Day Four: Understanding Israel’s North

An early morning start brought our group to Misgav Am, a kibbutz in the finger of the Galil region as it stretches North. Misgav Am is situated on the top of a mountain, with the border of one side of the kibbutz right alongside the border between Israel and Lebanon. A kibbutz member who has fought in four of Israel’s wars met us at a scenic overlook to explain their location and life on the kibbutz. Showing us the Lebanese city right below the kibbutz where all of the buildings have windows without glass so snipers can shoot from them, he shared his views about how all Israel wants is just to be left alone, the need for a continued show of strength particularly along the Lebanese border, the reason why any attack by Hizbollah should now be considered an act of war by Lebanon herself, and the importance of making a difference with your life by living in and defending the State of Israel. It was a fascinating, and windy, presentation.
From Misgav Am we continued on to a very different part of Israel, Tzfat or Safed. One of the more ancient cities in Israel, Safed is considered the birthplace of Kabbalah or Jewish mysticism. While visiting the Abuhov and Ari Synagogues, we explored the way that Judaism helps us approach the questions we face in life, how mysticism provides one answer to what may seem unanswerable. These two synagogues, one Sephardic and one Ashkenazic, are both stunningly beautiful in their intricate designs steeped in meaning and symbolism. After walking the ancient streets of the Jewish quarter, we took a little break for some shopping and lunch. Many of us tried malawach for the first time, a Yemenite flat bread that was cooked with tomatoes, cheese and spices.
From Safed we entered the Golan Heights, the northern land annexed by Israel from Syria in 1967. This is a very beautiful part of the country, with fields of grazing cattle, farms and agriculture. Our first stop in the Golan was the Ramat HaGolan Winery. This winery is a collective for a variety of farms in the area which produces award winning wines. After visiting the storage room and bottling plant, of course we had to visit the tasting room! We tried three different types of wine before heading to the store to purchase our favorites.
Our final stop for the day was Ben Tal, a former military outpost. Standing at the trenches looking out over Syria, Jeremy taught us the stories of the Golan, the Six Day War in 1967 when it was first capture, and the Yom Kippur War in 1973, when all of Israel was almost lost. Looking out at Syria so close by, we understood just how vital the Golan is to Israel’s security in a way that cannot be explained without experiencing it yourself.
When we came back to our Kibbutz Hotel, we all took different paths to relax, napping, exercising, or walking a promenade alongside the Jordan River. After dinner, we enjoyed a discussion with Dubi, the manager of the hotel and a member of the kibbutz, who shared with us the state of the kibbutz movement in Israel.
We have now reached the half-way point of our journey. As you have read, this is a very, very full trip. We have all begun to take some time to process all that we have seen and experienced. It has been so meaningful and special for us all. As we make our way down to Jerusalem tomorrow, I know that we enter another entirely different and special dimension of our trip.
Balailah Haba’ah Birushalayim--- Tomorrow Night in Jerusalem.