Page 41 - Holyland Magazine - 2017 Edition

You should know!
Treasures of the Galilee is a non-
profit, innovative and broad-based
venture, which was founded by the
business woman and philanthropist
Ms. Raya Strauss Ben-Dror with
the objective of encouraging and
promoting the tourism industry in
the Western Galilee, the region of
her birth.
The venture helps some 400
tourism businesses in the area and
tourism-based business owners to
promote their businesses through
of an advanced internet website,
professional courses and training
conducted together with the Israeli
Ministry of Tourism, groups and
organizations coming for leisure
activities in the Western Galilee,
conventions on the issue of
excellence in tourism, marketing,
consulting and public relations. The
businesses included in the venture
have been selected meticulously after
strict criteria defined by Treasures of around a mosque or a church, with a little
the Galilee.
hen God created the Western and religious orders, some of which survive
Galilee, he drew a breathtaking
view, for there is nothing more
Wspectacular than the perfect
combination of azure seas and
green mountains sweeping down straight
onto the beach, with history, archaeology
and a colorful human mosaic to boot.
The Western Galilee offers a thousand gems
- wooded mountains, streams rushing into
the Mediterranean, romantic and secluded
beaches interlaced with coves and small
lagoons, and most of all, welcoming people,
living within reach of the mountains and the
blue sea. The area holds cities and villages,
small towns and kibbutzim, and is made up
of a fascinating human fabric: next to the
cities are small well-kept kibbutzim, with
houses sitting on the slopes overlooking
glorious mountain and sea views. And there
are hidden villages deep in the forests,
with red rooftops and beautiful backyards
surrounded by manicured lawns and trees,
farmland and crops. Arab villages cluster
fountain and a statue of the Virgin Mary
holding baby Jesus. Nahariya was built in
European style, by Jewish immigrants who
fled from Nazi Germany and settled on
Israel’s northernmost beach, where they
built a thriving town. And let us not forget
the crown jewel: the city of Acre, capital of
the Western Galilee and an architectural
and historic gem, recognized as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. Acre is the only still-
lived-in Crusader city in the world, and a
visit to this ancient port town is like traveling area: from the best bistro restaurants in
back in time. You can discover its quaint little
alleys, take a walk around the colorful bazaar
and beautiful old fishing port, and visit its
many well-preserved archeological sites,
encapsulating its story - from the Bronze
Age to the Hellenistic, Roman, Crusader,
Arabic and Ottoman times, through the
British mandate to our present time. Each
and every one of these invaders has left their
mark on this gorgeous and unique city.
Acre is also mentioned once in Bible, “Neither
did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho,
nor the inhabitants of Zidon” (Judges 1, 31),
and according to Jewish tradition, when the
flood reached the beaches of Acre, God
ordered it to cease. Acre switched hands
many times over the millennia, and was the
capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the
13th century and capital of the Galilee in the
18th century. According to tradition, this is
also the burial place of Amnon, son of King
David, and that of the prophet Deborah. The
city is mentioned in the Talmud, and was
inhabited by many Talmudic scholars at the
time. During the Middle Ages, the city was
awash with Crusaders, who set up churches
to this day.
The Western Galilee is also a prime example
of co-existence and mutual respect, with
communities of all the various religions and
ethnicities - Jewish, Muslim and Christian
Arabs, Druze, Bedouins and Ba’hai – all
living side by side in harmony.
There is no greater pleasure than a picnic
under the trees in Goren Park, with gorgeous
views of the Monfort Crusader Fortress; and
nothing beats a nighttime tour with lanterns
at the Yehi'am Crusader Fortress. Nothing
is more breathtaking than a Mediterranean
sunset, seen from the Keshet (or Arch)
Cave, with its northern wall collapsing and
creating a spectacular open view towards
Bezet Stream. Nothing is more exhilarating
than a visit to Rosh Hanikra, with its many
sea caves cut out by the surge over millenia,
creating one of the world’s greatest natural
wonders. And there’s nothing more romantic
than a stroll on one of the beaches of the
Western Galilee or a carriage ride down
Nahariya’s main road.
The Western Galilee offers a myriad of
attractions and opportunities for a relaxed
or extremely active holiday: hotels, luxurious
or affordiable B&Bs, Jeep rides, horse riding
and rappelling, white-water rafting, walking
trails, bike trails along the beaches, streams
and mountains, national parks, museums,
galleries and artist studios, and last but not
least, some great restaurants reflecting the
influences of the many peoples living in the
the country, through Israeli, Arab, Druze,
Romanian, Georgian, Kurdish and Moroccan
cuisine, with home cooks offering gourmet
dinners in their living rooms, as well as fine
wineries, boutique breweries and dairy farms.
This is the Western Galilee: mountains and
jagged beaches, with the waves crashing
on its shores; countless views and endless
attractions – from the beautiful sea caves
at Rosh Hanikra to the great promenade at
Achziv and Bezet Beach, as well as many
streams and rivulets, ancient allyeways,
Crusader fortresses, Mediterranean scrub,
prehistoric caves, an artificial lake, an ancient
port, archeological sites, history and battle
heritage, thriving agriculture, banana and
avocado groves, hidden villages deep in the
forest or on mountain tops, a one-of-a-kind
ecological community, hairpin mountain
roads and picturesque villages, church
bells, mosques and synagogues, beautiful
courtyards, bazaars, and an ancient town
called Peki’in, home to Muslims, Christians,
Druze and one Jewish family who has never
left.
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