October 16 - Trekking in the dense jungle for hours all
tired and hungry I suddenly hear voices…singing voices… and music played. I
cannot believe my ears…but my expedition people confirming…yes, yes, music,
drums….but not JUST music… I personally know the melody….is it possible? I am
in the Amazon! Is it my imagination? So many months of intense trekking in the
Amazon jungle accompanied by indigenous Amazonians, hardly speaking English
with any human, not to mention speaking my own native language, Hebrew… but now
this music? It is music from the past…melody of my childhood. How come?
We all are tired, hungry and filthy dirty from days over
days of trekking the jungle and its swamps, living of the land, surviving the
elements, hardly seeing any humans… but suddenly we all felt elated, energized.
It’s the music that pulls us in, like a magnet… In a fast pace we walk the
direction where the music and the singing are coming from. Within a short hour of navigation the music
sounded closer to us. I knew I am now walking
towards the Amazon River. This is not
the expedition direction, as I navigate my jungle expedition always East,
parallel to the river…. but I now have changed direction…I am chasing the music;
Squinting my eyes I am humming the melody… bringing it up from layers of years
and time.
Stepping out of the dense jungle behind me I spotted several
thatched roof huts. Children were
playing at the yard in front of the huts where in a split of a second they saw
us embarking the thick trees. Fear on their faces they begun running towards
the huts and pointed their hands to our direction. The adults turn their heads
in big surprise. What thoughts have crossed their minds that moment…? We were six
men and one woman all covered with mud, wearing dirty jungle clothing, carrying
military style backpacks… I ordered my team
to wave their hands in peace, and with the biggest smile I could put on face I
continued walking towards the people that were standing in the center of the
village. They were on alert not sure
what they see…BUT, the biggest surprise was MINE!
For a moment I couldn’t understand what my eyes were seeing…
Men wearing long toga gowns, old Roman style, dressed up like in the bible
time, long beards covers their faces, wearing long hair…like Jesus…? Some are
barefoot some wearing bible style sandals…. I felt as if I am walking through a
time machine…walking into the past. Still confused with the sight of people
that looked nothing like the traditional indigenes Indians I stopped, letting
myself and the men in front of me few moments to observe each other.
A young man of about 30 years old was the
first one to take a move and started walking towards me. The rest of the people
stood behind keeping a safety distance between us. With the help of the
Argentinean girl Lucy – my expedition team member who speaks fluent Spanish I
started communicating with the young man. After explaining him that we are
crossing the Amazon on a 5000 miles journey I introduced myself and my
Ecuadorian and Peruvian team members that were standing few yards behind me. He
was still alert and suspicious. But I could not hold my curiosity. The music
was still playing at a nearby distance. I asked the young man what this
community is. I Z R A E L he said…! I stopped talking. I could not believe my
ears… Israel? I repeated what he just said… Israel? That explains the music – Old bible
Israeli music – my heritage… but in the jungle? In the Amazon? I am probably
hallucinating… too tired, too hungry…Israel people don’t live here…they are far,
at the Middle East… I asked one of my team members to come closer to
me and pinch me. Is it a mystical jungle
mirage? Or… that I just found the famous
“Lost Tribe” of Israel? Excitement filled my heart. The young man explained me
they are a community of “Bnei-Israel” (Israel children) and that Israel is
right there, in the Amazon. I didn’t argue with him… I just mentioned that I am
an Israeli born – I am from the holy land – from Israel. Now he stopped talking and his facial demeanor
changed drastically. He rushed back to
his people and begun confiding with them. For a second I had a change of heart.
Maybe I shouldn’t have told him that I am from Israel… I am now not sure if it
was a good idea to reveal my origin?
Three minutes has passed by and three of the village leaders
approached me and to my astonishment bent down bowing my direction. One by one
they held my hand and bowed… in a speed of a light the word spread out around
the village: The Messiah is here… the Messiah
is in the Jungle! People lined up bowed and shook my hand. My expedition team
members were stunt. I had a big smile smeared on my face. Not every day that I
am considered to be the Messiah. And I felt happy, actually happy to find these
people. They touched my heart. They escorted
me and my team with much respect into their village. It has been a holiday that
week. A religious holiday of the bible
time. I couldn’t have showed up at a better time…. The community’s religion
leader told his followers only several days before I arrived that he had a
dream. In his dream a very important person will come over to their community
from nowhere. He anxiously waited for his dream to come true
– he was convinced and tried to convince his followers for few days that
someone important will come to spend the holiday with them. Seeing me embarking
out of the dense woods into their village, a location no one, no stranger is
ever coming from (Only meshige Israeli can) him and his people were left
speechless. To them I was the Messiah!
