tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50025382832529329872024-02-07T06:33:45.061-08:00Days out in IsraelI've visited Israel many times and have seen all the regular tourist spots, but I wanted to see more. I know many other sites, some very close to all the tourist hotels, which are delightful, spectacular or historically fascinating. Some are perfect for families, some easily accessible by public transport. Now I want to share them with you.
I've also researched into some of the people behind the street names in Israel: some historical, some political and some just weird!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-43278753977212614872022-05-08T10:17:00.002-07:002022-05-08T10:17:32.632-07:00<p> Enter the world of the Jews from Iraq at the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Centre</p><p><br /></p><div class="_3wnIc" data-hook="bgLayers" id="bgLayers_comp-jbag9zkb" style="border: 0px; height: 311px; left: 0px; margin: 0px; mask-image: var(--mask-image,none); mask-position: var(--mask-position,0); mask-repeat: var(--mask-repeat,no-repeat); mask-size: var(--mask-size,100%); outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; pointer-events: var(--fill-layer-background-media-pointer-events); position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 1186px;"><div class="_2GUhU" id="bgMedia_comp-jbag9zkb" style="border: 0px; height: 311px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div></div><div class="" data-mesh-id="comp-jbag9zkbinlineContent" data-testid="inline-content" style="border: 0px; height: auto; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: none; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 1186px;"><div data-mesh-id="comp-jbag9zkbinlineContent-gridContainer" data-testid="mesh-container-content" style="border: 0px; display: grid; grid-template-columns: 100%; grid-template-rows: 1fr; height: auto; margin: 0px; min-height: 311px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; vertical-align: baseline; width: 1186px;"><div class="_2Hij5" data-testid="richTextElement" id="comp-jbagb026" style="align-self: start; border: 0px; grid-column-end: 2; grid-column-start: 1; grid-row-end: 2; grid-row-start: 1; height: auto; justify-self: start; left: 30px; margin: 35px 0px 10px calc(50% - 490px); min-height: var(--min-height); min-width: var(--min-width); outline: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; pointer-events: none; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 920px; word-wrap: break-word;"><p class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(var(--color_24)); font: var(--font_8); letter-spacing: 0em; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Off the beaten track, but well worth the trip, is the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center, established in 1973 to preserve the history of the Jewish community in Iraq and to ensure that it remains part of the future narrative of the Jewish nation.</span></span></span></p><p class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(var(--color_24)); font: var(--font_8); letter-spacing: 0em; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></span></p><p class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(var(--color_24)); font: var(--font_8); letter-spacing: 0em; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Importantly, it contains the Museum of Babylonian Jewry, opened to the public which shows aspects from the history of Babylonian Jewry throughout the generations over the course of more than 2,600 years. you will wander through a typical alley, showing the workshops located there, visit a typical home in the early twentieth century, see how the culture changes affected dress, music and international interaction (especially British!) and immerse yourself in centuries old Jewish culture. </span></span></span></p><p class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(var(--color_24)); font: var(--font_8); letter-spacing: 0em; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But why is the museum sited in Or Yehudah? Well, when the Iraqi Jews arrived in Israel in 1948/9, this was the location of one of their</span><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i> maabarot</i></span><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, or temporary refugee camps. The Refugees were keen to leave the tented accommodation as soon as possible and so built their new town on the same ground. Mordecahi Ben Porat, an Iraqi Jew, was the town's first mayor.</span></span></span></p><p class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(var(--color_24)); font: var(--font_8); letter-spacing: 0em; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Just 20 minutes from the centre of tel aviv, but a world away, this is a hidden gem in Israel and well worth the trip. An audio guide with English option, is well worth taking.</span></span></span></p><p class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(var(--color_24)); font: var(--font_8); letter-spacing: 0em; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(var(--color_24)); font: var(--font_8); letter-spacing: 0em; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">the Museum, with plenty of adjacent parking, is on Sderot Mordechi Ben Porat.</span></span></span></p><p class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(var(--color_24)); font: var(--font_8); letter-spacing: 0em; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(var(--color_24)); font: var(--font_8); letter-spacing: 0em; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">www.bjhc.org.il</span></span></span></p><p class="font_8" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(var(--color_24)); font-size: 18px; font: var(--font_8); letter-spacing: 0em; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: wfont_701069_22db859e425c42698135445165f7a6ca, wf_22db859e425c4269813544516, orig_heebo_light; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></p></div></div></div><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-31158324587428326862022-05-08T08:59:00.009-07:002022-05-08T10:20:37.100-07:00A must see new museum in Tel Aviv - ANU<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There will be many of us who fondly recall Bet Hatfutzot, the Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv, which closed some time ago for refurbishment. Well, in its new guise, it is a completely re-envisioned space, as The Museum of the Jewish People. Yes, the models of old synagogues are still there for you to say "yes, I've been there: tick", but it is far, far more than that. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">State of the art displays, graphics and areas take you through the entire Jewish world and its many communities. From Foundations through our Journey to a Mosaic of modern jewish Identity and Culture, this is an inspirational location. you cannot rush it, though. Reserve at least half a day and be transported.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">ANU is on the campus of Tel Aviv University www.anumuseum.org.il</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-26218556640590870492014-12-31T11:26:00.000-08:002014-12-31T11:27:12.237-08:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Tikotin
Museum of Japanese Art in Haifa. Now and zen.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A haiku:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Tikotin
Museum<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of Japanese Art.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>It's OK.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where in the
Middle East are you likely to find a museum dedicated to the art and culture of
Japan? Why, Haifa, of course! The story of how the founder of the museum,
Dutch Jewish architect Felix Tikotin, came by his remarkable collection, how he
buried it in Holland during World War Two to elude the Nazis, how he recovered
them and then, by chance happened upon the then mayor of Haifa, is as
fascinating as the museum itself. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5002538283252932987" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5002538283252932987" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaUreSnjuH5EMElYMMAsUr1isRkOlewzUgxT55WKVTt4crr1cXIHl8lVeEtzNdpSrJvipG6Lg4Q-k5fX5jwSnN6IMOmiApHNiNqI0sbaueiFQ-nYgYjTI-mm69A7emUjVRTAGTvZe0GI6/s1600/IMG_1324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaUreSnjuH5EMElYMMAsUr1isRkOlewzUgxT55WKVTt4crr1cXIHl8lVeEtzNdpSrJvipG6Lg4Q-k5fX5jwSnN6IMOmiApHNiNqI0sbaueiFQ-nYgYjTI-mm69A7emUjVRTAGTvZe0GI6/s1600/IMG_1324.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5002538283252932987" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5002538283252932987" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now housed in a dedicated building, designed
on traditional Japanese principles (just look at the doors) and surrounded by
mature bamboo plants, the Tikotin Museum houses not only displays of the prints
and art which the founder himself acquired, but also rotating exhibitions of
contemporary Japanese art, in all its forms. When we visited, there were
displays of modern kimonos, exquisite nature photographs and commercial art
from a young designer, who worked on ancient Buddhist principles. You will, no
doubt, see different things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-7352718002272820832014-12-31T11:12:00.001-08:002014-12-31T11:22:38.374-08:00The Louis Promenade – the Tayelet. Take your place on the Balcony of the State<!--[if !mso]>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #515151; font-family: Arial;">The Louis Promenade – the Tayelet. Take
your place on the Balcony of the State<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #515151; font-family: Arial;">One
of the hidden gems of Haifa is the Louis Promenade, a 400 metre long walkway and viewpoint, established
in 1992 along Yefe Nof Street in Haifa. The promenade starts from the ridge
line at Nof Hotel to the entrance gate of the Bahai Gardens. It was funded by
Paul and May Goldschmidt, Haifa residents who had emigrated from South Africa,
in memory of their son, Louis-Ariel, who was killed in a car accident in 1971.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #515151; font-family: Arial;">The
promenade, located near the Carmel Center area, earned the nickname "the
balcony of the State." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #515151; font-family: Arial;">Walking
along the promenade from before sunset into the evening, you will get to see an
amazing view, often blended with the beautiful colours of the setting sun.
