Mas’ada is located at the foot of Mt. Hermon, at the intersection of the roads lead- , ing south to Katzrin and west to Kiryat Shmona. Mas’ada’s farmers cultivate the valley and terrace the low-lying ridges around the mountain. The numerous Israeli flags and pro-Israel murals are the governments rebuke to the town’s demonstrators. 1 Down the road 2km is the locally famous lake, Birkat Ram (in Hebrew, Brekhat Ram). The perfectly round body of water is something of a geological peculiarity, j formed not, as it appears, in a volcano-crater, but by underground water-bearing strata. You’ll know you’ve reached the lake when you see the parking lot of the two-1 story Birkat Ram Restaurant.

The restaurant is packed and completely surrounded by fences separating it from the lake. The only decent view is from the porch, and the Druze owners are polite about it although not terribly enthusiastic about gazers. You can rent a paddleboat for NIS10 per hour, or a sailboard for N1S16 for a half hour, but either way you still have to pay NISI just to walk down to the dock. Out of the parking lot and to the right you’ll see a postcard-worthy view of a striking Druze mosque beneath seasonally snowy Mt. IJermon.