A Day of Reflection: Looking Inward

March 29, 2016 text  by Barbara Krupp, photos by Gary Krupp

 We arrived at night at Ein Gev Holiday Resort on the banks of Lake Kinneret.  In the darkness we could see the twinkling lights of Tiberius across a broad expanse of  blackness; it wasn't until we awoke in the morning that we became aware of the vast sacred waters of the Sea of Galilee.

This day was one of reflection, of connecting to the Land of Israel by connecting to our bodies, our souls, our senses.  We drove from Ein Gev through fertile orchards, tree farms, cattle grazing in the fields strewn with volcanic boulders up into the Golan Heights.  Nathan, our Israeli guide, talked to us about the border issues associated with this area from 1948 through the present.  We were driving in the area that was Syria before the 1967 war.  Ein Gev was the Northern most kibbutz in Israel before 1967 and suffered many attacks.  In 1973, there was fierce fighting again in this area and Nathan fought in battles near Ein Gev where many of his comrades lost their lives.

Our first stop was the Artist village of Aniam where we were welcomed by our guide and teacher Yaron Ronen.  He led us to his studio where he teaches Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Shiatsu and Jewish Meditation and where we were blessed to spend two hours of learning with him.  Yaron embodies calm and grace.  He led us through Tai Chi exercises, taught us how to perform a shiatsu massage on our partner, and guided us through a form of Jewish meditation.  It was really the first opportunity (besides our lovely Shabbat) that we were able to move into stillness and truly reflect on our togetherness as a group and our journey through Israel.

After our time with him, Yaron took us on a tour of the artist village.  He told us that the village was built ten years ago by a few artists who lived in the Moshav nearby. Right now it has seventeen galleries including jewelry, ceramics, ballet, and textiles.  










We met Joel, a jeweler from New York, who demonstrated how to melt sliver and met Osna, a ceramicist from Israel, who employs women from the Moshav to help make her many ceramic pieces.  After visiting the galleries and doing a bit of shopping, we had a delicious lunch at Yaeli Cafe.

Not far from Aniam, is the city of Katzrin, an industrial area in the Golan that houses a winery, a brewery and an olive oil factory.  We toured the Golan Heights Winery, led by a delightful guide named Shalom.  He told us that this area of Israel has had vineyards for the past 1500 years - he showed us a relief decorated with grape vines from the Byzantine period (4th - 7th C.E.).  The Golan Heights Winery was started in 1983 and is a cooperative owned by eight vineyards in the area.  The winery produces 50,000 bottles of wine daily.  It is Kosher wine so all the workers there are Orthodox men.  Our tour ended with a lively wine tasting of three wines.  Rabbi Davis led us in blessings over the first glass, and a special blessing over the second glass as well!

photo by Josh Awend

We ended the day by gathering on the beach of Lake Kinneret at sunset to read poetry.  With the sounds of the wind blowing and the waves churning competing with us, we read poems by Israeli poets.  We shared our reflections on the poems while watching the sun set over Tiberius across the lake.  It was a truly sacred moment, and we were led in a prayer by Rabbi Davis that is recited upon seeing a beautiful sight in Nature:  Blessed are you, Adonai our G-D, Ruler of the Universe, who makes the wonders of Creation.

Piecing it Together

March 30, 2016  text by Louise Ribnick, photos by Judy Snitzer

We left Ein Gev bright and early. Our bus climbed up and over the Jordan River towards the mountains of the Galilee. We were driving on a road that used to be the train route from Europe through Turkey, Damascus, Haifa, Beer Sheba and the Sinai, then all the way to Saudi Arabia. What a sense of history we feel in Israel! It truly was the crossroad between three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa.

Our bus passed Kibbutz Degania, the first kibbutz in Israel. We saw the Kibbutz cemetery where the first Zionists who pioneered farming the land of Israel are buried. The poet Rahel is buried there as well. Again, we felt embraced in the Israeli history in the very heart of Israel. 

We passed a dam on the Jordan river, where Christian groups come to be baptized in the holy waters. This dam controls the levels of Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee).

Between the mountains of Gilead and the Golan there is a valley. This is where the most important agriculture in Israel is happening. This valley and the surrounding hills, lush with greenery and wildflowers provided beautiful views for us. We oohed and aahed as the bus zig-zagged up the hills.

Before the modern Zionists arrived, this land was inhabited by Bedouin tribes.  Villages were established in 1950’s to settle new immigrants. For example, Poriah, a suburb of Tiberius, was home to many Yemenite Jews. The residents stayed in the area, and it grew to be the central farming region.

Soon we found ourselves on a very old imperial road, going back to 2000 years, which used to connect Damascus to the Mediterranean Sea.  We passed a battle site of the Crusaders at Horns of Hittim.

As we approached Zippori National Park, Natan explained how there were many springs in the area, and abundant water.  The Mishna conveys the story of the old men of Zippori sniffing the soil after the first rain and predicting by the smell how much rain would fall throughout the season. The lushness continues today, as evidenced by the beautiful green hills.