During the night, the entire promenade is lit up to allow you to enjoy it even
after dark. The fabulous daytime views, often as far as Rosh Haniqra and
even Mount Hermon, become twinkling lights stretching from Haifa to the far
north.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #515151; font-family: Arial;">How
thoughtful were the designers to set up benches all along the promenade as well
as pergolas for shade. You can also walk through to many hidden corners which
blend in among the local flora, the Mediterranean natural forest and the broad
lawns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5002538283252932987" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5002538283252932987" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkveuijhStEw_ppY3dX6MA78ec6-3GY9JMZ4NrHiLT2Y3J5L1Y_lC6bA_WoEJPP9o1dnns4uaiG-QLJy-_vKAEXS980itLqeeYEHFiSpPU5t4CJwgXMa9Zo4YwTjEtRf_5tv4_-PaK7c2K/s1600/IMG_1325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkveuijhStEw_ppY3dX6MA78ec6-3GY9JMZ4NrHiLT2Y3J5L1Y_lC6bA_WoEJPP9o1dnns4uaiG-QLJy-_vKAEXS980itLqeeYEHFiSpPU5t4CJwgXMa9Zo4YwTjEtRf_5tv4_-PaK7c2K/s1600/IMG_1325.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5002538283252932987" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5002538283252932987" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #515151; font-family: Arial;">But
in case you just wanted to enjoy the view, pause a while at the obelisk
commemorating the visit of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1898, which is now found at the
centre of a small grove. Here, the residents of the Templar Colony of German protestants </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #515151;">celebrated their holidays in the
days before they were expelled by the British in World War Two, especially the
"Kaiserpast" on October 25, the day of visit of the German Kaiser in
Haifa. In 1918, the British Army, under General Allenby, destroyed the obelisk,
but it was restored by the Israeli government, but with the ‘counterbalance’ of
an enormous French naval cannon. With a delightful pool and a children’s
playground, this really is a ‘do not miss’ location.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #515151; font-family: Arial;">The
Louis Promenade is immediately opposite the top entrance to the Bahai gardens
(just cross the road carefully and climb a few steps), or from a passageway
between the Tikotin Museum and the Dan Carmel hotel.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-5043484566632358452014-12-31T10:45:00.000-08:002014-12-31T11:20:20.587-08:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sarona in Tel
Aviv. How the world turns<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have written
before about Sarona, the German Templar settlement in Tel Aviv and how they
developed agriculture export and industry at the turn of the twentieth century.
I also wrote how it became a British army camp, then the first seat on
government for the fledgling State, forming part of the 'kiriyah', now being
relocated to other parts of Israel. Up until now, this was about as good as it
got, but with typical Israeli élan, the small area has been brought back to
life, albeit in a very different guise. In just an area perhaps no bigger than
ten football pitches, you will see the old houses brought back into use, mainly
as up market shops and cafes. An information centre will sell you tickets for a
tour, but only in Hebrew, as is the website. English speaking group tours can
be arranged via saronabook@shimur.org.il but if you just want to read about the
houses, each one has a useful notice outside with a brief explanation. There
are attractive seating areas, cool pools and an excellent playground too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One delicious
irony: the first building you come to was once the community centre for the
German Templars. In World War Two, with the Germans shipped of to Australia, it
became the British army camp cinema. By 1948 it had metamorphosed into the
Israeli army base synagogue, then the staff restaurant and social club. And
now? It is the flagship store for Adidas, with the name proudly displayed on
the outside of the building. How the Templars would have smiled!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can easily
reach Sarona, at the junction of Menachem Begin and Eliezer Kaplan Boulevards
and about a five minute walk from the Azrieli Centre.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdGvO3DwDllZUHnOhQxec7Of35CnSDYy7yuVX71l7o04e0MNQTCTx6x3krXpOXAD3EilQySFWHW6x9O_LOsxDGolMk4kFWfLWaHbVUaTzqz_LZu9m56q_cC1v2zY7POzH5IJCV7X_G8_b/s1600/IMG_1332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdGvO3DwDllZUHnOhQxec7Of35CnSDYy7yuVX71l7o04e0MNQTCTx6x3krXpOXAD3EilQySFWHW6x9O_LOsxDGolMk4kFWfLWaHbVUaTzqz_LZu9m56q_cC1v2zY7POzH5IJCV7X_G8_b/s1600/IMG_1332.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-62662153092033891682014-01-29T12:56:00.000-08:002014-01-29T12:58:33.003-08:00 It's hard to tell. Tel Gezer<!--StartFragment-->
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aKWxiZWNEcOVQ_5UJIRFj748cD6rHM7GujeMCGStoC8GWyIqi4P934f8LIC3iMpTaMCtgmlpMfuSaC91-FywIeeTuH9QFNa4CdUgtTciAChQqvTatg59p6MAesjnf2jiglMFbQoQp95-/s1600/securedownload.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aKWxiZWNEcOVQ_5UJIRFj748cD6rHM7GujeMCGStoC8GWyIqi4P934f8LIC3iMpTaMCtgmlpMfuSaC91-FywIeeTuH9QFNa4CdUgtTciAChQqvTatg59p6MAesjnf2jiglMFbQoQp95-/s1600/securedownload.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those of you who know a thing or two about ancient Israel
will know that Gezer was about as important a city as you could get. Predating
the arrival of the Israelites, it is mentioned many times in Tanach, the Jewish
Bible, and it's location has hardly been a secret. Sitting at the junction of
the Via Maris, the ancient coastal route from Egypt to Mesopotamia, and the
road to Jerusalem, it was almost inevitable that it would become occupied and
fought over many times. Recent excavations have shown a well fortified
Israelite city with the now familiar Solomonic Gates, although we all now
understand that they may not have exactly been the sole invention of King
Solomon himself!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So when you see the Tel Gezer National Park marked on a map,
not too far from Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, you would immediately think that once
again, Israel has managed to combine our story, history and recreation. And you
would be wrong.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Tel Gezer park does indeed exist, and the access from
route 40 is almost easy to find, if you keep your eyes peeled. But do not
expect an easy walk to the excavations, as at Megiddo or Hazor, with well
maintained signs, tracks, or even toilets. In fact, you can only reach the
ancient site by a 4x4 track or a very considerable walk. What is easy to find,
though, is a most attractive drive around the perimeter of the park,
thoughtfully laid out by JNF together with some attractive picnic spots. As you
drive - and occasionally stop - it is easy to see why Gezer had assumes such
strategic significance. On a clear day, you can see right across the Shephela
to the coast, or at least as far as the outskirts of Tel Aviv. In the other
direction, you can see the foothills of the Judean mountains and can imagine
yourself mounting sentry guard at the gate. Well, at least you could if you
could get there easily!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can find the entrance to the park on route 44, just
north of the junction with route 3.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-20026618421697492722014-01-19T06:04:00.000-08:002014-01-19T06:04:08.799-08:00Park Golda - far more than a place to stretch your legs<!--StartFragment-->
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVh1bX1b0ekV0L1DSA1C93TcF8MAmQHxBJa95qGKeAPLCRryqbBaFtEkBw08Kdui6RiMaV19_NNMFSfA29wryzZ4qMHRhZqInA-wOJl2F3B7epqW0Mk3UGoXFHXnQLE9tT6Txj8QcHJ8WI/s1600/IMG00135-20140105-0942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVh1bX1b0ekV0L1DSA1C93TcF8MAmQHxBJa95qGKeAPLCRryqbBaFtEkBw08Kdui6RiMaV19_NNMFSfA29wryzZ4qMHRhZqInA-wOJl2F3B7epqW0Mk3UGoXFHXnQLE9tT6Txj8QcHJ8WI/s1600/IMG00135-20140105-0942.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: ArialMT; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Driving in the Negev can be an amazing experience, but
sometimes you need a break and somewhere to stretch your legs. Where better
than Park Golda, a JNF project named after the fourth Prime Minister of the
State of Israel, Golda Meir and conveniently located close to Route 40, as you
drive south from Beersheva. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: ArialMT; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It is no accident that this park was created near
Kibbutz Revivim, which was established as an outpost in 1943, on the site of a
Turkish railway station and British army camp. They all knew of the sweet
