Israel Day 3: The beautiful North

Mashiv ha-ruach u'morid ha-geshem
The one who shifts the winds and brings down the rain... (from the g'vurot section of the Amidah prayer)

A day of firsts for many of us on the trip. We hiked along the Dan tributary to the Jordan river, we saw an ancient altar site of the northern kingdom of Israel, we off-roaded in jeeps along the Syrian border and spoke with a UN observer atoo Mt. Bental. We rafted down the Jordan river and spent time on the kibbutz where we are staying.

But I have to say the biggest surprise and miracle I noticed was that we had rain ... yes, rain falling from the sky...in June...in Israel. Now, it was only a few drops, and we were not in the desert, we were in the far north of Israel ... but I never expected this. I learned the reason we shift the language of our g'vurot prayer from the language above that expresses our hopes for rain to the language of our summer, morid ha-tal (who brings down dew), was that we don't pray for that which cannot and will not happen. So, for the few drops of water I felt on my run this morning and out at our jeep ride, it felt quite miraculous.

It's a great reminder that you just never know what you're going to get here in Israel ... as for the rest of the day, I'll let the pictures do the talking. Enjoy!

 Bill and Rich at the Dan tributary, one of three main sources of the Jordan river ... literally bringing life to the land of Israel.

 Admiring fig that look kind of ripe on the trees

 The group gets educated about water along our nature hike

 Hailey demonstrates how the land builds up enough pressure to push the water out into these tributaries.

 ....And Jocelyn demonstrates an even BIGGER pressure build up for these water sources. 

 It was part hike, part teamwork, but we all made it through this gorgeous section of the hike called gan eden, or paradise

 Part of the Bat Mitzvah experience is conquering fears and gaining confidence ... so, Jocelyn pushed herself to make it across onto the little island in the middle of this pond. 

 And her proud father joined her on the big moment

 Rootbergs packed into a jeep...just like at home

 I don't know this passes safety standards in the US, but it sure was a lot of fun and filled with a great understanding of the geography of the region

 An obligatory shot in front of a "danger mines" sign .... no Israel tour is complete without one

 In front of a huge crater pond near a Druze village...if you don't know what Druze are, Google them!

 Atop My. Bernal, looking out at Syria in the distance. We were closer to Damascus than Jerusalem! 

 Talking with a U.N. observer from Slovenia. He told us not to ask who is in charge of the village closest to our view in Syria, as it changes all the time as to which rebel group holds it. Most likely, a group loosely affiliated with Al-Qaida. We heard about the impact of the Syrian conflict and some of the challenges in dealing with refugees and the injured, many of whom are allowed in to Israel for treatment  (though the U.N. official could not officially affirm this happens)

 Selfie in a bunker #1 ... looking out onto Syria

 Selfie in a bunker #2

 Rafting down the Jordan river

Some masterful steering by my father helped us pass by the many clueless birthright groups  (and we even rescued a group of Israeli soldiers whose raft was stuck on the river bank)

That's it for now...tomorrow, off to Tsfat and then our entrance into Jerusalem!