Day 103: First Aliyah Museum

Another site to see in Zichron Yaakov is the First Aliyah Museum.  The First Aliyah to Israel was comprised of families.  This brave group of 35,000 pioneers came to Israel between 1882-1904 to escape the pogroms of their native countries.

The museum is located in a very well preserved historical building.  While touring the museum visitors get an intimate introduction to the people of that time - where you learn about their hardships, disappointments, hopes, and victories. The museum features a structured tour which presents the historical sequence of the migration and includes innovative multi-media presentations, which are supplemented with historical documents, old photographs, authentic tools, and sculptures.

The museum is dedicated to Moshe and Sarah Aronson, one of the first settlers that arrived in 1882.  Their story is exhibited through an exciting movie that attempts to chronicle their life in Israel. The museum has three floors and each one describes a different period in time.

Note:  The term "aliyah" is the Hebrew word for "return".  Essentially, aliyah means to return to one's homeland.  When you hear someone refer to "making aliyah", they are referring to making the move to live in Israel.  

Day 102: Aaronson House

In addition to their fine wines (see yesterday's post), one of Zichron Yaakov's most interesting tourist attraction is the Araonson House.  Once a private dwelling, the house is now a museum that chronicles the life of the Aaronson family.  The family was involved with NILI, a Jewish spy ring that worked for the British Military during WWI.  At that time, the Ottoman Turks were in control of Palestine and the British has plans to take over.   The Jews believed that supporting the British would help lead to the birth of a Jewish nation.

The village of Zichron Yaakov served as an important center of activity for the members of NILI,  and especially its leaders.  Led by Avshalom Feinberg and Aaron Aaronson, the leaders of NILI recruited others in the community to spy on behalf of the British.  Two of the recruits were none other than Aaron's two sisters, who were both in love with Avshalom. 

While visiting the Aaronson House, visitors learn all about NILI, their secret codes, and the epic stories of the Aaronson family - which range from romance to intrigue to tragedy.  This museum is not recommended for children.

Day 101: Israel's Napa Valley

Just south of Haifa is a little village called Zichron Yaakov.  If you are an Israeli, you simply refer to the village by it's first name - Zichron. They say that this region is Israel's version of Napa Valley, as it is the home to several different wineries.

The village has an interesting history. Originally called "Zamarin", the first settlers arrived in 1882 from Romania. At that time, the area was an inhospitable place with rocky soil. The early settlers attempted to grow wheat and potatoes. That farming venture was unsuccessful and soon 10% of the population were dead.  Despite all that, the settlers were determined to tough it out.

A European philanthropist was so impressed with these settlers that he approached Baron Edmond de Rothschild in France for financial support. Rothschild sent an envoy to check out the village, who recommended the area would be ideal for vineyards.  Five years later, the Baron visited the village and discovered a thriving community.  At his request, the village was renamed "Zichron Yaacov" (which is Hebrew for "In Memory of Jacob".  However, instead of being in honor of the Biblical patriarch, the village was named in honor of Baron James "Jacob" de Rothschild, who was Edmond's father.

Due to the success of the vineyards, there are many wineries in the area.  Probably the most famous of them all is the Carmel Mizrahi Winery.  It is Israel's largest winery and accounts for about 75% of the country's wine.  Established in the late 1800's, this winery has stood the test of time.   Carmel offers tours and wine tastings, where visitors are invited to learn all about the winery and about the process of making wine.  They strive to educate visitors to the max, by even teaching you how to hold your glass and the best method for tasting all the different wines.

Next up is the Morad Winery.  They too offer tours and include demonstrations on how they incorporate fruits, vegetables, and herbs, into their wines and liqueurs.  The fruits they use are exotic - ranging from passion fruit to pomegranates.  While not quite as established at the Carmel Winery, Morad has been in the wine business for over 40 years.

The Tishbi Winery has something a little different to offer.  In addition to their winery, they also have a tourist center which boasts a popular Kosher dairy restaurant.  The menu includes fresh cheeses from the Hameiri Dairy Farm (which I blogged about earlier), fresh baked bread, and a gourmet chocolate/wine tasting center.  One especially unique feature of the Tishbi Winery is that they have a "filling station", where you are encouraged to bring in your own empty bottle of wine, fill it up, and pay for your wine by the liter.

Other wineries in the area include:  Smadar Winery, Somek Winery, and Poizner Winery.  I could see wanting to spending a few days checking out this cool little village.

