Sights and Entertainment Metulla’s main spectacle is HaGader haTova (The Good Fence) just north of town, an opening in the border barrier between Lebanon and Israel where Lebanese Christians and Druze are allowed to pass through to obtain free medical services, visit relatives, and work in Israel. Israel began passing aid and supplies across the border to Lebanese Christians in 1971, and in 1976 the Good Fence was officially opened, remaining open even during the war in Lebanon.

From the observation point to the right of the snack bars you can see several Maronite Christian villages; on the farthest hill to the right (northwest) stands the Crusader fortress of Beaufort, which was fortified by the PLO and used as a base for shelling Israeli border villages. On the hill farthest to the southwest, look for the Israeli kibbutz Misgav Am, located where the border heads farther north, behind a Lebanese hill. Avoid the ridiculous “Better a close neighbor than a distant enemy'’ T-shirts, and get a more intriguing souvenir, sold quietly at the snack bar on the far left: Lebanese money.

Practical Information

Bus #20 runs eight times per day from Kiryat Shmona to Metulla and back (NIS4.5O). There are two relatively reasonably priced pensions in Metulla, both along the town’s main road. The Yafa Pension (tel. 94 06 17), at the second bus stop in town and recognizable by its bizarre rock garden and Hebrew sign, has doubles for N1S140, breakfast included (try to bargain).

Arazim Pension (tel. 94 41 44), a three-star hotel at the end of the same road, has singles for US$64 and doubles for US$84, breakfast included. The airy restaurant across from the HaMavri Hotel, marked with a prominent English sign reading “Restaurant,” serves decent food at low prices.

Metulla

The sleepy, small-town atmosphere of Israel’s largest village on the Lebanese border (-"the Israeli Twin Peaks") may have been shattered again during the summer of 1993, but when tensions remain below the surface, Metulla, 9km north of Kiryat Shmona, is perfect for those in need of a retreat from the hectic pace of Israeli cities.

Nature Reserves

The transformation of the Hula Valley in the 1920s by Zionist pioneers remains a remarkable achievement. Just south of Kiryat Shmona, the Hula Nature Reserve (tel. 93 70 69) blossoms where a few decades ago a vast swamp festered. The 775. acre reserve encompasses dense cypress groves and open fields; exotic wildlife such as razorbacks and mongeese dwell within the underbrush. The entrance booth rents binoculars for NIS7, which are helpful for those interested in identifying the infinitude of birds that wings its way over the papyrus thickets, swamps, and reeds.

Try to arrive early: the park becomes progressively less serene as families with vocally inquisitive children get there. Buses #840, 841, and 501 (NIS6.30), leaving frequently from Kiryat Shmona (2 per hr. or more), will take you to a junction 3km from the entrance to the reserve, and from there you can walk, skip, or crawl. The observation area has little shade. There’s a kiosk and picnic area for snacks, and a visitors center offers exhibits on flora and fauna, and screens a 15-minute film. (Open Sat.-Thurs. 8am-4:30pm, Fri. 8am-3:30pm.)

All nature reserves listed here are open Saturday through Thursday 8am-5pm, Friday 8am-4pm, closing one hour earlier November through March. (Admission NIS11. Combined ticket for Hula, Banyas, Gamla, Dan, and Ayun Reserves, available at all 5 sites, NIS27.)

Kfar Blum

Is kibbutz, southeast of Kiryat Slimona, has two unrelated attractions: classical ^usic and kayaking. The Upper Galilee Chamber Music Days feature a week-long series of concerts in July by Israel’s famous instrumentalists and vocalists as well aJ lesser-known performers. Tickets are somewhat expensive (NISI7-22 per concern! and sell out rapidly, but rehearsals during the day are free.

On a different note a thrilling 6km kayaking trip (tel. 94 87 55) on the Jordan River costs NIS32 for ooe and NIS50 for two people, and lasts about an hour and 15 minutes. Consult the Gait. lee Guide, available from the GTTO, for more information on kayaking, rafting, and tubing adventures in the region’s gushing streams. Bus #29 runs seven times a day from Kiryat Shmona (NIS3.80).

Tel Hai

Three km north of Kiryat Shmona, Tel Hai sits on a promontory overlooking the ffrla valley. Established in 1918 as a military outpost after the withdrawal of British forces from the Upper Galilee, the town has become a symbol of Israel’s early pioneer movement and the struggle for the narrow mountain range west of the Hula Valley region, known as “the finger of the Galilee".

