Israel: Through a Writer's Lens Three Israeli Authors Shed the Guise of Fiction to Tell Us About Their Favorite Places in the Co
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Israel: Through a Writer's Lens Three Israeli authors shed the guise of fiction to tell us about their favorite places in the country they love. HAIFA: URBAN NATURE THE DESERT SOLUTION I moved to Haifa from Jerusalem 44 Every Jew should spend several days 2 O o years ago, and it was the best move in the desert. After all, half of Israel CO s= I ever made. Haifa itself is beauti is desert. Only by visiting the desert UJ Z s ful. When I drove up Mount Carmel can a person understand Israel and the CO 3 to teach at the University of Haifa, I region—our neighbors like Jordan and O O would see the sea from both sides of the Syria are also carved from the desert. D£ car. The university itself is located in David Ben-Gurion once said that the Z < one of the loveliest spots in the world. fate of Israel would be decided in en <£ O On a world scale, the gardens of the the desert. I believe we can discover >• CO Bahai are famous. Haifa offers both political solutions in the desert. There oc Z3 nature and urban life: The wadis let is much Israel can do that doesn't c_o> co you take a short walk from a totally require going to the West Bank. It <O <: OL urban area to deep in the jungle. It's a would be so much better if we would CO A.B. YEHOSHUA very moving experience. focus on developing the desert. OLIVE TREES & MYSTICISM THE JEWISH CITY OF GOD The Upper Galilee, near Mount Meron, Until 1967, all you could do was stand on is one of those places where you feel as the Mount of Olives and catch a glimpse if you're seeing the same Israel that the of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. You could barely pioneers saw when they came 100 years even see that, and that was as close as ago. It's an area of beautiful mountain you could get. When we made aliyah in ranges and blooming vegetation. 1971, the awesome privilege of walking Sometimes you can imagine that you're through the Old City and finding your in Italy. There are olive trees and wild way to the Western Wall was still very flowers and small houses and a real sense fresh. Every time I go there, I'm filled of mystical communion with the land. with a sense of holiness and of wonder You are eye-to-eye with the mountain and of tremendous gratitude that it's z LiJ tops, the sunrises and the sunsets and been my privilege to be alive at this time < Tzfat, the city where the rabbis of the and place. It's a place that replenishes you <O NAOMI RAGEN z kabbalah wrote their treatises on Jewish spiritually. If you make the tiniest opening o LjJ mysticism. I understand why they lived inside yourself to let that light pour in, or O13 and wrote there. Tzfat just fills your it's like the sun is shining down on you o LU C3 whole soul with a sense of timelessness at the equator. You're at the equator of £ CO and eternity and beauty. That's a feeling the Jewish people, the spot closest to our occ X I— that you don't get in Tel Aviv. history, our faith, our God. => < PLAYA DEL TEL AVIV THE OLD JAFFA MARKET There are many places that I like in Tel I like going to Jaffa [the port city Aviv—like the bench on Ben Gurion whose history dates back 3,000 years]. Boulevard next to the fruit juice stands— Not to the renovated "old" Jaffa [with but the place that represents Tel Aviv its prettified buildings and tourist most to me is the beach. I grew up on this attractions] but to the flea market near beach; my father had a kiosk right there. the ancient city's famous Clock Square. It's part of my being. I keep returning. I like going to flea markets because Tel Aviv's beaches are an integral part of there is something about them that the city. You can take your lunch break actually gives you access to people's there, eat a sandwich and go back to the lives. That's because people are selling > —I X O office. It's a very nonchalant existence. things that are a part of their lives, like XJ old photos or old books or postcards. s The beach is also an equalizer. It doesn't > om matter if you come in a suit, jeans or old The flea market makes me feel as if I o <= ETGAR KERET x -i clothes—you take them off. The beach am a part of something bigger, of some m < transcends socio-economics. There are sort of a history or group. I also like O CO Arabs, soldiers, high-tech rich people eating in Jaffa. My favorite