Day 100: Climbing Masada With My Sons

My Family - July 4, 1999

Thirteen years ago – I attended a Motivational Seminar, where the keynote speaker challenged us to go home and make a list of 101 goals.  At that time in my life, I was a stay-at-home mom with young children and feeling rather lost.  Wanting to make a change in my life, I took the “homework” to heart and sat down that night to create my list. 

One of the goals, number 9, was “Visit Israel – Climb Mt. Masada with my sons”.  At that time, I was the heaviest weight I had even been in my life and just climbing the stairs was a challenge.  And, my two sons were 3 years old and 19 months.  So to say that my goal - to climb a 1300 foot mountain in Israel - was a lofty one, is not an exaggeration.  However, after attending the seminar I was convinced that sometimes we have to have goals that are larger than life, so we continue to stretch and grow.

I have never forgotten that goal and I have to admit it was instrumental on starting me on my present journey of  "100 Days in Israel".  After 100 days of blogging about this trip of a lifetime, I now feel quite confident that I will get there.  After all the research and posts, there are now so many great experiences beckoning me to get on that plane in two years!  True to form, each blog post has made the possibility of the going more and more real.  I have been transformed from “wanting to go” to “planning to go”.  In my mind, it’s already a done deal.

Over the past 100 days, I have avoiding writing a post about visiting Masada.  Since I am now planning to go to Israel alone, I now know that I will not be fulfilling the dream to “Climb Mt. Masada with my sons”.  At first, I toyed with the idea that perhaps we could time separate trips to Israel together – as both my sons have decided to definitely take advantage of a Birthright Trip.  However, the logistics of doing that would really be a challenge.  Plus, when they go on their trips, they need to be free to enjoy the whole experience with the group they are with.  So in the end, I have just had to accept that I am not going to be able to fulfill the second part of my goal.

Last night, as I was thinking that today would be my 100^th post, I began reflecting on the goal I wrote down 13 years ago and saw it from a new light.  I began to think that perhaps the goal was really just a metaphor for the kind of parent I wanted to become?  After all, there must have been a reason I picked Mt. Masada as the destination and climbing to the top as the goal.

Masada is more than just a mountain in Israel.  Masada is one of the Jewish people’s greatest symbols.  Next to visiting Jerusalem, it is the most popular destination of Jewish tourists when visiting Israel. To understand the significance of Masada, you have to know a little about it’s history.  In 74 A.D. a group of Jewish rebels, fighting the Roman army after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, made history by ending their own lives rather than being taken alive by their enemy. This little group of Jews held off the Romans for almost five years - while the Roman soldiers built an enormous ramp up the side of the mountain, with the intent of driving a battering ram through the fortress gates.   When the Romans finally made it inside, they discovered that almost one thousand men, women and children had committed suicide.  Two women and a handful of children survived to tell the tale.

Today, Masada has become a symbol of valor, courage, and conviction for modern-day Jews.  Which is why Israeli soldiers climb the mountain and take an oath there: "Masada shall not fall again."  When I think to who I was thirteen years ago, I was looking for a way to incorporate those qualities into my life and my ability to raise my children.  I wanted to raise my boys to become men that would know what they wanted in life and know they were capable of achieving anything.  I wanted them to be brave enough to reach for the stars and never give up.

As I look at boys now, I know they’ve already “climbed Masada”.   Next week they are leaving for their dream trip to England and France with their Boy Scout troop.  Two years ago, they began doing “whatever it took” to earn the money to pay for the trip.  Whether it was selling food at sporting events, mowing lawns, stacking wood, or pitching hay, they just kept working towards that goal.  Sometimes the road looked very long and hard, but they never gave up.

Like my boys are going to Europe without me, I know that they will go to Israel without me too.  When they finally do visit, I hope their travels will take them to Masada, so that they can appreciate the significance of climbing that mountain – as Jews and as individuals.   In essence, I know that just having that goal for them – way back when they were babies - has made them who they are today.

So, I now feel I can finally release any angst I am feeling about not climbing Masada with my sons.  Instead, I can now accept that establishing that goal made me a better parent – as it gave me the vision to raise my boys to be the kind of people that are not afraid to climb to the top of ANY mountain.

Day 99: July 4th Israeli Style

Well, it looks like you don't need to be in the United States to participate in a huge July 4th celebration.  Tel Aviv, Dan Shapiro, the U.S. Ambassador in Israel, is throwing a party for a few thousand of his closest friends.  The July 4th extravaganza looks totally awesome and promises to have enough food, drink, and music, for everyone to celebrate in style. 