water<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>well that existed here. One
of Kibbutz Revivim’s founding members was Golda Meir’s daughter, so she spent a
lot of time there, becoming her second home. Park Golda, created in her memory,
provides a wonderful recreational site in the Negev as well as rehabilitating
an old quarry that marred the impressive desert landscape. It also has started
to have an important economic impact for Negev residents, as it now attracts
many visitors from all parts of the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: ArialMT; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Despite the very arid climate of the region, with a
very short rainy season, there are no dry areas in the park as the Revivim
River, a seasonal stream, cuts through the park, and in especially rainy years
a lake forms. If and when the groundwater level rises, it also fills the wells
in the area of the park. The lake is also filled by the water that rinses the
filters of the nearby Neve Midbar Baths. Bathing is not recommended!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><span style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: ArialMT; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span lang="EN-US">Near the lake are extensive lawns, waterways
and picnic areas, and play and sports facilities for children plus a new
mountain bike track. A short but brisk climb from the lakeside will take you to
the Tali lookout point, with breathtaking views of the surrounding area.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: ArialMT; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Park Golda is directly off Route 222, about 1 mile
from its junction with Route 40, midway between Beersheva and Sde Boker.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Golda Park, Negev, Israel31.016750159726772 34.76417541503906230.989533159726772 34.723834915039063 31.043967159726773 34.804515915039062tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-24466411388251545032013-11-04T00:52:00.000-08:002013-11-04T00:52:41.720-08:00Hurshat Tal national park. - Swim, slide, fish and relax ........ <div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Hurshat Tal National Park, in the northern part of the Hula Valley, is the ideal place to spend a day out, or two or even three. The location and microclimate means that the landscaped lawns and well-kept campground, occupying 100 of the approximately 190 acres of the national park, are lush and inviting. In addition to campsites, the campground has bungalows and rooms for rent, although I haven’t tried them yet.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">One tributary of the Dan River cuts through the park and fills a large pond, which is accessible for swimming. The waterslides here are among the highest in the country and the fishing area provides a relaxing diversion (at no additional charge). Kids love the slides, but angling for youngsters is definitely to be discouraged!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Some 25 acres (10ha) of the national park were declared a nature reserve, in part because of the 240 rare Mount Tabor oaks growing there. Centuries old, these trees are among the largest in Israel. After the rainy season, much of the park is in bloom with anemones and other spring flowers in what seems to be a carpet of colours.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Hurshat Tal is an ideal base for exploring the Galilee, the northern Golan Heights, and the Mount Hermon area, or just for a day out in Israel.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Hurshat Tal is located at Kibbutz, Hagoshrim about 5 km east of Kiyrat Shemona on Route 90.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Wrexham,+Clwyd,+United+Kingdom&ll=33.21442,35.617332&spn=0.075399,0.148144&z=13">To view a Google map of this site, please click here</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-63793511286263504842013-10-06T03:44:00.002-07:002013-11-04T00:49:39.095-08:00Meshushim Stream - Israel's not so Giant Causeway, home of Asterix the Hebrew?<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">We all know that the famous Giant's Causeway in Northern
Ireland was created by rapidly cooling lava, with a hexagon being the most
efficient shape for the crystalline lava to form into. What you might not know
is that the Golan has it's own version, too. Admittedly not quite so
spectacular but certainly worth a detour, especially if you want to find out if
Asterix could have been Jewish. Let me explain a little more...........</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">The Meshushim (hexagon) Stream is the longest in the Golan,
feeding into the Jordan eventually after a 35km journey. It carves its way
through the Yehudiyah Nature Reserve, itself worth a serious visit, and after a series
of gentle waterfalls arrives at the natural pool, surrounded by basalt walls
which have formed into hexagon shapes - meshushim in Hebrew (from shesh = six: geddit?).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">The drive up to the entrance to the park is a bit of a bone
shaker, but the road is wide and easy to drive. From the car park you have a number
of options. The easiest is the walk to two amazing lookout points, where you
might see eagles, vultures or even a wild boar (although they are really very
shy animals, so they tell us). Another, more strenuous, trail, takes you down to the pool itself and is only
recommended for those prepared for the one hour round trip. Take lots of water and
obey the signs about not jumping off the rocks into the pool. By the way, the
water feels VERY chilly!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDC5WC8wAAxZZSceO1AeB1e4j45_cDL8-ayvu5AwTKTt5EYjpDLl1xwhReL1GZTs-zQfoZ53mqNGjtxN0Xvpbv8bllmaO4cx29dkfsZERT-qxgfkiyW1G-Z6z96OdDMAQvK-2xceR0etq/s1600/IMG00113-20130930-1008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDC5WC8wAAxZZSceO1AeB1e4j45_cDL8-ayvu5AwTKTt5EYjpDLl1xwhReL1GZTs-zQfoZ53mqNGjtxN0Xvpbv8bllmaO4cx29dkfsZERT-qxgfkiyW1G-Z6z96OdDMAQvK-2xceR0etq/s320/IMG00113-20130930-1008.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">So what about Asterix, you ask? Well, the park also has a
path leading to one of the few dolmens found in the Golan. A dolmen, as all you
prehistory students will know, is a stone burial chamber, usually consisting of
large upright stones with a stone lintel, as sort of mini Stonehenge. It would
have been covered with earth, making a sort of inverted cup shape, but over the
millennia, this has been washed away, leaving just the enormous stones in
place. They have been found all over Europe, Southern Russia and even as far as
China. Now, Asterix had a friend called Obelix, who was a menhir delivery man
and menhirs are the individual upright stones found all over Brittany, the
British Isles and elsewhere (think Stonehenge). They may even be likened to the 'matzevot' found
throughout Israel. So, is it too much to think that with Obelix delivering
menhirs and menhirs and dolmens being much the same sort of thing and menhirs
and matzevot being much the same thing, perhaps it should be Asterix the
Hebrew?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3dMQboE2hThrNOU1i0Pg7bs_D9cbcx87BUMRPX3PrfhJ5Ho2Mf6XbQSIaJrFp3uA2c4T_EvrZFt6lR2u3BMmk76jQijqPi5_94XYQjtU7la5jUKNnPKx7R41oBMQq7CsWTios2ucySc-/s1600/IMG00116-20130930-1020(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3dMQboE2hThrNOU1i0Pg7bs_D9cbcx87BUMRPX3PrfhJ5Ho2Mf6XbQSIaJrFp3uA2c4T_EvrZFt6lR2u3BMmk76jQijqPi5_94XYQjtU7la5jUKNnPKx7R41oBMQq7CsWTios2ucySc-/s320/IMG00116-20130930-1020(2).jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Even if this flight of fancy isn't your sort of thing,
visiting a burial site from perhaps 15,000 years ago is quite a sobering
thought.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">the Meshushim stream and park can be found as a turning off
route 888
a little north of Had Nes. If you are thinking of taking public
transport, it is a VERY long walk form the nearest bus stop on Route 888
and is only recommended for the hardy - with lots of water to drink.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-89408917414157223432013-10-06T03:21:00.002-07:002013-11-04T00:49:07.623-08:00Park Hayarden and Bet Tsaida<style>@font-face {
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">There can be few sites in Israel which pack in quite so
much, in terms of history, bible, walks, activities camping and geography as Park Hayarden,which includes the biblical site of Beit Tsaida.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Captured from the Syrians in 1967 ( you can still visit their
forward lookout points) it is now difficult to imagine what this are must have
been like just a few decades ago. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Since then, KKL had planted the area with
eucalyptus groves, then cut them down to make this delightful spot.
