This Is the Way

Tamara Shavit

13/12/2010

The Greek Orthodox’s St. George’s Monastery, carved in sand deep in the Judea Desert, has recently been made accessible to the thousands of worshipers and visitors who wish to make their way to it every year.

In the heart of the Judean desert, near Jericho, lies the fifth-century St. George’s Monastery. It is a Greek Orthodox monastery, one of the most ancient in Israel and one of six monasteries scattered across the Judean desert. Carved in sand, it stands among the mountains in a place with no cell phone reception, where the perfect silence is disturbed only by the sound of bells.

The road to the monastery is not an easy one to take. A curving, two kilometer-long path, it is not designed for the weak-of-knees. But for three years, access to the monastery had been blocked for another reason. As a result of a big earthquake and flooding, the driven road that leads to the area was completely cracked and destroyed. It opened again on Tuesday (Nov. 30).

The mission to fix the road was given to the Israel Civil Administration in the Judea and Samaria region, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety of Israel. Over the course of five months, they worked on reconstruction, repairs and widening the road. The budget amounted to 1.76 million shekels (approx. $490,000). But the value of such reconstruction, according to general consensus, was much, much more.

“Thousands of pilgrims come here every year,” said Archbishop Aristarchos, one of the leaders of the Greek Orthodox community in Israel. “Like a flock of sheep, they congregate to visit the monastery. But they’re not the only ones who visit. Israelis and Palestinians both come to this place. Secular tourists as well. The monastery warmly welcomes anyone who wishes to visit.”

Col. Raed Mansour, Deputy Head of the Civil Administration, added that, “The Administration volunteered to renovate the road with government ministries. We did so with great devotion, out of recognition for the importance of the monastery and with desire to allow worshipers and tourists access to reach it. But our plans don’t begin and end here. The Civil Administration developed and promoted tourism projects all over the Judea and Samaria region in recent years. Over 1.2 million tourists visited these places. In the light of all that has been done, I am proud to inaugurate this road today.”

Ministry of Tourism director general Noaz Bar-Nir, discussed the personal aspect of the inauguration of the road. “As a teenager I would take walks in the Judea Desert a lot,” he said. “I would always look at the monastery with deep appreciation and awe. I’m proud to be part of reopening the road to the public – to Israelis, pilgrims and Palestinians.”

“We are grateful to and would like to thank the Israeli authorities for their understanding of the importance of this place,” concluded the Archbishop. “I bless your arrival, all of you. May anyone who comes to this place be inspired by its peace and quiet. May we be able to live here in harmony and friendship.”

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