Northern Israel

After crossing back into Eilat at the southern tip of Israel, we drove northwest to Rishon LeZion near Tel Aviv-Yafo. The highways are new and big but there’s not much  to look at except gorgeous Arava and Negev Desert. The few towns, Dimona, Be’er Sheva and Qiryat Gat, are relatively small and not very exciting. I wish I had time for camping and hiking because I understand there are some really nice places. After a quick change of clothes and change of attitude, I headed to Kibbutz Glil Yam near Herzliya for Shabbat dinner with our Hasidic friends.

Shabbat dinner is full of ritual, scripture reading, prayers (all in Hebrew, of course), and protocol. The meal was long, plentiful, beautiful and delicious. I was told by the father of the home that in America good things come easy but in Israel and throughout the Bible, good things come hard. Therefore, one must ask God for what one needs, thank God when it’s delivered and appreciate that God is the source of all goodness. There are so many rules, I thought it best to sit quietly except to follow the other women when it was time to wash our hands three times. From sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, no work may be done, including cooking, turning on light switches, pushing elevator buttons, or driving. Shabbat elevators open and close automatically on a timer and stop at every floor so there’s no need to push buttons. The actual Shabbat meal is essentially the same each Friday night but it’s prepared on Thursday with salads and last minute items made on Friday. All day Thursday and Friday the house is cleaned, food is prepared and the family gets ready for Shabbat. Enough food is prepared to eat on Saturday also. The dishwasher isn’t started until after sunset on Saturday when the sabbath ends. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, three days each week, are devoted to Shabbat preparation and celebration.

Saturday we went to the beach in Herzilya (Mediterranean Sea) then north to Hadera for the night. Dinner in Yikhron Ya’akov was like visiting a magic village. It’s 35 km south of Haifa at the southern end of the Carmel mountain range on the Mediterranean and has pedestrian streets lined with small cafes. Once again, I need more time to stay in these wonderful places. A couple hours is horribly insufficient.

Sunday morning we drove to the extreme northern point of Qiryat Shemona. The land in the north is much greener than the south and is full of hills with beautiful vistas below. In Qiryat Shomona we visited one of the many memorial sites to soldiers lost. Standing there looking into Lebanon and listening to the story of a young Israeli man who died in the 2006 Israel-Hezbolla War (aka Second Lebanon War), I was overcome with grief. This young man could have been one of my sons. My heart breaks for his brother and parents.  I realize wars are sometimes necessary to protect freedom but I hope the governing politicians are prepared to send their own sons and daughters before they send others.

Stopping for possibly the world’s best hummus at a local spot, we feasted! It’s so easy being vegetarian in Israel. And with most places offering outdoor dining, it’s a complete delight to stop a while for good food and to soak up the local culture.

Our next stop, Tel Dan Nature Reserve, is a beautiful park on a hill above natural springs. The Dan River is an important water supply — one of the three sources of the Jordan River. While the forest and ponds are lovely, I really got excited when we arrived at Tel Dan, an archaeological excavation from 2700-2400 BCE. Like so many places in Israel, the history is documented in the Bible. “They proceeded to Laish, a people tranquil and unsuspecting, and they put them to the sword and burned down the town. There was none to come to the rescue, for it was distant from Sidon…They rebuilt the town and settled there, and they named the town Dan, after their ancestor Dan who was Israel’s son. Originally, however, the name of the town was Laish.” Judges 18:27-29. It’s very cool walking among ruins from almost 5,000 years ago but it reminds me that this land, like so many others, has had wars for as long as history records and probably longer.

And, if the day could get any better, we then headed to a dirt path, far off-road overlooking the Jordan River. The only things up there were an occasional army vehicle on patrol and dozens of boxes with bee hives at various intervals that are maintained by a nearby kibbutz. “Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.” Deuteronomy 6:3 

We dropped a friend off at his cute apartment in Qiryat Shmona where he’s a personal trainer and nutrition major at Tel Hai Academic College. Like most young people, his English is very good. The bomb shelter near his front door is a reminder of the nearby Lebanese border occupied by Hezbolla. I will never again hear of conflicts at the Israeli-Lebanese border without thinking about Avi and his lovely girlfriend.

Next we drove the short distance to Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee (aka Lake Kinneret). At 700 ft below sea level, it’s the lowest fresh water lake and the second lowest lake on earth, second only to the Dead Sea. It’s about 33 miles in circumference so smaller than you might expect for something called a sea. This is the place where Jesus performed the miracles of walking on water, calming the water and feeding the multitudes. “And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” Matthew 8:23-27

Watching the sun rise over the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights the next morning was another of the magically beautiful and calm moments in this land of contrasts.

After a lovely morning on and around the lake, we drove up to the top of the Golan. On one side (west) there is the Sea of Galilee and on the other there is Syria.

The double fence separating Israel from Syria reminds me of my own country and political promises/threats to build a huge wall separating Mexico. In this day of technology and powerful economic incentives, I feel like there are better ways to control immigration and maintain American borders.

Time for another falafel stop before returning to Tel Aviv and the midnight flight that will take me home. This time I ordered only a half and it was still all I could eat.

Saying goodbye to dear friends is never easy and it’s made more difficult not knowing when we’ll see each other again. Leaving part of your heart behind is one of the dangers of travel. Still, one must travel.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” St. Augustine