Tel Hai has the dubious distinction of being the site of the first armed conflict between Jews and Arabs within the current borders of the State of Israel. In 1920, a group of Arabs gathered around the settlements of Tel Hai, Kfar Giladi, and Metulla (then part of French-administered Syria and Lebanon) and accused the Jewish settlers of protecting French soldiers charged with encroachment on Arab lands. Yosef Trumpeldor, the leader of Tel Hai, allowed four Arabs inside the settlement to search for the French agents. Once inside the complex, the Arabs attacked, killing Trumpeldor and seven others. The six men and two women were buried in nearby Kfar Giladi. Trumpeldor’s alleged last words, “No matter, it is good to die for our country,’” for years epitomizing Zionist convictions, today are often regarded with skepticism and even scorn in Israel.
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Practical Information Buses for the Tzfat, other Upper Galilee destinations, and the Golan leave from the central bus station (tef. 94 07 40/1, information tel. (04) 54 9*> ^)> on Tel Hai Blvd. The only accommodations in the area are youth hostels in Tel Hai or Rosh Pina. Falafel and shwarma stands cluster around the intersection of Tel Hai Blvd. and Tchemihovsky St. Cafes and small restaurants stretch one block north and south of the bus station.

There is a Co-op Tzafon supermarket and HaMashbir department store in the shopping complex just south of the bus station. On Thursday mornings until noon there’s an open air shuk on Tel Hai St., jUSt north of the bus station. The post office is south of the bus station and has international telephone and Poste Restante services (tel. 94 02 20; open Sun.-Tues. and fhurs. 8am-12:3Opm, Wed. Sam-1:30pm, Fri. 8am-noon). For first aid (Magen David Adorn), dial 94 43 34; for police, dial 94 94 44. The telephone code for the Kiryat Shmona area is 06. Buses #541, 963, or 841 run from Tiberias to Kiryat Shmona (NIS10.30).

Kiryat Shmona

Kiryat Shmona means “Town of Eight” in Hebrew, honoring Yosef Trumpeldor and seven others who were murdered in the nearby town of Tel Hai in 1920. Situated on the ruins of the old Arab village Al-Khalsa, the city was given its new name in 1949, By virtue of its location in the Hula plain of Upper Galilee near the Ixbanese border, Kiryat Shmona was the target of numerous PLO katyusha bombings and terrorist attacks until Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, and it has been subject to Hizballah shelling as recently as July 1993.

Given the grim nickname Kiryat Katj usha, many of its buildings bear the scars of these assaults on their damaged facades-Walking the thin line between humor and horror, three brightly painted tanks sit ifl a small park near the southern entrance to the town. Although the administrative and transportation center of the Upper Galilee, the uttle more than a pit-stop for most tourists.

Rosh Pina

The quiet town of Rosh Pina, on the slopes of Mt. Kenaan, is a gateway to the Upper! Galilee and Golan. Many buses heading north go to, pass through, and leave froiMJ this hub. From Tel Aviv, bus #842 goes to Rosh Pina (NIS19) and continues up to Kiryat Shmona. Bus #500 travels to Rosh Pina from Haifa (MS 15) and also continues to Kiryat Shmona. Buses #459, 461, 401 and 511 to Tzfat (NIS4.80); #55, 56, and 57 to Katzrin (NIS6.20) and #842. 845, 480, 500, and 969 to Kiryat Shmona (NIS7). The! Nature Friends Youth Hostel (tel. (06) 93 70 86) in Rosh Pina offers a quiet and1 comfortable environment (dorm beds NIS44, doubles NIS118, including breakfast.) Some travelers take the 2-hr, hike up the scenic, steep road to Tzfat.

Bar’am

A 40-minute bus ride northwest of Tzfat will take you to the deserted village of Bar’am where the remains of a 3rd-century synagogue stand. While many of the ancient synagogue sites in Israel are little more than dusty foundation stones, this! one, though far from intact, retains larger fragments of facade, columns, and ornament in place, providing a clearer idea of the whole.

like all synagogues of the Galilee, the building facade is oriented south toward Jerusalem, but it bears an atypical six-columned portico with a well. The well-preserved stone carving of the main portal include wreaths, winged figures, and vines with clusters of grapes.
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Meron and Mt. Meron

Each year on the holiday of Lag Ba’Omer (April 29 in 1994), thousands converge on the tiny village of Meron, 4km west of Tzfat, at the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai, the great 2nd-century Talmudic scholar. Some believe he composed the Zobar (the central work of Jewish mysticism) while hiding in a cave in Peki’in. According to the Kabbalists, Bar Yohai once vowed to God that the Jews would never forget the importance of the Torah. Mindful of this vow, the Tzfat Hasidim dance and sing their way to his tomb, accompanied by an ancient Torah scroll from the Bana’a Synagogue in the Spanish Quarter. Contact the GTIO in Tzfat for details.

Near the tomb are the ruins of an outwardly unimpressive but historically noteworthy synagogue dating from the 3rd century AD, when Meron was a center in the booming olive oil trade. From Bar Yohai’s grave, walk to your right, past the yeshiva, and follow the uphill path to your left. Virtually all that’s left of the synagogue is a lintel. Legend has it that this lintel’s fall will herald the coming of the Messiah. The Israeli Department of Antiquities has nervously buttressed the artifact with reinforced concrete, but every year, pious Jews from Tzfat enthusiastically dance and stomp in efforts to accelerate its fall.

