Congregation Ohav Sholom

In the spring, Israel is awash in green from the winter rains. One can hike long distances, enjoying lush scenery, filled with wild blooming flowers, without feeling the need to be near water. However, it is in the summer when many of us with children tour Israel, because that is when extended vacations can be taken. During the summer months and until the first rains, the land is parched and the Middle East sun is at its strongest.

If you want to spend part of your summer vacation in Israel hiking with your children, it is advisable to choose trails near water, so that you can refresh yourselves along the way. Hikes in the summer heat, not near any watering holes, or visits to archaeological sites just may not hold your children’s interest. On the other hand, successful hikes deepen your knowledge of and attachment to the land, in ways that one-stop tour bus visits can never achieve.

It is only logical therefore, that the area of the country most conducive to hiking during the summer months is the area with the most water – the North. The Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights, blessed with the waters from melted snows of Mt. Hermon, are abound in streams and waterfalls winding their way to the Sea of Galilee (Kineret) and the Jordan River. Needless to say there are numerous hiking trails along these streams.

When my girls were ages 12 and 15, we spent two full days hiking in the Golan Heights, the first day in Nachal Jalaboon (The Jalaboon stream) and the second day in Nachal Zevitan (The Zevitan stream).

The first day was a revelation for the girls. As spoiled suburban New Yorkers, they initially acted like stubborn mules, with heavy packs, refusing to budge as they saw the descending trail before them. They probably felt a combination of fear and laziness in the heat, as they realized the hike would be tiring. However, since I knew there was nothing to fear (seeing Israeli kids half their age walking with their parents), we did not give in. We made sure though, to have an ample supply of bottled water. Once the girls realized we were in for the long haul, the tears dried up and they began to enjoy the walk down the mountain, which would eventually lead to a striking waterfall called the Jalaboon waterfall (Mapal Jalaboon). The waterfall is huge for Israeli standards and a natural swimming pool lies at its foot. Young couples climbed on the rocks behind the falls. Others merely swam and cooled off. Don’t expect Niagara or Victoria Falls. Still, the height from top to bottom of the falls is impressive.

Anyway, by now, the girls had confidence in their guide and were reasonably sure they would survive and even flourish, so much so that they were traversing the hills like mountain goats. It was a "piece of cake" from then on. After the Jalaboon falls, we followed the trail along the stream, which led to still another waterfall: the Devorah Falls, where we swam again.

The trail then ascended out of the nachal and headed back toward an area about three kilometers from our car. On the way, we passed a Syrian village, deserted during the Six-Day War and converted to an Israeli military base (since closed). Interestingly enough, the Syrian village was built on the remains of a Jewish town from the 2^nd or 3^rd century CE, where inscriptions were found about a famous Rabbi from Talmudic times, who lived there.

We headed back to our base in Rosh Pina to sleep. The next day was going to be similar to the first.

The second day we spent hiking in Nachal Zevitan. The hike through Nachal Zevitan, passes two fresh water pools and a waterfall. One pool is reached by walking through some remarkable geological phenomena. A whole area of six-sided stones line one section of the Nachal, in the midst of which is a natural water slide carved in the rock by the constantly flowing waters of the Zevitan stream. The slide is neither steep nor dangerous but enjoyable none-the-less. It leads into a natural pool, which is very refreshing. Since the various Nachals of the Golan are the result of Mt. Hermon’s melted snow, the waters running through them are always very cold. In the heat of the summer you’ll appreciate this. Again, the trail back leads past a deserted Arab village called Sheikh Hussein.

Do not forget to wear a hat and bring plenty of drinking water. Dehydration in the hot sun is a constant danger. However, if you hike during the summer in places where there are natural swimming pools and waterfalls, children will feel rewarded ten-fold for having exerted themselves to reach such oases. Their love of the land will be further strengthened and the whole family will feel a tremendous sense of achievement.

August 1999