Bahai Gardens - Shrine of the Bab

At last the bus pulled up and I climbed aboard. I settled down and noticed a couple holding an English Haifa city map so I asked them if they were tourists. She was, he wasn’t. They told me that they too were headed to the Bahai Gardens to I told them that I’d tag along. On the bus the young woman, a Brazilian visiting Israel with an Israeli male companion, decided she’d have a little snack. She took out a nut with shell intact (not sure what type of nut it was but it had a pretty tough shell) and placed it on the floor of the bus, then she stepped on it. The crunch was loud and her male friend look horrified as everybody watched her messy up the floor with shards of shell and crumbs of nutmeat. She later resorted to manual cracking of the nut and was thus spared of any further embarrassments. When we reached the upper section of the gardens, where the free tours are given, we got off out bus and took pictures at the upper observation terrace. Turns out that when I was on the Louis Promenade some weeks back I was only several hundred feet from the Bahai Gardens’ main gate. Here is a panoramic picture I took of the bay and land down below (click to see it enlarged):

Panoramic from the Bahai Gardens

After the picture taking and the gazing-out-at-the-view-whilst-chatting, we headed over to the tour group gathering area and were signed up and checked for weaponry. I was included in the young lady’s party so the guides think I am from Brazil and the couple thinks I am an undercover journalist – whatever! We started the copious walking that is the tour while stopping every once in a while to listen to the guide tell us about the Bahais and the gardens that was built on the land bought by the early Bahai followers. Today there is an amazing 7 million Bahais and they aren’t even allowed to live in Israel, their holiest place on Earth. The good thing about the Bahai is that they are respectful of the wishes of Israel, knowing that Israel doesn’t allow missionaries and thereby forbidding it amongst themselves. That’s a kind gesture in the world we live in today. Anyway, on the tour we passed by the large and impressive structure that is the Bahai Archives Library, I was wondering what these buildings were when looking down at them from the Louis Promenade – now, thanks to the tour guide, I know.

Bahai Archives Library

After the 45 minute walking tour there was a 20 minute video offered but I declined. I had to leave my new friends behind as they stayed for the video. I then exited the gardens, following the guards directions, boarded a bus and got off near my next destination: the Madatech National Science, Technology and Space Museum.

The Madatech building

The Madatech building is what used to be the old Technion building, built sometime in the 1910s. Even Albert Einstein came to visit back in 1923 and planted a palm tree which is still outside the building to this day. In the 80s the museum was established in the building and it is a magnificent structure. However, once inside, I was a bit puzzled about the Madatech Museum. The bottom floor exhibitions, just beside the front desk, seemed lonely and small. I couldn’t help but wonder why the admission fee was so steep (75 shekel for adults – but just 10 shekels for olim chadashim within their first year in Israel) for such a museum. However, when I continued on up to the first floor I was pleasantly surprised to find much, much better exhibits. One of my favourite on the first floor has got to be the Einstein Hall (Ilan Ramon Exhibition) where personal belongings of Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut, were found after the tragic disaster of the Columbia space shuttle back in 2003. Included in the finding were CDs given to him by local Israeli artists, remnants of his Israeli Air Force flag, a page of his diary which miraculously survived and other small items. Another notable room on the first floor is the Green Energy exhibition where pressing buttons turns on solar power, wind power and water power, each activating its perspective energy source and illuminating small lights to show how the power is generated. The second floor was even better with exhibits such as Magical Science – scientific breakdown of classic magical tricks (yes, I enjoyed having my weight distributed on a bed of nails), the Optical Illusions room and the Aviation Hall. Here is part of the Aviation Hall:

Madatech - Aviation Hall

The Dark Room was also of particular interest to me because I found the phosphorescent wall and the plasma ball to be exquisitely entertaining. And of course, who can resist the mirrors in the Mirrors Hall? After some two hours spent inside I found out that there was an outdoor area as well. I had not been mentally prepared for this museum’s enormity as I thought it was supposed to be “not as big as one would hope.” Needless to say, it was plenty big for me. Once I’d made my way to the outside Noble Energy Science Park I found several interesting items. One was a retired Israeli Air Force F-21 Kfir warplane, another was a helicopter-like creation that requires pedaling and pumping to “take flight.” I was a tad too large to comfortably pedal – my knees were trying to crush my rib-cage. But shortly I was assisted by a worker of the museum who showed me his “flying” skills and then led me to the next activity. This one was called the Boyo – a human yo-yo – and he showed me how to hold on, pull while dropping to one knee, stand up and let the recoil of the rope pull one up. I attempted to reach the 4 metre (13 feet) launch but I wasn’t experienced and I landed on an angle, losing the necessary force to reach the top. I tried over and over and he tried helping me but my arms got kinda sore so I gave up.

Boyo (Human Yo-Yo)

The museum guy also took me to another of Madatech’s features, the Sports Science building with all sorts of energy-sapping activities to be experienced. There I karate-chopped a foam block measuring the speed of my chop. I got 90-something kilometres per hour but I’m guessing I could have gotten more but my arms were a tad sore from the Boyo bouncing. I also raced wheelchairs but the empty seat beside me put no effort into the race so I stopped racing and relaxed instead. When I was done in the Sports Science building I realised that I was at Madatech for nearly 3 hours and wondered why there wasn’t anywhere to nap… After leaving I meandered around the area, dropped some change into a street musician’s case as he broke out into a oldies (1920s-40s) tune – putting a skip in my step, and then boarded a bus to the Cinemall where I got a falafel and a train to Nahariya. At Nahariya I hopped on a bus and arrived home. To Haifa again next time, or elsewhere?