The Caro Synagogue and Ha’AM (Ashkenazi) Synagogue are the most famous synagogues. To reach the Caro Synagogue, take Ma’alot Oleh haGardom St. off Jerusalem St. and make a right onto Beit Yosef St. Ask to see the remarkable set of old; books and Torah scrolls. It was here that Yosef Caro, chief rabbi of Tzrat and author of the vast Shulban Arukh ("The Set Table,” an extensive and standard guide for daily life according to Jewish law), studied and taught in the 16th century. In the basement is the angel with whom he used to confer (Rabbi Alkabetz purportedly witnessed their talks).

These days, the angel prefers not to be disturbed. To reach Ha’Ari Synagogue, follow Beit Yosef until it becomes Alkabetz St., make a right up a stairway with stained glass Stars of David above, and continue straight under the stone arch. The synagogue will be to your right on Najara St. Rabbi Isaac Luria was the great Kabbalist who introduced the Kabbalat Shabbat, an arrangement of prayers in preparation for the Sabbath; Alkabetz, his student, wrote the famous liturgical hymn Lekha Dodi. The four pillars that buttress the podium in the middle of the room symbolize the four elements of the world (air, fire, water, and earth) and the four holy cities (Tzfat, Jerusalem, Tiberias, and Hebron).

Sights and Entertainment As with all the older cities of Israel, the tangled pedestrian streets of Tzfat are sparingly labeled. You’re here to wander happily around, anyway. The meager ruins of a 12th-century Crusader fortress that once controlled the main route to Damascus grace Gan haMetzuda, a cool, wooded park and an ideal spot for a picnic. At the summit stands a monument commemorating the Israelis who died here during the 1948 war. The entrance near GTIO is across from the Davidka Monument, memorializing a makesliift weapon used in the War of Independence, effective simply due to a frightening noise it made.

The Israel Bible Museum (tel. 97 34 72), just north of the park up the steep stone stairway, displays the work of Phillip Rattier, a modern American artist whose work is in permanent collections at the Statue of liberty, the White House, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Sculptures, lithographs, graphics, and paintings vividly depict biblical scenes and personalities. Pick up a list of works from the front desk. (March-Sept, open Sun.-Thurs. 10am-6pm, Sat. 10am-2pm; Oct.-Nov. Sat.-Thurs. 10am-2pm; °ec. and Feb. Sun.-Thurs. 10am-2pm. Closed Jan. Free.) The Shem v’Ever Cave, °ie of several sacred caves in the region, is believed to be where Noah’s son and Srandson, Shem and Ever respectively, were buried.

Beit Natan, on Jerusalem St. (tel. 92 01 21) south of GTIO, by the Davidka monument. Houses university students during the school year but open to tourists from july-Aug. Doubles NIS100.

Bear in mind that many places in Tzfat shut down on Shabbat; if you don’t shop before Friday afternoon, you’ll starve. The stretch of Jerusalem St. north of the bridge (to #48) is lined with good, cheap falafel stands and expensive sit-down restaurants. Despite its dubious name, California Falafel, 92 Jerusalem St., next to the HaPalmah St. bridge, fries great falafel (NIS4.50; open weekdays 9am-I0pm, Fri. until 3pm; kosher).
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Hadai” Hotel, Ridbaz St. (tel. 92 00 68). Take a right from the bus station and head up Jerusalem St. Ridbaz is an alley off Jerusalem. Look for the yellow sign with an arrow. Cozy atmosphere unquestionably enriches the Tzfat experience, if you nave the cash. Rooms include bath; some with A/C. No smoking on Shabbat. Singles NIS65, doubles NIS100. Sept.-June NIS45, doubles NIS80.

Ascent Institute of Tzfat, 2 Ha’Ari St. (tel. 92 13 64, fax 92 19 42). Take the fir# right off Jerusalem St. heading right up the hill from the bus station. For Jewish travelers. Reception open Sun.-Thurs. 9am-9pm, Fri. 9am-6pm. In winter Sun-’ Thurs. 9am-lpm and 5pm-8pm, Fri. 9am-4pm, but you can always leave your bags. Dorm beds NIS30. Sat. nights, dorm beds NIS20. Breakfast and walking ton* Included (summer only). This establishment cares about your religious education: they will give you NIS5 rebate for each of two optional classes you attend while there. Or go have a beer for NIS5; no rebates, no strings attached.

Beit Binyamin (HI), near the Amal Trade School in South Tzfat (tel. 92 10 86, fas 97 35 14). A 20-min. walk from the bus station, or take bus #6 or 7. From the bus station, follow Jerusalem St. south (left, downhill) and take your first left onto Aliya Bet, which will merge with HaHalutz. Just past the Allon Center, take -.1 right off of HaHalutz onto HaNassi. After HaNassi turns into HaMem-Gimel, head left on Lohamei HaGeta’ot, the second turn-off.

The hostel will be on your right. Comfortable rooms in this newly renovated complex all have private bathrooms-Dorms beds (4per room) NIS39. Singles NIS81, doubles NIS112, triples N1S150-Nonmembers pay an additional NIS3. Breakfast included, other meals served upon request. Reception open 7-9am and 4-7pm. Call ahead.

