A few Sundays ago, my Contemporary Israel class took an academic tiyul to the Golan to learn about the history where it happened. We started off in the Hula Valley on the border between Israel and Lebanon. With its picturesque landscape, it was really interesting to think about the fact that so much could change in a matter of years. Rockets, armies, mines…versus farmlands, towns, and villages, on both sides of the borders.
We then went to Metula in the Ayun valley, on the border with Syria. In the following picture, just over the fence is the U.N. buffer zone, followed by Syria.
We even went inside an old military bunker there.
We then went to Tel Facher and were careful not to stray off the path:
View from the top of the mountain:
We then stopped for lunch in one of the Druze Villages in the North. It was delicious!!
After that, we went to the “Valley of Tears,” or “Oz 77” to talk about the wars and history there.
We saw the biggest grasshopper-y thing ever!
And, of course, something resembling a stage for me to pose on:
Oh, hey, the Syrian flag…we’re VERY close to Damascus.
After that, we went swimming in the Galilee. A great way to relax after a 12-hour field trip!
Tiberias
A few days later, my friend and I decided to take a trip after class to Tiberias.
First stop was the tomb of Rabbi Akiva, a famous writer in the Talmud. Many people know him for saying the entire Torah teaches “Love thy neighbor as thyself” and that the rest is commentary, ‘go and learn it’. It’s set on the mountain overlooking the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and the city of Tiberias.
Next stop was the grave of Rabbi Maimonides, or the Rambam. I thought it was fascinating how the mechitza was split right down the middle of his grave. Here’s a view from the women’s side:
Then took the bus to downtown Tiberias and walked around there. It’s such an interesting mix of old and new, religious versus secular. Here’s the Kinneret:
And here’s a historical mosque:
Here’s a water level surveyor for the Galilee:
And here’s the Greek Orthodox monastery:
We then went to the “Music Beach” to cool off in the water. It was such a hot day outside!
I attempted walking on water on the Sea of Galilee. Funny, it didn’t work for me:
(note that this was my second time in half a week swimming in the Kinneret!)
We visited St. Peter’s (Franciscan) Catholic Church:
The apse is shaped like a boat!
And saw the old synagogue there:
Grand Kenyon
The other day, I took a trip to the Grand Kenyon. Don’t get confused, I didn’t go to Arizona. In Hebrew, “kenyon” is the word for “mall,” so the name of the biggest mall in Haifa is a clever pun (in my opinion, at least!). It was gigantic!! Not too daunting, but definitely impressive. In fact, while I was browsing at books in Steimatsky, I heard someone say “Sara?!” As it turns out, it was Liora, one of the Israeli shilichim (ambassador) counselors from JCC camp 3 years ago. She was working there and recognized me. It was really nice to catch up and even funnier to remember just how small this country is sometimes.
Hof Sheket
That Saturday, another friend and I decided to check out a new beach (and one that was bus-accessible on Shabbat). We arrived at Hof Sheket not knowing what to expect—what do they mean by “quiet beach”? We learned that it just meant that it was a rather small beach near the port and the IDF Naval base that lots of families visit on the weekends. It was “quiet” because there was not boardwalk with restaurants blasting music. We saw some nice colorful sailboats:
And got some beach reading done:
The lifeguards’ tower looked a bit like it was going to collapse at any minute. Don’t worry, it didn’t:
All in a week's travels!
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