(Thanks again to Boruch Len of Legacy Photography for Adobe CS5 picture touch-ups!)

City Museum

Within the walls of the recently restored building I found interesting content – not what I had initially expected for a City Museum. This museum was filled with everything of Haifa’s cinematic past, from old film reels to ticket stubs to blueprints of Haifa’s early movie-houses. I am a bit of a cinemaphile so I found it fascinating to see what played at the Armon Theatre’s opening night (The Merry Widow, an Oscar-winning musical comedy from 1934). I enjoyed examining the old tickets, seeing how the currencies changed over the years to what we know now as the New Israeli Shekel. Sitting in the small mock-up theatre watching old Israeli movie commercials and trailers from old classics brought me back in time to the Golden Age of the Silver Screen. After I had thoroughly browsed all the old letters, showtimes, invitations and pictures I bid farewell to the museum’s receptionist, gathered up my papers and headed outside.

Armon Theatre

Next stop walking up the German Colony was meant to be the Baha’i Gardens but when I asked a pair of American pilgrims they showed me that public visiting hours were only until noon and I had spent too long in the City Museum. So, I stopped into the Haifa Tourist Board office and asked for bus directions to the Clandestine Immigration and Navy Museum, found directly below Elijah’s Cave (as previously mentioned in my first ”Haifa” post). I got directions, hopped on a bus and made my way to the museum. Now, I have already been to the Clandestine Immigration and Navy Museum but it was still a treat going again. Easily my favourite Israeli museum as of yet, the Clandestine Immigration and Navy Museum has fascinating exhibits both hands-on and the traditional artifacts-in-a-glass-case kind.

Clandestine Immigration and Navy Museum sign

When I got to the museum the tinted glass door was locked. I was dismayed as it was clearly opening hours and I could think of no reason why they should be closed. As I was about to turn away in frustration I heard a key in the door and two guards emerged. One asked me for ID and I handed over my Teudat Zehut (Israeli ID card). He examined it and looked under the card suspiciously so I asked him why the heightened security. He answered that it was coming from the Ministry of Defence and yes, his uniform said “Ministry of Defence” on it. I thought it was strange as the Navy runs the museum, can’t they find some able-bodied seamen to guard the museum door? The guards let me in and I paid my admission fee. I stowed my coat and extra stuff in the designated spot and found the used book stack, books mostly revolving around military offered for sale to visitors. The first book I picked up surprisingly was exactly the type of book I like; Israeli forces in their constant struggle for peace in this wartorn region of the Middle East. Not only was this book, Israel vs. Jibril, the ideal book for me, it was also signed by the author, Samuel M. Katz, as a personalised gift to retired Major-General Ami Ayalon (previous head of the Shin Bet and the Israeli Navy). I quickly gave the book to the soldier behind the desk, even though nobody was likely to buy it in my absence, and continued into the museum.

Communications Room on the INS Mivtach

After reading about all the fascinating war heroes of the Israeli Navy, including the Squadron 788 and their patrols of the Kinneret under Syrian MiG fighter jet and artillery fire was almost too much to bear at once. I reckon I could spend several days in the “History of the Navy” exhibit. Outside, there are dozens of naval guns, missiles, torpedoes, old ship parts and several intact boats, ships and submarines. Available for internal exploration are the INS Mivtach missile boat, the INS Gal submarine and the “Af Al Pi Chen” immigration ship. The Navy did an outstanding job on the recreation of maritime feel with commands and authentic noises found on such vessels.

Within the INS Gal

I must say, if one lives in Israel (or is coming to visit), and one has not yet been to the Clandestine Immigration and Navy Museum, it is well worth it. I am reluctant to reveal all of the many unique features of this museum as I truly believe everybody should visit it at least once, to better understand the miracles we experienced as a people in the last 60-something years here in the Land of Israel. After the museum, some 2 hours after I was admitted, I walked to a bus stop and boarded a bus in the direction of Hof HaCarmel, the beaches of Haifa. Monday was a very windy day but there were no waves, oddly enough. When I had navigated the maze of underground tunnels and passages, I made my way to the beach and nimbly jumped my way to the far end of the rocky pier outcropping jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea.

Me on the rocky pier

Also on the pier was an overly-friendly cat that was very eager to befriend me, trying to cull some food out of me as his end-game.

Feline friend

Of course, no post is completely satisfactory without a panoramic picture:

Panoramic of the Coast looking South

As a final word – a joke, as quoted from an old British napkin now held in a glass case in the Clandestine Immigration and Navy Museum;  ”Old sailors never die… they just get a little dinghy.”

(Thank you to Boruch Len for photo editing – Mr. Len is a fabulous photographer whose pictures can be seen here. Also, for those inclined to learn more about what there is to do in Israel, please visit Tourist Israel’s website here – you may even stumble upon a page that I wrote up!)

