Over the summer Jon's program took him on a two-day tour of some of Israel's southern region, and over the past two days they did the same for the north. Some of the highlights included:
-Fantastic views of mountains, green hills, the Kineret, and acres of multicoloured farmland throughout the Galil and Golan.
-Visits to the tombs of Talmudic rabbis in Beit She'arim and Israeli poets and songwriters in an arbor looking over the Kineret.
-A guided tour of an artist's studio and products (he is the sculptor who created David Moss' shtender, if that helps) and an early morning walking tour in Safed.
-A tour and tasting at the Golan winery (this wasn't on the itinerary, but instead of going to lunch with everyone else Jon and a classmate made their way to the vineyard).
-A meeting with Israeli-Arab teachers and administrators. This was perhaps the most interesting element, as it is a segment of the population that most North American visitors to Israel never get to see or interact with. Jon feels that much of what was said was either obvious or contrived, but still found value in the meeting.
The tour was organized around the idea of learning the history and meaning behind Israel's north, so readings, lessons, and meetings covered a topics ranging from the Biblical era through Roman times, up to the early 1900s, the '67 War, and today. While the pace of the two-days was a little too plodding for our taste, it was still very worthwhile in terms of information learned, sights seen, and experiences... um... experienced.
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