Subsequently, archeologists from around the world have worked at the site, as
it is of major significance to both Judaism and Christianity.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">The small excavation site has revealed a Bronze Age Citadel,
and we know that the site, then called Geshur, was captured by Joshua (or
perhaps not, depending on the enigmatic statement in the Book of Joshua). It
then became the home town of one of King David's wives, was destroyed by
invaders from the north (nothing new there, then) and was rebuilt as a Roman
border town. Lying at the crossroads of major routes north-south and east-west,
it is easy to see why it was such a significant location. You can see the
remains of the citadel, houses and shrines, all built in local basalt.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">A short walk, or even shorter drive, will take you to one of
the numerous car parks from where you can take six way marked tracks, in
varying length from 400 m to just over 2km. There are numerous picnic spots,
barbecue pits and camping areas. The park is situated amid some of the streams
which flow into the Jordan and all of the tracks run alongside one or other of
them, sometimes more than one. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfgC254GyI9zNukSHWN-pRxxTM_5eUeKDar1PYe0Nolg7xZWOslcyh0TjFzBYxAT2KdY-JulC1rr3CQgv4D-zr8GJtfUhntzDWMVXeYeB-EBZyWrHaAcmHUJKrvKY-Xd6oX5YnQHqNF7x/s1600/parkhayarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfgC254GyI9zNukSHWN-pRxxTM_5eUeKDar1PYe0Nolg7xZWOslcyh0TjFzBYxAT2KdY-JulC1rr3CQgv4D-zr8GJtfUhntzDWMVXeYeB-EBZyWrHaAcmHUJKrvKY-Xd6oX5YnQHqNF7x/s320/parkhayarden.jpg" width="320" /></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">You will also see the remains of a ancient water
mill and not so ancient plastic bottles, but that's Israel for you! There are
fishing opportunities as well, for those of a pescatorial bent. This would be
carrying on an ancient tradition, as it would appear that the original Kinneret
lapped the base of the citadel, some 1.5km north of the current shore.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Park Hayarden is situated just off Route 888, about 1km
north of its junction with Route 87.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-63607547733498072372013-10-06T03:18:00.000-07:002013-11-04T00:50:10.336-08:00Mount Bental -Look out, it's the Syrians.<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">About one million years ago, the Golan was an area of volcanic activity. The mountains which we see today are often the remnants of the rims of giant, long dormant calderas. So it is with Mount Bental, which is perched high on the Golan plateau, close to the demilitarised zone and the Syrian border. It was there in 1973 that Syrian forces overwhelmed the small IDF lookout post and it was only the bravery of the defending tank units which stopped - and eventually destroyed - the numerically superior Russian trained and equipped Syrian forces. The site which it overlooked has become known as the Valley of Tears, but that as another story. When you reach the site, you are confronted by the original Israeli lookout post, complete with tunnels, viewing platforms and machine gun mountings. Audio points in English as well as Ivrit allow you to imagine what it was like and help you to understand what you are looking at - and where. The land surrounding the mountain is part of kibbutz Merom Golan, which had to be relocated to the 'safe/ West side' of the mountain in 1972, due to the constant shelling from Syrian artillery. The story of the kibbutz and what happened to it in 1973 is also told via audio.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMW1xJR0fNrn9cgIGpVwHE4Av_IxcRwqhcCqtAlc7u1EgZPppzIcxObL1MvvMgc63mUERzjoDHv8V2DX_CaRA4VrIVZtCvNi2Ycg4fN2SHNpID5p-2q4DvSyt9oFp5TjO5gvK9208EYj7a/s1600/harbental.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMW1xJR0fNrn9cgIGpVwHE4Av_IxcRwqhcCqtAlc7u1EgZPppzIcxObL1MvvMgc63mUERzjoDHv8V2DX_CaRA4VrIVZtCvNi2Ycg4fN2SHNpID5p-2q4DvSyt9oFp5TjO5gvK9208EYj7a/s320/harbental.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">
The site also has what is perhaps the highest cafe in Israel, Cafe Anan
(Cloud cafe), where the iced coffees were more than welcome! </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></div>
<h2 style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Close to the carpark is a signpost, one of a number in Israel, showing you where you are relation to other well known locations throughout the middle east and the wider world. Sadly, this merely serves to show you how far or close you are to major conflict points today. The signpost is surrounded by sheet steel cutout models of soldiers, which merely serves to remind you of the history of Har Bental.</span></span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">The walk from the car park to the site takes you past numerous sculptures by ares ident of Merom Golan, who has made them all from recycled tank parts. They are witty and well done, but also a sad reminder of the history of this fascinating site. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Mount Bental can be reached by road just south of kibbutz Merom Golan, off road 959, North East of Katzrin</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-83401493775357639182013-05-12T12:01:00.000-07:002013-10-29T06:48:26.688-07:00 The Tel Hadid Forest Park -Trails, Maccabee lookouts - and goats! <style>@font-face {
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Most of the parks and open spaces in Israel feature
playgrounds, caves and toilet blocks, sometimes not necessarily of the most
savoury. If you are looking for something a little more basic, yet close to Tel
Aviv and the coastal region, Tel Hadid could be just up your street. Located at
the edge of the Ben Shemen Forest, close to Lod airport, this is an area of
land developed by the JNF for active recreation. A paved track leads you up through
some woods - and goats - to running trails, cycling trails, quad bike trails
and even off road vehicle trails. At the summit there are picnic tables and a
look out point. And WHAT a lookout point!</div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> You
can easily see why Simon Maccabee, brother of Judah, built up an observation
point and that there was already a Jewish community at the time of the
destruction of the First Temple. What is also not surprising is that there is
evidence of Bronze Age settlement and Assyrian immigration, witnessed by the discovery
of documents and seals, written in cuneiform. Stand at the observation point
and, although it is only some 150 metres above sea level, you can see (weather
permitting) as far as Tel Aviv, Herzliyah and Petach Tikvah on the pancake flat
Shephela. Yet all you have to do is turn your back on the view of Tel Aviv,
Ben Gurion airport and Route 6 as it winds around the base of the tel before
disappearing into a tunnel beneath the tel and you could be back in biblical
times, with some farms and small settlements - and those goats! You can easily
reach Tel Hadid directly off Route 444, just north of the mega junction with
Routes 1. It's no more than twenty minutes from the beach at Tel Aviv!</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Unknown location.84.7705283207595 137.812583.84586382075949 96.5039065 85.6951928207595 179.1210935tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-50923701677530634292013-05-11T15:48:00.001-07:002013-10-29T06:48:53.930-07:00 Ir David, the City of David Jerusalem Walls National Park - Where it all began <style>@font-face {
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Where it all began - Ir David, the City of David Jerusalem
Walls National Park </div>
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For those of us with some knowledge of Jerusalem, both
mishnaic and modern, it's easy to forget where it all started. However, a trip
to Ir David, the City of David Jerusalem Walls National Park will certainly
help to put it all into context. </div>
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Why did David want to conquer this rocky outcrop? Why was it
here at all? </div>
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Was it the religious link with Har Hamoriah, about which he
must surely have known? Was it the strategic value, in the neutral territory
between rival tribes? Was it the fact that there was a ready and constant
source of sweet water? Perhaps it was all three.</div>
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We know that David built his royal palace here and that
Solomon enlarged the city to include the Temple Mount, but after his death and
the civil war which followed, the city remained the capital only of the Kingdom
of Judah. We all know what happened with Assyrian and Babylonian attacks and
conquests, exile and return, Maccabeans and Romans, but for the next nearly two
millennia, the area was forgotten, until the mid nineteenth century, when the
pious Sephardi Meyuhas family moved there from inside the Old City, where the
family had lived for many generations. They were followed shortly after by a
large group of Yemenite Jews, who had moved there en masse. The archaeological
efforts of British army engineers and explorers Warren, Robinson and others,
funded by the, still extant, Palestine Exploration Fund, started to reveal the