Carmelit Underground Train - Paris Square

For me it felt like an amusement ride, going up the mountain in a snug tunnel sitting in a retro-looking train car with luridly painted tiles decorating each stop. No expert on subways, this may have been the first time I have ridden one, I delighted myself watching the stone walls of the tunnel whip by mere inches from the window. At one point I got a little queasy as I was watching the wall but looking downward. When the tiled floor of the next stop came rushing up at me a wave of confused nausea swept through me and made me look away. As I looked away I remembered my wonderful time in Orlando, FL, at the Universal Studios Amusement Park. Eight minutes after the tiny train left Paris Square we reached the end of our ride and I rode up the escalator to find myself in earshot of my next destination – the focal point of the day, the Haifa Educational Zoo.

Lion - Haifa Educational Zoo

I purchased my ticket and entered the world of exotic animals, the joyous laughter of the security guard trying his broken English on me mixing in with the noises of the animal kingdom. It was a slow day at the zoo, winter and rain attributing to that, and I was mostly alone as I peered at the animals in their habitats. I felt like a little child, ooh-ing and aah-ing at the animals. I was fascinated at the immense size of the sleeping Bengal tiger and wished that the Nile crocodile would move some instead of dozing in the water. At one point I heard someone singing and when I got closer, and into view, I saw a zookeeper singing softly to a huge white cockatoo. The bird loved it but the man stopped when he say me and told the bird to go ahead and dance. The bird followed the man’s instructions and danced gaily on the trees inside his enclosure. Other birds didn’t seem as friendly – one large eagle owl stood still and watched me walk by, his wise head turning slowly to a point where most chiropractors would have fainted away.

Eagle owl

One part I really enjoyed was the lemurs. I had just examined the capuchin monkeys as they leaped around and was surprised to see the lemurs adopting a sunning position. They broke away from the huddled line that kept them warm in the chilly winter breeze and began to sit with their arms spread out.  Then they each did something amazing. Each one turned his head to make sure he was not blocking another lemur’s sun-rays. It was fascinating. Several minutes later I bumped into two zookeepers who were heading to the lemurs to feed them. I asked if I was allowed in and they agreed, even though the official lemur visiting hours were already over. At the gate one of them said that I was a rabbi and I told them that no, I am not a rabbi. That was interesting. Once inside, among the chipper little lemurs, I asked them if they liked there job and they said that even though they spent 90% of the time cleaning, this was the best job in the world.  They looked like they meant it.

Lemur eating lettuce

After the lemur feeding I continued alone along the path. I was amazed to watch the lions eat – they had some huge leg bone or something – especially when I heard a bone crack. The male lion looked shabbier than the two female lionesses but after four weeks of rain and mud – this January being Israel’s rainiest recorded month, who can blame him. It made me laugh because to me he looked like a sad clown with his black lips and his eyes all muddy. After the lions came a huge Syrian brown bear in a huge enclosure but he was feeling sluggish so I kept going. The wolves, Israeli wolves also known as Arabian wolves, were having a good time howling and playing with one another.

Israeli wolves at play

Along with the wolves there were numerous foxes and other animals found locally in Israel such as camels, ibexes, wild boars, caracals, porcupines, jackals and the rare Persian fallow deer which I saw once during a hike in Nachal Kziv. Also found in Israel, the Griffon vulture, a huge bird that some people may recognise from The Jungle Book movie. Towards the end of the path, after the reptile building which I will explain shortly, there was a humorous sight. In one habitat there were dwarf mongooses and a large desert tortoise. The mongooses sat on top of the tortoise and even took their food up, sitting on the tortoise and using its shell as a table/chair combo. It was cute. Now, the reptile building, a climate controlled structure with places for lizards and snakes including pythons, vipers, boas, anacondas and a Nile monitor lizard. I was surprised at how big the anacondas were even though the ones in the zoo were far smaller than the behemoths that exist out there.

Green Python

Close to the reptile building I found the Prehistory Museum which I thought was a separate entity but it isn’t, it’s part of the zoo’s educational experience. Inside I found mostly run-of-the-mill findings from excavations such as skeletons and broken pottery pieces but there was one thing that did stand out. Some years back divers did underwater research uncovering submerged villages off the coast of Haifa and Atlit (just south of Haifa). In one place they found a freshwater well and divers entered the well to explore. This photograph shows the diver entering the well:

Diver entering well off the coast of Atlit

After leaving the zoo I made my way to the Louis Promenade, a beautiful, serene place to be alone with the fantastic view of Haifa, Haifa Bay, the Krayot, Akko, Nahariya and Rosh HaNikra off in the far distance. On clear days one is able to see Mt. Hermon in its snowy splendour. Here is a panoramic shot of the view:

Looking down from the Louis Promenade

As I looked down I was tracing a small dark object far below as it made its way around the little seawall and into the port. The wake was odd and I know the Israeli Navy’s submarines are docked in Haifa port so I think it may have been one of Israel’s Dolphin submarines. If it was, cool, if not, it was still cool. If I would have had a telescope or a pair of binoculars it would have been better but I think that the view from the Louis Promenade is the best I have seen in all of Israel. So here’s to Israel, the loveliest place in the world!

