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Shalom from Israel
We arrived in Israel in the early hours of August 25th, somewhat fatigued by the long flight and delay in London, but happy to be here, finally. We were met by our dear friend Noam, and Rosi, his girlfriend. Noam worked with me in my studio in Baltimore for 8 months in 1998. He was both an exceptionally talented and creative blacksmith as well as a kind and considerate friend. He had insisted that we come and visit one day, so it was terrific for us to have the opportunity to do so. We stepped out of the cool air- conditioned airport in Tel Aviv into the hot and humid night air where we began our journey back to the village of Yokne'am. Yokne'am lies about 20 km S.E of the port city of Haifa and consists of two distinct quarters, Yokne'am moshava (which is the old and original settlement) and the new town of Yokne'am Illit which is ever expanding and sits above the village. Yokne'am moshava is quiet by comparison, consisting of a mixture of homes, farms and pasture.
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August 27th
When we awoke the next morning, we stepped outside and were greeted by three olive trees, a small grove of citrus and two lovely farm pups who were always appreciative of pats from newcomers. Our dwelling is half of a mobile home, which has a bedroom, living room , bath and kitchen area and, most importantly, an air conditioner! Noam has the other half of the trailer, which has all the same features. We again have a space of our own with a sense of privacy and hominess for which we are very grateful. Beyond the citrus grove is the home of Noam's grandmother (safta) and matriarch, named Vinni. She and her husband came to Yokne'am in 1946 and started the Engel farm. They were the first newcomers after the war and at that time Yokne'am had only 300 inhabitants. (Yokne'am was originally settled in 1935). Israel gained independence in 1948 and so began the rising influx of families into this area. Vinni's home sits in front of all of the family's dairy outbuildings housing some 100 milking cows whose sole purpose is to supply milk for market. Behind our house is Noam's blacksmithing studio and his brother Boaz's apartment. Noam's parents, Elan and Yaffa, and sister, Dana, reside a few doors up, in a house they built 25 years ago. The rest of the extended family live within a few miles of each other, and it is a very close knit social bond that exists here. The Engel family has kindly taken the two of us in as their own.
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We arrived on the farm and quickly adjusted to a pace accustomed to caring for dairy cows and a fertile cotton crop. Rising very early to milk, with an afternoon break for lunch and rest period is a ritual shared by all who work the farm. The work is hard but the ease at which their tasks are carried out is inspiring and refreshing compared to the hustle that we are used to living back in Baltimore. We have been immediately made to feel at ease here and part of a family that work together for the benefit of each other. Their kindness and generosity is as natural as their laughter and light heartedness. Annette and I got up at 4 am to experience the morning ritual of milking the cows, along with Noam and Camel (Mohammed). It takes approximately one and a half hours to complete the cycle, with 16 milking stations. You have to clean the cows udders and sterilize them with iodine before applying the suction cups that extract the milk. Some of the older cows produce as much as 4-5 gallons of milk at one time.
Camel is an Arab who assists with the milking every day and has been working with Noam's family for over 10 years. He doesn't speak a word of English but he is so expressive with his gestures and has a very charismatic persona. He is always smiling and telling us how good life is; his daily needs are simple and humble and it is very obvious that he is happy and content with his life. This is a joy to see. As we completed the morning milking the sun was just beginning to rise, casting a warm orange glow over the landscape.
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We took a trip down to the cotton fields, a mile or so from the farm. There is a man here in Yokne'am who developed a unique strain of cotton which is grown for its aesthetic beauty, not for textile purposes. The cotton buds grow close to the main stem and once the leaves and flowers have been removed what is left is a styled and very sculptural motif that is used in dried floral arrangements. There has to be a minimum of 5 buds on each stem and sometimes as many as 14 can be found. They are grouped according to the number of buds, cleaned and slipped into a clear plastic sleeve, boxed and then shipped off to Europe and Japan for worldwide distribution. This is a very busy time of year for the Engels and the entire family is involved in every aspect of the harvesting and packing. We, too, are now quite familiar with the whole process and are glad to have the opportunity to be involved.
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Our first trip out of Yokne'am was to the beach just south of Haifa. The warm and blue/green Mediterranean waters were a delight on such a hot and sunny day. The Israeli workweek ends on Friday afternoon for Shabat which is a time of religious observation and family celebration, and resumes on Sunday. So this Saturday the beach proved to be an extremely popular destination. We swam and relaxed under the shade of our umbrella and truly felt on holiday at this point!
