Expectations

Before I go to Ashkelon I thought I'd make a note of what I know, and what I think I know about the area.

History
Ashkelon is one of the oldest cities in the world. Despite being well inside the boundaries of modern day Israel, it was a Philistine city through most of history. It is only mentioned in the bible a couple of times, usually with disdain as enemy territory. Most notably, this is where Sampson is said to have kicked some Philistine ass, with the jaw bone of a, well, ass. It is also where Herod was born.

Since ancient times the city has been conquered and reconquered by basically every major power on the Mediterranean, and a few even more distant.

Despite the rich history, its namesake is the onions that were produced there, known today as "Scallions".

Modern Times
From what I've read Ashkelon was re-settled by South African Jews. More recently it has be a new home to two groups of new comers: Russians and Ethiopians.

The Russians, have come in several waves since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Each wave has had its own characteristics. The first waves were people interested in moving to the Holy Land, but more recent waves were people trying to escaped the difficulties of post-Soviet life by cashing in on being like 1/16th Jewish.

The Ethiopians I find really fascinating. Their history is a bit of a mystery. Some historians think they are "The Lost Tribe". Others say that they escaped to Africa during the Diaspora cause by the Romans. Either way they have been separated long enough that their culture and "version" of Judaism are quite different than that of other Jews in Israel. They were abruptly reunited with Israel in the 1980's when the Israel government stage a daring raid to save them from Ethiopia's civil war. This has caused them to have a tough time integrating, with some Israelis claiming that they are not Jewish. According to a show I saw on the discovery channel, their Jewish roots have been proven with genetic testing.

I'm sure I'll have more about both of these groups after some personal experience.