The set tables

Bet knesset Eli Cohen, the synagogue next to my house, was built in the late 60s by the Moroccan immigrants who founded Ma’alot in the 1950s. The name Eli Cohen is a famous one in Israel as he was a spy legend. Eli Cohen worked his way into the upper echelons of the Syrian government and military and gave them bad advice to provide an edge for the Israeli soldiers during wartime. One of the notable tricks he played on the Syrians was convincing them to plant trees next to every bunker they had in the Golan area and in Syria itself. By planting trees under the ruse of provide shade for the Syrian soldiers, Eli Cohen had marked the Syrian defence for every Israeli soldier. He ended up getting caught, quite accidently by the KGB, and was hanged by the Syrian government in 1965. More can be read here: http://www.saveisrael.com/martyred/elicohen.htm

Eli Cohen

So it was in the large room that was added on to the original building that was the location of the feast. Photos and drawings of Rabbis from both the “old country” and of Israel itself line the walls and the mood is set for a glimpse back to the past. I had left the house, along with my little brother Nissim, thinking I was late, but I wasn’t. I stopped along the way to help my neighbor Guy bring speakers to the bet knesset and when we got there the event hadn’t even started. But when it did start, and the people – many of them new friends of mine – gathered in from the torrential rain outside to eat large triangles of lechem beit (“house bread” made at local bakeries and pizzerias) with salads from roasted eggplant to matboucha, this is what it looked like:

My table

Some of the other tables

It would be wrong to leave out two of the Moroccan staples that adorn every feast of festivity, the Moroccan fish and the bottle of arak. When the Moroccan fish was brought out I was eager to take a picture of it but, alas, mine wasn’t so aestetically pleasing so I snapped a shot of Yehuda Uzan’s fish across from me:

Moroccan fish

And of course, the numerous bottles of arak – an anise-flavoured liquor famous in the Middle East but virtually unknown to many Americans. I actually snatched this bottle of arak from a neighbouring table as our bottle’s label had gotten ripped:

Arak - the preferred drink of the Moroccan

And of course, no feast in honour or in memory of someone can be held without some words being said. At this particular event, HaRav Meir Sayag and Rav Gil Ben Shoshan, an previous neighbor of ours, graced our meal with stories about Rabbi Yaacov Abuhatzeira. After the speeches we continued the meal with rice, potatoes, meat, chicken and schnitzel, sipping down arak, beer, soda, water and cheap whiskey. As we ate, members of the bet knesset auctioned off various Judaica objects “in the merit of” the Baba Sali, Rabbi Yaacov Abuhatzeira and the Rambam. When that was finished, Shimon Cohen, one of the backbones of the bet knesset, handed out candles to all, for us to light in our own houses in merit of Rabbi Yaacov Abuhatzeira and the Rambam.

Rabbi Yaacov Abuhatzeira

While we listened to the mixture of ethnic Israeli music and Moroccan Arabic songs about the Baba Sali and hilulahs in general I felt saddened that sharing this experience will be sans audio so I switched my camera over to video mode and took a little 180 degree spin, capturing a fraction more of the event. And here it is, hosted by YouTube, for all to see and to be a part of:

Next year I look forward to attending this hilulah again, maybe in Nahariya where the Abir Yaacov’s illustrious descendants carry on the family heritage, but, until then, I have a candle to light this Motzai Shabbat.

The Port of Haifa

After snapping some shots of the park and the port down below I popped on over to the Iriya. There I was told to head West down the mountain if I wanted to see museums and such. I did so and on my way, walked by the old District Courthouse of Haifa established back in 1932:

The old District Courthouse of Haifa (1932)

From there I continued westward, slowing going down the the mountainside. After exploring a small “artists house” filled with modern-day small-time local artists’ work, most of them paintings, and then finding a historical house called the Gefen House, I found this unique act of nature:

A tree growing out of a wall at the Gefen House

Continuing on my way, I noticed a beautiful little garden with a bunch of small orange trees filled with bright oranges. I was wondering why there was a tiny little garden midst the large urban area and then, some twenty paces later, I saw the rest of the garden… the famous Baha’i Gardens. I figured I’d venture over and have a look so that’s exactly what I did. This marble fountain was quite peaceful and I knelt (oops) to take a picture of it:

Baha'i Gardens marble waterfall

As I went up to the next terrace I found a disappointingly tall metal fence with a locked gate. I waiting until one of the guards came up, with a tourist in tow, and unlocked the gate for her. I asked the guard if I too could explore the locked area and he said no, you are not a pilgrim. And no, I am not a pilgrim, so I left… but not without taking a picture of what the pilgrim what going to see:

Baha'i Gardens looking up from the lowest terrace

I then found the Tourist Information Centre and went inside, eager to learn more about the places available to a casual tourist like myself. There, a kind middle-aged woman helped me map out the next part of my journey and, after extensive talks, gifted me with an oldish map of the Coastal Region from Binyamina to Rosh HaNikra. The map was printed in 1990, the year I was born, and it reminds me of an old National Geographic in style and colour tone. After I had thanked the lady, having a definitive route penned out on another map, I headed down the long Allenby Street. After buying a water bottle, I passed by this interesting building, obviously quite a modern one:

Interesting building with Canadian and British flags waving outside

From that building onward there was not much to photograph, save the oddly placed red VW Karmen Ghia with the special licence plate and an “auto” sticker from Denver. Twenty to thirty minutes after I had left the Tourist Information Centre I reached my destination: Elijah’s Cave (the cave that Eliyahu HaNavi hid in and used during his “duel” with the worshippers of Ba’al). Unbeknownst to us at the time, we had been just minutes from the cave when we visited to wonderful National Maritime Museum sometime two years ago. Here is one of the welcome signs, this one situated on the road where a series of staircases takes one up to the cave:

Welcome to the Cave of Eliyahu Ha'Navi

When I had reached the complex of old stone buildings built in and around the cave I was greeted by a kind old man who blessed me. I then went into the cave where donors have turned the place into a special location for prayer:

