Group Arrived in Tel Aviv - Welcome by Rosalie Whitehill

Rosalie welcome Ellen Charm - new CAARI participant this year

WELCOME TO TEL AVIV AND THE CITY HOTEL - The group from Eilat arrived in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening and greeted with a warm welcome by Rosalie Whitehill, CAARI participant for 10 years!  Rosalie arrived in Israel a few days earlier, from Boston, She is one of the participants that will be taking part in the 4 week community service program.    Rosalie reports - "Yes, weather is in upper 60's and sunny.... just had my first slice of Israeli pizza....yum

Rosalie and Esther Rose 

The CAARI schedule for most of the week has been posted......"meet and greet" after dinner tonight......orientation and my presentation called "train the tutor" are tomorrow a.m.

Tomorrow night's speaker is an IDF (Israeli defense force....the army) major and the topic is "Different Islamic Groups" so I am really looking forward to that.

 And so, again I wish you all well, along with warmth...inside and out.

Meeting Barbara and Anice waiting for her hug from Rosalie 

Yes, weather is in upper 60's and sunny....right now it is about 2 p.m. and I have returned from getting my Israeli hair cut and a manicure, and picking up a few things I did not bring.(with the weather below freezing, I did not venture out to any stores the week before I came.....could not risk a slip on ice).  Also just had my first slice of Israeli pizza....yum!

The CAARI schedule for most of the week has been posted......"meet and greet" after dinner tonight......orientation and my presentation called "train the tutor" are tomorrow a.m.

Rosalie welcome Mark Weiss

Tomorrow night's speaker is an IDF (Israeli defense force....the army) major and the topic is "Different Islamic Groups" so I am really looking forward to that.

And so, again I wish you all well, along with warmth...inside and out.

Lots of love,

Rosalie

My impressions of the week in the Negev and Eilat. by Cheryl Kaplan-Hughes

My Impressions of the Negev
Cheryl Kaplan Hughes
I was very reticent about going to the desert and Eilat, only because I've seen a lot of deserts and although I haven't been to Eilat in 40 yrs.(oops), I thought it would just be another Miami Beach. Was I wrong. This part of the trip has really stirred me. To see Ben Gurion's simple dwelling, to see where he lived in the harsh Negev and to envision the work he did on the kibbutz, have made a huge impression on me. That plus our visit to two other kibbutzim, Yotvata and Ketura, have left me quite thoughtful. We met kibbutznicks who are truly pioneers, Dr. Elaine Solloway, her husband Mike Solloway and Amnon Greenberg. In my young Zionist days, I thought I could live in a kibbutz. I soon found out how wrong I was so I am particularly in awe of the huge contribution these people have made in taming the desert and thus founding the nation. They have learned how to produce red algae, medicinal plants, irrigation systems that grow the sweetest dates, methods of sustainable agriculture to benefit not only Israel, but the entire world to name just a few of their accomplishments. As Israel advances into the 21st. century, we can't forget these unsung heroes, the kibbutzniks who came in the 40's, 50s, 60's and 70's bursting with idealism and enthusiasm.They believed that if you dream it, it will happen. Although there are only 70 viable kibbutzim today; in their prime, they made an enormous impact on the country. These young idealists settled the land, fought terrorism and worked tirelessly to be self sufficient. Especially in the Negev, these kibbutzniks are carrying out Ben Gurion's prophecy that Israel will not survive if we do not conquer the desert...it's a work in progress. As for Eilat, yes it may look like Miami Beach but it's OUR Miami Beach..

CAARI DAY 7 EILAT TO TELAVIV Sunday 18 January 2015

JANUARY 18, 2015 CAARI DEPARTS EILAT FOR ZUKIM IN CENTRAL ARAVA
Our departure day went flawlessly. All 12 CAARI participants were on time for our 8:30 departure after loading up the minibus. We heard from Mark Weiss and Barbara Kuhn about their experiences in Petra on Saturday. We arrived at Zukim an exceptional community the only community that is not a Moshav in the Central Arava Regional council where there are 6 communities and about 3000 people. in the first 3 pictures we meet Shlomo Heller who is the deputy mayor of Zukim. He gave us background on the 11 years of Zukims development and the JNF KKL support.

 

This is the present artists studios that are being made in the older abandoned buildings from the IDF Nahal brigade that tried to build and settle this area in the 1980's and 1990's. Thanks to the Safir Society the Major Women Donors of the JNF of America Zukim was blessed with support that became sustainable and created the community.

 

Here is a picture of the CAARI group on the playgroud and dediction stone where the first picture was taken in 2002 that appears in American Independence Park whcih was the dedication ceremony.

 

 

Here are some pictures of the artist quarters being fixed up from the bandodned buolding from 20 years ago

 

 

Our last 3 pictures are of the original 50 houses build in Zukim taken to the north and to the south

 

 

 

Our next stop was an hour drive to Mitzpeh Ramon overlooking the Machtesh(Erosive Crater) 

Pictured below are a guitar player and singer that seranaded us while an explanation was given on the Mt Gamal overlook pictured below.

 

 

 

Friday, 16 January, 2015

CAARI TOURS EILAT - ISRAEL BIRD RESEARCH CENTER IBRC+TIMNA PARK
This was the fifth day of the CAARI Program and the third touring day in Eilat. The CAARI program stays at the Prima Music Hotel on the South Beach of Eilat and today we left at 8:30 an headed towards the Jordanian border for the IBRC, The Israel Bird Watching and Research Center in Eilat .There we met up with Noam the managing director. Our faithful 12 toured the ponds and man made salt marshes north of the hotels on North Beach Eilat.  Noam explains the route of bird migrations and the importance of the land bridge that Israel serves for hundeds of migrating birds twice a year. This center located close to the Jordanian border is sustained by 5 bodies:  JNF-KKL, The Ministry of Tourism, The Society for Preservation of Nature in Israel, The Municipality of Eilat and The National Parks and Nature Reserve Authority. Shown below is Noam expalining to CAARI seasona bird behaviour.

