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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 Judean Hills

The Judean Hills are covered with the beautiful greenery of the Mediterranean and enchanting little villages peek out from between the trees. Vineyards and wineries abound, together with cheese makers and boutique farms.

The Judean Hills and the lowlands of the Shefelah have always been a buffer zone between the sea peoples of the coastal plain and the mountain peoples from the desert. Since the days of the Bible, the Judean Hills have been a battle zone – Israelites from the hills versus Philistines from the plains, Samson versus Delilah, David versus Goliath, and Maccabees versus Greeks.
The Judean Hills have a unique environment. They are covered with Mediterranean maquis, thick evergreen underbrush; the ancient Hebrews learned to settle in these hills by clearing out forests and cultivating the land. For thousands of years, the Judean Hills were the hinterland that supplied Jerusalem with resources for its Temple and food for its pilgrims.
Today the Judean Hills are still covered with the beautiful greenery of the Mediterranean and enchanting little villages peek out from between the trees. Vineyards and wineries abound, together with cheese makers and a myriad of other boutique farms. Many of them have visitors’ centers and restaurants that specialize in delicacies made from local products. The area also abounds with springs, caves, and hiking trails.

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The Mysterious Ein Zova

The spring of Ein Zova emanates from an underground cave that can be reached through a tunnel. Hundreds of these systems were built in the Judean Hills during the Roman period.
Kibbutz Zova is in the Jerusalem Mountains, not far from the Harel Junction on Route 1, the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway. Enter the kibbutz, cross it, and drive for about 800 meters along the old road that once led to the kibbutz. Park in the small parking area near the gate leading to the spring.
A 40-meter-long tunnel leads to the cave with the spring. The kibbutz members have put lighting into the cave and tunnel and open it to visitors for a small fee. The entrance to the tunnel is low, but as you continue it gets higher, leading to a cave in which you can stand up.
Near the parking lot there are two things to see – the Crusader castle of Zova and a grand old oak tree, one of the oldest in the country.
The site is open in the summer from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Ein Handak

Ein Handak, another of the tunnel-fed springs of the Judean Mountains, is near the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem neighborhood. The area surrounding the spring hasn’t been developed, making this a lovely natural site. Make sure to bring flashlights, wading shoes, and bathing suits.
Drive from Hadassah Hospital along the road to Even Sapir. Continue 500 meters past the hospital parking lot and turn left. Follow the road for 200 meters to a parking lot. A flight of steps leads down into a large pool. The pool is 30 meters long and 3 meters deep, with water flowing into the pool from two separate tunnels. The tunnels are dark, so use flashlights when exploring them. The water in the tunnels is about 1 meter deep. Be careful as you walk along the longer branch of the tunnel – it has an underwater step. After exploring the tunnels, walk down the ravine, heading away from the parking lot, for 5 minutes, until you reach a 9.5-meter-high terrace, built out of massive stones that looks like a miniature version of the Western Wall. The terrace probably is from Roman times. A terrace of this size constructed out of such huge stones has yet to be found in any other place in Israel.

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Castel National Park

Castel National Park (Tel. (02) 533-0476) is located on the ruins of a Crusader castle and an Arab village.
In the War of Independence, the site was an important army post, which overlooked the main road to Jerusalem, and bloody battles were fought for control of the Castel. Reconstructed bunkers and trenches can be seen at the site, complete with explanatory signs. From the top of the park, there is a breathtaking view of the Judean Hills.

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Motza

Visitors to Motza, just outside of Jerusalem, can view the old synagogue and remains of the early houses of the colony, which was founded in the late 1800s. The synagogue is in a Crusader building, constructed on the remains of a Byzantine building. A guided tour of the site tells the story of the colony.


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Mini-Israel

Mini-Israel is a unique showcase for the sites of Israel, built of hundreds of models, most on a scale of 1:25. Caesarea, for example, is depicted complete with its theater, port, fortress, hippodrome, and aqueduct. Less-known sites such as the Weizmann House, the Haifa German Colony, and Sergei House in Jerusalem, are included as well. Mini Israel is the largest miniature park in the world.

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Itinerary

Day 1: The Judean Hills

Drive to Shaar Hagai and follow Route 38 past Beit Shemesh to the Beit Guvrin caves. Visit the caves and then return to Beit Shemesh and continue to Shimshon Junction. Turn left onto Route 44 and take it to Nahshon Junction. Turn left onto Route 3 and follow the signs to Mini Israel for a visit.

