Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Days 8&9: Art,wine,soldiers,chocolate,beer,swimming: what a country!

Days 8&9: Art,wine,soldiers,chocolate,beer,swimming: what a country

After breakfast yesterday on the kibbutz, we boarded the buses for Zefat,  a mountain community 30 minutes away that was the site of famous battles in the war of 1948  and is now home to an artist colony specializing in kabbalistic Judaic art. We met with a local artist who had an interesting perspective on life and art. We then toured the old town of Zefat, visiting a couple of ancient synagogues and shopping the artists colony...we all had a few purchases here, Samantha found a very nice necklace, I chose an Omri Casspi Israeli basketball jersey, Abe picked a Chicago Bulls in Hebrew tee shirt and Ben went with the Israel wristbands.

Then it was off to Dalton winery for a tour and tasting of some of Israel's finest vinos, I have been impressed by the Israeli wine throughout the trip but then again I enjoy the taste of wine too much to be too picky about any of it.  This was followed by a trip to a kibbutz literally on the Lebanon border. The kids stayed at the kibbutz for games and an opportunity to meet a couple of Israeli soldiers. The rest of us boarded the bus and went with our guides to meet with 2 squadrons of on-duty  soldiers guarding the border just below a Lebanese hilltop base and with UN peacekeepers in the middle. We had a 20 minute Q&A with the soldiers, most of whom are 18-21 years old, followed by a prayer from our rabbi, pictures and gifts of thanks from our group. It was moving to see up close and personal the dangers these young people confront on behalf of keeping Israel secure.

Last night we had dinner on the kibbutz again followed by a men's club card game (I was the second one out and therefore had plenty of time to write this blog entry while watching everyone else play). This morning after first stopping at the Teva factory and outlet store, we ascended the Golan Heights to Mt. Bental, overlooking Syria. From our vantage point we were able to gain geographic perspective on the past battles with Syria as well as understand the importance of the Golan Heights to Israel's safety. Next we took a fascinating and tasty tour of the De Karina boutique chocolate factory on another kibbutz. This was fun for all as we each had an opportunity to design our own chocolate bars, truffles and pralines in addition to hearing the story of their founder's personal trek from europe to south america then Israel. I'm bringing home a bottle of their handmade caramel chocolate liqueur, will be great on vanilla ice cream or coffee.

After one more stop to drop off gifts for soldiers in a tank battalion, lunch, and a brief walkthrough an archaeological museum, we saw a well-done video and relief map regarding the Golan Heights and sampled the local brewery. Then back to the kibbutz for a great swim in the kibbutz pool, highlighted by kids swimming from one end to the other and dads doing cannonballs into the deep end. This evening we were taken on a tour of the kibbutz by a longtime resident who also explained the financial and geographic details of kibbutz living. We ended in one of the kibbutz bomb shelters where it was said that in the past, whole generations of children grew up in fear of another attack. Tomorrow we're headed to Tel Aviv for the final 2 days of the organized tour and then our family will be staying there and additional 5 days to see the sights.

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