Israel: Northern
-
Cranes Migrating Home To Europe On A Rainy Day
Yes, dear readers, we know that Spring is quickly approaching, even in some of the colder countries in Europe, as the twice-yearly crane migration is happening! This is one of our favorite things to witness, here in Northern Israel, and family members generally shout to one another “cranes!” and everyone comes running, as it is truly a sight not to be missed. Sometimes small groups of cranes fly close enough to even see their tiny feet with the naked eye, while most of the time the cranes are rather far away. Today, amidst the rain clouds I spotted several very large groups of cranes, and ran to grab my camera.…
-
Almond Trees In Bloom In Northern Israel, Just Like In Van Gogh’s Painting!
Here in Northern Israel where we are blessed to be living close to nature, the yearly blooming of the almond trees is something that brings great joy! The almond tree is the first tree to bloom, and as fruit bearing tree it is one of the trees whose New Year we celebrate on the Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shevat. Every year we await the first blooms, the kids arrive home with reports on the status of the trees, and it is something mentioned among friends and neighbors. Why? because it is truly a joyful sight, in the middle of the winter, when all the other plants are still sleeping, to…
-
Jacaranda Trees In Bloom In Northern Israel!
With this year’s long winter and lots of rain, the Jacaranda trees are I believe blooming a bit later that usual, but this is okay, as the trees all over our town in Northern Israel were in full bloom for the Jewish holiday of Shavuos, which was just perfect! When I designed a large semi-public garden just down the street Jacaranda trees were on my list of must includes, and now that the trees have matured a bit, they look amazing peeking over the stone garden wall, especially when full of purple blooms. The trees were planted in a oblong patch of dirt that was left untouched when we poured…
-
Where Is Nachum Ish Gamzu Buried?
Where is Nachum Ish Gamzu buried, you may ask? Or more likely, who is Nachum Ish Gamzu? Or what language is that anyway? Well dear readers, let me tell you, Nachum Ish Gamzu, or more correctly, Rebbe Nachum Ish Gamzu was a Tanna, a rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 10-220 CE! Okay that is seriously a long time ago, and yet he was such an important figure that we are still talking about him and visiting his gravesite! One of the things for which Rebbe Nachum Ish Gamzu is known is that he was the teacher of the even more well know Rebbe Akiva!…
-
Spring In Northern Israel On A Hike To Mount Tabor
Hello to Spring in Northern Israel. A cool and rainy Spring, but Spring nonetheless, as the wildflowers are out and the hills are green green green! I sprained my ankle quite badly just as the almond trees started to bloom, along with other wild flowers, and so this year I was unable to walk anywhere to take photos of this wonderful and glorious sight. Fortunately one of my adventurous nephews showed up for a visit along with some very lovely photos of a hike he’d taken to Mount Tabor just the day before. And so, with his permission, I just had to share some of the beauty of Northern Israel…
- Adventures With Children, Israel, Israel: Nahariya, Israel: Nature, Israel: Northern, Israel: The Mediterranean Sea
Rain Clouds Over The Mediterranean In Northern Israel
My two teenage sons, 15 and 13 are attending a sleep-away Yeshiva about an hour’s drive from home, and we miss them dearly! They do come home every-other shabbat, and we try to visit now and then on weeks when they won’t be coming home. This week my 15 year old really sounded like he needed us to visit, which is rare, so I re-organized my schedule in order to visit them this afternoon. I was somewhat worried about driving in stormy weather, as visibility around our mountaintop city can be very low during rain, but fortunately there was a respite from all the wet weather we’ve been having, and…