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Day 2: Old City

Enter the Old City via the Jaffa Gate and visit the Tower of David Museum, whose main exhibit focuses 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 Crusader markets. Turn left on David Street and go round the corner to Sisileh Street. Walk down to the Kotel. Visit the Kotel, take the Rabbi Yehudah Halevi steps up to the Jewish Quarter. Walk to Zion Gate, outside the gate turn right, and walk back to the Jaffa Gate.

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Day 3: National Jerusalem

Start the tour with a visit to the Israel Museum. Then walk up to the Knesset (tours on Sundays and Thursdays, reservations required) and through the Rose Garden to the Supreme Court Building. Opposite it is the Foreign Ministry and behind it the Bank of Israel. The Prime Minister’s Office, Finance Ministry, and Interior Ministry are lined up to your left. Drive to Yad Vashem (reservations recommended) and then to Mount Herzl for a visit to the Herzl Museum (reservations recommended). To end the tour, drive north on the Begin Highway to the road leading up to Mount Scopus. Drive to the eastern end of Mount Scopus for a view of the city.

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Day 4: Old Neighborhoods

Start tour at the Jaffa Street entrance of the Mahane Yehuda Market. Walk through the market, cross Agripas and enter the Ohel Moshe neighborhood.  Walk down  to Shilo Street and turn into Beersheba Street to view the Adas Synagogue. Cross Bezalel, walk down Even Sapir and Hirschenberg to the Sharei Hesed neighborhood. Make your way to Kahanov Street to the Synagogue of the Birkat Halevana. Make your way to Keren Kaymet Street. Turn left on Keren Kaymet and right on Ussishkin Street. Turn left on Alharizi and walk through the heart of Rehavia. Turn left on Ibn Gabirol Street and right Keren Kaymet to reach the buildings of the Jewish Agency.

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Day 5: Tel Aviv

Drive to Tel Aviv. Exit Route 1 at Kibbutz Galuyot Street and drive to Jaffa. Continue on Shlomo Street to Marzuk Veazar. Continue straight to Razif Ha’aliyah Hasheniya Street.  Walk up the slope to Kikar Kedumim and to Gan Hapisga to view Tel Aviv. Cross Hazorfim Street and Yefet Street to reach the flea market. Exit to the clock tower square and cross Yefet again to Mifratz Shlomo. At the fork, go right via Ruslan Street to return to  your car. Head north to Rothschild Boulevard to visit Independence Hall and to Ben-Gurion Boulevard to visit Ben-Gurion House. End your visit with dinner at one of the restaurants in the Tel Aviv Port.

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Day 6: A Day in the North

Take Route 1 to Route 6. Drive north on 6 until the end. Go east on Route 65 to Megiddo Junction. Turn north onto 66 and visit ancient Megiddo. Continue on 66 to Hatishbi Junction. Turn right at the traffic light and drive to Hashomerim Junction. Turn right on Route 75 and left onto Route 77. Take Route 65 to Route 85. Go right on 85 and left on 90. Take Route 89 to Safed. Tour the old city. Take Route 89 east to Route 866. Drive past Meron to Route 85 to Acre. Tour the Old City of Acre. Take Route 4 to Haifa and continue along the beach on Route 2 to Tel Aviv. Follow 2 to 20 and to Route 1, back to the Judean Hills.

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Neve Ilan

The hotel at Neve Ilan, operated by the C Hotels group, is strategically located in the heart of the Judean Hills. During the War of Independence, the main command post responsible for keeping the road to Jerusalem open was located in this area. Today this area is only minutes from Jerusalem on the main highway, though it remains charmingly rustic and is full of wineries and kibbutzim.The hotel at Neve Ilan is an ideal base for exploring this area as well as Jerusalem and the coastal plain. It has 160 large, spacious guestrooms, including four with private jacuzzis. Most of the guestrooms can accommodate up to four people. In addition, the hotel has a sports club with an outdoor pool that is heated and covered in winter, a fitness room, a sauna and a jacuzzi, expansive lawns, a balcony that offers a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains, a gift shop, and facilities for conference and special events. The hotel is only a short drive from the Beit Guvrin National Park, Latrun, Mini-Israel, and the village of Abu Ghosh, which is known for its excellent restaurants.

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Copyright ERETZ Magazine 2008