A section of the cave

After exploring the cave I turned around to leave and this is what I saw, a wonderful view and even better in person:

Looking down from the cave to the Mediterranean Sea

And here is more of the complex, exactly what is in the buildings eludes me:

More of the Cave complex

Descending the mountain, the Clandestine Immigration and Navy Museum’s outdoor displays become more and more visible. Here is a small ship retired from the Israeli Navy (the ship is open for touring within the museum – admission free for olim in their first year):

An old Navy ship from the Clandestine Immigration and Navy Museum

I then headed for the water and walked along the Bat Galim Promenade enjoying the damp sea breeze and the hot Mediterranean sun. Of course, as have been evident in most of my recent blog posts, there was a feeling of need for some panoramic footage. Here are two panoramics, taken as I stood in one spot, looking from side to side of the visible Mediterranean Sea (click to enlarge):

Looking West

Looking East

On the rocks that form a mini-seawall stood fisherman with immense fishing rods. I had the pleasure of watching one of the fishermen catch a fish, the myriads of huge beach cats lounging around just waiting for a snack. Here is one of these fishermen, sadly he did not catch anything while I was there:

A man fishing with the huge cargo ships in the distance behind him

When I had left the Promenade I continued to hug the coastline, walking along the beautifully shaded streets, and came across the official land entrance to the Haifa Port. Here it is, in all of its humble importance as the main gateway to the Holy Land by sea, the Haifa Port entrance (where a guard carrying an automatic rifle whistled sharply at me to not take any further pictures):

Welcome to Haifa Port

When I had successfully snuck away, camera in hand, I tried to find the Bat Galim train station to get back home. I ended up going the wrong way, consulted a passing soldier as to the current route and was shown, with much enthusiasm, the right way to go. I made it to the train station where I sat and “bugged out”, waiting for the train. In my idleness, I decided to snap a picture of the train on the other side of the tracks, being boarded for a Southbound journey, and to claim this as my train that I took (creative licence being taken advantage of here):

Taking a train home

The ride was pleasant and before too long I was home. ‘Till next time!

On Sunday night one of the local kollels was hosting an event at the Heichal HaOsher and I attended, along with my father (and we nabbed reserved seats). The celebration was being thrown to honour the several members of the kollel who recently took a huge test of Halacha (Jewish law) to become Rabbis. The test was administered by the Rav of Ma’alot, HaRav Yitzhak Vaknin shlita and I believe the son of the Rishon Lizion HaRav Ovadia Yosef shlita was involved as well. Local dignitaries were present and seated at the dias. The event was opened with the lighting of the chanukiah (menorah):

Getting ready to light the menorah on the dias

A short video was shown of the kollel and the various activities within including the work with the local youth and the local synagogues. After the video several speakers had their turn with the mic; the mayor, the rav of the Ma’alot Rabanut, a local synagogue rabbi who also serves as a judge on the Rabbinic Court in Haifa, and others.

HaRav Meir Sayag, head of the Maalot Rabanut

HaRav HaDayan Yagoda getting ready to speak

City official Arkady Pomeranets speaking

Of course, as with all events at the Heichal HaOsher, there was live music. This time a local singer by the last name of Peretz sang for us. I have seen and heard him before in an Andulusian concert also held in Ma’alot sometime in 2010.

A local singer

After the speeches the diplomas were given out. Many of those who bought the honour of delivering the diploma were family members of the particular avreich (young married man in kollel), as seen here, the Rosh Kollel, the avreich, his father and the Rav of the Ma’alot Rabanut:

A kollel member receiving his diploma from a sponsor

After the due honour was doled out and the hugs and handshakes were completed there was a bit of a fundraiser. Just a bit. I did not take many pictures of the fundraising and actually left early but here is a shot I took of the seated crowd, well, part of the crowd:

Partial view of the men's section

And that sums up Sunday.

Tuesday, the 7th day of Chanukah, we went to explore the vineyards of the Naftali area on the border of Lebanon. There we found a place called Adir Winery and Dairy. A clean-cut white building alongside several factory installments beckoned to us. Naturally, we went inside.

The winery side

There we found some wine. Lots of bottles of award-winning wine. A man behind the counter by the name of Yossi Rosenberg, who happens to be the managing director, explained to us what we needed and wanted to know. In the earlier years of Israel Yossi’s family from Europe and the Ashekenazi family from Turkey settled in Kerem Ben Zimra and raised their families there. In the 1980s and 1990s the families built up the Adir vineyards, a joint project. They also decided to raise goats and thereby led them to creating the Adir Dairy.

The dairy side

Here is Yossi Rosenberg talking to us about his and his family’s history with the vineyards and the various wines they produce:

Talking with Yossi Rosenberg

As with many visitor centres, this one had a short film about the production and founding of the winery and dairy. We went into the room that divides the winery and dairy sides and sat down, ready to watch the English version. This particular video, voiced over in English by Paul Gluck, is available on YouTube so that you can watch it as well in the comfort of your own home: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uj9SJXWUjY

Getting ready to watch a short film about the wine and dairy productions

After the film we snuck over to the dairy side and sampled from the several goat cheeses on the counter.

Snacking on the goat cheeses

And here was my particular favourite, the Tzefatit cheese, the style originating from Tzfat (Safed) just a few miles away.