extent of the amazing history of the area. Perhaps even more fascinating than
the dramatic discovery of Hezekiah's Tunnel has been the recent finding of a
Canaanite passageway leading safely to a sweet water pool, which predates it by
1,000 years and was perhaps the 'gutter' referred to in 2 Samuel 5,6-8!</div>
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Your trip to the site, whether with one of the excellent
guided tours or on your own, should start with the 3D video presentation, which
will put the site into context, historically and geographically. However, the
next part of the tour will take you down many, many steps, as you descend past
the Davidic Royal Quarters and into Warren's Shaft. Whether you decide on the
dry walk through the narrow and twisting Canaanite passageway or the longer and
wetter walk through Hezekiah's Tunnel, you should allow two to three hours. If
you decide <i>not </i><span style="font-style: normal;">to take the shuttle bus
back to the top, past the Arab village of Silwan, but choose to walk back up,
past the 'tombs of the House of David', you can add many more minutes to your
trip!</span></div>
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To access Ir David, leave the Old City via the Dung Gate,
turn left and cross the road. In about 100m, turn right and the entrance will
be on your left. You can't miss the harp sculpture at the entrance.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2f4AwzOqdx4WgbiKCRCm3csM7z7TmCnvGLYoOYvwGLy6Cg161gAVriTVpne-9ncCvnnr6tdf_ynTae_sDIdYopCVfbsTBwOFyvdJde3J9z0eAR0OrSWvuC67-zlxRmykHAa_BqRRzayHX/s1600/Ir+David.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2f4AwzOqdx4WgbiKCRCm3csM7z7TmCnvGLYoOYvwGLy6Cg161gAVriTVpne-9ncCvnnr6tdf_ynTae_sDIdYopCVfbsTBwOFyvdJde3J9z0eAR0OrSWvuC67-zlxRmykHAa_BqRRzayHX/s320/Ir+David.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Unknown location.31.774257399482956 35.23586869239807131.773413899482957 35.234608192398071 31.775100899482954 35.237129192398072tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-10193577583576632902012-02-19T04:43:00.002-08:002013-10-29T06:49:21.171-07:00the Hula Nature Reserve -The birdies Watford Gap <style>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Imagine the Watford Gap services
for millions of migrating birds, heading from Northern and Eastern Europe to
the breeding grounds of Africa and then returning six months later. Tired and hungry, they look for the
very best place to rest and feed, before flying on. This is the Hula Nature
Reserve. Once an expanse of fifteen thousand acres, in the 1950s, the new
Israeli government decided to drain the marshes of the Hula lake to create
farming land. It was d disaster Due to the ecological ramifications of draining
the swamp, so, in 1994, the authorities decided to restore part of the marsh by
reflooding a portion of the reserve. Perhaps only in Israel would this decision
be taken.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Of course, in the intervening
years, many of the birds who had once made their homes in the Hula moved on,
but after the reserve was restored, a number of species returned, some nesting
there permanently. During migrating season, bird-watchers have counted nearly
400 species of birds that come to the reserve to rest, and some species, like
the white-tailed eagle, are being reintroduced to the area by the staff of the
reserve. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">You will enter the reserve through
a Visitors Centre, called the "<em>Oforia</em>" (bird house). Put on
the 3D glasses they give you, sit back on the moving seats and experience the
multi-sensory simulation programme, complete with smells, clouds, wind
turbulence and amazing video footage. Then you wander through the displays to
learn about the Hula Nature Reserve and its history - the plants and animals
that once existed in the reserve, and those which have been reintroduced to the
area.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3A4f18SG-kTcNXp9TZlBOLI-0yIQilHMLXFWUKuwDtxe8CDEcIxR0xZKqV3MYoCakYe_z9sN_VV8KmH9YAH5R-u2k04kAJR2blUk7PPDAMSWYiWxjj6hl-dxocI3rLzCl87-M85SKwg92/s1600/Hula+reserve.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3A4f18SG-kTcNXp9TZlBOLI-0yIQilHMLXFWUKuwDtxe8CDEcIxR0xZKqV3MYoCakYe_z9sN_VV8KmH9YAH5R-u2k04kAJR2blUk7PPDAMSWYiWxjj6hl-dxocI3rLzCl87-M85SKwg92/s320/Hula+reserve.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">When you leave the Visitors
Centre, you walk to the reserve. Bikes and small jeeps are available for rental
and all the paths are wheelchair and buggy friendly. The stroll into the reserve
takes about 15 minutes, plus stops, during which time the birds circle
overhead. Walking quietly, one can see various animals such as coypu and water
buffalo, reptiles (mostly turtles) and fish. There are many spots to sit and
relax while watching the birds flying overhead, but at the end of the trail, a
covered walkway takes you out over a lake near the birds' nesting area so that
you can observe the birds without scaring them. A lookout tower achieves a
similar effect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">The greatest number of species can
be viewed during the winter, from October to May, which includes both the
autumn and spring migrations. The best time of day to come is the late
afternoon, immediately before sunset, when the birds, return for the night.
Look upward and see thousands of birds of every imaginable size and species
gathering in the Reserve. It's a sight that is not easily forgotten<span class="apple-converted-space">.</span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">You
reach the Hula reserve by turning of Route 90, north of Rosh Pinah and north of route 9119.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div>
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #606060; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><span style="color: #606060; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Hula Nature Reserve, Israel33.067232983665185 35.60239791870117233.053925483665182 35.582656918701169 33.080540483665189 35.622138918701175tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-10191623776917340772012-02-19T04:33:00.001-08:002012-02-19T04:33:44.343-08:00Dali at Ralli are really worth seeing - The Ralli Museum of Art, Caesarea<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">Harry Recanati was a major force in Israeli business and
banking, with a family with whom he clearly wished to have no connection.<span> </span>However, his love of art – and
particularly modern South American art -inspired two amazing linked museums in
Caesarea.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZh3yHVazVv9oEb0Q41AM0ugJImXv253DOaNLEQgghZIuaBVKq-nlOWXUET7A5WMz9ZdJGA6MPjnm6u5pqr1Qxr0ZZn93KtXCJCZJMwwX9sUveXXOy0Bt3nbZOKdE3W1GXaohW36I5Hyzf/s1600/Ralli+museum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZh3yHVazVv9oEb0Q41AM0ugJImXv253DOaNLEQgghZIuaBVKq-nlOWXUET7A5WMz9ZdJGA6MPjnm6u5pqr1Qxr0ZZn93KtXCJCZJMwwX9sUveXXOy0Bt3nbZOKdE3W1GXaohW36I5Hyzf/s200/Ralli+museum.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">One building, inspired by his families Sefardi routes, via
Salonika and with Italian connections, is in the style of a traditional Spanish
building with a beautiful courtyard, complete with cooling fountains. Its
enormous interior, over three floors, has paintings from Europe with biblical
themes, each one giving its Tanach based quotation. They are not by any means
by important artists, but they are importantly displayed, in matching modern
frames and having been heavily restored. The galleries also display some life
size bronze statues by European artist who were murdered in the Holocaust.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Adjacent to this building is another, with an interesting
display of the archaeology and history of the area, together with some finds (and copies of more important ones, too) but the other five galleries display
an amazing collection of South American art and artists.<span> </span>Whilst there is no obvious Jewish theme
to any of the pictures, the real eye opener is an enormous collection of Salvador
Dali bronzes, many on familiar themes (droopy watches, for example) as well as
his very interesting design for a menorah!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">What you will not find in either gallery are guide books,
gift shops or cafes.<span> </span>This was an
express request of Mr Recanati: clearly a man with VERY strong views! The museums, like the car parks and toilets,
are free and spotless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Ralli museum is well signposted off Rothschild Boulevard
which is easily accessed from Route 5211 (although the map says route 6511!), just off Route 2 at the Or Akiva
junction.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Raalli Museum of Art, Caesarea Maritima, Israel32.515751064994738 34.90716934204101632.514077564994736 34.904701842041014 32.517424564994741 34.909636842041017tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-65813222579517168042012-02-19T04:16:00.000-08:002013-10-29T06:49:49.698-07:00Gan Hashlosha. Warm waters+ good picnicking+ interesting site = great day out. <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">Situated at the foot of the Mount Gilboa range
of hills lies a gem of a park, Gan Hashlosha, ranked by Time magazine as one of
the twenty best parks in the world.
