon before finishing at work, then forgot about it during an overdue visit to the Shrine of the Báb, and was plagued by it all night and still this morning. I think I am allergic to the Katyushas that have been falling at intervals over Haifa, and am considering sending a note to Mr. Nasrallah suggesting a different and more skin-friendly brand of rockets like Chinese fireworks, and the stuff we use on Australia Day (if his budget allows! or he can limit their use to one hour every night between 8-9 pm when they can be seen and enjoyed by all the countries of the Mediterranean???). Allan thought that a close-up photo of my rash might be topical for this blog up-date but I could not condone such wanton cruelty!

At home and at our place of service we have protected areas which are quite safe, but this little boy from Oz is still not used to having rockets fired at him. The general routine is that the sirens will go off - yes this is why we feel much safer than news reports will indicate – and then we wait and in less than a minute we hear some loud bangs, some soft booms or nothing at all. Last week we went a whole day without the sirens going off. On the weekend there were about 9 siren alerts, occasionally accompanied by some loud bangs.

Seriously though, we are both so touched by all the loving and caring messages from all our friends in Oz. We apologise for causing you worry, and sadly realize what it takes to get some of you to write! However, rash aside (oh, if only!!!), we are really very well; and are discovering the truth in the observation that anxiety makes people eat more! Coupled with our temporary inability to walk by the beach, I have sadly put on weight (Allan is still trim and handsome!). Just to give you a glimpse of the magnitude of our suffering: On the weekend (Saturday evening) we went to the home of a Canadian couple, who also enjoy “Monty Python”- we had all decided we needed some stress-release, and had a few laughs with them and, purely out of politeness, partook of some yummy home-made traditional Canadian desserts! We have been coming to work every day as usual and really are blessed to be surrounded by calm, friendly (and a few slightly more cuddly than before) colleagues, and it is business as usual! You can’t even keep pilgrims away: about 150 dear souls are enjoying a somewhat abridged pilgrimage with an invitation to visit again whenever they can in the next 2 years for the full version.

But the highlight of the week was last night’s visit to the Shrine. It was so lovely to walk along the path among the fragrant frangipanis, rose bushes and majestic trees and feast all the senses: Rose and jasmine scents, bird-song, crunching pebbles underfoot, breath-taking vista of terraces, bay and the magnificent Shrine in late afternoon of a balmy Summer day on the Mountain of the Lord ….can it get any better? Then, we entered the Shrine, where other colleagues and pilgrims were quietly communing with God, and were enveloped in peace and calm - all our daily cares and worries fell off, one by one, to be replaced with feelings of humility, joy and immense gratitude for all the blessings showered upon us ….then prayerfully remembering dear ones - family and friends……. then praying for all who are suffering around us and in the whole world….. Thus cleansed and replenished, we quietly made our way through more beauty back to the car and drove home!

Our first few months in Haifa

Initial Impressions of life in Haifa, Israel
July 5th 2006.

It seems hard to believe that we have been here for 5 months already. We have been to lots of places, seen a lot of interesting things and met a lot of interesting people. We thought that it was time to share some pictures of some of the places we have visited and people we have met. Let’s start with our orientation group of 27 new volunteers from 14 countries including Greenland, Korea, Argentina, Tasmania, Central Africa Republic, Ireland and Canada. Here is photo on a cool February 2006 day at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa. This is the building where Muna and I both serve.


We arrived to a nice flat; we are on the second (middle) floor on the left as you view this picture. You can also see a view down our street - it is one way and very tree lined with lovely flower beds. Haifa is very hilly and although the population is reported to be only about 600,000, there are 2,600,000 cars, or so it seems. That means lots of parked cars in a maze of narrow one way streets. My car driving skills have changed - would not be game to say improved - and diversified as it is a left hand side drive. Yes, I still put the windscreen wipers on occasionally when I want to turn left!














A couple of months ago we visited the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinnerett) and Tiberius as well as some old churches up near the Golan Heights. No pictures sorry. But we went to a nice Artists village - about 300 families living in a Kibbutz called Ein Hod where 10 national award winning artists live. You can see the "lady and man in a tin can" which welcomes you to the vilage and here is Muna with a somewhat different kind of gate latch! There are lots of lovely novelty sculptures all around the village.

We also visited a lovely town where they make paper and have the most magnificent gardens.

There is a lot of rock in Haifa and they make the most of it.

Akka across the bay also has a lot of rock, indeed they built a Crusader fort out of it and we visited it recently. part of it was made into a prison and this is where Bahá’u’lláh was imprisoned after years of banishment. There are three moats around the old city and everyone from the Romans to Napoleon had their eye on its strategic value. It was a foul aired city at that time that greeted Bahá’u’lláh. His youngest son died after falling through the skylight and that is preserved as part of the renovations that are taking place. The old city of Akka is now receiving money from the United Nations owing to its cultural significance and a lot of restoration work is taking place.

We have been fortunate to also visit some of the Bahá’í holy places. Here are a few photos of a lovely garden that Bahá’u’lláh used to visit and the first house He lived in after leaving the foul smelling prison city of Akka, with Muna standing on the stairs.

After having her gall bladder removed at the local hospital and deciding that it would be a good idea to learn Hebrew, Muna is quite well. We are both busy with our service activities but are finding time to get out and about and visit the beach – funny looking at the ocean and calling it a sea. We walk several mornings a week and go in the evening as well when we get a chance. Shopping is market style and with Arabic language skills one is in ones element. Fruit and vegetables are plentiful, the variety is large and prices are quite reasonable. Recently we have been enjoying the cherry season.

Haifa people are quite friendly and have by and large no fashion sense – really anything goes in terms of what you wear. Our neighbours are very helpful when things like the water and power going off are concerned. Haifa has millions of cats and just about everyone has a dog………… but that is another story.

















Hope you have enjoyed the beginning of our journey of discovery here. We will keep you posted on further updates.

Allan & Muna