Mt Meron & Tsfat

The last war with Lebanon (Hizbollah) was 2 years ago.  Four hundred katyusha missiles rained down on the Meron & Tsfat area yet the scars are still very evident.  Some of the scars are huge such as large swaths of forest that was burned down but the newly planted trees have yet to look taller than the missile that caused the fire in the first place.  Some scars are hard to see like the missile that landed in the middle of the street and all you see now is a circle of newer looking asphalt.  Some scars are invisible, like the family that invited another family from the coast to stay with them because they felt this part of the Galilee was safer.  As they were sitting down to Shabbat dinner a missile hit the house killing two of them. 

 So my guide for the day, Willi, started by showing me where in the Tsfat area some of these missiles hit.  A trash can, the center of the street, a curb, a front yard, in front of a business, etc etc.  The main street of Tsfat (which is not the same as the tourist street) was bustling with activity but I am sure the fear for something like that happening again is not far from their minds. 

We left Tsfat and went into the Biriya forest.  The areas of forest, the Biriya and Bar’am forests, still are incredible with so much to see in the way of trees, flowers, and animal life.  The orthodox come to these areas to pay their respects to a dead rabbi or to ask for favors such as finding a spouse or to fix a problem.  And on Mt Meron they come for Lag B’Omer.

Every year, the orthodox flock to Mt Meron  in preparation for Lag b’omer.  They arrive by the thousands and camp out in preparation for the holiday.   Even though the holiday is not till next Friday the streets in the area are closed and many people are already camping out.

Also on Mt Meron, surprisingly, one can find geodes.  Willi knew exactly where to stop and within a minute or so we found half a dozen geodes.  After a couple knocks with a hammer we were able to crack them open to see pure white quatz crystals.  Really neat.

One of the nicest ancient synagogues in Israel is located in Bar’am.  Located on a hilltop, the synagogue is nicely preserved with an adjoining park.  The rocks used to build the synagogue are all black basalt. In the photo I am standing in front of one of the main entrances.  The lintel has some really neat carvings that might not be visible in the picture.

After a few other stops and checking out some other areas, including Amuka, we headed back to Rosh Pina for dinner.