Mention “Galilee,” and, for many, miraculous tales of Jesus Christ and his disciples come to mind. But this legendary destination, about two hours’ drive north of Tel Aviv, is also where Jewish “Men of Deeds” performed miracles in ancient Roman times, and where rabbis developed the Kabbalah, a branch of Jewish mysticism that counts singer Madonna among its modern day followers. Only 62 miles wide from its northern border near Mt. Hermon to its southern border in the Samarian Mountains, “the Galilee” is one of Israel’s lushest regions, with 2,700 square miles of cliffs and peaks punctuated by verdant valleys and plateaus. On a week-long driving tour, you can enjoy gourmet meals and spa treatments, visit storied religious sites, and be inspired by the region’s timeless beauty.
Most visitors to Israel fly into Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport, 12 miles southeast of the city center. Though several airlines have nonstop flights, El Al has the most departures from New York/Newark and the only nonstop from Los Angeles. Before heading north to the Galilee, consider spending a night here in the “WhiteCity”, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its Bauhaus architecture. There are more than a dozen luxury hotels along its Mediterranean promenade and several interesting boutique properties along Rothschild Boulevard. Start out the next morning by driving an hour north along Route 2, paralleling the Mediterranean coast, to the ancient Roman port of Caesarea where the well-preserved ruins include Herod the Great’s palace, a Roman theater and a vast beachfront hippodrome. Then continue north another hour to Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city, rising in three tiers up the slopes of Mt. Carmel. If you’re tempted to overnight here before continuing to the Galilee, try the newly restored Dan Carmel atop Mt. Carmel.
Route 4 curves north around Haifa Bay for about nine miles, leading to the town of Acre in the Western Galilee. Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, Acre or Akko, is a legendary Crusader town that as early as the 13th century, was one of Christendom’s richest cities. Visit the Jezzar Pasha Mosque and the Knights’ Halls, built over the ruined fortress of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem, an order charged with caring for pilgrims bound for the Holy Land.
From Acre, Route 85 stretches east across much of the Galilee. Take it about 30 miles to Korazim, then head north five miles on Routes 90 and 89 to the town of Rosh Pina. Nestled in the hills within sight of the eastern Golan Heights is the 40 acre Mizpe Hayamim Organic Farm & Spa. Entering the verdant grounds to the sound of tinkling fountains and birdsong drifting from tall, fragrant cedars, you’ll experience a deep sense of calm and an almost spiritual peace. In addition to the luxurious accommodations, there’s an organic dairy farm, a cheese making shop, a bakery, a coffee roasting operation and an art studio where several artists-in-residence create paintings, jewelry and other wares. At the gourmet restaurant, Muscat, dishes are prepared using farm-fresh meats and vegetables. Make this your base for exploring the endless wonders of the Galilee.
Just north of Rosh Pina, in Hatzor HaGlilit, follow the main street to the cave and burial site of Honi the Circle Maker, a sage and “Man of Deeds” known for his rainmaking ability. Just southwest is Safed or Zefat, one of Judaism’s Four Holy Cities along with Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias and one of the Galilee’s most famous towns. It’s the site of a 12th century castle of the Knights Hospitaller, which by 1243 was the East’s strongest fortress. After the Ottomans conquered the town in 1516, Jews flocked here. Not only did they build a prosperous wool and textile industry, but they established it as a center of learning where scholars debated the fine points of Halakhah, Jewish law, and rabbis developed the 16th century Kabbalah.
Visit the old cemetery where the prophet Hosea is interred, as well as Hannah and her seven sons, early Jewish martyrs executed one by one by the Romans for refusing to renounce their religion. Also buried here are several Jewish scholars like Rabbi Yitzhak Luria, known as “The Ari,” and considered the founder of the Kabbalah; Rabbi Yosef Caro, who wrote the Shulhan Arukh (The Set Table), a manual of Jewish law still used today; and Rabbi Shlomo ha-Levi Alkabetz, who wrote the “Lekhah Dodi” (“Come, My Beloved”), a liturgical song sung on the Jewish Shabbat, or Sabbath. Today there are about 30 synagogues here in Safed, among them the Sephardic HaAri Synagogue, where it’s believed the prophet Elijah appeared in the form of an angel to The Ari and inspired him to develop his Kabbalah. Before leaving Safed, visit Messiah Lane, between 47 and 49 Bar Yohai Street. Jews believe that all who pass through the lane will witness the coming of the Messiah.
Safed also has secular attractions like Rechov Yerushalayim, or Jerusalem Street, a major shopping thoroughfare. In the cobblestone lanes of the Artists Quarter, you can browse more than a half-dozen galleries. Among several museums are the Beit Hameiri, relating Safed’s history, and the Frenkel Frenel Museum, housing paintings by Yitzhak Frenkel-Frenel, great grandson of the Hasidic Movement’s founder and a member of the 1920’s École de Paris which included Chagall and Modigliani.
There are several pilgrimage sites just outside Rosh Pina, all of them interesting excursions. In Amuka in the Biriya Forest, the lovelorn make nightly visits to the tomb of Rabbi Yonatan ben Uziel, a second century sage who translated the Bible into Aramaic and a renowned matchmaker. Searching for a soul mate? Light a candle and circle the tomb seven times in the moonlight. The grave of Yossi the Galilean, a prominent rabbi mentioned in the Passover Seder service is also here just outside of Dalton, a town closed to traffic on Saturday and on Jewish holidays. North of Dalton, in Tel Qadesh, don’t miss the ruins of the Hellenic Temple of the Sun.