Whether you decide that their ranking system is good or not, it
certainly takes a lot of beating. The same geothermal activity which sends very
hot water to Hammat Gader’s pools, drive gently warm spring waters to emerge as
the Amal Spring in the western part of the park at a constant, year-round temperature
of 28 degrees Celsius. This means that swimming is pleasant here out of the
summer season, too. The Amal Stream crosses the entire park, and has been
widened into pools, with safe bathing for adults and children, too. Numerous
picnic tables a cafe and changing facilities show that the Parks Authority has
tried to think of almost everything, although overnight camping is not
permitted.</span></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span><style>
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<span class="apple-style-span">An old water-powered mill now operates again and
also features a display of agricultural tools. The adjacent madafeh, or Arab
hospitality room, has also been restored.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">In another part of the park is a restoration of
Tel Amal, established on the night of December 10, 1936 as one of the Tower and
Stockade settlements set up by Jewish pioneers in the face of British Mandate
opposition. The rooms in which the pioneers lived feature an exhibit of daily
objects they used. In another room, children can enjoy putting together a model
of a settlement. A 10-minute film (in Hebrew) in the restored dining hall
depicts life during the time of the Arab revolt (1936–1939).</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="apple-style-span"> Opposite
Tel Amal, over a small bridge, is the regional Mediterranean archaeological
museum, showing the life’s work of a local expert. It contains a display of
rare Greek tools, finds from excavations in the Bet Shean Valley, some of which
come from as far away as Egypt and Persia, and a unique exhibit about the
Etruscans. It also has a display showing what local life must have been like in
biblical times.</span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">All in all, an excellent day out for the whole
family, but be aware, lots of Israelis think so too in the height of the summer
vacation time and during chol hamoed, too.</span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">You can find Gan Hashlosha on Route 669, just
off route 71, a little east of Bet Shean.</span></span><span style="color: maroon;"></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Gan Hashlosha, Israel32.506576915058723 35.44652938842773432.499881415058724 35.436658888427736 32.513272415058722 35.456399888427732tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-77606657839760697792012-02-19T04:11:00.001-08:002013-10-29T06:50:09.153-07:00The National Maritime Museum, Haifa. Of Ancient ships and pirates. <style>
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Haifa has been a port of importance for many years and
Israel’s maritime heritage stretches back millennia, so what better place to
learn about it than in the National Maritime Museum, on Allenby Street in Haifa? </div>
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The building stretches over three floors and shows both the
ancient story of ships, artifacts and sailing in the eastern Mediterranean and,
interestingly, the growth of the modern Israeli shipping industry. This starts in the Mandate period and
has expanded to the current fleet of freight and cruise ships.</div>
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The lowest floor has an exhibit on piracy, which has little
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Right next door, but not connected to the museum, is the
Clandestine Immigration Musuem, which has even more real boats and should be
all of a piece with the Maritime museum.
Quite why it isn’t, remains a mystery to me!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Derech Allenby 209-233, Haifa, Israel32.828809063335243 34.97190713882446332.82714106333524 34.969439638824461 32.830477063335245 34.974374638824465tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-16337069075034400172012-02-19T03:58:00.000-08:002013-10-29T06:50:29.780-07:00 The Mount Gilboa Scenic Route. Of Tanach, tragedy and triumph.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;"> In Tanach, Mt. Gilboa (which is more of
a ridge rather than a single mountain) is a place of tragedy and triumph.
Israelis flock here every year from February to April to see the multitude of
wildflowers and the famed purplish Gilboa Iris (Iris Haynei), but it’s good to
drive – and stop – at any time.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;">The
Book of Samuel tells us that it was here that Saul, the first King of Israel
and his sons died fighting the Philistines, “And it came to pass on the morrow,
when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his
three <span style="font-size: small;">sons fallen in Mount Gilboa”, (1 Samuel: 31). Take your Tanach, drive the
route and you can easily imagine what, tragically happened.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;">However,
most of what is today the scenic drive is what used to be known as the Patrol Road
in Mandate Palestine. While the road is now completely paved, you may actually
want to veer off and take some of the unpaved paths (check that your car hire
allows it first) and walk a bit – to get the best views of the valley. If you
would like to have a picnic, there are many delightful picnic areas along the
scenic route. Many have walking trails leading from them, too.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;">From
Gilboa you’ll be able to see the valley below. This part of the Jezreel valley
is known as the Harod Valley and it is full of fishponds that attract a great
number and variety of birds including cormorants, pelicans and storks. You’ll
also be able to see the hill of Moreh where the Philistines assembled to fight
Saul and his army, Mt. Tabor and the mountains of the Jordan Valley. On a clear
day you might even see Mt. Hermon to the north.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;">David,
who of course replaced Saul, lamented his fallen king in II Samuel 1 thus: ‘You
mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you,
nor fields of offerings.’ Over the years some took this curse literally, as the
reason for the seeming ‘baldness’ of Mt. Gilboa. However, in recent years the
Jewish National Fund planted thousands of trees which have greatly changed the
situation, although ‘bald spots’ are still visible in places.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;">Guide
books will tell you that late winter and early spring are the best time to savour
the full splendour of Gilboa and the valley below, but we have been there at
other times of the year and each has its reasons to visit. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">The scenic route is Route
667 and runs from Route 90 south of Bet Shean to the junction with route 675,
near Route 71, south east of Afula. If you want to break your drive, Route
6666, about half way along, will take you back down to the Jezreel Valley in a
series of spectacular hairpin bends.</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Mt Gilbos scenic drive, Israel32.513235957279385 35.40172576904296932.486454957279385 35.362243769042969 32.540016957279384 35.441207769042968tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-8225196577867294832012-02-19T03:37:00.000-08:002013-10-29T06:51:02.715-07:00The Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem. Putting it all in context <style>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As you park for your trip to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, you might be forgiven for ignoring the building to your right, the Bible Lands Museum – but this would be a big mistake. Representing just part of the private collection of Dr Elie Borowski, a major international dealer in antiquities, Talmudic and biblical scholar and ‘a man with a plan’, the museum, which opened its doors in 1992, is the only museum in the world dedicated to the history of the biblical period in the lands of the Tanach, from Ur to Egypt – and beyond, including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaanites" title="Canaanites"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Canaanites</span></a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philistines" title="Philistines"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Philistines</span></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arameans" title="Arameans"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Arameans</span></a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hittites" title="Hittites"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Hittites</span></a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elamites" title="Elamites"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Elamites</span></a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenicians" title="Phoenicians"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Phoenicians</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persia" title="Persia"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Persians</span></a>. Whether you take the daily English tour at 10.30am or choose to guide yourself, you will be able to chronologically trace our history and the history of the lands in which we lived, from the dawn of civilisation to the Talmudic period. Taking as its themes the lives, beliefs, trades, commerce and communications of the peoples of the region, this exquisite collection helps to put our familiar stories and long held beliefs into a wider context.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even the origin of the museum is of interest. Borowski, was born in Poland, studied at Mir yeshiva and the Sorbonne, took semicha in Italy, fought with the French army, was captured and interned in Switzerland during World War II and lost his family in the Shoah. He had amassed a vast and important personal collection of antiquities, all bought on the open market. On a visit to Jerusalem in 1981, a woman he met at a hotel, Batya Weiss, encouraged him to bring his collection to Israel rather than establish a museum for it in Toronto, as he had intended. She put him in contact with Jerusalem mayor<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teddy_Kollek" title="Teddy Kollek"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Teddy Kollek</span></a>. Borowski took her advice, and built the Bible Lands Museum. The two eventually married. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The main gallery displays hundreds of artifacts: ancient documents, idols, coins, statues, weapons, pottery, and seals from across the Bible Lands. Many topics are elaborated upon in maps and articles on the walls , such as Avraham's journey along the ancient fertile Crescent trade route.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While the museum's emphasis is the history of ancient<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_East" title="Near East"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Near Eastern</span></a> civilisations, the museum always make links to the relevant verses in Tanach. For example, above a display of ancient<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatolia" title="Anatolia"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Anatolian</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>jugs is the verse "Behold, Rebecca came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well and drew water" (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Genesis" title="Book of Genesis"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">from</span></a> Bereishit<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>24:45).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The museum also allows you to make some intriguing links which would seem to confirm the antiquity of our most sacred texts. Just one example is the representation of the Egyptian goddess Hathor. To give away the possible link to a complex incident on our journey from slavery to freedom would be to discourage your visit – which would be a real pity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Bible Lands Museum is on ‘Museum Row’, in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem, Israel31.77498727836559 35.20307026556395231.688345278365588 35.113142265563951 31.861629278365591 35.292998265563952tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-29287335062895262352012-02-19T03:36:00.000-08:002012-02-19T03:36:02.818-08:00Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter as it really was – The Isaac Kaplan old Yishuv Court Museum <style>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For the tourist, Jerusalem