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Week #1 in Israel was spent in the company of Noam and Rosi, with lots of day trips to a variety of places. We visited the artistic communities of En Hod and En Carmel where artists work in a variety of mediums, exhibiting and selling their work. There are potters, painters, printmakers, glass artists and sculptors. At En Carmel there was a particularly impressive outdoor display of large stone carvings of faces and mythological imagery laid out in a circle(somewhat reminiscent of the stone circles we had visited in Scotland) and looked like the carved standing figures of Easter Island. There at En Carmel we also visited Nobuya Yamaguchi, a sculptor/blacksmith/artist (we had a long discussion as to exactly what we should be termed!) who graciously took the time to show us around his studio and talk about the work.
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Next we traveled to the kibbutz (communal village) of En Shemer to visit another blacksmith, Uri Hofi, who is somewhat of a legend in our blacksmithing community. Not only is he very well known here in Israel but is a familiar figure on the international scene, demonstrating in the States as well as Europe and Japan. Noam received his basic training at Hofi's school and also worked with him for a couple of months after returning from the U.S. The actual working space was relatively small and packed with machines and tools, whereas the gallery showroom was expansive (3 times the size of the workshop) and filled with examples and finished pieces that were for sale. It was a decidedly impressive working facility and particularly inspiring for Noam and me. The remainder of our first week in Israel took us on day visits to Haifa and Nazareth, both very close to Yokne'am. Haifa is the largest city in the north (home to Rosi) and has a big and busy shipping port. The city sprawls up the steep hillsides from the bay and commands some great views out over the countryside and as far away as the Lebanese border on clear days.
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NAZARETH , ISRAEL
Aug.30th
Chris, Rosi and I set off on a pilgrimage to Nazareth, the city known in Catholicism as the place where the miracle of the immaculate conception took place. I was particularly interested in this journey to the old city, because of my upbringing in the Catholic Church and school system. We got off to a slow start and reached the city in the heat of mid-morning. We took the uphill climb on the old cobblestone streets to the Church of the Annunciation. To my disappointment there was a brand new church built over the ancient stone remains of the original church. The architecture and design of this new structure seemed a little at odds with the simplicity and humble qualities of the former building. Restoration work was ongoing on the old church, while the new one was still incomplete in the interior. Lining the walls of the lower level of the new church were large mosaic tile panels from different countries of the world, depicting the Virgin Mary with Child. Some were very ornate and colorful while others were just garish (especially the U.S representation!).
The old city itself was occupied mainly by Arabs, with old winding streets and markets filled with clothing, fruits, vegetables and the aroma of cardamom-laced Turkish coffee. The buildings are still inhabited by many families even though they are in a state of deterioration. As we wound our way through the Bazaar we happened upon a museum of Arabic history and folklore, fascinating in that it housed old pottery, cooking implements, baskets, clothing as well as excavated jewelry and artifacts. The best part for me was having Turkish coffee and traditional sweets on the rooftop terrace. The setting was cozy with rugs on the floor and cushions for lounging and canopy above for shade. The view consisted of nothing more than old tiled rooftops and ancient stone buildings. We ventured all over the old city visiting one simple and modest Mosque with Pikaki trees lining the interior courtyard. We wound up in the center of the bustling and dirty city for a traditional falafel lunch with all the salad garnishes typical of Israel; marinated red cabbage, olives, hot sauces, tahini, humus, and pickled cauliflower and carrots. Afterwards we bought some sweet, gooey pastries from a pleasant Arab shopkeeper and then caught a taxi home. All in all, not what I expected, but it was interesting visiting a city steeped in such a rich history.
August 31st
We went to the Megiddo ruins.
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September 1st
Chris gets a chance to work in Noam's blacksmith shop.
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The Engel family, gathered for shabat (sabbath) dinner.
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September 3rd - A 3-day trip to N. Israel
Noam, Rosi, Chris and I set off on a 3-day journey to explore Northern Israel. Our first stop was to the ancient city of Akko (Acre), which lies about 10 miles north of Haifa. Akko was once a thriving port city in Roman times and subsequently a crusader stronghold for almost 200 years, before being overthrown by the Muslims. Today it's a mix of Arab and Jewish peoples.
A massive sea-walled fortress commands a great portion of the old city along with several Mosques, a tunneled bazaar and Museums. It's also the home to some of the best Hummus in all Israel! From Akko we continued up the coast to the Lebanese border, at Rosh Ha-Niqra. From this elevated vantage point overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, we watch the sun sink beneath the horizon. Here at Rosh Ha-Niqra there is a cable car that takes you down the steep cliff to a series of caves and passageways where you can watch the turbulent sea thrashing around in the grottoes. We were fortunate to catch the last cable car of the day going down to the sea to witness this drama and the lovely natural rock formations.
