Читать книгу The Dead Sea and the Jordan River - Barbara Kreiger - Страница 7

I have long admired all those who have devoted their energy to the preservation of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. Commitment comes in many forms, and I also admire those who are simply drawn to this region for reasons that one can never quite name. Some are artists, painters, and photographers who find their inspiration here. Others are naturalists by inclination if not vocation: hikers, birdwatchers, amateur geologists, and those who are simply given to reflection as they view—as they experience, I should say—this singular landscape. I thank them for enriching my own experience over the years.

Many people have devoted years to the study of the Dead Sea and Jordan River and their environs and shared their knowledge and experiences with me as I traipsed up and down the wadis and along the lakeshore, stowed away on a boat going out to study the water and sediment, and worked my way from library to library—all along accosting anyone who might take a few minutes to answer my questions or provide me with a new lead.

I would not have been able to absorb the information and articulate the developments of recent years without the patient guidance of EcoPeace Middle East. Aside from all I’ve learned from them, both in conversation and on field trips, I appreciate their understanding of my need to research and represent differing views as thoroughly as I try to their own. Although passionately committed, they never sought to introduce bias and understood that I needed to learn and integrate as much as I possibly could from all quarters. I thank EcoPeace’s three directors: Munqeth Mehyar, Jordanian director; Nader Khateb, Palestinian director; and Gidon Bromberg, Israeli director. I also especially thank Mira Edelstein, Jordan River Rehabilitation Project Coordinator at EcoPeace, for her endless patience, good humor, detailed explanations, and helpful leads.

I am very grateful to Her Majesty Queen Noor of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for helping to ensure that my stay in Jordan some years ago was productive. In Amman I learned about the intricacies of Jordan Valley development, the Red Sea–Dead Sea canal, and tourism development. At Safi, the managers of the Arab Potash Company explained their plans for the Jordanian mineral extraction industry.

In Israel, I thank Dr. Doron Markel, head of the Israel Water Authority’s Sea of Galilee Monitoring and Management Unit, for his clear and strong views and for his readiness to explain them to me. I also thank Dr. Ittai Gavrieli, who clarified certain important points. Notable among the scientists who provided valuable explanations of their work were oceanographer David Anati, zoologist Len Aronson, hydrologist Cippora Klein, geologist David Neev, microbiologist Aharon Oren, botanist Uzi Plitmann, and geologist Mordecai Stein. I am grateful for their time and expertise. I was also privileged to spend time with Professor Leo Picard, “father of geology in Israel.” Eli Raz, while head of the field school at Ein Gedi, talked with me about his work, as did Dov Gavish, professor of aerial photography and cartography. I also thank Hani E. Abu-Dayyeh, founder of NET Tours in East Jerusalem, for offering me a Palestinian perspective on development in the Dead Sea region.

Rudolph Bloch related to me the genesis of the idea that led to the solar electric ponds. Eli Nevo talked to me about the early days of the first kibbutz established in the area, and Moshe Langotzki related his fascinating story. Shlomo Drori shared his recollections of individuals and events connected to the Dead Sea, while Ze’ev Vilnay told me the stories of his discovery of certain Dead Sea relics. As co-leader of the excavations at Bab edh-Dhra and other nearby sites over the course of a number of years, Professor Walter E. Rast gave me an important perspective on archaeological thought concerning those Early Bronze Age towns.

I’m very grateful to CNN and to Bill Weir and his team, who included me in their own work at the Dead Sea and Jordan River and opened avenues of discussion that were extremely fruitful. At Dartmouth College, I want to thank Janice C. Allen, Curator of Visual Resources in the Visual Resource Center in the Department of Art History, for her timely and generous help. I was greatly aided in my research by the assistance of the staffs of several libraries and archives: the National Library of Israel, the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum in Jerusalem, and Baker-Berry Library at Dartmouth College. I also wish to thank the staff of the photo archives of the Jewish National Fund, the Central Zionist Archives, the Israel Government Press Office, and the Israel State Archives for their generosity and assistance.

I could not have written parts of this book without the patient help of Yisrael Saraf, who guided me through the labyrinth of geological history and made it all real to me through our field trips. I also thank Gila Yudkin, professional tour guide, who was my hiking companion in the Dead Sea wadis along the western shore, and whose careful reading of my manuscript was most valuable.

Finally, I thank my husband and sons, whose encouragement and continuing interest have meant so much to me over the years.