Earth, Wind and Fire

In the morning, we left Tiberias and headed inland to plant trees at a JNF (Jewish National Fund, otherwise known as Keren Kayemet Yisrael, or Israel’s primary environmental protection organization) site. Each of us selected from among the little saplings we were offered—pine, cedar, oak, and covered the roots with soil. Driving in to the field, we saw trees that had been planted before ours. Some were just a bit bigger than ours; others had already grown to full size. It was exciting to see them and imagine that someday others would look at our trees too.

We got back on the bus, and drove up to the medieval town of Tzfat. It was a lot chillier and windier here than down below. We visited some of the main sites of Tzfat, including the Ari Synagogue, the synagogue of Rabbi Isaac Luria, one of the founders of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah. We then went our own ways and spent some time wandering through the narrow stone streets and supporting the Israeli economy. As we were walking to the shops, it was very windy. At one stand, a display of magnets that a vendor was trying desperately to brace against the wind fell over. It made a huge boom, and everyone jumped.

After Tzfat, we traveled to Akko, the ruins of a Crusader settlement. Since 1992, this site has considerably expanded thanks to major excavations. I was amazed at how much things have changed since my last visit in 1990. We walked through huge, cavernous rooms with high arches and ceilings. In each room there were holes in the ceiling to let out the smoke from the fires that were lit to warm the cold stone rooms. These were the rooms where the knights ate, slept, and relaxed before going off to battle. We also got to see a crusader latrine, and imagined what it must have been like when it was in use. Then we walked through one of the many narrow underground tunnels—not for claustrophobics!

We hopped back on the bus and crossed the bay to Haifa. We got our first glimpse of the beautiful Bahai gardens, terraced on Mount Carmel above. We checked into our hotel, at the very top of the mountain—and from which some of the rooms had a spectacular view of the harbor and Mediterranean Sea below. After check-in, we went our separate ways for the rest of the evening to eat dinner, and to get ready for an early departure tomorrow morning for Caesarea.


Today’s art corner brings you some of Yael Farber’s poetry, written en route. Enjoy!

Modern History
Israel is built on history,
But lives in modern ways.
Cities of stone
And highways too.
Electricity and the Wall
Cell phones and the Dome.
Israel is built on history,
But lives in modern ways.
Office buildings
And secret tunnels.
Israel is built on history,
But lives in modern ways.

Kfar Charuv
A special kind of community,
Family, friends, and love.
A special kind of community,
Only found on a kibbutz.
Sharing a lifestyle,
Sharing love,
Is what a kibbutz is all about.


Shalom from Temple Tikvah in Israel!