Finally, we reached Zippori, where the remains of a magnificent ancient city were discovered.  Zippori was known as “The Ornament of all of Galilee” and “City of Peace.” The ruins include roads, dwellings, public buildings, a theater, a synagogue and cemeteries.  There is a Cardo, a main route in many Roman cities, where spices, jewelry, and perfumes were traded.  There is a tomb said to be that of Rabbi Judah Hanasi, who edited the Mishna around 200 CE in Zippori. The Sanhedrin (supreme Jewish religious and judicial body), headed by Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, was located in Zippori at the beginning of the third century.

Zippori is mentioned frequently in the Talmud as a Jewish city with many synagogues and houses of study.  The Jews remained there after the Revolt of the Jews against Rome.  The people decided not to revolt but made a treaty with the Romans.  A liberal Jewish community existed there, with signs of assimilation to Roman culture including a synagogue floor with images, animals and the Zodiac, as well as the amphitheater which normally would not be found in a Jewish city.

The Christians ruled in the 4^th century CE and churches were built there.  Zippori was demolished in an earthquake in 363 CE but it was quickly rebuilt. During the Arab period which followed, the flourishing city went into decline. During the Crusader times, the city was a fortress.  The Crusader army was beaten by the Saladin warriors in the Battle of Hittin in 1187 CE.Among the remains we saw was the Dionysus House.  The mosaics depicts the life of Dionysus, the god of wine and its worship.  The image of a woman of rare beauty in the mosaic floor, is referred to as “the Mona Lisa of Zippori” since she is not identified and has eyes that appear to be looking in every direction at once. 

In the Roman Villa we admired a room called the triclinium, eating would have been arranged in a U-shape around the mosaic for guests to recline as they ate, drank and socialized. Rabbi Davis pointed out that we recline at our Passover Seder in the style of the Romans.

Walking the ancient limestone pavestones, we could see ruts in the road from ancient wagons.  The Crusader Fortress was built on top of an earlier structure.  Roman sarcophagi were inserted into the corners of the ancient building below.

The Nile House with its excavated toilet, shows the sophistication of technology at that time.  (In the Mishna it is written “What is the house of a wealthy person? One that has a toilet indoors.”)  There, the “prettiest” mosaic floor displays celebrations held in Egypt when the Nile overflowed. Colorful images of people, animals and plants abound.  There are also Centaurs and Greek heroines on horseback with spears.   Close by we saw evidence of an earthquake where the floor collapsed. 

At the bottom there was an inscription: names of donor and information about the date and Governor of the time.In the center was an image of Helios, the Greek god of the sun, surrounded by the four seasons, and twelve emblems of the Zodiac.  These are not Jewish symbols. Natan hypothesized that non-Jewish artists created the floors, or that they were copied from Roman floors by artists commissioned by the synagogue.  These theories could explain the similarities in all synagogue floors. Either way the synagogue floor was refashioned in the style of the time.

Jewish elements include a picture of Aron Ha Kodesh (the Ark), and a tri-footed Menorah (seven-branched candelabra.) Animal images (usually not allowed in a synagogue) were present, but in other times had been removed and then replaced.

Natan said the Jewish people in Zippori were not extremists like the Jews at Masada.  They enjoyed pluralism and lived in peace with the Romans.

Remains of a 5^th century CE synagogue were exposed in the lower city. Natan explained that the synagogue floor contains different components which were common to all synagogues at that time.

The amphitheater was originally painted in colorful frescoes, but those have long faded away. Today it is used for performances during school vacations, and weddings.

The first excavations at the site took place in 1931 by L. Waterman of the University of Michigan. There was a 20-year period of no discoveries. In the 1980’s and 90’s researchers unearthed the streets, water systems and houses.  But while they expected there to be 36 synagogues, only one was found.

Zippori today is not an active dig.  Israeli university archaeologists are satisfied with what has been found. Also, the rest of the ancient city lies beneath a present-day village, so getting permission to dig would be difficult.

Rabbi Davis led us in a discussion based on the phrase, “Ayin tachat ayin” which means “an eye for an eye.” He asked us if we could wear someone else’s eyes, whose would we choose?  Some responses from the group: children, Steve Jobs, Einstein, and an inhabitant of Israel 2,000 years ago. One person said,”After being at Na Lagaat (Please Touch) dinner in Yafo (Jaffa), I don’t want to give up my own eyes.”  Rabbi Davis wrapped it up by saying that on this trip, we are passing our glasses around, and seeing through each other’s eyes.

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Travelling from ancient to modern times, we visited a sculpture garden near Herzilya, north of Tel Aviv. We found whimsical outdoor art pieces made from recycled materials. Park Dina is an ecological garden created in memory of Dina Manheim (1951 - 2006) by her family. The park, in Arsuf Kedem, is a private collection of over 100 kinds of trees including about 40 varieties of fruit trees that provide a rich environment for people and birds all around the year. In addition, sculpture and earth works are placed among the trees and others in the surrounding landscape.

