Feeling a little groggy from our Independence Day celebrations, our group loaded the bus and headed north along the Mediterranean coast. We made our way to Caesarea, an ancient port city. First built by King Herod as a tribute to the Roman Empire, this port city has stood for nearly 2000 years as a Jewish, Roman, Byzantine, Crusader, Muslim, and once again Jewish city. We walked among the many ruins and heard explanations of how the beautiful mosaics were created, of the hippodrome (race track,) theater and other buildings. If you have ever visited Caesarea before but not in the last 10 years or so, you would not believe how much it has changed, with a new visitor’s center, new restaurants and facilities, and more importantly, new excavations. It was a very interesting introduction to the archaeology of Israel, and I know that we will see more of Herod’s construction projects as we continue on our journey.
From Caesarea we turned inland, stopping for lunch in a small town called Alonim. As it is Independence Day, most restaurants are closed. Many, many Israelis have barbeques today, parking their families on open fields, parks and beaches all around the country- the smell of cooking meat fills the air. We turned towards the Sea of Galilee, known in Hebrew as the Kinneret: the name is derived from the Hebrew word for harp, kinor, because it is shaped like a harp. Along the south shore of the Kinneret, we visited a very special cemetery. In the shade of beautiful cedar trees, our impassioned guide Jeremy (who is a big hit with the ladies, by the way) taught us the story of how the political movements aligned to create the idea of social Zionism. Social Zionism was the motivation of hundreds of young Jews to make their way to Israel in the early 20th century, to build the land by the sweat of their brow. These brave chalutzim, or pioneers, led a difficult life, but believed in the greater good of building a modern Jewish state, and many of them are buried here. We also heard the story of Rachel, one of the early settlers, who expressed her love for her new home, and especially her beloved Kinneret through poetry. At her grave, a metal case holds a book of her poems, and as we read her words, we listened to hauntingly beautiful versions of them set to music. I would say this was one of the most meaningful moments of the trip, but it seems EVERY moment of the trip is the most meaningful!
From the Kinneret we continued up the Galil region, passing many of the locations where, according to the New Testament, Jesus preached and performed some of his miracles. We came to Kibbutz Kfar Blum, a small area in the north near Lebanon, where our hotel is located. This is what is known as a “pastoral guest house,” a hotel run by the kibbutz members as a source of income. We took some time to relax and enjoy another wonderful dinner together. Yom Ha’Atzma’ut came to a close with another highlight. Just as we celebrated the 62nd birthday of the State of Israel, we also celebrated the 80th birthday of one of our trip participants, Mildred Cohn. Millie has been a real trooper, making her way along the trip every step of the way with her daughter Randi by her side. I know everyone from TBI joined with us in wishing Millie Yom Huledet Sameach, a Very Happy Birthday!
Another full day ahead of us tomorrow, so once again it is Lailah Tov for now.
From Caesarea we turned inland, stopping for lunch in a small town called Alonim. As it is Independence Day, most restaurants are closed. Many, many Israelis have barbeques today, parking their families on open fields, parks and beaches all around the country- the smell of cooking meat fills the air. We turned towards the Sea of Galilee, known in Hebrew as the Kinneret: the name is derived from the Hebrew word for harp, kinor, because it is shaped like a harp. Along the south shore of the Kinneret, we visited a very special cemetery. In the shade of beautiful cedar trees, our impassioned guide Jeremy (who is a big hit with the ladies, by the way) taught us the story of how the political movements aligned to create the idea of social Zionism. Social Zionism was the motivation of hundreds of young Jews to make their way to Israel in the early 20th century, to build the land by the sweat of their brow. These brave chalutzim, or pioneers, led a difficult life, but believed in the greater good of building a modern Jewish state, and many of them are buried here. We also heard the story of Rachel, one of the early settlers, who expressed her love for her new home, and especially her beloved Kinneret through poetry. At her grave, a metal case holds a book of her poems, and as we read her words, we listened to hauntingly beautiful versions of them set to music. I would say this was one of the most meaningful moments of the trip, but it seems EVERY moment of the trip is the most meaningful!
From the Kinneret we continued up the Galil region, passing many of the locations where, according to the New Testament, Jesus preached and performed some of his miracles. We came to Kibbutz Kfar Blum, a small area in the north near Lebanon, where our hotel is located. This is what is known as a “pastoral guest house,” a hotel run by the kibbutz members as a source of income. We took some time to relax and enjoy another wonderful dinner together. Yom Ha’Atzma’ut came to a close with another highlight. Just as we celebrated the 62nd birthday of the State of Israel, we also celebrated the 80th birthday of one of our trip participants, Mildred Cohn. Millie has been a real trooper, making her way along the trip every step of the way with her daughter Randi by her side. I know everyone from TBI joined with us in wishing Millie Yom Huledet Sameach, a Very Happy Birthday!
Another full day ahead of us tomorrow, so once again it is Lailah Tov for now.
Thank you for these blogs..I almost feel that I'm there with you!
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