Accommodations and Food Tzfat’s youth hostel is well equipped and only a short ride from the bus station. Another option is to sleep in the inexpensive guest rooms and separate flats provided by town residents, open primarily in high season. Most of the rentals are comfortable, with hoi showers, living rooms, and separate kitchens for guests. The best way to find one of these places is to let them find you: if you walk around the central bus station forlornly holding your luggage, it shouldn’t be long before you are approached. Don’t pay until you see the quarters.

It’s wise to ask the GTIO about any place you’re considering renting. You may also want to walk up Jerusalem St. and choose one of the places with a “rooms to let” sign (often in Hebrew only). Ask at the tourist office for the phone numbers listed for rooms to rent. (Official prices are singles NIS50, doubles NIS100, but you can bargain, especially during low season.) It is wise to check all accommodations for heating or blankets; even summer nights in Tzfat can be chilly.

Orientation and Practical Information Tzfat, transliterated as Zefat, safed, Safad, and even Cfat, is arranged in circular terraces of streets descending from the castle ruins at the town center. Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) Street, the Wain street, behind the central bus station, makes a complete circle around Gan haMetzuda (Park of the Citadel).

HaPalmah Street begins off Jerusalem St. near the central bus station and crosses the main street via an arched stone bridge. Think of Tzfat as divided into three semi-distinct districts: the Park Area, at the top of the fountain (ringed by Jerusalem St.); the Artists’ Quarter, southwest and down the jJjU; and the Synagogue Quarter (Old City), immediately to the north of the Artists’ Quarter on the other side of Ma’alot Oleh haGardom. If you arrive by car, you’ll need parking permits from the GTTO (NIS1.20 per hour from Sam until 6pm).

UPPER GALILEE - Tzfat (Safed)

You needn’t be religious or Jewish to be enraptured by the mystical city of Tzfat; anyone who’s ever had a semi-profound thought, or faked one, will love it. Set on hazy Mt Canaan, overlooking the Galilean hills and the Kinneret, Tzfat is a city of mesmerizing beauty. Orthodox Jews believe the Messiah will travel from Mt. Meron to Tzfat before going to Jerusalem; some here even sport buttons that read “We want the Messiah now!” or display “In God We Trust” bumper stickers.

Along with Jerusalem, Hebron, and Tiberias, Tzfat is a Jewish holy city. Sages say each city represents an element: Jerusalem is fire because of the burnt offerings in the Temple; Hebron earth for the land Abraham bought there; Tiberias water for Yam Kinneret; and Tzfat, a walled city perched in the cool Upper Galilee hills, is air. Of course, it’s possible to get too much of Tzfat’s atmosphere: in 1777, a rabbi who had trekked all the way to Tzfat from Europe ultimately packed up and left for Tiberias, complaining that the angels here kept him up at night.

Other Sights around the Lake

Continuing eastward from Vered haGalil (see Getting Around above) along the road for 2.5 km (look for the orange, not white, sign to Korazim), you will find the ruins of the Jewish town of Korazim, dating from the Talmudic period (3rd-4th century AD). Like so much of the this region, the bare and Railing landscape is strewn with the dark basalt rubble of what were once streets and clustered dwellings. The remains display a basic village layout of the time: housing quarters centered around 3 paved public courtyard, and a synagogue with some detailed chunks of ornamental pediment and (reconstructed) interior cornice. (Tel. 93 49 82. Open Sun.-Thurs. 8am-5pm, Fri. 8am-4pm. Closes one hour earlier in the winter. Admission NIS7.50, students NIS5.65).

The low water level of the Kinneret in 1985-86 had one serendipitous benefit- -he discovery of an ancient boat off the beach of Kibbutz Ginnosar, just north of Tiberias. The boat was found under a segment of newly exposed lakebed. Its d f, which had turned to mush after centuries of marinating in mud, was encased in a fiberglass frame and hauled to shore. The boat has been restored to near-pristine condition, and has been dated at 100 BC-100 AD. It rests in a glass tank filled with water, where it will undergo nine years of cosmetic repair. Noting its age, some Christians have dubbed it “the Jesus boat.”

Migdal & Buses

Migdal, the birthplace of Mary Magdalene ("Magdalene” is a corruption of Migdal), halfway between Tiberias and the Capernaum junction, was a flourishing metropolis during the Second Temple period. Only a tiny, white-domed shrine m;irks where the city once stood.

Buses #841, 459, 541, and 963 from Tiberius pass the Capernaum junction about once an hour en route north to Kiryat Shmona and Tzfat. Get off before the bus turns up the Mount and walk along the shore for 3km. For Tabgha, take die same buses and get off in Tabgha Junction. To get to Migdal, take bus #458, 541, 841 or 963 from Tiberias.

In Tabgha, 2km southwest of Capernaum along the coastal road, the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter marks the spot where Jesus made Peter “Shepherd of his People.” Tabgha (Tabba in Hebrew) is an Arabic distortion of the original Greek name for the site, Heptapegon, meaning seven springs. According to the Book of John, after the Resurrection Peter led the apostles on a fishing expedition 100m offshore from Tabgha.

