The Life and death of the Dead Sea

Dr. Shay Rabineau will discuss the sea’s past, present and future March 18

Professor Shay Rabineau, Department of Judaic Studies, Binghamton University

In 1934, 12 Jewish teenagers from British Mandate Palestine walked around the world’s lowest body of water during a grueling two-week trek and wrote a Hebrew-language bestseller about it. They were the first people in recorded history to circle the lake on foot.

Shortly after the 1934 trek, outbreaks of violence turned the area around the Jordan River and Dead Sea into a militarized border zone. Treasure hunters scoured nearby caves for scrolls and artifacts. Israelis and Jordanians exploited the area’s water and mineral resources, drained the sea and turned part of the lake into an industrial wasteland. Even after Israel and Jordan reached a peace agreement in 1994, few travelers, if any, seriously considered the feasibility of again circling the Dead Sea on foot.

In 2022, Shay Rabineau completed the secondever circumambulation of the Dead Sea. It was the first continuous journey around the body of water since the rise of nation-states in the Middle East. During the twoweek trek, accompanied by a photographer, he examined the origins of one of the world’s worst environmental crises, encountered the human communities affected by it and explored the political paralysis that has thus far forestalled practical solutions.

In his talk, Dr. Rabineau will discuss the sea’s past, present and future, and will share some insights gained from his effort to holistically research the environment of the Dead Sea through the act of walking.

Join us for this talk on Monday, March 18, 2 p.m. at the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center. Please register for this free program at www.jewishnaples.org or directly from https://JFGN.regfox.com/ dead-sea-presentation

Presented by MCA, WCA, Israel and Overseas Committee, and Jewish Federation of Greater Naples.

Professor Rabineau is associate professor of Israel Studies in the Department of Judaic Studies at Binghamton University and the associate director of the Center for Israel Studies. He obtained his Ph.D. from Brandeis University in 2013, and then did postdoctoral work at Brandeis and at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has worked as a consultant for the World Trails Network and the Abraham Path Initiative, an effort to develop hiking trails across the Middle East. He is the author of “Walking the Land: A History of Israeli Hiking Trails” (Indiana University Press, 2023) and teaches university courses on Israeli history, politics and environmental issues. His current research focuses on the history, politics and environment of the Dead Sea.

PLAN TO GO

Dr. Shay Rabineau Discussion

When: Monday, March 18, 2 p.m.

Where: The Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center