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Driving East into the night, we went in search of a camp site known to Noam on Mount Hermon (Israel's 2nd highest mountain). We located a spot that, at the time, seemed peaceful, so we made camp and settled in for the evening. Unknown to us at the time, there was an army base across the road from our chosen site, and we were abruptly reminded of this at 4 am by the sound of wailing sirens. Thankfully it was only a practice drill. Also, Rosi had a fright thinking that someone was outside her tent; needless to say sleep was not sound for any of us this night. The morning began in an envelope of mist, bordering on chilly at these higher elevations, but by 10 am the sun's warmth had burned off all the mists. This northern section of Israel is lush, productive and green, with many fruit-producing farms. Passed through this fertile region to the hilltop town of Zefat, a primarily Orthodox Jewish community. It is a very old and Holy city to the Jews, which has many ancient graves of prominent Rabbis who taught the Torah. We wandered the narrow streets of the artistic quarter, visiting studios and chatted with the artists.
We drove through one of the first settlements in Israel, Rosh-Pinna, then on to the Nahal-Dan River where we floated down a stretch of this brisk and lovely creek. It is one of the 3 main tributaries that feed the River Jordan which is Israel's main source of fresh water. It was very refreshing for us to play in the cool waters after a long hot drive. On this river sits a delightful fish restaurant called Dag-Al-H'Dan, (meaning Fish on the Creek). They divert the natural flow of the creek into holding tanks where they farm raise a variety of fish, and what you order off the menu comes directly out of these tanks. It doesn't get any fresher than this! After a sumptuous dinner, we continued on to the most north-eastern part of Israel which borders both Lebanon and Syria and on through to Ramat-Golan (the disputed Golan Heights), this being the area that Syria would like to control again.
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Noam's army base was situated in this region where he served as a tank commander during his mandatory 3 year time (as is true for all Israelis) and so we passed by and observed from the outside. We camped that evening on the shores of the Sea of Galilee (Yam Kinneret), where a nice breeze blew in off the choppy waters. The next morning took us on to Meshushim Pools (Hexagonal Pools) which is a deep canyon area north of the Kinneret. Here there is a river which has carved its way through the naturally forming hexagonal rock formations, creating a very narrow and fast moving flow that opens out into a broad and deep pool with sheer cliff sides. Its a spectacular spot which is popular with people who are fit enough to make the hike down and back the long, hot trail. Chris did some high cliff jumping while the rest of us watched his antics from the waters below.
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The return journey took us to several monuments and religious sites along the shores of the Kinneret. There was an elaborately decorated Greek Orthodox Church, the ruins of Capernum and the Church which now sits over the place where Jesus Christ fed the masses with bread and fish. Through Tiberias and back around the tip of the Sea of Galilee we passed an Ostrich farm along the way before reaching our final destination of the trip, Hamat Gader; a type of theme park which also has Roman Ruins and natural hot springs. The theme park included a mini-zoo which was noted for its variety and numbers of crocodiles and alligators, as well as an aviary and snake house. The Roman Bath ruins were particularly impressive, and were in use for around 800 years. They had an elaborate water system that fed the numerous vaulted rooms and pools, which must have looked fantastic during their operation. In the new bathing area, the waters of the hot springs are channeled into man-made pools and there is even a hot waterfall you can sit under. This was a really nice, relaxing way to end our trip around this northern section of Israel.
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October 9th, Yom Kippur, Israel
We crossed the border back into Israel on October 4th and were told of the mounting tensions and outbursts of violence between the Palestinians and Israelis. Not having seen the news in weeks it was hard to believe, and for Chris and me this would be our first experience of civil unrest and possible war. We are really concerned for our friends here as some of the attacks have been taking place very close at hand. Due to this situation it is too dangerous to travel to Jerusalem or anywhere else for that matter, much to our disappointment as we really wanted to experience the Western Wall , Mount Zion and the places where Christ spent his last days. The news reports have been continually forthcoming and there are only a few hours before the end of the Yom Kippur holiday and the deadline for negotiations. We all hope for a peaceful resolution. As we have a little over 24 hours before we depart for Nepal, we hope for our immediate safety as well as the long term safety of this small but mighty country which stands proud and strong for its people. Shalom.
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