Shown below are 2 pictures of a Bluethroat and 2 pictures of the Sardinian Warbler that were caught catalogued and released.

  

 

 

Timna Park

 

CAARI viewed the new multi Media Timna Park presention donated by the Cadnow family from JNf of America and then continued to the mushroom smelting site pictured below.

decent down to the Mushroom



In Front of Mushroom Smelting site

                                                                                               

 



Thursday, 15 January CAARI PROGRAM 2015 DAY 4
YOTVATAH KKL AGRITECH RESEARCH &  DEVRLOPMENT CENTER FOR THE SOUTHERN ARAVA AKA SARC
We departed close to 7:30 am to get to the R&D Center by 8:30am.
A special presentstion awaited us including food and drink.
Margerie "Gigi" Strom (originally from New Jersey) presentlyliving at Kibbutz Samar, presented a  multimedia presentation on the difficult conditions of the Arava from sutainability of  agriculture. Pictures below show the introdution she gave explaining what they do at this R & D Center

 

After a detailed explanation we went into the fields with Amnon Greenberg

 

 

Amnon demonstates how the new drip irrigation senses that the soil is dry, that the roots need water and activates a feedback and control system that uses a felt cloth as a sensor for dryness and moisture sensors that turn the drippers on and off according to the dryness.  These sensors are  10 inches 25 cm deep in the soil

 

 

Wild Asses control the weed problem between the palms

Below is a field of virus free garlic developed at Yotvatah SARDC

 

 

 

 

 DOLPHIN REEF VISIT

Next stop for Thursday 15 January was the Dolphin Reef there Mark Weiss and Barbara Kuhn received breifing before swimming with the dolphins

 

 

 

 

Wednesday January 14 CAARI 2015 DAY 3EILAT

CAARI EILAT EXPERIENCE : DAY 1 EILAT EXPERIENCE

 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2015 

RED MOUNTAIN THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER AT KIBBUTZ GROFIT +KIBBUTZ KETURA WITH DR. ELAINE SOLLOWAY BOTANICAL EXPERIMENTS 

OUR FIRST STOP: KIBBUTZ GROFIT RED MOUNTAIN THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER - The Neti Steinman Tree: Most trees are planted in memory of some one or remembering a special event. This tree pictured below was planted a few years ago when  CAARI visited the Red Mountain Therapeutic Riding Center.  It is to honor and show appreciation for one particular CAARI former participant. This tree was planted (pictured below) at the Red Mountain Therapeutic Riding Center at Kibbutz Grofit as per a request of one or the CAARI senior participants Netti Steinman whose sharp mind and age caused the group to organize this special occasion. She helped plant this tree together with others.  This tree still stands to honor one of the CAARI program's most honorable and respected women participants from Montreal. We send this picture to her taken on Wednesday 14 January to honor her many years of faithful presence on the CAARI program that has been greatly appreciated by all who knew her. The tree is a Chinese Ornamental Orange and planted adjacent to the riding chorals.

The Riding center uses horses as a form or therapy to help and heal children and adults with mental and physical challenges. It receives funding from JNF of America

Tackle room at Red Mountain Riding Center Kibbutz Grofit as explained to us by our host Jill

SECOND STOP: KIBBUTZ KETURA DR. ELAINE SOLLOWAY BOTANICAL TOUR -
We met Elaine at the Methusaleh tree planted a few years ago from one of 8 seeds given to Dr. Solloway from Hadassah Medical Reserch Center that they received from the archaeological dig at Masada in 1963-1965.  It grew to be more than 5 foot so far but is male and although lives well in its own gated community it needs a girl friend to reproduce and make Judean dates that have not been produced in over 2000 years.The dates we eat and grow today are from Morrocco and Iraqand other countries mostly in the Arab world.

After viewing this remarkable tree, the only Judean Date palms on earth today, we went to Dr. Elaine's hothouse where we met some more friends of Methusalah also Judean dates: Judah, Eve, Jonah,, Jeremiah, Ruth and Boaz. They are dates from Qumran that may provide solutions to Methusalah's mating problems. They also date from the first Century CE.

 

Myrrh Frankincense and Balm of Gilead pictures below

 

 

Experimental orchards. We crossed the Arava road route 90 and passed a 110 Acre solar field that soon will generate close to 40 MW of power. This field is located adjacent to this experimental orchard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

      In the picture below one can see the Marula tree, The Blinitis tree or Zakon Mitra. (This may have been the insense burnt in the Temple) and the Neem tree and the Black Pomegranate tree.

 

 

 Large Desert Marula Tree

 

The Marula is from Morrocco and has no thorns like as most desert trees do. It loves heat and does not mind cold. It yields allot of fruit per tree.

 

After our tour of the many botanical experiments we ate lunch and toured the kibbutz with Mike Solloway pictured below speaking to the CAARI 2015 group on the JNF donated benches outside the dinning room

 

 

 

We arrived back to the Prima Music in time for dinner and enjoyed a special speaker Noam Harel whose book Dessert Views was given to all CAARI 2015 participants attending our first speaker in the framework of or 2015 Speakers's Forum.