K’far Blum – our northern home

We left Jerusalem early this morning. The new light rail, (that Matt got to ride and I didn’t…not that I’m bitter, but I guess I’ll leave that for next time) wrecks havoc with the Jerusalem traffic. But finally, we made it out of the city only to go south in order to go north.

We drove through the Jordan valley and the West Bank heading north to Beit Shean. The hills are so green after the rains which are so greatly appreciated and needed here in Israel. this is why we say, masheev ha-ruach u’moreed ha-gashem, who brings forth the winds and rains in this season. Fortunately, we all packed well with layers of coats and shoes.

Our first stop was Beit Shean, which you can read about from Matt’s post.

Then it was to the Kinneret Cemetery, again, from another post.

Of course, lunch was a must. We were excited to eat at Aroma. Great salads, soups and of course, coffee! My favorite is that every cup of coffee comes with a piece of chocolate. Then it was back on the bus and to Hula Valley Nature Reserve to experience, literally, the bird migration that stops here in Israel and the Hula Valley. This 4D movie not only put the migration in a great visual perspective, but also included scents, water spray when birds landed, and even a few small animals tickling our feet. We then went outside, the rain having stopped, and walked over to the bridge where we saw some Nutria grazing in the grasses (looked like they were enjoying a huge salad) and beautiful birds hanging in the trees and flying above.

Finally, we were on our way to the Kibbutz. Ah, but we were early. Bummer! We had to stop two minutes from K’far Blum at Neot Mordechai, also known as the Naot factory! Yes, shoes! While it was not on the itinerary, we were early, so why not. 🙂

And now, we’re all getting settled into K’far Blum. Some have headed for the spa, steam baths, sauna, and others are hanging out in the lobby with us on the free wifi, and others…well, I think they may be asleep before dinner.

Hopefully, tonight we’ll get some TBS Israel Trip participants to post some thoughts. In the mean time, erev tov from Northern Israel.

Rabbi Cohen

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