The Golan

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Today dawned beautiful and bright again. Some of us elected for a early morning walk. We saw the sun rise over the mountains surrounding us, and as we walked along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, we could see cormorants fishing for their morning meal. Then it was off to breakfast with everyone.

After breakfast, we drove to Golan Heights. We got to see the tanks that were left from the Six Days War in 1963 on the way to our first stop. We stopped at the Talmudic village of Qazrin (pronounced Kas-rin). We got to see a restored village from the Talmudic era which would have been the called the Byzantine era outside of Israel. We got to walk through a house and see how the people of the time would have lived as well as the implements they used. During the Talmudic era, the village would have housed approximately 350 people. We also got to see the remains of the synagogue from the period which are still in use. We also found several animals wandering around the area while we were there.

Further up into the Golan, we stopped a scenic overlook where we could see the Syrian border in the distance on one side and Mount Hermon on the other. While we were there, our guide gave us a brief history of both the Six Days War and the Yom Kippur War. The victories achieved by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) can only be described as miraculous.

We continued our drive through the Golan with our destination being Mount Hermon and Caesarea Phillipi.
Caesarea Phillipi was the capital of another of Herod the Great’s sons, Herod Phillipus. Herod Phillipus controlled this area of the Golan during the time of Y-shua. He built his capital city on the site of an ancient place of pagan worship called Panais. Today it is commonly referred to as Banais Springs. We walked through the area and were able to see the remains of several ancient temples. We also saw the springs which are a source of the Yarden. It was at Caesarea Phillipi that Y-shua asked His disciples who the people thought He was and who His disciples thought He was. When Kefa responded that He was the Mashiach (the Messiah or “anointed one”), Y-shua told the disciples that it was this revelation upon which His church would be built.

From there, we drove further into Golan, and we entered the Hula Valley. From our vantage point, we could clearly see the border with Lebanon. We could also see many mine fields left by the Syrians during their occupation of the Golan. We continued on to the Banais Nature Preserve. We took a beautiful hike through the nature preserve. We saw many plants just beginning to come into bloom, and some animals as well including the rock hyrax and some lizards. We hiked all the way to Banais Waterfall. In this land where water is so precious, the sight of so much water, rushing through the canyon with such power, is truly amazing.

We’re back Ma’agan for dinner and rest so we can prepare for the adventures of tomorrow. Just a quick note…we’re taking tons of pictures but I am not able to upload as many as I’d like to because the internet connection is slow. I promise the gallery will grow once I have access to a better connection.

Shalom Alechem.

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Comments

[Dawna Oliver]

The pictures are beautiful and its wonderful hearing of your journey. God Bless you all. Stay safe. Still praying for you guys and ladies.