The Jerusalem Post - The Jerusalem Post Magazine
Tour Israel
Rosh Hashanah is upon us, and there are so many places around the country to enjoy activities and events in honor of the Jewish New Year.
CHAGAI HACHAKLAI
The public is invited to partake in the traditional olive harvest, make wishes at the wishing tree, visit the petting zoo, create a grass head and bake pitot on a tabun. Chagai Hachaklai loves to welcome kids and explain all about the changes of the seasons and everything involved in growing and harvesting olives. Chagai loves to sing as he’s picking olives by hand, and all the children are invited to join him as he shows them how to cut the olives open and then put them in jars with spices. Afterwards, any kids who want to can feed the sheep.
Date: September 28, 10 a.m. to noon
Price: Adults NIS 10, children NIS 39 Details: hachava.org.il/olives.html
Location: Rosh Tzipor Complex, Ganei Yehoshua
CORAL WORLD
If you happen to be spending the Jewish New Year in Eilat, you’ll be happy to hear that the Coral World Underwater Observatory has opened a new 3-D audio-visual exhibit in which you can experience what it’s like to live in the deepest parts of the ocean. You’ll see aquatic animals that live down there where temperatures fall to extremely low levels, and where the sunlight doesn’t reach. Some of the animals you might see are glass squids, stinging armless jellyfish and eels whose mouths turn into a sack.
Location: Coral Beach, Eilat
Price: NIS 79 to 99
KITE FLYING AT TEL MARESHA
The Nature and Parks Authority is planning lots of fun activities in sites across the country to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. One of the authority’s most exciting events is the flying of colorful Kites of Hope at Tel Maresha, located in Beit Guvrin National Park. Visitors are welcome to bring their own kites or to purchase one on-site. There will be also be guided tours of the park, during which participants will be able to look at spectacular views of the surrounding region.
Location: Beit Guvrin National Park Date: October 1, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m./
Price: Free with purchase of entrance ticket
MILK AND HONEY
The Israel Honey Council is once again holding its annual honey festival. Timed to take place just before Rosh Hashanah so that we can start the New Year with a jar of sweet goodness on the holiday table, visitors are welcome to come learn about all the stages of honey production. Children and adults will learn from beekeepers how bees collect nectar, store it in their nectar sacs and then deposit the nectar in the hive.
Guests can catch a glimpse of the entire world of honey-making by looking at a hive that formed on a glass wall, where you can see the bees moving from one section to another. There will also be a short film, as well as workshops for kids using beeswax and other beehive byproducts. At Shadmot Dvora, guests can watch Boaz the Beekeeper present the first completely real beehive built from thousands of Lego pieces. During the festival, guests can join an effort to build another Lego beehive.
Details: honey.org.il
DESERT ESCAPE ROOM
At Tzukim, a community in the Arava, there will be lots of special Rosh Hashanah attractions. One of the most popular ones is an outdoor escape room, where participants drive in their own car and use their navigation and map-reading skills. At each station, participants will have to solve a riddle or carry out a task. This is a great way to show off your knowledge of desert fauna and flora. The game lasts about two hours. Price: NIS 50 per person
Details: goarava.co.il
MOUNT TAVOR
The Society for the Protection of Nature will be leading a wonderful Rosh Hashanah tour for families with young children on Mount Tavor, one of the highest mountains in the Lower Galilee. During the tour, participants will reach lookout points with incredible 360° views of the valley below, and the knowledgeable guide will tell fascinating stories and historical anecdotes about the region, which has been inhabited by Christian, Muslim and Jewish people throughout the centuries. Guiding by SPNI Galilee training center.
Date: September 30, 9 a.m. to noon Details:teva.org.il/?CategoryID=1677&ArticleID=3406
EIN HARDALIT
If you’re looking for a three-hour family-friendly water hike where you can even bring your dog along, then I recommend joining Travel Hotels and licensed tour guide Yotam Edelman at Shlomi, where participants will set out in a caravan of cars to visit the nearby Ein Hardalit spring.
Date: September 28, 10:30 a.m.
Price: NIS 50 per car
Meeting point: Menta Gas Station in Shlomi Details: 077-996-4420 Translated by Hannah Hochner.