place to eat c: o and the unemployed, and everybody is is a place called Abu Hassan. It's a local S X integrated. It's a relief from the tension place, and they have the best hummus. TO c/> of the Middle East. They don't sell anything else. O SO . to t mean e r y The . you e surpris y ma s page g followin e The Israel of 2009 is very different from the Israel you first visited 40,30,20,10, even 5 years ago. Israel is 61 ,Tel Aviv is 100.We're all grown up. Th o 3 o g ake a look at Jerusalem's Mamilla Avenue ON the preceding page. IN the shadow OF the Jaffa Gate and David's Tower, century-old buildings have been remolded—under the Tinspired direction of architect, Moshe Safdie— as an array OF 21 st century boutiques and cafes. Throughout Israel, the visitor is treated to sophistication, style and an array of choices unimaginable just a few years ago. The NewYork Times last August described Tel Aviv as "the capital of Mediterranean chic." Tel Aviv, this year marking the centenary OF its founding, is brash and bold and beautiful, the Israeli 'NewYork,' while Jerusalem is our Washington DC. But Israel is much much more than a tale of two cities. And within the following pages we're confident you'll discover an Israel you never knew existed. Archaeological wonders such as the ruins at Beit She'an abound throughout Israel. The unique architecture of Tel Aviv is embodied in buildings like the Eclectic-style PagodaHouse. Travelers to Israel are often surprised at the array of fabulous beaches—from Eilat in the south to the shores of the Dead Sea to Tel Aviv's dog-friendly shores. OFF-THE-BEATEN PATH STAYS IN ISRAEL taying in what Israelis refer to as zimmers, or country guesthouses, is a perfect way to stay close to nature Sthroughout Israel. The zimmers were born when locals fell in love with the European pension concept, added an Israeli twist, and transplanted it to the shores of the eastern Mediterranean. These largely countryside establishments are available countrywide but they predominate in the hilly Galilee and Golan regions and cater to a spectrum of tastes and budgets. Many are located on kibbutzim and moshavim (collective agricultural settlements key to the development of the country in its early years and they offer a glimpse into Israel's pioneering past as well as fresh-from-the-field produce, cheeses, jams, honey, amazing Israeli breakfast feasts and other home-cooked meals. For couples seeking a romantic getaway, many a zimmer (borrowed from the German word for 'room') offers massages, luxurious Jacuzzis, romantic moonlight walks, fine wines, even Japanese steam baths and rock therapy. Some are just a stroll from the beach or offer horseback riding, bird watching, hiking and activities for the kids. And because distances are so short within Israel, visitors are usually also within easy reach of the country's major archaeological and historical sites. A glass of wine, a loaf of bread and...wow! Artisanal bakeries and boutique wineries are flourishing throughout Israel. TEL AVIV IS 100: A stroll through Bauhaus-land ounded one hundred years ago and enobled in the thirties and forties by the great refugee FBauhaus architects' International Style.Tel Aviv has now emerged as one of the great cities of the Mediterranean. Indeed it's one of only two major cities on earth which, in addition to being a bustling, vibrant center of commerce, entertainment and big business, is blessed with one of the world's most magnificent beaches (the other being Rio). As Tel Aviv marks its centenary, it has evolved into the heart of a non-stop metropolitan area that is home to four million Israelis. And for the visitor, it offers an array of moods and sophisticated choices to please even the most jaded sophisticated traveler. Tel Aviv's elegantly curving Rothschild Boulevard was laid out in 1909, soon after the city's creation as a Jewish garden-suburb of ancient Jaffa. The boulevard begins in NeveTzedek - an area once crumbling, now experiencing a startling renaissance - and winds its sleepy, tree-lined way to one of the city's foremost cultural centers, which houses the Frederic Mann Auditorium (home of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra), the Helena Rubinstein Art Museum and Israel's legendary Habima Theater (the Hebrew language repertory company founded in Moscow in 1912 - three years after Tel Aviv itself). And it's in front of the modern curves of Habima that you should began your stroll.