Tzefatit cheese

Even though I liked the Tzefatit cheese the most, we didn’t buy it. We got two hard cheeses and a feta. From the freezer of the dairy we selected two pints of goat milk ice cream, one chocolate and one cherry. The chocolate one was better but there was a goaty taste to the ice cream despite the chocolate additive. Before we left we bought a bottle of port, which we have yet to open.

While in the area we explored both the small village of Kerem Ben Zimra and the nearby historical areas. Here we drove by an old watchtower looking over the hill to Lebanon:

Old watch tower

Also found throughout the Galilee are graves, ancient tombs erected for important historical figures. Prophets from the Bible and Rabbis from the Roman times can be found buried side-by-side on the side of the road, in some village or perhaps in small caves, always distinguishable by bright blue “kabbalistic” paint. On this particular Tuesday we found 3 kevers (graves) in one small patch of land. Here is the grave of Rabbi Elazar ben Arach who lived in this area nearly 2,000 years ago:

The grave of R' Elazar ben Arach

And here, the grave of Rabbi Yossi HaKohen:

The grave of R' Yossi HaKohen

And the third of the trio, the grave of Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria, who in his days was rather wealthy. Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria may sound familiar because he is, in fact, mentioned in the Pesach Hagada. He was sitting with Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon in Bnei Brak…:

The grave of R' Elazar ben Azaria

Of course, while in the area with my camera I could not help but take yet another panoramic picture. Here it is, the rolling hills of Northern Israel (click to enlarge):

Panoramic shot of the rolling hills

There it is, the eight days of Chanukah told in a tale of words and pictures. Next Chanukah is just 12 months away!

Doughnuts

The first trip we took, on Thursday – the 2nd day of Chanukah, was to the Golan, in search for something known as dolmens,  an ancient stone structure built as either tombs or landmarks and found from Ireland to Israel to Korea. These dolmens are often huge and in large groups but the ones we saw were kind of isolated from the large group in Gamla National Park. Israel’s dolmens are made out of basalt and are covered in lichen.

Ancient dolmen

But before we found the dolmens we were driving out in the flat plains of the Golan looking for a large circular formation of low stone walls built thousands of years ago. Despite our relentless searches we were unable to locate the circles we wanted but we did find plenty of ancient low stone walls that told us we were in the right area.

Ancient walls that run through the open fields

But to say that we found only the ancient walls and dolmens would not be true, we also stumbled upon new structures, those belonging to the IDF. Here is a recently abandoned army base where dozens of empty, rusted ammunition cases were scattered about:

An army base recently abandoned

And here, on the side of the road, is a military bunker/trench of sorts with small rusted metal storage cabinets inside:

Army bunker and trench

Leaving the flat region of the Golan we found ourselves at the Bet Saida Vista overlooking the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and the Jordan River area north of it, including parts of Gamla. Here is a panoramic shot of the view (click to enlarge):

From the Kinneret to Gamla

That was Thursday.

Sunday, the 5th day of Chanukah, was another day full of adventure. We headed slightly south past Karmiel to the Johncolad chocolate factory. This particular chocolatier hails from New Zealand and now lives in the South African-founded Moshav Manof. His name is John Alford and this is a brief look at the chocolatey adventure we had.

Johncolad logo

When we first walked in John looked at us and told us that he recognises us. My father than explained to him that we had once come to buy chocolates and take the tour that is offered. In fact, my father even wrote a blog post that included our previous trip to Johncolad and here it is: http://aliyahlift.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/g-stands-for-golan-galil-and-gourmet-pt-1/

After we all figured out what’s what and where’s where we decided to buy some chocolates. I asked if we were getting a tour but he told us that we have already seen the tour so I decided not to pursue the issue. Here is John lining up the packs of chocolate:

John Alford selling us his chocolates

Even though we were not treated to a tour of the chocolate making I snuck back and snapped some shots of the resting machinery:

Chocolate making machine

Drums for nonpareils and powdered cocoa

As I peered inside the right drum I spotted a stray chocolate ball, all covered in nonpareils and looking down-right delicious:

A chocolate ball hidden on a bed of nonpareils

After we had purchased our chocolates and chatted enough with John we headed out the door. On the way, chest-high on the wall next to the door, I once again caught sight of one of my favourite features in the Johncolad establishment… A plaque from the Israeli Navy thanking John for his tour of the Johncolad factory:

Thank you plaque from the Israeli Navy

And, as a final touch of Manof, as we drove out, this was the view that greeted us. The stretch of land reaching the Haifa Bay, with the historic Mount Carmel as a long backdrop. Doesn’t get much better than this:

Panoramic shot of the land looking south toward Mt Carmel

And that was Sunday day. Sunday night and the rest of Chanukah will be presented in the next post.

