From Midwest to Mideast: To the North/Passover/Guns!

How far away is Cleveland???

Israel is a country large in heart but small in stature. Kinda Like Rudy. I mean really small. Today I was driving home from a passover seder in Beit Dagan in the backseat of a car that had no business having a backseat. My size 12 boats were all scrunched up against the front seat as I waited anxiously in the post-seder traffic for some fresh air and toe-space respite. (Even the cars are small) Gideon, a 75 year old retired percussionist in the Israeli philharmonic gave me a friendly, informative, and uncomfortable ride home from an enjoyable seder. Gideon was born in Israel, and literally saw Tel Aviv grow up and reach maturity around his home of more than 50 years on Ibn Gavriol street, next to the Air Force headquarters. When we passed the military headquarters, he gave me a great example of how small this country really is, and how technologically advanced the Israeli Air force is. An Israeli fighter Jet at full speed takes 30 seconds to go from the eastern border of Israel to the western border. From North to South? 6 minutes. Tiny. (Dear America, Thanks for the funding! Love, Israel)

That being said, Israel has such a diverse climate for a country of this size. The south is dominated by the arava, a massive and unrelenting desert. The north, however, is full of lush greenery, rolling hillsides, and miles of idyllic farmland on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. It's easily my favorite part of Israel, and is as chocked full of biblical and ancient history as any place in the world. Jesus performed all kinds of miracles up in here, walking on water, healing the sick, and pulling rabbits out of yamulkas. Something like that, anyway.

Last week we had the opportunity to visit the north on a big group trip, sleeping overnight in Kibbutz Hukok on the northern banks of the Galilee. We spent the morning and afternoon with our long-winded guide giving an in-depth history lesson about all of Israel's wars that involved this tiny but militarily significant area on the borders of Lebanon and Syria. There are remnants of battles everywhere here, but instead of taking away from the natural beauty of the area, it coincidentally adds to it. For example, the Golan heights was littered with Syrian landmines prior to the Yom Kippur War in 1973, and for unknown reasons, Israel has not taken the time to thoroughly check the rolling landscapes for remaining anti-personnel landmines. Some say Israel wants to keep them here in case Syria invades. Some say Israel is just being lazy. Regardless of the reasoning, the effects have been environmentally conscious and aesthetically pleasing. Other than the cleared roads and hiking trails, much of the landscape is fenced off with barbed wire fitted with signs warning of land mines. This means many of the fields and open grasslands haven't been trampled on by humans for 25+ years. Every few years, someone disregards the signs and ends up in pieces. Worth it for the spirit of environmentalism? probably not, but nonetheless beautiful (from a safe distance).We took a hike through one of my favorite spots in Israel, the Banias. Full of wildflowers, waterfalls, and gorgeous landscape views, it's regarded as one of the best hikes in all of Israel... for good reason.