October 8: Despite the pouring rains that marked the start of the Israeli winter period, the Migdal HaEmek Community Forest tour-held by KKL-JNF and the Migdal HaEmek Municipality as part of their Sukkot festivities-still went ahead. Participants learned about the impact of green lungs on urban spaces, and the positive interaction between both.
Weather forecasts predicted scattered showers starting in the north and moving southwards on the day the KKL-JNF tour in the town of Migdal HaEmek was set to take place. The rain began soon after dawn and developed into a heavy unrelenting downpour. Fortunately at 9 am when the tour was due to begin the storm had already passed over Migdal HaEmek, but out of the 32 who had registered for the event, only 7 participants showed up at the meeting point. KKL-JNF Tour Guide Naomi Goshen expressed admiration on their keenness, despite the rain.
The theme of the event was Community Forests. Participants were invited to see how city residents interface with their urban parks and surrounding woodland and how they affect each other.
The tour began in at the Educational Archeological Garden. On site were several well preserved ancient winepresses hewn in the rock, remains of early settlement activity, burial caves, and a Muslim cemetery. Archeologists explain that the artifacts bear witness to several consecutive civilizations that lived here from the Bronze Age onwards, including ancient Israel (2200-1000 BCE), the Persian period (500 BCE) and the early Islamic period (700 CE).
KKL-JNF Guide Naomi Goshen said that asides from the burial caves, the winepresses clearly point to the fact that Jews lived there.
“There are over 10 winepresses in this location which must mean that at some time this was a significant grape growing area. Today there are no large vineyards nearby but rather an abundance of olive groves. This is because Muslims lived in this area from the 7th century onwards and due to the religious prohibition of consuming wine, there was not much use for vines.”
Director of the Community Division in Migdal Haemek Municipality, Ahuva Gubani Chagai, said that the pine grove where the Educational Archeological Gardens is situated was neglected and overgrown until it was adopted by the Nofim School some 10 years ago.
“This is a good example of a ‘community forest’ where local residents take responsibility for enhancing and preserving their surroundings. In this case it was schoolchildren who cleared the debris, cleaned the archaeological remains, built paths and made the ceramic signs. Children from the school continue to maintain the site to this day. All this was carried out with the aid and support of KKL-JNF, the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Housing Ministry and the municipality of Migdal HaEmek.”
Gubani Chagai drew attention to the nesting boxes that children placed in the tall trees for the tit population that is returning to the grove after a long absence.
Drenching rainfall started again and although all umbrellas were open no one remained dry. A quick walk led the group to cover in the entrance of a residential building some 250 meters away across the road from the site.
Here, head of tourism development in the Migdal Haemek Municipality Tzviah Dahan took the opportunity to give them a quick overview of the city’s development.
“Migdal HaEmek was founded in 1953 as an absorption center for Jewish refugees from North Africa and later became a development town. Today there are some 30,000 residents, including a large number of recent new immigrants from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. Times are changing, and Migdal HaEmek is developing rapidly. Many Israeli and global high tech companies chose Migdal Haemek to build their production facilities, including giants such as Tower Semiconductor and others. These are located in three large industrial zones, one of which is adjacent to the Educational Archaeological Garden.”
When the rain stopped the group walked through the nearby industrial zone until they reached another large green tree-filled area called Rabin Park. The park, which stretches over 35 duman (approx. 8.5 acres), was established by KKL-JNF in 2006 in conjunction with the Migdal HaEmek Municipality and the Ministry of Housing, on a site formally used as a rubbish dump.
Today the area is covered by flora- including cyclamens and anemones, extensive lawns, ancient oak trees, a tall lookout tower, playground equipment, basketball courts, mini football fields, tennis courts and an amphitheater. The stars of the show on the first rainy day of the season were the gurgling streams that were flowing along the narrow streambeds that cross the park for drainage purposes.
Tzviah Dahan said that she believes that the creation of such parks are essential for the development of a city.
“Besides serving as green lungs for local residents, it enhances their overall quality of life and changes the way they perceive their surroundings and ultimately how they relate to themselves.”
She also explained how residents recently banded together and succeeded to slow down and prevent real estate development that was slicing away valuable green areas.
“That type of social action is a direct result of the community forest activities.
Migdal HaEmek and KKL-JNF are natural partners because the city is surrounded by so many forests including the Balfour Forest and the King George V Forest.”
At the end of the visit the participants warmly thanked Naomi Goshen and the officials from the Migdal HaEmek Municipality for conducting the tour despite the rain.
Rahel from Nesher, who was soaked to her skin because she did not have an umbrella, said that she joins KKL-JNF tours every year during the Sukkot holiday.
“Last year we visited Beit Shean. There should be more tours like this. I love my country and I tour a lot.”
Tikva and Uri Yael from Givat Shmuel said that they had to stop on the side of the road en route to Migdal HaEmek because of the ferocity of the rain.
Said Tikva: “We never for a moment thought of returning home. We spend hours scouring the internet to find tours like this especially during the holiday season.”
Ilana Magen from Yavne also said she searches the internet.
“I look for destinations that I have never been to. I love touring and learning about my country, rain or no rain”.
Goshen thanked one and all for their participation despite the challenging weather.
“I must say that if I were ever to cancel a tour I would prefer that it be because of rain, especially after the very dry winters we have experienced over the past 3 years. Let us hope and pray that the heavy downpour this morning, which is in fact the first rain of this New Year, is the start of a rainy and wet winter season to come.”