AWEEEESSSOO-MMMEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
Hello family and friends!!!
After sleeping in the Kibbutz Gonen overnight, we ate breakfast in the communal area and headed out to Mount Bental. There we were able to view the Golan Heights from the top of the mountain and learn about the wars of 1967 and 1973. We checked out the underground bunker on the hill and saw how the Israeli soldiers survived during the war.
We traveled to a trail in the Jilaboon to start our first of several hikes planned for this trip. Our high expectations were not disappointed! We descended down a beautiful hill and crossed a stream one-by-one on a path of stones, which was very challenging! We continued our hike and passed a beautiful waterfall. We also passed a giant rock covered in gum collected from years of hikers. It was a challenge to pass the rock without touching it (for fear of getting stuck). We passed more streams and halfway through sat down on a pile of stones and our Israeli peers made some coffee, a typical method of relaxing during hikes. Our tour guide, Kinneret, told us the story of Eli Cohen, an Israeli spy, who through his knowledge of Arabic, was able to gather information about the Syrian military’s activties for the Israeli army. We continued on to the second waterfall where many of us climbed up on the rocks and took pictures. On the way back to the bus we had to climb back up, which was a steep climb up many, many, MANY steps. We all made it, of course.
We grabbed a quick lunch and then drove to Tzfat. Tzfat is known for it’s role in Kabbalah. Upon first arriving, we looked up and realized we had to climb EVEN MORE STAIRS. Although some of us wanted to call it quits at that point we reached the top and went to visit one of the many Ashkenazi temples in the area. The synagogue was destroyed and the only surviving elements were the Torah and the southern wall. Upon being rebuilt, the southern wall was left intact. The synagogue had a very unique metal door made of vines and pomegranates. Though the synagogue was rather small, the blue archways created a sense of space. From there we walked the streets of Tzfat and Kinneret pointed ot a small alley between two houses where the Messiah is supposed to pass through when he comes. We walked to a unique candle store where they make Havdalah candles by hand out of bees wax. The coolest Havdalah candles were the travel candle that expanded and collapsed and the Harry Potter candle in the shape of Harry’s broom. We were given a bit of time to shop for presents in Tzfat before heading over to meet Avraham Lowenthal, a local Kabalah artist.
Avraham sat at the center of his studio, which was line with framed artwork. We all gathered around and listened to his story about how he came to Tzfat. It turned out that Avraham grew up in Michigan and studied art at the Art Institute of Chicago. He did not grow up as a religious Jew, but during his time in Chicago he encountered a book on Kabalah that changed his life. He began contemplating the meaning of life and specifically the power of a name. Though he now goes by “Avraham,” his American name is “Robert.” He decided to use his Jewish name because of its immense history and power. Avraham’s deep spiritual bohemian feel permeated the discussion and the word, “Awwwwwwwwwwwesoooooome” will forever be a part of our trip.
To complete the evening we had dinner at the Kibbutz followed by a group activity. We then hung out at the pub and bonded over Israeli Gold Star (beer).
