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The Jews have always been known as the “People of the Book." Hebrew Book Week proves the Jews are truly deserving of this title.
Every June for the past 46 years, Israel has set aside a block of time to celebrate the written word. Maybe there are such events in other parts of the globe, but the scale of Hebrew Book Week, and the incredible book frenzy that seizes the entire population, young and old, religious and secular, are hard to beat.
The editor of Masada Press, Bracha Peli, launched the first Book Day in 1926, offering books at a discount. From 1961, it became a week-long event featuring outdoor book fairs, price reductions at all book stores, book signings, poetry readings, lectures, literary workshops and kids activities.
Israel is a small place, but it publishes an average of 400 books a year. Some 2 million books are sold during Book Week alone.
Traditionally, the fair in Jerusalem was held in open parks but in the wake of security concerns, it moved to the grounds of the Israel Museum.
This is a people-watching event par excellence. People of every stripe, from professors and parents pushing strollers to ultra-Orthodox black-hatters and belly-button pierced teenagers, crawl out of the woodwork in the late afternoons and evenings to browse through the colorful stacks or present the booksellers with itemized lists.
The walkways leading up to the main building of the museum are lined with book stalls. Bored with books? Note the ancient sarcophagi, carved marble columns and bronze statuary interspersed between the stalls – or take a moonlight stroll in the museum’s Sculpture Garden. Whether or not you actually buy anything – sometimes the crush is so great you can hardly get near the books – just being there is an experience.
Not knowing Hebrew should not scare you off. There are some English-language books on sale, and you can pick up dictionaries, guidebooks and maps at a discount.
2007 venue: Old Jerusalem Train Station Leave a Comment
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The Great Study House of Rabbi Johanan ben Nappaha is a ruin that is located about a 15 minute walk south from Tiberias. Not much remains of the house which was located here in the 3rd century A.D. However there are three sets of incredible mosaics that make the walk down from Tiberias worthwhiled. The mosaics were created in the 3rd century and depict ancient Hebrew and astrological imagery. The Study House sits on the slopes of Mount Berenice. Leave a Comment
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It was Passover, the holiday celebrating the Israelites? exodus from Egypt, and our intentions of visiting the Old City were thwarted by traffic police. The whole area was blocked off to private cars in expectation of huge throngs of Israelis and tourists. So we found another way of celebrating the exodus: We visited Israel?s one and only Egyptian mummy.
Museums in Israel do not display human remains, so the existence of this mummy may be one of the country?s best-kept secrets. If you want to sidle up close to an honest-to-goodness mummy and get a good look at it from every possible angle, without standing on line or fighting crowds, Jerusalem?s mummy is just the thing.
Yarat-Hor-ru, as the mummy is called, lies in a glass case in the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Jerusalem, on a little side street behind the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. The institute, in a beautiful old building hidden behind a high iron gate, serves as a residence for Catholic theology students and houses a small archeological collection of ancient pottery, arrow heads, shell necklaces, Roman tablets and incense shovels (plus a few skeletons of infants found buried in jars and stashed away under the floorboards of ancient dwellings ? a reminder of the precariousness of life in prehistoric times).
On the day we were there, the museum was deserted. Basically, it was us and Yarat-Hor-ru, a young Egyptian official, 5 ft. tall in his stocking feet, who lived somewhere near Alexandria in 4th century BCE.
Maybe it?s morbid of me, but I would have liked to see his face, which was covered with a painted mask. On the other hand, you do spy toes peeking out of the wrapping. In the corner stands the carved lid of the mummy case, covered in hieroglyphics. Despite some Egyptologist?s attempt to provide an ?English translation? ? something about Osiris ? the text was still Greek (or should I say, ancient Egyptian) to me.
(Admission: 5 shekels, if anyone is actually there to take your money)
Emil Botta Street, just past the gas station Leave a Comment Phone: 02-6252843Other Contact: Open 8 am - 1 pm (closed Sunday)
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The Church of the Beautitudes marks the spot were Jesus Christ is said to have given the Sermon of the Mount. The church itself sits on top of the Mount of Beautitudes and overlooks the Sea of Galilee. The actual church was built in 1937 by Antonio Barluzzi and financed by Benito Mussolini. Not too many tourist or pilgrims seem to make to the church which is odd because of its location near other pilgrimage sites and for the fact that the view from the top are quite beautiful. Leave a Comment
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Fantastic little Nature wonder !
A short hiking (aprx 20 min') from the entrance to the Yahudiya nature Preserve will
lead you to a pool of hundreds of hexagonal rock columns which were caused by the rapid cooling of molten rock, which skirt the water's edge.
The pool is fantastic and great to swim in during summer... (although we saw some travelers whom were about to swim there just as we left !! and it was only 18c brrrr !!)
Another 40min' hiking will lead you to the Yehudiya Stream and waterfalls.
Thats a definite Off the beathen path but if you're here for a long time then its worth a visit.
Few min' drive from Katzrin (in the Golan Area. Leave a Comment
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Definitely off the beathen path for most tourists ! but worth a visit if you travel to the Golan Hights in the North of Isreal.
The fortress is located on a mountain about 800m' above the sea level.
It is named after a biblical hero, the hunter Nimrod (Genesis 10:8-9) who, according to local tradition, dwelt on this summit.
Better check in advance their opening hours for visitors. Leave a Comment
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Karen Kayemet along with the Jewish National Fund are two of the organizations that works to reforest Israel. They have projects all over Israel and many of the forested areas in Israel are there only because of them. This picuture was taken in a man-planted forest called Yar Lahav, or Lahav Forest. They have an olive picking meet each year where you can learn about the history of olives, their production and also learn how to pick and preserve them or even make your own olive oil. We joined in the fun with our friends Arie and Laya. In a few months the olives we picked and preserved will be ready for eating....... Leave a Comment
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Gan-Garoo is a lovely farm, located near Mount Gilboa in the north east of Israel and not far from Bet She'an.
In Gan-Garoo you can meet the sweet Ozzi kangaroos as well as Kuala bears and other anmals. You can spend time with the kangaroos as they arewalking, or shell i say jumping around free and used to people, The Kuala bears though are having their own kept area and people can NOT touch or bother them as they are very delicate and sensitive
and most time sleepy.
Its a wonderful attraction for Kids but even to me as an adult it was really lovely to finally meet those sweet sweet kangaroos personaly ! I just loved them. Leave a Comment
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En Hod is a small village very close to Caesarea and Zichron Yaakov.
This is an artists village with many statues everywhere , beautiful houses , small and narrow streets and beautiful view to the Mediterranean Sea.
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There are many wineries in Israel which offers lovely wines. If you're on your way to the north passing not far from Mount Tavor you can stop in this (relatively small) winery learn about the proccess of making wine and taste or buy some wines.
There's also a tiny Marzepan Museum there for people who likes it. Leave a Comment
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on July 3, 2007
on May 25, 2004
on May 29, 2005
on November 20, 2003
on June 25, 2005
