(Written at the Tel Aviv Central Railroad Station –Sunday 6/27/99)

Come with me and join me on an incredible flight, as we are about to take in the sights, from a bird’s eye view of this most enchanting, exhilarating, intriguing and fascinating great little country – Israel.

We will start from Metulah the country’s northernmost town overlooking Lebanon to the north. As we near the friendly border with Lebanon, in north Metulah glance to the left, the majestic Golan Heights unfold in a misty haze with the sun rays breaking through the silvery clouds at sunrise. To the right we can see the Mediterranean shores. Slightly to the south, we admire the Rosh Hanikrah Cliffs and farther away the old Acco Fortresses and in the distance Haifa with its glistening Bahai Golden Dome

At the blink of an eye we pass Margaliot, near Sassa, a community founded by Iraqi and Iranian immigrants and a breath-taking view blossoms before our eyes revealing the Hula Valley with its entire splendor.

Kiriat Shmoneh just rolls away underneath. It is hard to believe that its residents must live under constant fear of Katusha rockets threatening their lives.

Not far, the old city of Safed awakens from its nocturnal slumber. Not very far away, beyond the mountains, appears Nazareth. It is difficult from high above to imagine that conflicts between Arabs and Jews threaten the delicate balance of peaceful coexistence in the region.

And then as if by magic the beautiful Sea of Galilee, with all its glistening sky-blue waters, mirroring the not-so-distant Golan Heights appears before our eyes. Tiberias, awakens with all of its hustle and bustle. Nearby we pass over century-old cemeteries containing the graves of countless sages of days gone by.

Mounts Tabor and Gilboa slide beneath us. As our magic carpet takes us farther south, we glide over the valley of Jezreel and the Beit Shean Valley with its restored Roman amphitheater reminding us of how ancient this land is

We swoop over Caesarea and admire the Roman aqueduct and Amphitheater to our right, the Mediterranean Sea bathes the shores of the Sharon Region..

Orange orchards paint the landscape with radiant green hues.

Expressways crisscross the area carrying Israelis journeying toward their daily chores and destinations.

To our left we start approaching the Judean Mountains, and in the distance Tel Aviv, that modern metropolis. Huge skyscrapers mushrooming all over encircled by the Yarkon River to the north..

Modern structures in an ancient land beckon us to combine the old with the new.

…and far, on the distant horizon appears Jerusalem, the eternal, mystical, magic, captivating capital, holy site for three major faiths. The magnificent magnet that symbolizes our eternal link to our ancestral homeland.

Will there be peace soon so that the name of this splendorous jewel will truly signify and establish that fleeting centuries-old wish: – peace among all its inhabitants?

Peeking through the clouds, we catch sight of that enigmatic Dead Sea – bordering Jordan and Israel, two countries that are trying to solidify their peaceful commitments

Mount Massada appears all of a sudden, reminding us that determination for sovereignty will prevail in spite of all odds.

The Negev unfolds right before our eyes as we rapidly pass by Beer Sheva, Sde Boker and are captivated by the solitude and magnificence of the uninviting Ramon Range, Solomon’s Mines in Timna offer us their imposing, harsh and rough welcome. The wilderness of Tzin guards the desert, maintaining its millenary solitude. What magnificent secrets still remain buried in its entrails awaiting to be discovered?

Egypt, to the right starts its sunbathing ritual as the sun begins to sink in the western horizon. To the left lie the Jordanian Mountains, readying themselves for their nightly rest.

We have almost completed our journey. Eilat awaits us as the scintillating night-lights appear in the distance. There is an old saying stating that "when God finished creating the world, a bit of unassigned beauty was left to be scattered and that it was deposited where Eilat is located." After having observed this beautiful country from our privileged perch, our journey ends at the Southernmost spot in Israel.

As we complete this incredible feast to the eyes, one starts wondering whether this wonderful old-new land will be blessed with the most precious gift, the gift of peace. Will all its inhabitants learn to acknowledge each other’s right to blossom freely?

Will the Jewish residents learn to understand each other and provide mutual respect to each other? Will modernity ultimately reconcile with ancient beliefs?

Will all of the component members of our brotherhood and sisterhood, our intertwined inseparably knit fabric lead us to that fleeting, long-sought universal communal acceptance and cooperation?

A wish, a yearning, a call for action lands our magic carpet back to the ground to our daily reality as we face the future with hope and resolution to succeed in our quest.