Day 2 of the Australian educators’ mission: exploring Jewish culture in Tzfat, and learning the story of Hula Lake Park – from its days as a malaria-ridden swamp to a world-class birdwatching site.
The second day of the Australian Educators mission began with an adventure: a jeep trek on Golan Heights heritage trails. Along the way, there were explanations on the battles that took place during the Israeli War of Independence, the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War.
From the Golan Heights, one could see Israeli landscape panoramas in all four directions. As they were observing the communities in the valley beneath them, mission participants understood just how impossible life had been under the shadow of uninterrupted Syrian shelling, until the IDF conquered the region during the Six Day War.
“This is my first time in Israel, and the country is absolutely gorgeous,” said Michele Bailey, a teacher at the Moriah College in Sydney. “In the media you mainly hear about Israel in the context of the conflict, so the truth is that I really didn’t know what to expect. Now I’m especially enjoying the tranquility of nature and the fascinating history.”
Spirituality, Judaism and Art in Tzfat
The next stop was Tzfat, a charming mountain city imbued with Jewish mysticism. According to Jewish tradition, it is one of Israel’s four ancient holy cities and is now considered the capital of Upper Galilee.
The mission participants walked through the cobblestoned alleyways of the Old City, and absorbed the history and mysticism imbued in the walls of its synagogues and art galleries, and, of course, bought souvenirs.
“I always wanted to visit Israel, which I also see as the promised land as a Christian,” said Richard Koch, a math teacher at Leibler Yavneh College in Melbourne. “As a teacher of Zionist students, it’s important for me to get to know Israel firsthand and to really experience it.”
“This visit to Israel is very inspiring,” said Peter Murkins, vice-principal of the Arthur Phillip High School in Sydney. “We are meeting interesting people and hearing new ideas that can be useful to us as educators.”
At a workshop on the meaning of dress in Jewish tradition, the educators the opportunity for an early celebration of the upcoming Purim holiday. They got dressed up in a number of traditional clothes that were typical of Jews from different places in the world, and of course took pictures of themselves with the alleyways of historical Tzfat as a background.
Shelly Beder, a physical education teacher from the King David School in Melbourne, has visited Israel a number of times in the past. “Every visit is different,” she said. “I now have a better understanding of Israeli culture, the Israeli way of thinking and the many challenges that the country faces. It’s impressive to see the amazing work KKL-JNF has been doing.”
This is the first visit to Israel for another physical education teacher, Marc Felix-Faure from Leibler Yavneh College in Melbourne. “As a teacher who is not Jewish, it’s important for me to get to know Israel, to be exposed to the Jewish culture and to strengthen the connection with the community.”
At the Freidman gallery in the Old City, which focuses on Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) related art, mission participants met the artist David Freidman, who immigrated to Israel from the USA about forty years ago. He explained his use of art to demonstrate how Kabbalah is the soul of the Torah. “The English meaning of the Hebrew word Kabbalah is receiving and accepting,” he said.
At the gallery of the artist Sheva Chaya Shaiman, mission participants took part in a glass blowing workshop and learned about the connection between art and Jewish mysticism. “Glass is little bit like the Jewish people,” she said. “It looks fragile, but has a lot of strength and resilience.”
The visit to Tzfat ended in a moving visit to a synagogue, with the singing of “Heveinu Shalom Aleichem”, accompanied by a singer and musicians. With a sense of connection to Jewish tradition, everyone embraced and created human circles that expressed mutual commitment.
Nature and Sustainability at Hula Lake Park
The Hula Lake Park is not only an impressive nature site and magnet for bird lovers, but also tells the story of Zionism, Jewish settlement and ecology in the land of Israel. In the past, there were malaria-infested swamps here. After the state was established, KKL-JNF was called upon to drain the Hula swamps with the aim of creating communities and developing agriculture in the region.
With the passing of time, it became clear that drying up the swamps damaged the land, the ecosystem and the water quality in Lake Kinneret. At the beginning of the 1990s, KKL-JNF began an extensive project in which the lake was restored. Today, this has become a world-class tourist attraction that combines nature, agriculture and wildlife protection. KKL-JNF is continuing to develop the site with the help of its friends from all over the world.
Hula Lake is one of the most important birdwatching sites in the world. About 300 different species of birds and many different types of mammals live in this nature reserve. The cranes are particularly famous, and they are the symbol of the region. The members of the mission went for a drive in mobile hides and saw the impressive birds up close. Every morning, the cranes eat in a wide open space thanks to the Crane Feeding Project - which provides them with food while keeping them away from local fields - and in the evening they return to the lake to sleep.
The Australian delegates stayed overnight near Hula Lake Park. That evening, they participated in a “Dancing Israel” workshop, during which they heard the story of the immigrants who came to Israel from all over the world and helped build the country, leaving their unique cultural imprint on Jewish Israeli society. The historical story of the Jewish people came to life through rhythmic music, authentic costumes and dances that in which the participants joined in with great enthusiasm. It was with this celebration Israel’s rich human tapestry that the fully-packed day came to a close.