Holy Exposures

Day trips in Bet Shemesh – Haelah Junction Area

The story of David and Goliath is told in detail in Samuel I.  King Saul and his camp were on the mountain top, and Goliath and the Philistines were in the valley below taunting anyone who would dare come and fight him.  Young David took his slingshot went down the valley and knocked Big Bad Goliath down with one shot.  According to Jewish tradition, the monumental event occured in the Valley of Haaeleh and Tel Azeka.

Tel Azeka

There’s a nice KKL (Jewish National Fund) park at the bottom of the Tel, and an easy footpath up the hill to the breathtaking views of the valley below.  The steps up to the top of the hill are incscribed with quotes from the Scriptures renacting the great story of David vs. Goliath.

Getting there from Bet Shemesh

Take Road 38 south from Bet Shemesh towards Beit Guvrin.  About 2KM after the gas station by Zecharia, make a right turn at the junction leading to Re’em.  (If you’ve reach Haelah Junction, you’ve gone too far).  Shortly after the turn, about 1KM, there will be a left turn into Park Britannia.

Enter the park and drive along a winding narrow paved road.  You will see 2 or 3 parks on the left side of the ride, keep going until you reach a junction.  There will be a sign to turn left towards Tel Azeka.  Make the left turn and drive up about 1KM uphill and pull up to a parking area for the park.  Admission is free.  Follow the footpath up to the top of the hill for a wonderful view.  You can also bring your BBQ from home and have a cookout at the bottom of the hill.  A nice way to enjoy history for free and with relatively easy access.  The hill can easily be climbed by all ages.  The last time our family went, there was a family in front of us with a grandmother in her 80s.  She made it to the top ahead of us!

Panorama Photo of Tel Azeka and Haelah.

The stitching of 5 photos here is a bit sloppy, but you get to see this stunning panoramic of Tel Azeka, which is on the perimeter of the shefela, and near Haelah Junction.  On the far left is the village Zecharia.

Tel Azeka Panorama - Click for Full Size

Complete 24-hour Live Radio Broadcast

Let’s continue in the theme of nostalgia and of feeling what it was like to live in America in 1944.

Here’s the actual live broadcast of NBC Radio on June 6, 1944, D-Day, as the Allied troops invaded the shores of Normandy, France.  This historic day signaled the US invasion of Europe to repel the Nazi forces.

The recordings offer a unique look into the world at that time and also how American consensus was building as each hour passed.  The news reports trickled in throughout the night as the American reports relied on Nazi news reports until the Supreme Allied Command, under the leadership of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, confirmed with it’s first official communique about the allied landing.

The day’s broadcast includes the soap operas, crime dramas, and comedies played in their entirety with the occasional news bulletins pre-empting the usual broadcast programs.

Download/Play files here:

Full Day Live Radio Broadcast from September 21, 1939 in Washington DC, USA 

Did you even wonder what it was like to be living in 1939 in America? How about September 21, 1939 to be precise?

This is perhaps the most amazing discovery for history buffs and lovers of nostalgia. WJSV, a radio station in Washington DC on the CBS network, recorded an entire broadcast day to preserve as a time capsule for generations to come.

The broadcast day begins at 6AM local time and continues through to midnight. From the hourly news reports of World War II approaching (the European War) as America waivered between isolationism and taking sides with the allies.

There’s the soap operas, comedy hours, dramas, music from the day, and the peculiar local reporting along with providing home addresses of listeners whose birthday or anniversary had arrived.

I present for you here the full day’s broadcast in it’s entirety in nineteen (19) one hour mp3 files. Prepare to have time set asside for this. Once you get started, you will be soaked in to the day!

Download Links Here: September 21, 1939 WJSV Washington, DC