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ERETZ Magazine

STAYPUT HOME

JERUSALEM

TEL AVIV

YOUTH HOSTELS

UPPER GALILEE

GOLAN

SEFAD, ROSH PINA

LOWER GALILEE

WESTERN GALILEE

TIBERIAS

ACRE

HAIFA

CEASAREA

SHARON

ASHKELON

JUDEAN HILLS

BEERSHEVA

EILAT

KIBBUTZ HOTELS

 

Stayput Acre

Richard Lion-Heart, Phillip of France, Saint Louis, Marco Polo, Rabbi Nahman of Braslav, Napoleon, and many others passed through Acre. For generations, it was the gate to the Holy Land, the starting point on the road to China.

Acre is a city waiting to be discovered. The ancient port was the Crusaders’ first foothold in the Holy Land and the last city from which they departed. For a century, it served as the Crusader capital – with separate quarters for the Italian maritime powers of Venice, Genoa, and Pisa, grand palaces and castles of the orders of the Hospitallers and Templars, and wharves and harbors from which the goods of the East made their way to Europe and European products made their way to the East. Marco Polo set out to China from Acre and Benjamin of Tudela, the intrepid twelfth-century Jewish traveler, passed through here on his way to visit the Jewish communities in Yemen and Arabia.
Moslem Acre was built on the remains of the half-buried, half-destroyed Crusader city. Jazzar, the venerable despot of the city, managed to beat off Napoleon in the beginning of the nineteenth century and build the strong defenses that we still see today.
Two decades of excavations in Acre are bringing to light the castles, forts, and quarters of the Crusader city. With its markets and khans, ancient walls, and beautiful location on the bay, Acre is becoming one of the most interesting destinations in Israel.
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 Dining in Acre

Since Acre is a port town, it is not surprising that fish and seafood dominate the dining options there. Uri Yermias opened the Uri Buri restaurant years ago and it has been considered the best one in town ever since. The menu consist of a variety of fish and seafood (Hahaganah Street, Migdalor Plaza, Tel. (04) 955-2212, not kosher). Another option is Doniana, which is located on the southern wall. In addition to a great view, it offers an impressive menu of seafood and meat at prices that are slightly more reasonable than those of Uri Buri (Southern Wall, Pisan Port, Tel. (04) 991-0001, not kosher).
Said’s hummus is considered the best in Israel and the recipe for it is one of the country’s best-kept secrets. He recently opened a branch in Tel Aviv, but apparently the atmosphere of the ancient marketplace adds a special flavor to the hummus (Acre Market, Tel. (04) 991-3945, not kosher). For dessert, head to the nearby Kashash, which has excellent kanafe and baklava.
One of the only kosher options in town is the Palm Diner, a cafeteria serving home-style Israeli cuisine like meatballs and goulash (Palm Beach Hotel, Tel. (04) 991-3955, kosher).

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Itinerary


Day 1: Acre

Explore the Crusader town of Acre, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Visit the Hospitaller Castle, once the headquarters of that famous order of nights, tour the underground city, the port, and the massive walls that withstood Napoleon.  

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 Day 2: Kabbalah

Begin in Safed with an orientation seminar on Jewish mysticism. Visit the medieval synagogues of Safed and tour some of the many Hassidic yeshivas found in the alleys of the old city. Tour the ancient cemetery of Safed, where holy men, rabbis, and mystics are buried. Join the many supplicants at the graves. After lunch, take the road to Biriya and continue to the Biriya forest. Follow the signs to the grave of Raban Yonatan ben Uziel, a famous second-century mystic whose grave, in the middle of the forest, is a magnet for shiduch seekers. Take the road back to the Bat Ya’ar ranch for dinner or late drinks overlooking the Hula Valley.

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 Day 3: Nazareth

Take Route 85 east to Achihud Junction, turn right and follow Route 70 to Route 79. Take Route 79 to Zippori and visit ancient Sephoris, the capital of Galilee in ancient times. Continue on Route 79 to Nazareth. Tour Nazareth’s Old City, making sure not to miss the Basilica of the Annunciation, the Spring of Nazareth, the Church of St. Gabriel, and the Synagogue Church.

