Sappers in RBS or how I visited Beit Jamal

This past Friday, while I was out with the kids checking out Beit Jamal, my wife got to witness the sappers diffuse a potential bomb on a bus right in front of our house. Apparently someone left a suspicious package that looked like a bomb on a local bus. They stoppped the bus right in front of our porch, took out the package, hung it up on a really long string that was stretched across trees to the opposite side of the street, and then shook it until the contents came out. The sappers in full bullet proof gear stood on the other side of the street ready for this thing to explode. Of course, it was just a bag full of junk, so in the end nothing happened, Thank G-d. But my wife got pretty traumatized.

As for Beit Jamal, it's a very interesting place to visit. It's a Catholic monastery and on its premises there is The First Meteorological Station and supposably is the grave of Raban Gamliel I (which I still couldn't find) which is located somewhere near or under the church. According to the Christian tradition Raban Gamliel was Paul's teacher and actually converted to Christianity at the end of his life. Interesting story, although sounds like a bunch of bologna. I was told, periodically local Breslov hassidim come to daven at the grave.

They also have a huge number of really old Olive trees growing all around the grounds. I got to talk to the Abbot who himself is an Italian from Venice. He got all excited when I spoke to him a few lines in my rusty Italian and he got to talk back to me and I actually understood.

You can see the old Byzantian mosaics from the 5th century mounted on the wall of the church and their wine and olive presses. They even offered some grape juice to the kids, but I had to decline. I think this was my first ever real encounter with Stam Yeynam right out of the vat.

Will have to go back there to find Raban Gamliel.