The Independence Day bash is being held tonight (July 3rd) at 7:00 pm and is going to be streamed live on the internet.  This party is an "invitation only" event, which kind of makes you wonder who you have to be to get on the guest list?  I do know that both the Israeli President and Prime Minister will not only be in attendance, but are both scheduled to give speeches.

Musical entertainment throughout the evening will be provided by an ensemble from the Israeli Conservatory of Music and a U.S. Military Band.  The evening will conclude with a fireworks display above the cliffs of the Mediterranean!

Independence Celebration in Israel

Day 98: Scroll of Fire

They say that the Scroll of Fire is one of Israel's most beautiful sculptures.   The Scroll of Fire is a bronze sculpture that is almost 30 feet tall and attempts to tell the story of the Jewish people from the Holocaust up to the Six Day War.

This incredible work of art is located in the center of an area known as the Matryrs Forest, which is on the outskirts of Jerusalem.  Comprised of six million trees, the Martyrs Forest is probably the largest memorial to the Holocaust in the world.  Four and half million pine trees symbolize the adults who died in the Holocaust while another one and a half million cypress trees represent the children.

The Scroll of Fire was sculpted by Nathan Rapoport.  It is comprised of two pillars.  The scroll on the right focuses on the holocaust and its survivors while the scroll on the left deals with the struggle to establish a new homeland.  The artwork has a number of recurring elements: mother and child, an olive tree/branch, a menorah and much symbolism.   With incredible detail, Rapoport depicts the somber events of the concentration camps and death marches, the strength and rebellion of the Warsaw Ghetto, the plight of the Jews pioneers reviving the Jewish homeland, as well as Israeli soldiers fighting for the nation's freedom.

When interviewed about this sculpture, the artist conveyed his belief that art helps to tell the story of a nation's past - it helps preserve it's history.  A plaque near the base of the sculpture reads:  “My words have been made of bronze and stone, they are silent, heavy and longstanding.” Nathan Rapoport.

I definitely plan to visit this area.  I think that an entire forest dedicated to all those that died in the Holocaust is an incredible memorial.  I also think that when an artist creates such a detailed sculpture - photographs can never do it justice.  Instead, it deserves to be seen and appreciated up close and personal.

Day 97: Canada Eh?

Today is a holiday that has no meaning to anyone in my family, but me.  July 1st is Canada Day, the country's birthday.  Even though I have lived in the United States for 27 years now (wow - that's a long time!), Canadian holidays still make me homesick.  Just in case, I haven't mentioned it, I was born and raised in Canada. 

So when one thinks of Canada, the first thing that usually comes to mind is "ice skating".  Afterall, think of all the contributions that the country of Canada has made to the great sport of hockey.  Not to mention - the king of the rink - Wayne Gretzky.  I know that when he got married in Canada, it was as popular as when Princess Diana married Prince Charles.  Okay, so what on earth does Canada have to do with Israel?  Well, apparently Canada is a strong supporter of the Jewish homeland.  

Let me tell you about Israel's Canada Centre, which is located in the town of Metula, in Northern Israel.  Canada Centre is the home of Israel's largest ice arena and apparently is a really popular tourist attraction. Not surprising considering that you probably don't come across a lot of ice rinks in the Middle East!  In addition to ice skating, the center has a huge swimming pool, hot tubs, wet and dry saunas, table tennis, basketball courts, and a shooting range. 

They also have a few "Canadian content" sports, such as squash courts (think racquetball), and snooker (think billiards).  The center also has a bowling alley, however, I'm not sure if it is the American 10-pin version, or the traditional Canadian 5-pin version?  As far as I can tell, the only sport that is missing is Curling.  That is a popular sport in Canada, where players sweep a stone down the ice.  My husband thinks that curling is is the most ridiculous sport in the world, but I've tried it and though it was actually quite fun.  It's one of those sports that looks easy... but it's a lot of work.

In case you are wondering how Israel's Canada Centre came into being, it was funded by the Jewish community in Canada.  Only Canadians see spreading the gospel of hockey as their mission in the world!  I must say though, that the Israelis have put the generous gift to good use.  They have already turned out a handful of world-class skaters - they took the bronze medal in 2002.  In addition, Israel now has over 500 registered hockey players, and they now have an eight-team Israeli Hockey League.  

Way to go Israel!  And way to go Canada for bringing such a cool place (literally) to the desert.  I wonder how you say "eh" in Hebrew?