After several blissful days at Mizpe Hayamim, you’ll be sufficiently relaxed and ready for the long trek home. Check out and head back on Route 90 south about 10 miles to the Sea of Galilee, a shimmering blue lake surrounded by low lying hills. This is where the disciples of Jesus Christ fished and many believe he walked on water to calm a stormy sea. At nearby Capernaum he taught in a synagogue and a few miles south near Tabgha, at the Mount of Beatitudes, it was reported that Jesus intoned such verities as “Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.” A little further south in Tiberias, visit the Maimonides Heritage Center and pay homage at the tomb of “The Rambam,” Judaism’s great medieval physician and scholar. Also in Tiberias, the Dona Gracia Hotel & Museum honors the 16th century Portuguese woman who rescued Jews escaping the Spanish Inquisition. From here, detour 18 miles southwest along Routes 77 and 754 to Nazareth, the childhood home of Jesus.
Otherwise, if you continue south on Route 90 to the Sea of Galilee’s southern tip you’ll reach the peaceful, tree shaded Yardenit Baptismal Site on the River Jordan. For about $5, you can don a white robe and join others bathing in the same waters where John the Baptist baptized his followers. The facility has showers and changing rooms, a gift shop and a restaurant. From here it’s easy to backtrack along Route 90 to Tiberias, then head west to Zihron Ya’akov to pick up Route 2 for the 55 mile drive south to Ben-Gurion Airport and the flight home.
The Country Code for Israel is 972.
Where to Stay:
Crowne Plaza City Center – This high-rise hotel, near Highway 20 on Tel Aviv’s east side, has a gourmet restaurant and a trendy black-and-white espresso bar. 136 Menachem Rd., Azrieli Center 5, Tel Aviv, 03-7774000. www.crowneplaza.com
Dan Tel Aviv – This 280 room hotel, part of Israel’s largest luxury chain, has a revamped lobby overlooking the beach. 99 Hayarkon St., Tel Aviv, 03-5202525. www.danhotels.com
Dan Carmel, Haifa – Newly restored and enlarged with views over Haifa Bay. 85-87 Hanassi Ave., Haifa, 04-8303030, Haifa. www.danhotels.com
Akkotel – Antique filled, 16-room boutique hotel near the Old City gates. Salah St.-Dean 1, Old Acre, 04-9877100. www.akkotel.com
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Photo By Monique Burns[/caption]
Mizpe Hayamim Organic Farm & Spa – A luxurious 40 acre hilltop resort, farm and spa. Rosh Pina, 04-6994555. www.mizpe-hayamim.co.il
Where to Eat:
Uri Buri – Fresh seafood in a 400 year old Ottoman house. Louis IX St., Old Acre, 04-95522212. www.akko.org.il
Muscat Restaurant – Fine Mediterranean cuisine prepared with farm-fresh meats and vegetables. Mizpe Hayamim Organic Farm & Spa, Rosh Pina, 04-6994555. www.mizpe-hayamim.co.il
Bagdad Café – On Jerusalem Street’s hub, the Midrahov, enjoy falafel, toasted sandwiches and salads in one of the city’s oldest family owned restaurants. 61 Jerusalem St., 04-6974065, Safed. www.safed.co.il
What to See:
Caesarea National Park – Tour this old Roman port with extensive ruins and a modern complex of shops and restaurants. Caesarea, 04-6361358. www.parks.org.il
Ramchal Synagogue – Visit this 18thcentury synagogue in the Old City. Acre. www.akko.org.il
Jezzar Pasha Mosque – Israel’s largest mosque outside Jerusalem with an installation showing hairs from the Prophet Muhammad’s beard. Acre. www.akko.org.il
Knights’ Halls – Palaces built over the ruined fortress of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem. Acre. www.akko.org.il
Tomb of Honi the Circle Maker – Hatzor HaGlilit
Hula Nature Reserve – Here just north of Rosh Pina, you can see thousands of pelicans, cranes, ibises, cormorants and kingfishers nesting in early spring or fall before migrating to Europe or Africa. Kiryat Shmona Rd. (Rte 90), 04-6937069. www.parks.org.il
Safed synagogues – See all or some of Safed’s 28 historic synagogues. Safed, 050-544-5588 (Eli Levi). www.safed.co.il
Beit Hameriri – Safed’s unique history museum. 158 Keren Yesod St., Safed. 04-6971307. www.safed.co.il
Frenel Museum – Works by Yitzhak Frenel, a member of the illustrious School of Paris that included Chagall and Modigliani. 16 Tet Zayin St., Safed, 04-6920235. www.frenkel-frenel.org
Maimonides Heritage Center – Visit the tomb of “The Rambam,” Judaism’s great medieval physician and scholar. Tiberias, 054-4542631. www.mhcny.org
Dona Gracia Hotel & Museum – Honoring the 16th century Portuguese woman who saved Jews from the Spanish Inquisition. 3 Haprahim St., Tiberias, 04-6717176. www.donagracia.com
Yardenit Baptismal Site – Bathe in the River Jordan where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Kibbutz Kinneret, Jordan Valley, 04-6759111. www.yardenit.com