is often all ancient ruins or brilliant modern buildings, but rarely do we see
what life was like for the thousands of Jews who lived there but a few hundred
years ago – or even more recently. We all have different ideas about how life
was lived there, some of us wear rose tinted spectacles and others are more
sanguine. Moses Montefiore certainly was in the latter group.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Heading down towards to Kottel from the Jaffa Gate,
you could easily miss - but you really shouldn’t – The Isaac Kaplan old Yishuv
Court Museum.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This fascinating museum
consists of a warren of courtyards, tiny apartments and artefacts from both the
Sephardi community, exiled from Spain and arriving via Turkey and the community
of Ashkenazi Jews. These followers of the Vilna Gaon, who trekked across Europe
in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries lived in the Jewish Quarter, making
Jerusalem a Jewish majority city by 1850. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The museum explains how
they lived (in extreme poverty mostly), where they dwelt (often one family in
just one room, around a tiny courtyard) and how they made a living. Look out
for the iron bedstead and its amazing story!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span> </span>Some real surprises await you as you arrive at a ‘secret
synagogue’ (to avoid the prying eyes of the Ottoman authorities), learn how the
wives of many scholars began industries to support their husbands (and had to
learn new industrial skills along the way) and find out how some of Israel’s
earliest settlements began, sometimes faltered and eventually <span> </span>flourished.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The Museum then leads you
to domestic equipment and furniture from the Mandate period in Jerusalem, which
was marked by the arrival of electricity, running water and more Arab riots. The
siege of Jerusalem in 1948 is examined via a special exhibit on how 380
fighters and residents of the Jewish Quarter were captured by the Jordanians
and were held as Prisoners of War near the Iraqi border.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And Isaac Kaplan’s link to
the museum? He was the generous benefactor who funded this fascinating, out of
the ordinary, museum.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">You can find the old
Yishuv court</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana;">Museum at 6 Or Hachaim St
in the Jewish Quarter, as you walk down from the Armenian Quarter,before you
reach the Cardo.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Old Yishuv Court Museum, Jerusalem, Israel31.77522420968036 35.23025751113891631.77480220968036 35.229640511138918 31.77564620968036 35.230874511138914tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-49100400108543885962012-02-19T03:25:00.000-08:002012-02-19T03:25:22.340-08:00Juicy Jewish Jaffa<style>
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</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;">Whilst Tel<span> </span>Aviv claims the lion’s share of attention for visitors, it would be quite wrong to ignore its far older sister, Jaffa and its Jewish heritage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span> </span>Legend tells us that Jaffa, Yafoh, is the oldest port in the world, being founded by Japhet, the third son of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/noah.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Noah</span></a>. Whilst hard to disprove, it is certainly true that early<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/arabs/egypttoc.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Egyptian</span></a> records show that it was conquered by Thutmose III in 1468<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/glossB.html#bce"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">BCE</span></a> and archeological excavations in old Jaffa have uncovered the name of Ramses II (often assumed to be the pharoah of <i>Yetziyat Mitzrayim</i>, the Exodus). Allocated to the tribe of Dan but mainly Philistine controlled and occupied, it was conquered by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/David.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">King David</span></a>. We believe that the cedar logs used to build King<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Solomon.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Solomon's</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>original<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/The_Temple.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Temple</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/jerutoc.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Jerusalem</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>around 950 BCE were probably floated down the coast as giant rafts before being landed at Jaffa, the nearest port to Jerusalem. There are <a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Hasmonean.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Hasmonean</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>ruins, and traces of Roman occupation. Tragically, the Hellenistic residents of the city loaded the small Jewish community in boats and sank them during the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Maccabees.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Maccabean</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>revolt in 165 BCE.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As we read every Yom Kippur in Maftir Yonah, it was from Jaffa that Yonah set sail for Tarshish, before his encounter with the big fish and one midrash suggets that all the sunken treasure in the world flows toward Jaffa, and in King Solomon's time the sea offered great riches, which accounted for some of the king's wealth. Ever since Solomon's time, the wealth has been accumulating, to be distributed by the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/messiah.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Messiah</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>"to each<span style="color: black;"> man according to his merits."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">England's King Richard I, 'the Lion-Hearted' and the Crusaders<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>also came through Jaffa on their way to wrest control of Eretz Yisrael from the Muslims, as did Napoleon, on his campaign through the country. In the maze of streets, the Armenian convent that served as a hospital for Napoleon's troops is still to be seen.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">By the end of the nineteenth century, early Jewish pioneers from Sephardi lands had made a life for themselves in Jaffa and other travellers, came to Jaffa when they arrived in the country by sea. Due to treacherous rocks (the Greek legend of Andromeda started right here), their ships would anchor off the coast and passengers and freight alike would be loaded into small boats. Jaffa had become a city where Jews, Muslims, and Christians lived side by side, one of the wealthier Jews paying for the building of the town clock tower in 1901. It was suggested that this was because he was fed up with passers by coming into his shop to ask the time, but there was a far more practical reason: following his largesse, he was also seeking permission form the Turkish rulers to buy large tracts of land for the first Jewish settlers to modern Israel.</span><br />
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Jaffa is now an artists’ colony of some importance, but the excellent visitors’ centre, which explains the history and development of the town in a very entertaining way, should not be missed.</span><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Old Jaffa, Israel32.054717644896385 34.75563488653563131.996038144896385 34.700904886535632 32.113397144896382 34.810364886535631tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-77487096467409378022011-01-09T09:13:00.000-08:002011-01-09T09:13:09.914-08:00Once upon a time...................The Holyland Jerusalem Model at the Israel Museum<style>
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<div style="line-height: 150%; margin: 4.8pt 0cm 6pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHg7lMvbN9hVaJQ39RBTAzZkRmdI1p3jcoeYjFDEy66DgPQFJNQ4-jcZJlE8l0f72sp9yPM-6-hNEP7JClqjGYSCNjLFeEnSbfZj662CU_my7XZAgO_fDdLRB5nbN-Fp1a6El_ZqC5un9-/s1600/2nd+temple+model.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHg7lMvbN9hVaJQ39RBTAzZkRmdI1p3jcoeYjFDEy66DgPQFJNQ4-jcZJlE8l0f72sp9yPM-6-hNEP7JClqjGYSCNjLFeEnSbfZj662CU_my7XZAgO_fDdLRB5nbN-Fp1a6El_ZqC5un9-/s200/2nd+temple+model.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jewish prayer</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> is replete with references to the building – and indeed messianic rebuilding - of the Temple in Jerusalem. In case you have doubts about its location and the topography of Jerusalem just before its destruction in 70 CE, you need only travel as far as the </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Holyland Model of Jerusalem, a </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2,000 square metre (21,520 square feet) <span class="apple-style-span">1:50</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="apple-style-span"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale-model" title="Scale-model"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">scale-model</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="apple-style-span">of the city of</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="apple-style-span"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem" title="Jerusalem"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Jerusalem</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="apple-style-span">in the late</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="apple-style-span"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Temple" title="Second Temple"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Second Temple</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="apple-style-span">Period. </span>It evokes ancient Jerusalem at its peak, meticulously recreating its topography and architectural character in 66 CE, the year in which the Great Revolt against the Romans broke out, with tragic consequences. <br />