Cookie factory

First, the man who let us in put us in the hands of Gili, who turned out to be the wife of the owner. She took us on our tour, after we had donned our sanitary hair-nets, showing us the process of making cookies. The cookies being made were small sugar cookies with a jam filling. Here they are finished and ready for baking:

Pretty little cookies all ready for baking

Here are some of the notable, interesting stages of the process that is the making of the petite, decorative cookie. A worker rolls the cookie dough over circle cutters:

Cookie cutting the industrial way

And here the cookies are being constructed, a solid disk being prepped with a dallop of fruit-flavoured jelly to then be finished off with a cookie “ring” on top:

The construction of the cookie

Once the cookies are baked they are taken to another room where they cool off and wait to be packaged. Here one of the packaging workers puts the cookies in plastic containers with a doilie to separate the layers:

Packaging the cooled cookies

After we had seen the numerous stages and the 15-20 workers furiously cranking out cookies (1,000+ packages per day), we took some more pictures. Here I am, hair-net on and hands secure and out of the cookies:

Posing in the cookie factory

When we had seen enough, and enough pictures were taken we bid farewell to Gili and attempted to leave. She called us back and told us not to forget about the hairnets, telling us we might look silly walking around with them on. I risked it and poked my sanitary head into several other factories located in the vicinity. Nobody seemed to mind. But I minded that we hadn’t gotten any baked goods yet (we didn’t really wanna buy a package of cookies because we have eaten those cookies so many times before). I suggested that we seek out another bakery, a kosher Lebanese bakery in the nearby village of Mi’ilya (population 3,000). We drove to the Christian village and found the bakery, which turned out to be a factory as well:

Door sign for the Lebanese Bakery

Inside the pita factory we shuffled around in the flour-covered room and had some brief dialogue with a man there who seemed agreeable to our desire to explore the place. A man named John, the professed owner of the factory, allowed us to poke our noses nearly everywhere we wanted to. Here one of the men working there operates the dough mixer:

Manning the mixer

After the dough is mixed, it is then placed on a large table in the centre of the open area for rising:

Rising dough

As per the next stage, the first man we talked to showed us a machine that makes small balls of dough to expedite the process. Here the machine, which was imported special from Lebanon, is hard at work pumping out dough balls:

The Lebanese dough-ball-making machine

Once the dough balls are on their way, they get flattened and gradually turned into large flat disks. Here the disks are still in the flattening process as they travel around the room:

Small pita disks

Once the disks have been flattened near paper-thin they are moved on the conveyor belt back and forth allowing them to slightly rise before the baking. After the dough disks have sufficiently risen they are passed through the tremendous furnace which made the entire room almost unbearably hot. John didn’t like people getting close to the oven but he allowed me to photograph it up close with his supervision. Here it is, the disks blown up into balloons of hot air bouncing out of the furnace:

Pita balloons escaping the flames

After the dramatic baking, the pitas are again on a long track of conveyor belts as they cool and deflate, now boasting a handy pocket that can be filled with all sorts of foods. This part of the process I found to be very cool as the air was all floury and the sun was sneaking in.

Pitas deflating high up on conveyor belts

And here the cooled pitas come bounching down for bagging. The bagging women specifically asked me not to photograph them so the end of the process will forever be a mystery for you, o’ reader.

Cooled pitas coming down for bagging

Oh, and John handed us a free bag of fresh pitas “for the road”!

While we were in Mi’ilya we also stumbled upon ancient tombs hollowed out of solid chalk bedrock on the side of the road. The sign stated that the graves were from the Byzantine era (330-634 CE) and have been slightly damaged by water piping. Here is the most visible cave, clearly seen from the road:

The burial cave on the side of the road

Not only are there ancient burial caves in Mi’ilya, there is also a Crusader castle called King’s Castle when Mi’ilya was known as Castellum Regis. The castle was built sometime around 1160 CE when King Baldwin III of Jerusalem gave the Galilee region to a crusader in Haifa. It was only a matter of years before the castle was conquered by Saladin. King’s Castle and Monfort Castle nearby were then both acquired by the Teutonic Knights of modern-day Germany but by that time the bigger and more impressive Monfort Castle made King’s Castle less important. Here, local residents built their house using the ruined castle’s walls as well:

King's Castle from the north

Once we had parked next to the house as far up as we could, we got out and climbed into the remains of the once noble Crusader castle. Today the site is neglected and grown over but the classic arches and windows live on:

Arches within the ruins of King's Castle

Windows and doors

We had to abandon our explorations prematurely due to school letting out but one day we should come back… with a metal detector! Who knows, maybe a knight in rusted armour is buried beneath the rubble…

Ma'alot's beautiful Heichal Tarbut

Concert 1: The performance of Lahakat Droz (Hebrew for Band of Droz – Droz meaning “stairs” in Moroccan Arabic) was called for 8:00 PM Wednesday evening with several short documentaries shot/produced in the Ma’alot area to be shown before it. I arrived fashionably late, found a seat in the lower section and settled in for some documentary works of film. The short film that was playing when I came in and the subsequent one were of little interest to me but the third one was wonderful. It was about an old man living in Kibbutz Kabri who made aliyah when he was in his teens or twenties from Iran. Throughout his life he had a fascination for filming and had dozens, if not hundreds, of film reels from back in Iran and the early kibbutz life in Kabri. A woman began investigating his work and they set out to watch the reels and to relive the days of old. Throughout the documentary, snippets of the old man’s film reels were shown, including the establishment of the banana farms outside of Nahariya. It was a wonderful film. Then, before the concert itself, a short film of Lahakat Droz was shown. We learned all about the founding of the band and the various members and methods involved, including the various things that inspired them in their music making. Once the band’s movie was finished a short break was announced to allow the band to set up. I headed outside after taking a botched-up panoramic picture of the auditorium. There, in the lobby of the building, next to the cafe, I found the woman from the documentary about the old man from Kibbutz Kabri. I told her that I loved her show and she thanked me and was pulled away by the official people of the DocAviv Galil to either receive or watch someone receive some award or something. After a few more minutes of milling about, finding some friends and saying “hi”, we all headed back into the auditorium for the concert.