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 Day 4: Sea of Galilee

Take Route 85 to Route 90 and then drive to Tiberias.  Drive through the town and stop at the Hamat synagogue just south of the town. Continue south on Route 90 to Kibbutz Deganiya Aleph and tour the Deganiya Courtyard, where the first kibbutz was founded. Drive to Kibbutz Sha’ar Hagolan to visit the small museum on prehistory. Drive to Ein Gev for lunch. Continue north on Route 92 past the important Christian site of Kursi, commemorating the healing of the Gerasene demoniac. Continue north to the junction with Route 87. Take Route 87 west. Cross the Jordan River. On the other side are the important Christian sites of Capernaum, Tabgha, and the Mount of Beatitudes. Stop off at Capernaum to view the ancient synagogue and at Tabgha to see the mosaic. At the junction with Route 90, take Route 90 to the north. At the Corazim Junction, turn off to reach the Vered Hagalil ranch, which serves the best pancakes and maple syrup in Israel.

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 Day 5: Jerusalem

Take Route 4 to Haifa. Take Route 2 to Tel Aviv. Follow 20 to Route 1, which leads to Jerusalem. Enter the Old City via the Jaffa Gate and visit the Tower of David Museum on the history of Jerusalem. Then walk down David Street, the main souvenir market, to the first intersection. Turn left onto Christian Quarter Street and walk to the alley of Saint Helena that leads down to the Holy Sepulcher. Exit by the small entrance to the courtyard that leads to the Muristan Market. Walk straight ahead until you reach the busy market street of Khan e-Zeit. Turn right and walk down the ancient Crusader markets. Once out of the market, turn left on David Street and make your way round the corner to Sisileh Street (the Street of the Chain). Walk down the street to the street turning to the Kotel. Walk down to the Kotel. After visiting the Kotel, take the Rabbi Yehudah Halevi steps up to the Jewish Quarter. Make your way through the quarter to Zion Gate, walk out the gate, turn right, and walk along the outside of the wall, around the corner and back to the Jaffa Gate.

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 Day 6: Tel Aviv

Take Route 4 to Haifa. Take Route 2 to Tel Aviv. Start in the south by exploring the Old City of Jaffa. Then take a taste of historic Tel Aviv by strolling through Neve Tzedek, Rothschild Boulevard, and the surrounding streets. Take a lunch break on Sheinkin Street and then check out the shops along Dizengoff Street. End the day with dinner on Ibn Gabirol Street.

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 Acre's Horizon

In 2000, the Israeli government identified a number of towns in Israel that were suffering from ongoing economic and social problems and decided to provide them with aid through a special program called Ofek (Hebrew for Horizon). Acre was among these towns. In order to help implement the Ofek program, Michael Strauss, one of the owners of the Strauss Dairy, volunteered to work with Acre Mayor Shimon Lankari. A master plan for the city was prepared and then the renovation and rehabilitation of the major tourist sites in Acre began. These renovations included the Bahai Gardens, the Acre Prison, and the Sea Promenade. Acre’s education system also received a major budgetary injection to renovate kindergartens and enhance  science studies. In addition, Acre was declared a “music city” and became a national model for the development of music studies. The plans’ main goals included encouraging a “strong” population to move into the city.

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Akkotel

Akkotel, a boutique hotel with 16 suites and guestrooms, recently opened in a historic building that is part of the walls of the Old City of Acre. Most of the building was built during the reign of Ahmad Al Jazzar Pasha in the late eighteenth century to serve as the headquarters of the city’s military brass. It has since fulfilled many other functions, serving as an elementary school for boys, a warehouse, and a courthouse. It was recently renovated and turned into a luxurious boutique hotel with two suites, five family guestrooms that can accommodate two adults and two children, and nine regular guestrooms, all of which have charming furnishings and modern conveniences. There is a fashionable restaurant on the ground floor and in the summer a cafeteria will operate on the roof, which is a continuation of Acre’s eastern wall and offers a spectacular view of the old city, the marina, the Haifa Bay, the Carmel Mountains, and the Galilee. The hotel is a short walk from several beaches, as well as the sites and attractions of Acre.

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Copyright ERETZ Magazine 2008