A man on shore called to them to throw their nets over the starboard side and assured them of a catch. When the nets hit the water, a swarm offish swam in. Jumping off the boat and swimming to shore, Peter found the man, whom he now realized was Jesus, preparing a meal for the Twelve. When the others sailed in, Jesus charged Peter, “Feed my lambs…. Tend my sheep…. Feed my sheep.” (John 21: 15-19) This episode is widely regarded as the basis for the primacy of St. Peter. The Church of the Primacy is built around a rock said to be the table of this feast; the building itself dates only to the 1930s. On the seaward side of the church are the steps from which Jesus called out his instructions, and on the shoreline is a series of six double or heart-shaped column bases built by early Christians and called the “thrones of the Apostles” (tel. 72 47 67; open 8am-5pm).
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New Testament Sites

Four of the most significant stories in Christian history are set in the steep hills sur-! rounding the northern coast of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). According to the New Testament, when Jesus walked on water, he walked on the Kinneret. (Today, youi can only waterski.) On the Mount of Beatitudes, overlooking sea, field, and town, Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5).

A church, funded by Mussolini, of all people, now stands on the Mount. Its octagonal shape recalls Jesus’ eight beatitudes. Shorts and bare shoulders are not permitted. To reach the Mount, take bus #459, 541, or 963 from Tiberias; get off at the second stop after the bus turns uphill away from the lake. From here, a sign points the way to the church, lkm along a side road. (Church open daily 8am-noon and 2:3O-5pm. Free.) From the Mount, you can walk to the ancient town of Capernaum by following the path down to the coastal road.
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Around Lake Kinneret - Moving Around

All sights around Lake Kinneret are accessible by buses from Tiberias. The adventur-i ous can tour around by bicycle to save the hassle of long walks and waiting for buses. A total circuit takes about four hours, plus time to actually visit the sights. Get a mountain bike if possible (Hostel Aviv is your best bet); the knobby tires will supplement your motocross prowess when insane Israeli drivers force you into a roadside ditch. The Lido Kinnereth Sailing Co. (tel. 72 IS 38) operates a ferry service^ between Lido Beach and Capernaum; NIS20 whether you’re going one way ori round-trip (no extra charge for bikes). Boat leaves from lido Beach at 8:30;im andi returns at 11:30am or 12:30pm.

Horseback is an excellent, albeit expensive, way to explore the northern coast of | the Kinneret. Take bus #459, 541, 841 or 963 from Tiberias ant! get off at Korazim junction, in front of the guest farm Vered haGalil. A half-day guided ride through the Galilean hills down to the sea and then up to the Mount of Beatitudes costs] US$40 per person. If you call ahead, the owner, Yehuda Avni, will let you camp free] and use shower and toilet facilities the night before your ride. Bring your sleeping] bag. There’s also a bunkhouse where bed and American breakfast cost US$3038 for! one, USS42-51 for two. The restaurant here may eat up your funds. The stables offer! many different kinds of rides, and previous experience isn’t necessary. An hour-long oshavim also offer horseback riding. Check at the Tiberias GTIO for, details.

Entertainment

Unlike the shores of the Med, those of this lake (circumference 58km) have entrance fees, and many lack sand. The shoreline in the city and to the immediate north and south is owned by hotels, which charge a hefty admission but possess changing and shower facilities, boat rentals, and kiosks. The beaches to the north of the city are located along Gedud Barak Rd., off HaYarden. Bathers, be warned: an unattended alligator has been reported several times swimming in the lake in summer 1993, possibly a veteran of the Hamat Gader alligator farm (see below, Around the Kinneret). The authorities deny, but watch out for floating palm tree trunks.

The Lido Kinneret (tel. 72 15 38 or 72 02 26), just off HaYarden St., charges NIS10. NIS80 buys you 15 minutes of waterskiing. (Open daily 8anH$pm.) Just north is the somewhat dilapidated Nelson Beach (admission NIS10; open 24 hrs.) with an array of water equipment: two-person kayaks or four- to five-person paddle boats (NIS30 per hr.), water skiing (NIS70 for 15min., discount for group of 4), and, believe it or not, the only speed boat-drawn inflatable banana on the Galilee (NISI 5 for 15min.). As part of its effort to woo a young crowd, the Nelson hosts rock concerts in the summer.

Sights

The old city, shaken by earthquakes and conquerors, has vanished but for a few ! fragments of the waifs littering the modern town. To get a sense of its former glory, ‘ join a free walking tour offered by Edna Amos, archeologist, courtesy of the Moriah Plaza Hotel (Sat. 10am; tours leave from the hotel lobby).

Tlie meticulously tended Tomb of Moses Maimonides, on Y. Ben Zakkai St., com- j memorates the controversial and famous rabbi and physician who attempted a syn- ] thesis of Aristotelian and Arabic philosophy with the study of Judaism. According to : legend, an unguided camel carried his coffin to Tiberias.

