mine field on my cycle on the road between Netanya and Tulkarem without knowing it. I was promptly picked up by the IDF and interrogated. Of course they didn’t understand a word I was saying.”
Arthur promised that he would tell me a lot of stories about his time in the IDF. But he hadn’t spoken much about his tour in Vietnam except that he had been trained to be a helicopter mechanic. He said that he didn’t really see that much action. I kind of doubted that from the look in his eyes. Later when he returned to Israel, the IDF was quite interested in using his skills.
We were sitting at their dining room table drinking tea. “I need your help with something that involved my recent trip to Masada. But more than that I need your friendship.” I was hoping that I would not cause them any unease.
“We are happy to have you in our lives.” They were both saying this at the same time and I jumped up to hug them both. And then I told them about The Masada Faktor.
I told Arthur and Dalia the entire story of The Masada Faktor, except for the part about having sex with Saul. They were stunned. They offered to help me in any way that they could. I told them that there might be some danger involved.
Dalia laughed. “You think Arthur is afraid of anything? No way!”
I told the Goldins about Absalom, but did not go into too much detail about the sexting. I thought his getting involved with the clues at Masada quite odd and I told the Goldins about my online disclosures, but that they did not include information about The Masada Faktor mystery.
Arthur and Dalia both believed that he was part of the mystery and wanted me to cut it off with him. I was angry that Absalom had refused to meet me or disclose his identity. I was playing with fire on that front. But not for much longer.
I found a print shop and made a copy of the old German document and gave it to Arthur. He would try to get it translated.
Everything in Israel changed that weekend when the three kidnapped boys did not come home. We were all worried sick. Returning to Tel Aviv after the weekend, I had a foreboding feeling. I was feeling the same as all the Jewish population in Israel at that time. The kidnapped boys were our family and we were terrified that they had come to some harm.
People began to get agitated. You could tell at the bus stops, on the buses, and in the markets. Everyone looked worried. Something had changed. It was in the air.
At Hebrew class the following morning the instructor was practically hysterical about the kidnapping and told us she was sure the boys were dead. We didn’t want to believe her and argued with her about it. We spent the entire class time discussing various aspects of the situation. She told us it wasn’t good and we believed her. After all, she was a Sabra and she had lived in Israel her entire life. She knew the score. We were all terrified as to what might happen next.
During March and April while I had been living in Haifa the country had seen a rise in the number of terror attacks and it was increasing since the month before I had come to Israel. An increase in rocket attacks from Gaza was not a good sign.
Besides the rocket attacks, there were plenty of firebombs, stabbings, stone and concrete block throwing in Judea, Samaria, and other places within the Green Line, the old demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements.
Steadily, the rocket attacks from Gaza were increasing, although at this point they hadn’t done too much damage and had not reached central Israel. But the residents in southern Israel were under incredible stress.
In April and May the increase in terror attacks seemed to concentrate in Judea and Samaria. In May the high-trajectory launchings from the twenty-five mile long Gaza Strip and Sinai started to intensify.
Jerusalem was having a rise in firebomb terror attacks. Now, with the Yeshiva boys kidnapped, that and
Arthur promised that he would tell me a lot of stories about his time in the IDF. But he hadn’t spoken much about his tour in Vietnam except that he had been trained to be a helicopter mechanic. He said that he didn’t really see that much action. I kind of doubted that from the look in his eyes. Later when he returned to Israel, the IDF was quite interested in using his skills.
We were sitting at their dining room table drinking tea. “I need your help with something that involved my recent trip to Masada. But more than that I need your friendship.” I was hoping that I would not cause them any unease.
“We are happy to have you in our lives.” They were both saying this at the same time and I jumped up to hug them both. And then I told them about The Masada Faktor.
I told Arthur and Dalia the entire story of The Masada Faktor, except for the part about having sex with Saul. They were stunned. They offered to help me in any way that they could. I told them that there might be some danger involved.
Dalia laughed. “You think Arthur is afraid of anything? No way!”
I told the Goldins about Absalom, but did not go into too much detail about the sexting. I thought his getting involved with the clues at Masada quite odd and I told the Goldins about my online disclosures, but that they did not include information about The Masada Faktor mystery.
Arthur and Dalia both believed that he was part of the mystery and wanted me to cut it off with him. I was angry that Absalom had refused to meet me or disclose his identity. I was playing with fire on that front. But not for much longer.
I found a print shop and made a copy of the old German document and gave it to Arthur. He would try to get it translated.
Everything in Israel changed that weekend when the three kidnapped boys did not come home. We were all worried sick. Returning to Tel Aviv after the weekend, I had a foreboding feeling. I was feeling the same as all the Jewish population in Israel at that time. The kidnapped boys were our family and we were terrified that they had come to some harm.
People began to get agitated. You could tell at the bus stops, on the buses, and in the markets. Everyone looked worried. Something had changed. It was in the air.
At Hebrew class the following morning the instructor was practically hysterical about the kidnapping and told us she was sure the boys were dead. We didn’t want to believe her and argued with her about it. We spent the entire class time discussing various aspects of the situation. She told us it wasn’t good and we believed her. After all, she was a Sabra and she had lived in Israel her entire life. She knew the score. We were all terrified as to what might happen next.
During March and April while I had been living in Haifa the country had seen a rise in the number of terror attacks and it was increasing since the month before I had come to Israel. An increase in rocket attacks from Gaza was not a good sign.
Besides the rocket attacks, there were plenty of firebombs, stabbings, stone and concrete block throwing in Judea, Samaria, and other places within the Green Line, the old demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements.
Steadily, the rocket attacks from Gaza were increasing, although at this point they hadn’t done too much damage and had not reached central Israel. But the residents in southern Israel were under incredible stress.
In April and May the increase in terror attacks seemed to concentrate in Judea and Samaria. In May the high-trajectory launchings from the twenty-five mile long Gaza Strip and Sinai started to intensify.
Jerusalem was having a rise in firebomb terror attacks. Now, with the Yeshiva boys kidnapped, that and
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