A Trip to the Galilee (north of Israel) A week's vacation in the north of Israel, in the beauties of Galilee, makes one think. It's not just beautiful...there must be something else. You can just feel it. Is it holiness we feel, touring our Holy Land? Because it's nothing like the Alps, or the Lake District, or the Colorado River. Everything is on a much smaller scale, the green is less green than in Europe, and the atmosphere - even if you find some islets of peace and quiet - is never too far from our stressful everyday life. Just a few kilometers in any direction, no matter where you are in this country, you can find yourself in some unsafe zone. That affects the people, too. Israelis are hot tempered usually, and if it's not the weather, it's probably because we're at some kind of war - every given second... So what is there, in that country, which makes it (and this year's trip more than ever) so beautiful in my mind? I remember years when I just yearned for the green of other countries, as I've seen it in photos. My trip to the UK after Army Service, was indeed a dream come true. I was not religious back then, and coming back to Israel I really felt misplaced - so much have I enjoyed my trip abroad. The worst part of it was coming back to the people here, my people. In England I've found calm, polite people, with a mentality which was nothing near our mid-eastern mentality, living what seemed like a really serene life in their ravishing English country side. I became quite anti-Semitic, so to speak, and that's really not politically correct, especially if you're Jewish! Making Teshuvah (becoming religiously observant) somehow changed it all. I began to see the beauty of Israel - the Land and its people. It became for me, eventually, prettier than any Swiss scenery. As you connect to the Torah, to understanding what is Israel, and what's the meaning of Judaism, you begin to see things differently. My urge to fly away from here, was greatly diminished, though I still (to this day) appreciate the view of beautiful sights from all around the world. But I began appreciating the special combination of sceneries we have here in Israel, too. In regards to scenery, it's actually quite extraordinary, what we have here. You could switch, driving around in Israel, from European to desert views in a few hours' or even
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