To reach the tomb, take HaYarden St. east (toward the water) and turn left on Y. Ben-Zakkai St. The tomb is about two blocks up on the right. The area has a red fence and black pillars; the white half-cylinder with Hebrew writing is the actual tomb. If you need further directions, ask for the tomb of “Rambam,” the rabbi’s Hebrew acronym (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon) or get in good with an unguided camel. While you’re at it, visit the Tomb of Rabbi Akiva, on the hillside above the Kinneret (take bus *4 and ask for directions), and that of Rabbi Meir Ba’al haNes, student of Rabbi Akiva (on the hillside above the hot springs). (Tombs open Stin.-Thurs. 8am-7pm, Fri. 8am-2pm. Modest dress required.)

Makom Bahutz (tel. 72 26 68), around the corner of north end of promenade. Frozen yogurt with fresh fruit or other toppings mixed in (NIS6.50 for 3 toppings) and outdoor screenings of Israeli comedy or music videos in the evening.

Sesame (tel. 72 00 38), in the thick of the midrahov. Even non-vegetarians appreciate the homemade food and mellow music here. Interesting menu: whole grain pizza NIS14-17, gazpacho NIS7.80. Open daily lpm-2am.

Eat As Much As You Can, HaBanim St. across from the midrahov, between HaYarden and HaYarkon. Not the most elegant place in town, but the best way for the budget traveler to get a nice piece of authentic St. Peter’s fish. Unlimited amount of small, delicious fresh fish from the Kinneret NISI 5. Salad, chips, or hummus NIS5 each. Open 12:30pm-midnight.

Dolphin Grill, at the corner of HaBanim St. and the midrehov. Sbisblik, kabab, or schnitzel with 5 salads and “cheeps” costs NIS18, hummus NIS6. The grill’s outdoor tables are prime for people-watching.

Karamba Vegetarian Restaurant, on Promenade (tel. 79 15 46). Take the alley leading to the waterfront from the Meyouhas hostel. Exotic ambience. Pizza mar-guereta NIS14, artichoke house-style NIS15.

Avi’s Restaurant, HaKishon St. (tel. 79 17 97) between HaGalil and HaBanim St., opposite the Jordan River Hotel. Local atmosphere and tasty food. Pizza MS13-18, canneloni NIS18. Tahina NIS5. Open daily ll:30am-lam.

Guy Restaurant, HaGalil St. (tel. 72 19 73), near HaKishon. Moroccan kitchen, with stuffed vegetables (NIS6-10) and a variety of salads. House specialties include an assorted eggplant dish (7 types) and fried meat-filled “cigars” (NIS3). Open Sun.-Thurs. noon-midnight, Fri noon-6pm. Kosher.

Maman Restaurant, HaGalil St. (tel. 72 11 26), at the corner of Bibass St. Crammed with Israelis. Middle Eastern fare at reasonable prices. A/C. Hummus or tahina NIS6. schnitzel MS6. Open Sun.-Fri. llam-llpm. Kosher.

Food

The city shuk, occupying a square block starting at Bibass St. and going south, sells cheap, high-quality produce every day except Shabbat. You can also pick up a light lunch or dinner at one of Tiberias’s innumerable falafel spreads on HaYarden St., which runs from HaBanim St. toward the bus station. Most of the grill restaurants near the midrahov serve sbishlik with salad and pita for about NIS10. The seafood restaurants along the waterfront can offer idyllic settings, though annoyingly close teenage jet skiers and flotillas of plastic bottles may disturb the placid Galilee waters.

A tasty dinner of St. Peter’s fish, unique to the Sea of Galilee (or nearby cultivated fish ponds), costs about N1S31. The eateries on HaGalil and HaBanim St. and the squares in between offer cheaper fare. There is a Co-op supermarket in the Great Mosque Plaza across from Meyouhas Hostel, open 7am-9pm most days (closed Sat.).

Accommodations And Camping

For a town this size, Tiberias offers an astonisliing number of lodging options- Competition is fierce; you’ll probably be bombarded by hostel employees when you; arrive at the bus station. Prices rise dramatically during the high season, July-September. The area is also particularly mobbed during the Jewish holidays of Pesah, Rosh| haShana, and Sukkot. Most hostels will arrange Golan tours if you ask.

Meyouhas Hostel (HI), HaYarden St. (tel. 72 17 75 or 79 03 $0, fax 72 03 72), at the corner of HaGalil and HaYarden. Centrally located hostel, 2Vi blocks from the bus station. Air-conditioned, clean, and comfortable, with TV room and balcony. April-Sept., lam curfew; Oct.-March, midnight curfew. Reception open 6:30-9am and 2pm-lam. Dorms beds (4-6 per room) US$14. Singles US$15. Doubles US$30, with bath US$40. Nonmembers add US$1.50. Breakfast included (summer only). Lockers NIS3. Make reservations; HI members have priority.

