Cheese Making Seminar, Rosh Pina and HaHula - Bird Migration

A CAARI Winner!

Meeting Michal Mor Melaned was a very special experience and an Israeli  success story.  Michal, speech therapist, was  vacationing in Switzerland and it happened to be a rainy day - what to do?  

It was suggested she visit a cheese making farm which peeked  her interest. The rest is history - today she is now the only Israeli cheese maker that has won a super gold in international cheese competition. 

Michal has become one of the world’s leading cheese maker (and an Israeli pride) and even a judge at the Global Cheese Guild. CAARI learned about her experience and  the cheese making process and taste some, of course. Another 'CAARI hidden gem' Experience! 

Rosh Pina, a Baron Rothschild Village 

CAARI has visited cities, towns, kibbutzim, moshavim and villages as they travel through Israel.  However, Rosh Pina  is special.  It is one of the oldest Galilee settlements and sits on the slopes of Mt. Caanan with a view of the scenic Golan Heights , Mt Hermon and the Hula Valley. 

Fifth and sixth generation of the founders, from Romania, still live in this charming village and we were privileged to have Eric give us a tour – from a delightful movie, explaining the village’s beginnings, to a tour through the cobblestone streets telling us stories of the past and the folklore of local personalities and their accomplishments.    

He also proudly showed us  the JNF Canadian Lookout dedicated to a young soldier, Nimrod Segev, who was killed in the Second Lebanon War. 

 

 HaHula Lake - A bird's paradise! 

The sun is setting and we are in one of the best places to see the bird migration.  It is still spring migratory season in Israel!  Birds fly from their winter home in Africa on to Europe and Russia for the spring and summer.   The Upper Galilee place to see these birds is the  KKL-JNF Agmon HaHula Park,  an internationally acclaimed bird watching park.

 Twice a year, over 390 species of birds pass through the area; water fowl, birds of prey and songbirds, water buffaloes and wildcats, unique flora and fauna. Over 500 million birds pass through Hula Valley each year. 

Hard hats on, we  began with a special visit to the new Visitors Center, which is still under construction.  It is a JNF Canada outstanding project, honoring former Prime Minister Harper. 

From there, we boarded the camouflaged wagon drawn by a tractor, which allows for us to get into the crane population who were coming ‘home’ for the night.  It was quite the experience! Enjoy our view of the cranes.   

And one lone stork! 

 

Akko, Rosh Hanikra and Monforte Hike - January 29,2019

Another great day!  We arrived at the JNF Visitor's Center located, in an 100 year old building,  at the entrance to the famous, historic Akko market.  

This  new tourist information center to provide visitors with information on where to go, what to do and where to stay in the Western Galilee.  Its intent is increase tourism in the Western Galilee area.  Beautifully displayed information.  Neil, our guide,  explained the history of this amazing place. 

We walked through the colorful shuk, passing the fresh fish, aromatic spices and fresh fruits a vegetables.  The strawberries were amazing.  Neil has us   taste some of the local sweets! 

ROSH HANIKRA

On to beautiful Grottoes in Rosh Hanikra on the border with Lebanon.  The large crevices, clefts, and tunnels have been carved by the waves pounding the soft limestone cliff.  There is also a train tunnel located at the site that was built by the British ANZAC forces Australia New Zealand Armoured Corps during World Was II to for transporting supplies and people from Turkey to Egypt. 

We took a cable car to the top and meandered through the path with the breath taking views of the Mediterranean Sea's waves splashing against the rocks.  Before leaving we all walked up to the border for a view.  All very peaceful.  

Montforte Fortress 

Today began with Crusader sites and ended with one of the most spectacular - Montforte.  






We arrived in JNF's Goren Park,  a natural oak forest, which is very rare to find in Israel.  Park has many hiking and walking trails, picnic areas and even an amphitheater for summer concerts. 


As we made our way through the trails we discover many colorful spring flowers hidden among the rocks.  Spring is in the air here!  


We continued our walk until we came to the observation area which overlooks a small river  and the most beautiful view was that of Montforte.  This large Crusader fort was built at the beginning of the 12th century.  We wondered how they got the materials there!  In recent excavations, they have found a ballroom.  Great place for the Crusaders to hang out! 

What a fantastic CAARI Day!

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Visit to Hand and Hand School

 By Pearl: Monday afternoon, CAARI visited and an impressive  school where Jewish and Arab children learn together in both languages.  There are six of these schools in Israel.  The parents are also heavily involved in the daily education of their children.  This  daily interaction between them requires buy in from children teachers and parents,   When this concept was conceived the only  model they could work from was the Quebec model,   In the school of 250 students, today consisting of  60% Arab 40% Jewish. Students , from grade 1 - 6, come from towns and cities in the area. 

We were divided into 2 groups and students took us around and proudly explained their projects.   This was followed by a talk by the assistant Principal.  The non profit organization Hand in Hand support the school which is under the supervision of the Ministry of Education.  Very enlightening experience.  

Baking Seminar and visit to Hand and Hand School

See pictures - story to follow. Bakers at work