It is a bit after eleven at night and our group is sleeping in 2 and 3 person rooms (with showers and mini-kitchens!) on Kibbutz Gadot on the Golan Heights. We have covered so much ground and seen so many things since leaving Neve Ilan this morning.
We had our luggage packed and in the lobby before breakfast, loaded the busses, said tefilat haderch (the prayer for travelers) and headed north. It is always fun to experience Israel in as many ways as possible. Looking out the window during the drive provides an opportunity to see the terrain change—fruit trees, Arab villages, mountains, and rest stops! We stopped twice on the way to the Golan Heights—once at a gas station/rest stop—to use the bathrooms and to purchase snacks, and once at a branch of the famous Aroma coffee chain—so many enjoyed iced drinks. One participant liked it so much she commented, “They need to put one right next to my house!”
Our first tour of the day was the de Karina Chocolate Factory at Ein Zivan. We learned the story of the Argentinian family which has been making chocolate for 3 generations, and brought their Zionism and passion for chocolate making to the Golan Heights. After viewing a movie on their history, and watching chocolate making, we had the chance to make our own chocolate treats. If that didn’t satisfy our sweet tooths, we had an opportunity to purchase treats and souvenirs in the gift shop.
It was next time for some “real food,” and we traveled to an outdoor eating area in Katzrin. Participants had five choices of restaurants and chose falafel, shwarma, schnitzel, pizza, pasta and more. Some tried falafel and shwarma (some in lafa!) for the first time—and experienced a fast-past eatery. One pizza eater liked that the pizza had crust that tasted like it was made of pretzel. A shwarma eater commented, “I loved the shwarma—I think it felt authentic!”
The group was excited to look down in to Syria—and to see the snow-capped Golan Heights—from Mount Bental. In addition to going down in to old bunkers from past wars, they saw a sign which put things in perspective—we were nearly three times closer to Damascus than to Jerusalem from that spot!
The next tour of the day was at the Oleo Essence Olive Press in Katzrin. Following an overview of olives and olive oil, the group learned about how various skin products are made. They sampled 7 types of olive oils, sampled various lip balms and skin creams and lotions, and had the opportunity to purchase some. We have a feeling that some family members will be receiving some very nice, high quality presents!
As the sun was setting, we approached the Gadot lookout. Rony our guide shared maps and history of the regions. It is that much more dramatic as we look out at Syria! One participants, in trying to make sense of the situation on the Golan Heights, commented, “Both sides (Israel and Syria) are acting like four year olds. I wish they could find a solution. Maybe they could alternate who is in control—maybe Israel in 2020 and Syria in 2021. I guess it is more complicated than that!”
We arrived at Kibbutz Gadot in the dark, unloaded the bus and found our rooms at the kibbutz guest house. Our evening group meeting started with a participant sharing a wonderful insight he and his parents had been discussing about biblical Joseph, the subject of this weeks’ torah portion. There is an idea that Joseph may have been on the autism spectrum! The discussion was very interesting with various participants sharing perspectives. Participants then shared highlights and memorable moments of the past few days—evenly split between Shabbat food, the Shabbat informal card game, Havdalah, Yad Vashem, the Old City and Kotel and more.
The group enjoyed dinner with other groups in the dining room, returned to their buildings for candle lighting and showers, and prepared their bags for tomorrow. More stories to come about our jeep ride, and Safed, which will include a walking tour, lunch, a visit with a Kabbalah artist, and shopping for souvenirs!
Please note—the now working number for our group phone is: 011-972-55-245-8625