Orientation And Practical Information

Tiberias has three tiers: the old city by the water, the new city (Kiryat Shmuel) up the hill (bus #1 or 5 from the bus station), and the uptown at the top of the hill (bus #7, 8, or 9 from the station). Though the ruins in the old city don’t rival ancient counterparts in Akko or Jerusalem, there is little reason to venture out of this region of the city except to see a movie. HaGalil Street, running parallel to the water, is the main thoroughfare in Tiberias.

Government Tourist Information Office (GT1O): in the Archeological Park on HaBanim St. (tel. 72 09 92 or 72 20 89, fax 72 50 62), next to the Jordan River and Moriah-Plaza hotels. Open Sun.-Thurs. 8:3Oam-5pra, Fri. 8:30am-2pm.

Currency Exchange: Bank HaPoalim, HaBanim St. (tel. 79 84 11), between HaYarden and HaYarkon St. Bank Leumi, at the corner of HaYarden and HaBanim St. (tel. 72 71 11). Both open Sun., Tues., and Thurs. 8:30am-12;30pm and 4-6pm, Mon. and Wed. 8:30am-12:30pm, Fri. and holiday eves 8am-noon.

Tiberias

Since the Israeli troops took the Golan Heights in 1967, ending the constant shelling of the region, the area around the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) has become a popular alternative to a Mediterranean or Red Sea holiday. Although tourism has raised prices, it has also brought an abundance of lodgings and a lively weekend nightlife to northern Israel. Tiberias (Tverya in Hebrew) is the only major city on the Kin-j neret and an ideal touring base for the area and the Golan Heights, though during July and August the city can be hot and soggily humid due to its location 200ffl below sea level.

For a resort, Tiberias has a surprisingly noble history. Built in 18 AD by Herod Antipas, King of Judea and tetrarch of Galilee, the city was named for the Roman emperor Tiberius. According to first-cenlury Jewish historian Josephus, the city also took on its namesake’s most salient trait-hedonism. Although the Romans attempted to bring in settlers, most Jews, including Jesus, refused to enter the towfl’ because it was built upon the site of older Jewish graves. But after Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yohai declared the town ritually pure. Tiberias became a major center of Jewish scholarship. When the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in response to the Bar Kokhba revolt. Tiberias became perhaps the most serious center of Jewish life and scholarship in the Holy Land. It was here that the Misbnah (a collection of Jewish law forming part of the Talmud) was codified, the Talmud edited, and vowels added to thej Hebrew alphabet and sacred texts. The Sanhedrin, the great court of scholars and) rabbis, also met here. Along with Jerusalem, Hebron, and Tzfat, Tiberias was deemed one of Israel’s holy cities.
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Beit She’an to Afula

A]ong the road from Beit She’an to Afula (transportation hub of the Lower Galilee) are several sites of both natural and historical interest. Buses #412 and 415 travel the road between these two cities. To get to Afula from Nazareth take buses #823 (departs every ^hr.), the hourly #824, #355, or #357 for NTS4.5.

Beit She’an is a largely Sephardi development town. Its most famous son is former foreign minister David Levy. Of more interest to tourists is one of the finest archeologica! sites in the country, a vast complex of mostly Roman and Byzantine Citv ruins. Excavations continue on the main archeological mound, the Tel al-Husn, and have already revealed some 20 layers of settlements dating back as far as the 5th millennium BC. Of particular interest is the Roman theater, one of the largest extant Roman constructions in Israel. Built in 200 AD by the Emperor Septimius Severus, the amphitheater accommodated 7000 spectators with its three tiers of semi-circular seating.

Sights near Nazareth

Kfar Kanna, a village to the north of Nazareth, is said to be the site of Jesus’ miraculous transformation of water into wine at the wedding feast (John 2:1-11). A Franciscan church (tel. 51 71 11) was built here in 1881 to commemorate the event. - (Open Mon.-Fri. 8:30-11:45am and 2-5:45pm, Sun. and feasts 2-5:45pm.) Buses leave for Kfar Kanna every 45 minutes from near Mary’s Well in Nazareth, or you can take bus #431 to Tiberias (NIS4.5) and ask to be let off at Kfar Kanna. Bus #431 leaves every 20-30 minutes from the central bus station.

Mount Tabor (Har Tavor in Hebrew) is 588m high and located 33km from Nazareth. Shared by Franciscan and Greek Orthodox monks, inside the fortifications are a number of sights. The Basilica of the Transfiguration, built in 1924, sits atop a 6th-century AD Byzantine church marking the spot where Jesus spoke with Elijah and Moses and was transfigured in the presence of apostles Peter, James, and John (Luke 9:28-36). Nearby, the Church of Elijah is built atop the Cave of Melchizedek, which can be entered from the outside through a small, iron door. The limestone fortifications, once an Arab fortress called Al-Adil, date from 1211.

Sights Nazareth is synonymous with churches, and none is more prominent than the Basilica of the Annunciation, which dominates the downtown with its great faceted lantern/tower. Completed only in 1969, the basilica sits over the site believed to be Mary’s home, where the archangel Gabriel appeared in order to herald the birth of Jesus. Beyond the huge bronze doors, depicting the life of Jesus, the modern basilica structure merges with ancient ruins. On the ground floor, services stili take place before the Grotto of the Annunciation, on the remains of older churches which date back to 356 AD.

