Tramping to Jerusalem

Walking in the proverbial shoes of Arabs, Jews and misfits the world over, the author immerses himself in the "Holy Land" like no other walker/writer before him. Sailing to Israel with his wife, perennial innocents abroad, and broke, they become volunteers on various communes and kibbutzim in the Occupied Territories. "Kibbutz hopping" from the snows of Mt. Hermon on the Syrian border, to the troubled waters of Aqaba, they encounter every strata of scenery and society, discovering a certain unexpected and controversial reality as they go. Soon they evolve from being gung-ho volunteers to cautious travelers after the author's near "hunting" accident while hiking in the Judean hills when he was shot at by a soldier. In the end, his passion for justice, what is natural and true, renders this book a spiritual journey. His underlying search for God and soul, finding his brother in the other, is a tour de force you can't book with your travel agent. *****

Antonio Cammarata, son of immigrants, was born in Queens, New York in 1936. He began his life of adventure as a Mercury messenger out of Times Square in New York City while still in high school. At Brooklyn college he saw an Uncle Sam poster advising him to "Join the Navy and See the World" and after his discharge, he sailed off to the four corners at the drop of a hat, a few dollars in the pocket earned by various very odd jobs, including a guide, picking grapes in France, a lifeguard and a diver. It all served him well on his journey through Africa with his spear gun used in Lake Malawi after Sudan's road to the Red Sea was washed out. Cammarata is also the author of "Unraveling on the Old Silk Road: Hitchhiking China and Beyond."