Elyse in Haifa: Nazareth and Tzipori

Today I witnessed something which I have never before, and may never again see in my life.
As one of the many trips offered by the International School at Haifa University, I went to visit the biblically historical towns of Nazareth and Tzipori today. These towns are located less than an hour from Haifa, and contain some of the oldest religious sites in the country. We started the morning with a very early wake-up, and a tour of the archeological digs that are taking place throughout Tzipori. We saw original tiling and mosiacs from the Roman temples, and learned about their agriculture and lifestyle. We then left for Nazareth, the city which is rumored to be the home of Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus.
Our first stop in Nazareth was at what seemed to be the center of town, which is approximately 85% Muslim and 25% Christian. We were allowed to walk around and find lunch, which is right around the time when I witnessed my first viewing of the Muslim call to prayer.
I had learned about this ceremony, which occurs 5 times each day, at the Kababir Mosque in Haifa, which we visited earlier this week. However, it was thrilling to see it in action. A voice was broadcasted throughout the city, and we could see men of all ages walking to the center of town, where a Mosque stood. After a while of speaking and rallying together, the men proceeded to remove their shoes and take out their mats to begin their prayers – in the center of the town! It was so amazing to watch these 60 or so men kneel down and kiss the ground as they began to publically pray, and it reminded me of how sacred the land is to so many different people, and how much I can witness by simply standing in the center of town in the middle of the afternoon.
It is now a little after 4 and I am in the middle of my first load of laundry done at school, which will hopefully be a successful one. I’m not sure what the plans are for Shabbat yet, but my friends and I found an amazing breakfast place last weekend which we are hoping to visit again, but the rest is up in the air…