Glass Museum Arad   Photo by Avishai Teicher via the Pikiwiki-Israel

In mid-February while rainy storms pelted the north of Israel, an overflow crowd of ESRA members basked in the warm sunshine of the Dead Sea at the lovely Royal Hotel. We arrived by bus and car - 90 ESRA members and friends to enjoy the luxury of the Spa treatments and just "hang out" around the pool. Lynn Pressman and Audrey Goodman deserved a rest after organizing our four-day winter vacation. The beds were firm, the meals were delicious and the company was stimulating. We met new and old friends from all over the country. On the way down to the Dead Sea we stopped at Arad to visit an unusual Glass Museum where we saw a film and were awestruck by the original glass fusion works of Gideon Fridman. He has created a technique using recycled glass for sculpturing beautiful works of art.

At the Dead Sea we pampered ourselves, wrapping our stressed bodies in mud, renewing the cells with body peeling or trying the new hot stone massage. Gentle swims in the indoor Dead Sea water pool, waters relaxed every sore bone in my body. Dips in the sea were just too cold.

Outside one has a view of the high brown shelves of sand and rocks dotted with tufts of green opposite the dwindling green-blue of the Dead Sea. One wonders how much longer we will have this treasure to visit. Go soon...... it's worth the trip.