Immediately they asked me to stay there with them. They
assigned a person, who took me to the river, undressed my filthy jungle clothing
off my tired body, and after a good deep and a good wash in the river he
handled me a traditional Toga gown to wear, flip flaps on my feet, and not to
forget… “gatkes” (underwear). Wearing underwear again was a privilege as I lost
mine along the journey long ago…What can I say? It has been a while since
someone has been taking care of me. I received a VIP treatment – A real Messiah
treatment! Who am I to refuse it? They took my filthy clothing to the river and
washed it for me… My personal bag that has all my precious electronic gear in
and of which I carry on me at all time… now they carried it for me. I was not
allowed to pick up a thing. A real king…. It’s good to be the king!!! I cannot wait to share it with my wife… she
will be jealous!
From that point they took me to the center of the village.
The holiday ceremony was about to begin. A ceremony where they are offering
sacrifice to God - to Jehovah. With the entire village taking a part in the ceremony
and like in the Jewish tradition there is a full separation between men and
women. A band is playing music and the
audience sings their songs – by the bible script. The same exact music that pulled
me over into their community only few hours earlier! They invited me to take a
part in the ceremony – a jester I appreciated and felt honored of as they never
share such with others then their own tribal mates. I guess I was considered a
tribal mate today – a brother. I probably am… They also don’t let such ceremony
or their life style being filmed or photo. Today was an exception. I was
allowed to document the event and interview the people and their about. While I
took part in the ceremony my film crew documented the event from behind without
interfering with the special time of this community.
The lamb scarify ceremony took about 45 minutes at mid day
and under the blazing sun. I was brought
to the front of the crowed all dressed up with a Toga gown bible style and with
a person assigned to hold a parasol over my head. Having my skin subject to
melanoma cancer less than two years ago and my face grafted in a repairing
surgery I could not wish for better care under the Amazon sun that day.
Following the ceremony all came inside a large structure of
about 5000 sq. ft. (500 sq. meters) with floor of compact clay, tin roof and tall.
It was well insulated and provided chilled air. Like in a tradition Synagogue
women were on the left side and men on the right – gender separation. Men,
women and children all looked like were taken from the bible stories, head
covers, light blue and crimson colors gowns. The community leader now introduced me to his
congregates as the…. Messiah. He reminded them of the dream story he shared
with them only a few days earlier and all clapped their hands in cheers. To me
that was too much…I wanted out, back to the jungle… but not before Messiah meal was prepared for
me and my hungry team that seems very pleased with the opportunity to eat real
food with such honoree treatment. Lucy,
my Argentinean team member was taken aside earlier, dressed up with “bible”
gown and kept with the women – in the kitchen… poor Lucy. But she also seemed
to enjoy the moment.
At the end of the ceremony day my new followers offered me
to stay with them for as long as I wish and committed to care for my needs at
all time as an obligation to the important guest who came to them on their holy
day just as their leader predicted…( At a second thought this offer seems not
too bad at all…as a life style option…. mmm). At least seven days, they asked.
Please stay they said. I explained them
the nature of the Amazon 5000 expedition and emphasized the importance in
keeping the expedition going and told them about the people from around the
world who are following me and of which I cannot disappoint. Sharing with them
my Impossible Possible mission of inspiration to those who battle cancer it was
brought to my attention that this village helps cancer patients and others of
terminal illnesses to recover, practicing holistic treatments with remedies
from the jungle and…faith, using natural remedies without conventional medicine. I have not experienced any treatment there
but I believe them.
Leaving a chapter of history behind me I am now heading east
to Tabatinga, Brazil along the Amazon River and all the way to its mouth at the
shores of the Atlantic Ocean. I will see what a new day will bring upon me.