Feeling the beautiful sunshine on our faces and walking along the wild dunes near the sea added to this picturesque experience.

From there we went on to Rehovot, our sister city, where we met up with our wonderful hosts for the night.

Coming to a Close

March 31, 2016    Text and photos by Leslie Adler

We began the day by meeting Sabena Saad at her art-filled home in Ramot Meir.  Sabena described her parents’ lives as ones in which each had to leave their homeland to find safety. Sabena said starting in childhood in Italy, she drew on orange wrappers (perhaps a hint of a future in Rehovot- once covered with orange groves).  At age 19, Sabena set off for Israel alone and decided she wanted to stay.  After army, marriage, growing vegetables and flowers, raising turkeys and children she finally came back to art twenty years later.

Her first success was winning a prize for her illustrations for a haggadah.  During Yom Hashoah 12 years ago, as she was listening to the radio she had an “uncontrollable urge” to sketch on a overdraft statement a drawing of eight barracks forming the lights of the menorah with the shamash being the exhaust from the gas chamber.  Across it, she  wrote 6 followed by six Jewish stars to represent the six million.  She stored the paper in a drawer.  Years later, she found it again and it inspired a project which she called “Dialogue with the Yellow Star”.  She showed us several examples from this exhibit, each very powerful.  Now she is using these for teaching.  She finds that the kids have an easier time relating to this symbolic art than to more concrete reminders of the Holocaust. 

Five years ago, she began writing her memories again on the wrapping paper from oranges as she did when she was a little girl.  She now has 170 pieces done, each displaying a specific memory with the story and illustration.

Sabena’s home has a wealth of collections and she searches weekly in the flea market for new items and inspiration.  She is still filled with wonder and curiosity even using some of our comments as ideas for further projects.  Sabena had the honor of meeting Rabin and presenting him with a plate before the signing of the peace treaty. 

Sabena’s studio was unforgettable – It was like a treehouse filled both with whimsy like a sukkah hat and also with evocative pieces such as a birdcage containing a yellow star.  Later on in the day we met Anni, Sabena’s Mom who was a prizewinning photographer, and now in her 90’s, is creating stories with beads. 

What would it be like to see the world from Sabena’s eyes?

As we entered the Weizmann Institute Visitor Center, filled with inspiration from Sabena, we encountered a sense of wonder and curiosity through the interactive displays that told the story of scientists’ journey of discovery and the amount of time, patience and failures that happened along the way.   But what they mention is the awe of the moment of revelation.   Dr. Zvi Livneh said “I still feel like a child and want to understand everything in the world.”

“I feel sure that science will bring to this land both peace and a renewal of its youth, creating here the springs of a new spiritual and material life.  I speak of science for its own sake and applied science.”

                                                                                                   -Chaim Weizmann

We visited Chaim Weizmann’s home on the campus, which also served as his presidential residence.  He was both a brilliant scientist and statesman and one of the few individuals who lived to see his vision come true.

What was his vision?  The Jewish people need to form their own nation in Palestine.  They would need their own armed forces but the hope was for a modern country with high moral standards, that could absorb Jewish immigrants and be at peace with their neighbors.   We also learned about his wife Vera’s achievements.  She was a pediatrician but also a partner and was instrumental in founding WIZO. 

   “Miracles can occur but one has to work terribly hard to make them happen.”

                                                                                                      -Chaim Weizmann

We took some time with Rabbi Davis to share how our visions of Israel have changed.  We also talked about the need for a compelling vision to move us forward.  No matter how many times we had visited Israel, we all felt that our eyes had been opened to new discoveries.  We were impressed by the diversity we saw in the art, the land and the people. 

We also learned about Yemenite art and culture from the founder of a museum which will open soon.

Our workshops have consistently been a delight.  This one took place at Atar Pardessanut, a museum now to the orange industry which was part of the founding of Rehovot.We created mosaics alongside artists from Rehovot, our hosts and Sabena and her mother.  In these mosaics we incorporated pottery shards we had found from the Temple Mount (with permission) and shells from the Kinneret and Galillee.  We had another wonderful meal together before saying good-byes.

Bonnie Heller mentioned today how many people thanked her for visiting Israel.  We came at the perfect time of year, but there were few tourists.  We heard from the artists and guides how much Israel needs our support.  We had the privilege of seeing the vitality of a small segment of the arts community within Israel and know there is still so much left to explore.  All of us, I believe are leaving with a little hunger to come back again. 

Sincere thanks to Meryll, Robyn, Anat and Rabbi Davis for creating and carrying out an unforgettable tour of Israel and may we be able to bring home the inspiration, the wonder and the tenacity to pursue our visions.  I sense Israel saying “Na lagaat.”   Please touch.  Please connect and support us.