On the second floor, its walls lined with a series of international artistic interpretations of the Annunciation, an enormous balcony overlooks the biblical site below. The excavations of the ancient town of Nazareth lie in a garden underneath the plaza, accessible from the upper floor of the church. Ask one of the Franciscan monks to show you around. Modest dress required. To get to the Basilica, walk north from the GTIO; it’s the enormous building on your right. (Open Mon.-Fri. 8:30-ll:45am and 2-5:45pm, Sun. and feasts 2-5:45pm; winter, Mon.-Fri. 9-ll:45am and 2-4:45pm, Sim. and feasts 24:45pm.)

Accommodations and Food Inexpensive beds are offered by several Christian hospices. Unfortunately, because sisters from all over the world are frequently here on retreat, you may need to scramble for a bed. A pristine dormitory with a beautiful courtyard and superb facilities is run by the Sisters of Nazareth (tel. 55 43 04, P.O. Box 274), near the basilica. Walk up Casa Nova St. and take a left after the Casa Nova Hospice; it will be on the right. The entrance is through a small beige doorway, just past the faded pink archway.

(Check-in 4pm, but you can leave your pack if you arrive earlier. Curfew 9pm. Dorm beds US$6, private rooms US$ 14 per person, US$3 single supplement. Includes kitchen, dining room, and living room.) The French-speaking Peres de Betharram (tel. 57 00 46) also run a pleasant hospice in the Eilout neighborhood (bed and breakfast US$20, US$3 single supplement).

Although the hospice run by the German-speaking Sisters of Charles Barrameus (tel. 55 44 35) is mainly for the nuns’ family and friends, they welcome tourists if space permits. It’s located behind the Carmelite Convent, a trek from the bus station, so call ahead (bed and breakfast NIS50). The Casa Nova Hospice (tel. 57 13 67, fax 57 96 30), across from the Basilica on Casa Nova St., is the deluxe option and almost always filled with Italian pilgrim groups. (Doubles and triples US$21 per person. Breakfast included. USS9 single supplement. 5% service charge.) The Galilee Hotel, 6 Paul VI St. (tel. 57 13 11, fax 55 66 27), a 10-minute walk south of the bus station, has private rooms with showers. (Singles US$45- Doubles US$75. Breakfast included. Call ahead.)
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Orientation and Practical Information Nazareth lies in the Lower Galilee 40km northwest of Haifa, and 30km northeast of Tiberias, on a hill north of the Jezreel Valley. The inhabitants of the old Arab Town, where the Christian sites are located, resent the encroaching development of the newer Natzrat Illit (Upper Nazareth), where more recent Jewish arrivals have built a modem community. The intifada has strengthened many Nazarene Arabs’ sense of Palestinian identity, but the city remains relatively free of tension.

Obtain a map of Nazareth from a GTIO office in another city before braving Naza-rene navigation. Most of the city’s winding streets have only numbers for names, but even that isn’t helpful since there aren’t any signs. In this sloped labyrinth, your navigational aids will be the dozens of towers and domes. When you get lost in the market, just keep walking downhill and you’ll eventually come to Paul VI Street. Tha thoroughfare winds uphill from the bus station to Mary’s Wei! and intersects Casa Nova Street.

Nazareth’s Christian community rolls up the sidewalks on Sundays, but most establishments are open on Sbabbat.

Lower Galilee – Nazareth

A vibrant center of Arab life in the Galilee, Nazareth (An-Nassira in Arabic, Natzratin Hebrew) is vastly different from the Biblical images of pastoral churches and convents. True, as the place of Jesus’s early life and the traditional home of Joseph and Mary, Nazareth contains several holy Christian sites.

But sentimental sketches on Christmas cards belie the true nature of Nazareth, an engrossingly gritty town. For a sense of Nazareth’s overwhelming importance to Christians, head for the winding back alleys and dim church interiors. Your shaky faith will quickly be cured, howler, when a reckless driver misses you by inches on Paul VI St. or when you fight the clamoring crowds in the main business district.

Galilee

Several millennia of historic sites are squeezed between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean. Jesus wandered, preached, and fashioned miracles, and Jewish mystics wrote the classics of the Kabbala in these forested hills. More recently, the majestic scenery has witnessed attacks on Israel from its neighbors: first the Syrians from the Golan Heights, then the PLO from southern Lebanon, and lately the Shi’ite fundamentalist Party of God (Hizballah), again from southern Lebanon.

The Israelis, to be sure, never sit idle: in 1967 they captured the Golan Heights, in 1982 they invaded Lebanon (and stayed there for over five years), and in July 1993 they launched a massive attack in southern Lebanon in an attempt to stop katyusha rockets from falling on their northern settlements. While periodical tension and attacks usually ;iffect only areas immediately near the Lebanese border, it is a good idea to get the latest information before heading out to the Kiryat Shmona area. Other places in the Galilee should be perfectly safe.