1LIFE IN ISRAEL Stiffel® SUPER STIFFEL LAMPS ... SURPRISING STIFFEL SAVINGS! Israelis Are Very Hospitable In The Sparse Judean Desert JANET MENDELSOHN MOSHE Special to The Jewish News T Bright old brass finish. Height 25 inches. Bright old brass finish. Height 28 inches. Everyday price S176.95 Everyday price S226.95 SALE PRICE $99.95 _ SALE PRICE S162.95 Bright distressed brass finish. Heavy glass table. Height 54 1/2 inches. Everyday price S349.95 SALE PRICE $282.95 Almond ceramic with bright old brass finish. Height 32 inches. Antiqued bright old brass finish with vanilla accent Height 30 1/2 inches. Everyday price S299.95 Everyday price S209.95 SALE PRICE $259.95 SALE PRICE $179.95 Invest in a classic — the quality is lasting but the low price isn't! Sale Ends November 5th ... YOUR LIGHTING SPECIALISTS BIRMINGHAM ■ 6580 Telegraph ■ 626-2548 NOVI ■ 45319 Grand River ■ 344-0260 ROCHESTER ■ 200 E. Second Street ■ 651-4302 SOUTHFIELD ■ 20855 Telegraph ■ 353-0510 FrO HOURS: Mon.-Thurs. 9-7 Fri. 9-6, Sat. 9-5 I of Southfield 358-2333 PASSPORT PICTURES 2 Sets For .. $12 .95 1 Set For .. $6.95 "Must Be Done At The Same Time" 2 photos per passport (with coupon) SAVE BIG BUCKS $3.00 OFF 36 exposures $2.00 OFF 24 exposures printing r $1.00 OFF 12 exposure or disc mdlezilorg-a 4 p c1,17 20% OFF On All Photo Albums 20%-50% OFF on Frames 10% OFF on Posters (From Your Old Negatives or Photos) FULL PHOTO SERVICES INCLUDING: BLACK & WHITE, ENLARGEMENTS & PORTRAITS 29179 Northwestern Hwy. at 12 Mile Rd. in Franklin Shopping Plaza . we cpinnv noi-nr.lo OR 1QAA 1 ourist sites of monumental religious and archaeological im- portance await the visitor to Israel at every junction in the country. Beautiful Mediter- ranean beaches, modern urban centers and colorful Middle Eastern markets com- pete for the attention of tourists from all over the world. For the adventurous, however, a safari off the beaten track is just the thing to provide an unforgettable glimpse into the secrets of Israel's Judean Desert. The Desert Tour Village of Metzoke Dragot is just about an hour's drive out of Jerusa- lem, but this jumping-off spot for touring the Judean Hills and Dead Sea area conveys all the mystery and solitude of the desert. Young, enterpris- ing members of nearby Kib- butz Mitzpe Shalem opened the touring village in 1981 to provide intensive tours of the harsh yet beautiful desert landscape they know so well. One of the specialties of Metzoke Dragot, meaning lit- erally "The Cliffs of Dragot," is instruction in the art of rappelling. Not a sport for the faint-hearted, rappelling is a method of sliding down the face of a cliff with ropes ar- ranged around the body in order to help control the des- cent. In addition to the un- doubted feeling of euphoria that rappelling a 250-foot sheer cliff can bring, the scenery is literally breathtaking. If it's hard to imagine jumping into a yawning chasm with just a rope or two between you and the floor of the river bed far below, it might be comforting to know that in their six years of operation no one has been in- jured on the rappelling tours. And even Israel President Chaim Herzog has participat- ed on one of Metzoke Dra- got's tours! According to 27-year-old Arnon Biran, one of Metzoke Dragot's experienced desert guides, the two-day rappel- ling course should give one the confidence to take that first step off into space. In ad- dition to rock climbing and rappelling, however, the Des- ert lbur Village offers hikes, bird watching, camel tours, visits to the ancient desert fortress of Masada and the mineral rich waters of the Dead Sea. Throughout the ages, the Rappelling at the Desert Tour Village of Metzoke Dragot. Judean Desert has always been a place of refuge for rebels, the persecuted and the recluse, including King Dav- id, the Essenes, King Herod, and the Jewish insurgents against Roman rule. Al- though seemingly impene- trable, the desert opens like a book to Arnon and the guides who seem to be familiar with every rock. And quite often their open-sided desert vehi- cle leaves the road and simply follows the crazy maze of the dry river beds. It was the lure of the desert that brought Arnon and many of the kibbutz settlers to their hilltop home perched high above the Dead Sea. Mitzpe Shalem was founded in 1977 by groups of Nahal soldiers, and the 60 members have turned their former base camp into a fertile civilian outpost. Today, Kibbutz Mitzpe Shalem is a green and flower- ing oasis in the middle of the sandswept desert, and well tended gardens and barefoot children seem to be flourish- ing at every doorstep. Early grapes, succulent dates, man- gos and melons help to give the kibbutz an agricultural anchor and Mitzpe Shalem's factory turns the chemicals and mud of the Dead Sea in- to popular cosmetic products. The uncultivated desert is still the first love of many of the members, however, and the tourism industry is the largest moneymaker on the kibbutz. A guest house with 48 air-conditioned rooms is a favorite for "getaway" tours, led in English, German, Spanish, French and Dutch, for urban Israelis as well as tourists. "With every group we seem to uncover something new," says Arnon, "be it the tracks of an elusive leopard or a scor- pion shading himself under a stone." Although it looks like a barren wasteland to the un- trained eye, the Judean Des- ert has a wide variety of flora and fauna. And there is noth- ing quite as satisfying as see- ing a mountain goat or a delicate flower that has adapted itself to the harsh surroundings. The Judean Desert is a unique geographic area, and in its_ midst, the Dead Sea gleams like a brilliant blue gem. Being the lowest spot on earth, visitors can climb near- by mountains and still be be- neath sea level. Evaporation