Theme: Golan Heights – Natural Beauty, Water Issues, and Cultural Exchange
locations: Golan Heights; Mt. Bental; Yemin Orde
overnight: Leonardo (formerly Le Meridien) Hotel, Haifa [ get map ]
Sydney Shuster:
Today marked the end of our stay in Tzfat. The fellows woke up at the tear-inducing hour of 6:30, which felt even earlier after staying up late the night before. We ate our last breakfast at the very pretty Rimmonim (meaning pomegranate) hotel. Everyone who showed up to eat made sure that they ate well because today we hiked in the Golan Heights.
My bias in favor of hiking aside, this trip down through the hills was incredible. We started at the top amid empty, bullet-ridden buildings where our knowledgeable guide Yishai taught us about Israeli history in the area, the Golan Height’s importance to Israel, and the conflicts surrounding Israel’s possession of the land. Because the Golan Heights provides much of Israel with their water supply, we were taught about water conservation in Israel and the dangers that face the country if there is not enough rain come October.
The view as we walked down was never for a moment dull. Beautiful sights surrounded us on both sides, whether it was colorful flowers, the long grass, or the smooth, low trees. The path was littered with rocks and boulders, and climbing down, up, and around those obstacles or jumping from rock to rock made the hike more than a simple trail follow.
When the waterfall came into view, we were taken aback. The view in front of us spanned out to the horizon, with stretches of flowers, treetops, and mountains. In the distance we could see farmland. Directly below us was the waterfall we would hike down to later. It was impressive looking down, but after we made it to the bottom the entire hike had even more meaning. We were well prepared, having worn our bathing suits underneath our clothes, so we rushed into the small lake. Though the water was a bit cold, even those who were tentative at first ran in and swam around. From the rocks under the waterfall we jumped and dove into the pool below.
Eventually all of the Fellows had to get dressed and hike back up the mountain, though not a person wished to stop swimming. The return hike was very steep and long. It was a lot of hard work but no one was left behind, and everyone was greeted with the sight of an ice cream truck parked near the trail at the end. It was a delicious end to a fantastic nature experience.
Sarah Goldberg:
After an awesome hike and tasty lunch in a mall food court, we headed off to Mt. Bental, a dormant volcano that overlooks the border with Syria. Here, Yishai gave us a brief summary of the Yom Kippur War. It was during this war, which began as a surprise on Yom Kippur, that the Syrians began to attack the Golan Heights. As this was 1973, it was extremely difficult to organize troops to defend against the overwhelming number of tanks, forcing a small amount of Israeli soldiers to hold their ground. Yishai told us an incredible story about a single tank commander, Tzvika, who pretended to be an entire army of tanks, causing the Syrians to stop in their tracks and retreat. It was through these heroic actions and others like them that saved Israel. It was so amazing to actually see where this fighting took place, and even more incredible to be able to see the entire border from one point on the mountain.
This discussion certainly left us with more confusion, but I think we’re all beginning to really understand the intricacies and struggles of Israel. Many pictures were taken, but I’m sure that they won’t capture the full beauty of the location. We also found out that the spot we were resting at could be immediately transformed into a functioning army base. We went underground into one of the bunkers and admired the graffiti of visitors before us, including a “Jesus loves you” and “nach nachmun meuman”. This truly is the holy land for many.
Natan Koloski:
In accordance with our mission of tikkun olam (repairing the world), the Satell Teen Fellows went to Yemin Orde, a children’s village near Haifa. This youth village combines the aspects of an orphanage with those of an institution of higher education to give impoverished children a chance to succeed. Most of the residents are Ethiopian, and many are Russian. Yemin Orde is a special place for us to visit because we were able to meet one its benefactors, Mark Solomon, earlier this year in Philadelphia. Mr. Solomon, who is a good friend of our own Mr. Satell (also a supporter of Yemin Orde, of course) dedicated the entire graduate housing area.
Upon arrival, we met Racheli, an Ethiopian immigrant and former alumna of another children’s village, who explained to us all about the village. We toured the residential facility, the multi-denominational synagogue, and a replica Ethiopian hut. After that we gathered in a circle and announced our names, favorite food and where we lived - trying our best to speak Hebrew, while our counterparts did their best in English. We then experienced a tasty dinner at the Yemin Orde dining hall and had conversations about various things from sports to music, and of course, how to say basic words in ivrit (Hebrew). Sadly, the hour was late and we had to leave our new friends. However, the unbelievable experience of seeing something as helpful to childhood development as Yemin Orde caused us to leave with a warm feeling in our hearts.
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