There are a lot of holidays in Israel. Some are Jewish religious holidays with specific rituals, stories and foods. Others are national Israeli holidays. In the month that I’ve been in Israel so far, there has been quite a few: Pesach – I arrived in Israel for the last day of Pesach, also known as [...]
Last night was Shabbat eve. Every week on Friday evening, there is a communal celebration. The kibbutzniks put on their best white clothes and gather for a shabbat meal. But before dinner is served, they dance in front of the dining hall. It is a special sort of dance, developed especially by and for Neot [...]
Apricots are called “mishmish” in Hebrew (the wonderfully sounding “mishmishim” is the plural of mishmish), and they’re definitely in season right now. Every day we pick loads and loads of fresh mishmishim. We bring them to the fruit processing plant where they are sorted, steamed and pulped. The pulp will be used for jams and [...]
This week, I’ve been working in the date plantation. The date plantation is very close to the border to Jordan. It takes about 20 minutes by car to go from Ne’ot Semadar to the plantation: The date palms are typically between 4 and 15 meters tall, so we use a ramp to get up to [...]
The description of life in Neot Semadar that I was sent when I signed up as a volunteer has proven remarkably accurate. A big part of my first week here has been to get synchronized with the rhythm of the kibbutz. Because there is such a big focus on community, on communal living and cooperation, [...]
The Grand view of Ne’ot Semadar – the kibbutz I’m staying at for the next month or more. It’s pronounced “neh-OHT smeDAR”. Roughly translated, Ne’ot Semadar means “Beautiful Blossoms” in Hebrew. Interestingly enough, the oasis is man-made. Everything there, including the two lakes (!!!) are dependent on miles of irrigation piping and water drawn from [...]
This is the entrance to the Fauzi Azar Inn in Nazareth where I stayed for two nights. The door is only 140 cm, so you have to bow down to enter (to show respect to God and to the lord of the house). The Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. It is said to be built [...]
I’ve been in Israel for a week now. I’ve spent that week exploring Tel Aviv and Jaffa, and Jerusalem. I haven’t felt like blogging yet, and besides, I haven’t brought a computer so I can’t spend a long time composing thoughtful blog posts. But I have taken quite a few photos. Here’s a few of [...]
Today, I’m heading out. For the next three months, I’ll be travelling and living in the Middle East. Most of the time in Israel and Palestine. Through the Israeli WWOOF network, I’ve arranged to stay at the kibbutz Neot Semadar in southern Israel. Through my stay I hope to experience communal kibbutz life, learn a [...]
I recently realised that I still refer people to my website, yet I’ve failed to blog here for almost a year! Goodness! I guess that is an indication that my plan of focusing my blog in a new direction has failed miserably. That being said, I have been rather busy with both work (which I [...]