Living in Zion

July 4, 2004

By Avi Green

So what’s it like to live in Israel, ever since me and my family first took up residence here when I was nine?

My family first came here at the end of 1983, when I was nine years old, and as our first place of residence, we lived in Kfar Adumim out in the Judean desert.

It was a very nice place to live, if being out in the country is what you like. Plus, no crimes like burglaries to have to deal with, and there was a nice school in the area too.

The small house we lived in was set above a mountainside where there was, way at the bottom, a river, and once, with one of the school classes there, I went on a trip downhill to visit the area below. It was pretty nice, and I would recommend going on a trip there, for anyone who’s keen on taking trips out in the country.

There was also a horse stable where rides could be taken near the village, and I’d been there a couple of times to take some on horses too.

In 1985, we moved over to Jerusalem, and lived in the northeastern end for many years, where we met and befriended a couple of families too, and that too was a pretty good place to live.

When it comes to the Old City area, the places to go to tour there are the Western Wall, the “Burnt House”, and there’s plenty more, but that takes me too long to have to think of now.

And over in Tel Aviv, by the sea in Yafo, and very recommended for visiting, is the Etzel Museum, which was one of the secret HQs of the revolutionary movement that fought against the British occupation in the country. It’s a small but very facinating structure that includes a screening room for documentaries and even books.

And then, uptown, there’s the Jabotinsky institute, which in fact, is located not far from a small comics store that recently opened up in the neighborhood on King George Street in TA. It’s a very facinating center where the history of Jabo’s legacy can be found.

In Hebron, there’s the legendary Cave of the Patriarches, where Abraham lived and built his farm, with farming being the main career that people had in those ancient times. That’s where life, as we know it, all began for the most part, since it’s said to possibly be built over the Garden of Eden.

Over in what may be the lowest area of the world in ground, there's the Dead Sea, the sea so full of salt, you may be able to float upon it! It's been the best place where to make cosmetic materials from, and a grand tourist attraction, with an excellent hotel resort and a couple of kibbutz neighborhoods built in the area, plus, the best place where I've enjoyed going to, is the waterfall park, where one can spend the whole day in and among the streams of water pouring from around the mountains. And it's along the way to Eilat, where I've also spent some swell vacations in, and which is also a popular tourist attraction in Israel.

Then, up in the north, there’s the Tel-Chai fortress where Joseph Trumpledor stood his ground in the late 18th century against Arab bandits in Israel. And over in the east, there’s Herod’s fortress, which is where an ancient winery was stored.

In the Golan Heights, there’s plenty of greenery to see, and

waterfalls, and it’s a pleasure to visit there too. Having once been there myself, even to the ski resort, I can tell you that it was a pleasure to visit.

Then, down below, there’s Tiberius, which is located around the Kinerret lake, our great water reservoir, where I once stayed at in a youth hostel. This was the place where Israel's first king, Saul, was slain in battle on Mount Gilboa. Further in the direction of the sea, there's our port town, Haifa, the oldest sea port in Israel, and also Afula, the place where peanut farms are kept.

It’s all a great place to see and visit, and I hope that everyone reading can get the chance to check it all out for themselves. To travel around here is such a marvelous thing, if and when you can try it out.

Copyright 2004 Avi Green. All rights reserved.

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