The model was originally commissioned in 1966, at the initiative of the owner of the Holyland Hotel, Hans Kroch in memory of his son Jacob, who fell in Israel's War of Independence. <span class="apple-style-span">It was moved from its original location at the Holyland Hotel in</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="apple-style-span"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayit_VeGan" title="Bayit VeGan"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Bayit VeGan</span></a>, to a new site at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Museum" title="Israel Museum"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Israel Museum</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="apple-style-span">in June 2006, following the sale of the hotel to the developers of one of Jerusalem’s more interesting residential projects.<sup> </sup></span>The model was designed by Israeli<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historian" title="Historian"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">historian</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographer" title="Geographer"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">geographer</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Avi_Yonah&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Michael Avi Yonah (page does not exist)"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Michael Avi Yonah</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>based on the writings of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavius_Josephus" title="Flavius Josephus"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Flavius Josephus</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and other historical sources. The model includes a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replicas_of_the_Jewish_Temple" title="Replicas of the Jewish Temple"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">replica of the Herodian Temple</span></a>. Whilst we now believe that some of the ideas put forward are historically not proven (the ‘Roman’ houses have red roof tiles, whist none have ever been found in Jerusalem from that period, the Hulda Gate has been better excavated now, etc) even the original designer left spaces where he did not know how to accurately indicate the situation, hoping that future generations of scholars would update the model as knowledge increased. In 2006, the model was installed, at a cost of $3.5m, next to the Shrine of the Book at the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Museum" title="Israel Museum"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Israel Museum</span></a> in a topographically accurate setting, as the previous model was just on a flat piece of land. In preparation for the move, the model was sawn into some 1,000 pieces and later reassembled - and all in the right order! </span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin: 4.8pt 0cm 6pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When visiting, a free audio guide will help you understand the world of the Second Temple Period and there are frequent guided tours, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Israel Museum is located on the Museum Campus in the heart of West Jerusalem, opposite the Knesset and is easily accessible by bus, with a free car park as well. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-78833056186382064162010-04-11T13:25:00.000-07:002013-10-29T06:56:35.216-07:00Hurshat Tal - A park for all seasons and tastes <div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
There’s always a danger when speaking about Israel, of ‘overegging the pudding’ (a phrase which I have consistently used whilst not really understanding – much like my grandmother’s skills at egg sucking!). Having said that, however, I must really recommend Hurshat Tal National Park, right in the northern part of the Hula Valley, as it is the ideal place to spend either a few hours or, in the cabins or camping grounds, a day or more. The landscaped lawns of this delightful spot are well maintained and the well-appointed and kept campground occupy 100 of the approximately 190 acres of the national park. In addition to campsites, the campground has bungalows and rooms for rent, which is a worthwhile option for the canvas-phobic amongst us!</div>
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One reason for the lush lawns is a tributary stream of the Dan River, which cuts through the park and fills a large pond (really a small lake) which is open for swimming: best in summer, though. The, by now inevitable, waterslides here are among the highest in the country and the fishing area provides a relaxing diversion at surprisingly no additional charge. So, in theory, you can catch your lunch, cook it on the spot and them promptly recycle it again by using the water slides too soon after eating!!!!</div>
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About 25 acres of the national park were declared a nature reserve some time back, in recognition of the 240 rare Mount Tabor oaks growing there. Many centuries old, these trees are among the largest in Israel and should not be missed, as they will remind you of what the land used to look like before many settlers arrived. After the rainy season, in springtime, much of the park is ablaze with anemones and other wild flowers and the park becomes a tourist magnet, especially for Israelis.</div>
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Hurshat Tal really is an ideal informal base for exploring the Galilee, the northern Golan Heights, and the Mount Hermon area and, although seemingly remote, is but a few hours easy drive from central Israel.</div>
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You can find it on Roue 918 just south of Route 99 at Hurshat Tal junction, about 5 km east of Qiryat Shemona, just east of kibbutz Hagoshrim.</div>
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<a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Wrexham,+Clwyd,+United+Kingdom&ll=33.220056,35.625701&spn=0.021003,0.030813&z=15">To view a Google map of this site, please click here.</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-8677833302684080452010-04-11T12:53:00.000-07:002011-09-13T06:59:27.012-07:00They all wanted to be buried at Bet She'arim<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Bet She'arim was a flourishing, wealthy Jewish town from the 2nd-4th centuries CE. At one point the town became the seat of the Sanhedrin (Jewish religious council), after Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi moved his study centre there. The Sanhedrin later moved, together with Rabbi Yehudah, to Tzippori – only some 15 km (10 miles) away and almost ‘up the road’, as it were. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the town's claim to fame was not, as you will readily see, who lived there, but who was buried there! Following Rabbi Yehudah's burial in Bet She'arim, it became at matter of honour for Jews from Israel and the diaspora to be buried close to him. You will find evidence that Rabbis Shimon, Gamliel and Hanina were all buried there in vaults and stone coffins decorated according to status - and pocket, no doubt. </span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bet She'arim's former wealth is evident by the vast, ornately decorated necropolis discovered beneath the town. Numerous courtyards, corridors and stairways lead to the many underground burial chambers, all beautifully decorated in the artistic styles of the time, some from Greek mythology, such as the battle of the Amazons. What would we make of similar demands today? We can only speculate, but my guess is that it would be ‘lo with an alef!’</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As usual, the inhabitants revolted against the yoke of Rome, this time in the year 351 CE, perhaps with the Jewish inhabitants getting a whiff of the impending fall of the Western Roman empire, just 60 years away. Unsurprisingly, however, it was brutally suppressed and the town, as well as surrounding towns, was burnt and destroyed. A climb to the top of the hill, where the remains of an ancient basilica still stand, will give you a beautiful panoramic view of the Jezreel Valley and Carmel Mountain Range. One of the vaults has been turned into a museum. Visit and marvel at the glory of the former town – and those who were buried there.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bet She'arim can by found just off Route 722, the road linking Routes 70 and 75, south of Qiryat Tivon.<br />
<a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Wrexham,+Clwyd,+United+Kingdom&ll=32.703678,35.123978&spn=0.042251,0.061626&z=14">To view a Google map of this site, please click here</a> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5002538283252932987.post-45428892432406770672010-03-25T07:29:00.000-07:002011-09-13T07:01:28.339-07:00When Nazis lived in Tel Aviv - the Sarona Templars Colony<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In 1871, the first group of Templars, a radical German protestant group, who had been removed from mainstream Protestantism by the authorities, established the colony of Sarona, which they pronounced ‘Sharona’. Expanding and prospering under the Ottomans, the Templers remained committed German nationalists and when, in July 1918, Allied troops occupied the German settlements in Palestine, its inhabitants were interned in Egypt. In the 1920s Sarona was still a small settlement, but it prospered because of a ready market for its excellent produce. The first community, outside of Germany, to have a Nazi party chapter, the German Counsels' office in Tel Aviv flew the Nazi flag at full staff!</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Templars sold their produce, especially Jaffa oranges (there’s an irony!) back to Germany, but their Reichsmarks were valueless as they were not recognised in Mandate Palestine. They opted, in many instances, to barter their produce for imported goods. In Tel Aviv, a Mercedes could be acquired in exchange for 50 cases of oranges - a snip! </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After the War broke out, the Mandate government turned Sarona into a large internment camp. In July 1941, with Rommel appearing likely to overrun Palestine and join up with this ‘Fifth Column’, 198 people from Sarona, together with almost 400 from the other internment camps were transported to Australia where they remained until 1947. After the war, Sarona became a British military and police base and was the site of the first ever frontal Haganah attack on a British installation.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">During the War of independence, the base was dubbed HaKirya because it contained the provisional capital of Israel until Jerusalem was secured and declared the capital. The Haganah and then Israel Defence Forces also used the Templar buildings as their first headquarters. Over the years, the military base's land area shrank, due to the high land value and sale to private companies, although the government retains many of its offices in the Kirya Tower in the southern Kirya.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBG7duE1MojPYNV1bn_h_sr3MzmGh_WfDSGdAL9x3FtkSFVBm3ugohE9TMVbsltfK0dICclcVOt0_tJaDKV50WeB6fVbuIbTO-dDBcrs1TssTlBKoyP3yhvlwnzwv8N5vLKqlE29sEaEl/s1600/Sarona.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBG7duE1MojPYNV1bn_h_sr3MzmGh_WfDSGdAL9x3FtkSFVBm3ugohE9TMVbsltfK0dICclcVOt0_tJaDKV50WeB6fVbuIbTO-dDBcrs1TssTlBKoyP3yhvlwnzwv8N5vLKqlE29sEaEl/s320/Sarona.jpg" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <i> Thanks to my friend Sue Young for this photo</i></span></span>.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The houses are currently being restored with a view to creating a village under the gaze of the three massive towers that make up the Azrieli Centre, which you can see in the above photo. Many of the houses are still dilapidated but even so it is easy to image what life was once like. At the time of writing (March 2010) there are gardens with picnic areas and on the tables are images of life in the original days of Sarona. Eventually all the houses will be restored, additional facilities will be provided and new people will start to live in this almost forgotten community.<br />
The site is at the corner of Da Vinci and Kaplan and the area is called both HaKiyra and Machane Rabin, in memory of the assassinated prime minister.<br />
Parking is not great but buses are plentiful.<br />
<a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Wrexham,+Clwyd,+United+Kingdom&ll=32.072393,34.787607&spn=0.021274,0.030813&z=15">To view a Google map of this site, please click here.</a><br />
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