Lahakat Droz

Lahakat Droz is a local band founded in Ma’alot with most of its members living in the Ma’alot area. The lead singer, Itzhik Alul, and his brother on the acoustic guitar began playing at least 20 years ago, spending their time in bomb shelters strumming away the days, fine-tuning their skills. I found it fascinating that the bomb shelters they played and practiced in are located just a few minutes from my house.

Lahakat Droz 2 (note the crisp spotlights)

The music that they played was music from the heart, lyrics and musical notes lovingly released into the smoky air and throbbing the tiny bones in the audience’s ears with a wholesome, ethnic-rock feel. I loved every minute of it and I’m sure the several hundred people in attendance with me felt similar as I saw them all singing along. The violinist, a Druze from Bet Shaan named Marzuq Harb, played fabulous Middle Eastern solos.

Marzuq Harb, the violinist of Lahakat Droz

The concert was over too soon, but when it was over everybody agreed that the concert was a smashing success. I shook the hand of the lead singer’s brother, thanked him and then looked around outside in the lobby for CDs to buy. I didn’t find any. But there is a YouTube link to one of their songs being performed elsewhere: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zagwNdPeO7c

Concert 2: Dudu Tassa’s concert was Thursday evening prefaced with a personal documentary titled Iraqinroll (i.e. Iraq-n-roll) a play on words between his rock music and his grandfather’s musical history in Iraq, the successful Daoud Al-Kuwaiti. Unfortunately, the documentary had a fee and since we came late we did not enter until it was over. In the half hour or so that we had to wait I bumped into the guitarist from the previous night’s band, Kfir Ohayon of Lahakat Droz. We spoke for about 15 minutes where we discussed his band, our mutual friends and other chatty topics. Then the doors were opened to all and we went our separate ways into the auditorium. We found seats in the third row from the stage, surprisingly, and the mayor got up to say a few words.

Mayor of Ma'alot Shlomo Buchbut giving an opening word to Dudu Tassa's concert

The mayor stepped down and the musicians stepped in. The very first song that he sang was the one I have grown to like after finding it on YouTube several days before the concert, and here it is, for you to like too. Presenting “Eize Yom” by Dudu Tassa featuring Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead: 

The music that followed was all new to me and the people loved it. There were at least 400 people in attendance, at least 70% of them 25 and younger. It was loud and fun.

Dudu Tassa and band

Dudu rocked on his guitar and crooned out his songs in both Hebrew and Moroccan Arabic, the heavy drum pounding behind him and the enthusiastic bass player to his right kept us in sync. The lad to his left was on a Qanun-like instrument, plucking at the taut wires with fingers capped in metal. It was quite an authentic touch to the Israeli rock music that he was belting out.

Dudu Tassa on stage

Towards the end of the concert his music picked up pace and people left their seats to crowd around the stage. It was fun. When the concert was over I did not get the opportunity to thank the performers and headed out to leave. I am looking forward to next year’s DocAviv Galil and the slew of free concerts that will no doubt be available. Time to keep my eyes peeled on the posters around town!

Yesterday evening we went to the Druze olive press – bet baad in Hebrew – in the ancient village of Pekiin. I had called ahead to check to make sure they were open and crushing olives – they were. When we got there, just a short drive from Ma’alot, there were Druze abound with hundreds of kilos of olives in large sacks. I had brought along the small box of olives I had picked from the trees in our backyard and set my stock down on a small stool.

Druzi men unloading huge sacks of olives

As we watched the numerous Druzi men unloading the sacks of olives into the hopper on the floor we were deafened by the din of the harvest in full-swing. The olives piled high waiting for the first machine to be turned on. Once on, the olives are lifted up on a conveyor belt and are cleaned in the washing machine. Nice and clean, the olives are then taken into the crusher where they are churned within a great rectangular machine. The olive pulp is separated for other uses and the watery oil is transferred into the next machine where the pure olive oil is skimmed off. The water goes one way and the oil goes to the next stage – filtration. The pure, golden-green olive oil is then dispensed through large vats into the waiting oil canisters and jerry-cans. The full containers are then put on a scale for weighing and are then carted off – ten percent of olive oil going to the bet baad’s owner.

The process in pictures:

The olives going up the conveyor belt and into the washer

The washed olives going into the crushing machine

The huge pressing machine

Olive oil to the left and the murky water to the right...

Pure olive oil coming out of the spout and going into the jerry-can

Here is a panoramic picture of most of the warehouse – from the olive unloading at the far right, the washing between the pillar and the fireplace, the crushing between the fireplace and the faux leather armchair, the filtering behind the yellow oil containers and the bottling all the way in the distant corner on the far left. (Click on it to see it enlarged)

Panoramic picture of the olive press

My small crop was not processed right away – I had to trade my 16 kilos of olives for 50 shekels of oil bottled the previous day. Our business was first opened with small cups of tea poured by the owner:

Amir the owner pouring tea for me

Here is my crop and the oily result… well, in lieu of the actual result:

My 16 kilograms of mostly Souri olives

Bottle of olive oil I accepted for my olives

The small store set up within the warehouse had special tasting for the oils freshly pressed and of course, bottled oils of all varieties and qualities – all local stock.

The store and the taste testing

Before we left, another huge load of olives came – a long night of olive pressing for those guys!

Another van stuffed with olives!