Our friend Katz
The view from Kfar Charuv
Learning about the Kibbutz
View from my room in Tiberias
Learning about Jerusalem at the David Citadel Museum
David Citadel Museum
Shopping in Jerusalem's Kanyon Mall
At Mount Herzl
Our guide Roni
Beautiful Tiberias
The Golan
Offir Overlook
Today began with a bit more adventure than we had bargained for. We left Jerusalem, as planned, just after breakfast. However, not long after we reached the main highway, our bus’s engine began to lose water. We had to stop at a roadside rest stop for over an hour while the problem was addressed. For a while, to quote Howie Weiss, the “wandering” Jews became the “wondering” Jews—wondering whether we would ever get our day started! Fortunately, we’re a good natured group, and we made the most of our time spent waiting---soaking up the warm rays of the sun (a most welcome change from yesterday!), sampling ice cream from the local vendor, and befriending a purring animal whom Steve dubbed “Katz”. Soon we were on the road again.
Our bus made its way back up the road leading through the Jordan Valley where we had traveled days earlier. However, instead of heading right the Dead Sea and Masada, we turned left and began the journey north to the Golan Heights. The further we traveled, the more lush the scenery. At first, it was parched, dusty hills with only a few bits of dry grasses to feed the Bedouin goats. We traveled through the West Bank. Off to our left, we could see the sprawling city of Jericho. In the distance, off to the right, on the Jordanian side of the River Jordan, Mount Nebo loomed. As we traveled further through the Palestinian territory, we could see an occasional date palm grove or a small vineyard. Beyond the Palestinian checkpoint, back in Israel, the lands became greener still. The hills and valleys were lush with groves of grapefruit, mango, olive, orange, and banana trees, and fields of planted barley and wheat.
Learning about the Kibbutz
View from my room in Tiberias
Learning about Jerusalem at the David Citadel Museum
David Citadel Museum
Shopping in Jerusalem's Kanyon Mall
At Mount Herzl
Our guide Roni
Beautiful Tiberias
The Golan
Offir Overlook
Today began with a bit more adventure than we had bargained for. We left Jerusalem, as planned, just after breakfast. However, not long after we reached the main highway, our bus’s engine began to lose water. We had to stop at a roadside rest stop for over an hour while the problem was addressed. For a while, to quote Howie Weiss, the “wandering” Jews became the “wondering” Jews—wondering whether we would ever get our day started! Fortunately, we’re a good natured group, and we made the most of our time spent waiting---soaking up the warm rays of the sun (a most welcome change from yesterday!), sampling ice cream from the local vendor, and befriending a purring animal whom Steve dubbed “Katz”. Soon we were on the road again.
Our bus made its way back up the road leading through the Jordan Valley where we had traveled days earlier. However, instead of heading right the Dead Sea and Masada, we turned left and began the journey north to the Golan Heights. The further we traveled, the more lush the scenery. At first, it was parched, dusty hills with only a few bits of dry grasses to feed the Bedouin goats. We traveled through the West Bank. Off to our left, we could see the sprawling city of Jericho. In the distance, off to the right, on the Jordanian side of the River Jordan, Mount Nebo loomed. As we traveled further through the Palestinian territory, we could see an occasional date palm grove or a small vineyard. Beyond the Palestinian checkpoint, back in Israel, the lands became greener still. The hills and valleys were lush with groves of grapefruit, mango, olive, orange, and banana trees, and fields of planted barley and wheat.
We ascended a narrow, windy road up the Golan Heights to its plateau where several kibbutzim were established in the early 1970s, after Israel took control of the area in the Six Day War. Kfar Charuv, one of these kibbutzim, was our destination for lunch and a tour. What a beautiful kibbutz, and what a spectacular view of the Golan and the Sea of Galilee below! Kibbutzim in Israel today, we learned, have changed considerably in recent years. Although there is still a common dining hall, and a weekly meeting of kibbutz members to decide upon matters of communal concern, there is much more privatization than in years past. Kibbutz members all work, many off the kibbutz, and keep the income they earn—though they pay “taxes” to the kibbutz for common services. Although this kibbutz was built atop a former Syrian bunker, it felt peaceful, and almost idyllic. I watched a group of young boys play soccer on the Kibbutz’s field, and thought to myself—this must be a wonderful place for children to grow up.
After leaving Kfar Charuv, we came partway down the mountain to Offir Overlook, a small rocky point from which you can see the Sea of Galilee and the entire Golan Valley. Two of Israel’s four holy cities, Tiberias and Tzfat, were visible below. From here, Roni (our guide) gave us the history of the Golan Heights, and of Israel’s several wars with Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan. Peace is so fragile in this land where fresh water is scarce, where lands change hands every few years, and where the distances between nations are so very small. Perhaps our prayers can help make shalom just a bit more possible.
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