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Published: December 23rd 2009
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Mom and Dad!
Welcome to Jerusalem! Chanukah is over; Christmas is around the corner. My parents came to visit me and we took advantage of my trimester break by traveling around this tiny, beautiful country. Here are some of the highlights, with lots of photos!
We began in Jerusalem, dodging the raindrops. Jerusalem during Chanukah is pretty magical. As you walk down the street at night, you can see menorahs on window sills all over. The tradition is to show the lights to the street as a way of publicizing the miracle of the oil that lasted all eight days. Some people simply put their menorahs in their windows and other buildings have little glass boxes outside where you can put the menorah at street level. In restaurants and public places there are also menorahs. We even saw the lighting of the huge menorah in Kikar Zion, a major square in downtown Jerusalem, by a group of Chabad rabbis in a cherry-picker that lifted them up to light the lights way above the street.
From Jerusalem we headed south almost all the way down to Eilat, the resort town on the Red Sea. The desert is astonishing - beautiful, varied, rock and sand with a
Chanukah in Jerusalem
Many buildings have little glass-enclased boxes out in front for the menorah. few acacia trees in the wadis. We visited Hai Bar, a nature reserve that is protecting animals such as ostriches and oryx that are mentioned in the Bible but no longer live naturally in the area. We saw the staff feed the predators: wolves, jackals, foxes and sand cats.
There are several kibbutzim in the south that are dedicated to creative environmental renewal. We stayed at Kibbutz Lotan, where I volunteered for a summer many years ago in the date palm orchards. We also went to Kibbutz Ketura, home of the Arava Institute, an organization for Jews, Palestinians, Jordanians and others who are interested in the environment. We got to see a palm tree that is being grown from a 2000 year old seed that was found on Masada and is from an otherwise extinct species of date palm. They don't know yet whether it is a male or female. They call it Methusalah in the meantime.
We then headed back up towards Mitzpeh Ramon. This is a small town, still in the Negev south of Beer Sheba, on the edge of a huge crater which has unique features. We met up with my friend Tamar, her mother,
Cafe Menorah
We had dinner at Tmol Shilshom, one of my favorite cafes, on the 4th night. mother-in-law and a couple of other friends and spent the night at a place called Sukkah in the Desert. And that's pretty much how it is. We drove out on a dirt road, wondering the whole time if we were completely lost, until we came across a group of small huts set up in the desert - no electricity, minimal water - and yet so cozy and welcoming! We ate two amazing vegetarian meals, drank wine by candle and kerosene light, kept warm by the wood-burning stove and enjoyed the adventure.
From there we hired a guide and went for a hike in the crater, admiring the power of the wind and water shaped canyons, the range of color of the rocks (ochre, yellow, green, turquoise, purple) and the weird moon-like landscapes. Unfortunately, someone threw a rock in through the window of the rental car while we were out on the trail and stole the radio. We had to return the car in Beer Sheba and then returned back to Jerusalem in the rain.
From the south of the country we then headed up to the very north. We drove up to Metulah, which is pretty much surrounded
Hai Bar
This is a reserve that protects animals that are mentioned in the Bible. The beautiful Edom Mountains (in Jordan) are in the background. on three sides by Lebanon and which is a charming town. It was amazing to see how the landscape got greener and greener and more and more lush as we continued north. Just to give you a sense of how amazing it is, let me explain that from Jerusalem to the very south of the country only takes 4 hours. And then from Jerusalem up to Metulah is another 3.5 - 4 hours; you can easily drive from south to north in less than 8 hours. And yet, as you can see from the photos, the landscape changes radically. It rained all the way up (we got a brief break of sunshine in which we got to explore Beit She'an, one of the most impressive archaeological sites in Israel, and to see a rainbow) and we somewhat miraculously found our hotel in a dense fog. But by morning, the sun was back out and we could explore the upper Galilee.
We found it full of waterfalls and wild flowers - pale cyclamen, blue anemones, white crocuses, and green striped jack-in-the-pulpits. We spent a long time at the Banyas, a spring that is one of the three sources of the
Onagers in Hai Bar
These animals have been re-introduced back into the desert. Jordan River and which was holy to many peoples as a shrine to the god Pan. We walked along the turbulent stream, past old grain mills and Roman ruins, and bought pita with goats cheese and zatar (a mix of oregano, hyssop and sesame seeds) from a Druze man. We also explored an old Crusader castle that dominated the region way up high over the springs. We were there at the very end of the day and just when we were leaving the keep at the top, we turned a corner and saw dozens of rock rabbits (hyraxes) grazing between the stones. I think they thought everyone had left for the day. We exited the castle through a dark, dripping secret passage. It was very exciting!
On our way back south, we stopped off at the Hula Valley, a large wetlands reserve. Israel is the land bridge between Europe, Asia and Africa and birds that migrate north and south between these continents fly by. Many of them stop at these wetlands for a rest. We saw white pelicans, cormorants, green parrots, and a white-breasted king fisher which has startling blue wings. We also saw several otters cruising between the
Kibbutz Lotan
Lotan is part of a movement in the south that is teaching eco-living - including mud/straw based buildings in the desert. reeds and papyrus plants. They also had a great 3-D film at the visitor's center about the migration patterns; it was one of those films where the chairs move and they blow wind and spray water at you. It was uh, quite the experience!
Back in Jerusalem we explored the Old City, looking at the archaeological excavations on the south side of the Western Wall, which gives you a vivid picture of what the pilgrims must have experienced when they came to Jerusalem to bring offerings to the Temple 2000 years ago: the tremendous scale of the Temple, the uneven steps up to the gates, the mikvehs (ritual baths), the bustle of the market places. We also went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which was full of modern-day pilgrims who are in the city for Christmas. It is a cool, dark, mysterious building, filled with incense and candle light catching the gold ornaments.
Now alas, my parents are on their way back to Los Angeles and it is time for me to return to classes. A new trimester begins this week. I will tell you more soon. And in the meantime, to all my Christian friends,
Sukkah in the Desert
This was our mega "sukkah" - which slept 6 of us easily. I wish you a very merry Christmas!
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mina
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Hi!
I love Tmol Shilshom! Yay! Beautiful pictures, Lisa!