Archaeologists working in Ashkelon

Excavation near the site of the
Second Temple in Jerusalem

Editor's note: This is the

Off The Tour Bus

Julie Cooper
Special to the Jewish News

Chicago

T

our buses and guides are great for
groups and families traveling to
Israel. But what if you're traveling
alone or with a couple of friends and you
want to really experience the country from
the inside out?
Here are a few sites and activities, rang-
ing from long term to a short visit, that are
sure to whet your appetite for an up-close
and personal view of Israel:

Israel National Trail
This is a 600-mile-long marked hiking
path that crisscrosses the length of Israel,
from Dan in the north down to Eilat in
the south. While most people just walk
segments of the trail, the more adventur-
ous (and those with more time on their
hands) can walk the whole trail and
experience the country from top to bot-

22 January 20

201;

tom. Walking the whole trail takes about a
month for experienced hikers and closer
to two months for the less-experienced or
those who want to take a more leisurely
pace and explore the country in-depth.
The trail passes through and near many
cities, towns, kibbutzim and moshavim;
and the opportunities to visit out-of-
the-way places and meet Israelis from all
walks of life are endless. While the whole
trail is marked, and it is possible to get
maps in Hebrew, there are limited English
resources. One initiative in the works is
the Israel National Trail Data Project, a
volunteer effort to create English language
resources about the trail. More informa-
tion on the project and on hiking the
whole trail is available at www.israelna-
tionaltrail.com .

Archaeological Digs
They say you can't turn over a stone in
Israel without discovering some ancient
artifact. While that may be a bit of an
exaggeration, archaeological digs take

place throughout the country nearly year-
round. Israeli universities run most digs;
they offer opportunities for volunteers
to work on them. Some digs offer course
credit to students; others provide food
and lodging (although most require vol-
unteers to take care of their own accom-
modations). This is a great opportunity
for those interested in archaeology and
history or those just looking for a little
adventure. To find a list of 2011 digs look-
ing for volunteers, visit http://www.mfa.
gov.il/MFA/History.

Multicultural Opportunities
In addition to its 6 million Jewish citizens,
Israel is home to more than 1.5 million
Arabs — a population that includes
Muslims (Sunni and Shiite), Christians,
Druze and Bedouins. There also are sig-
nificant non-Arab/non-Jewish communi-
ties, including Circassians, Armenians
and Baha'i. They are an integral part of
the Israeli milieu; and there are many
opportunities to explore their unique cul-

fourth in a yearlong series
of bimonthly articles by the
Israel Ministry of Tourism
specially commissioned by
the Detroit Jewish News.

tures. One place to explore this diversity
is Haifa, Israel's third-largest city. The
city is known for its efforts at encourag-
ing co-existence between its Jewish and
Arab populations; the Beit Ha-Gefen Arab
Jewish Center is the focal point of these
efforts. The Center sponsors a number of
activities to encourage co-existence and
tolerance, including "co-existence walks"
that explore the diversity of the city and
an Arabic-language theater troupe (www.
beit-hagefen.com ). Haifa also is home
to the Baha'i World Center and Gardens,
the central site for people of the Baha'i
faith. Visitors can walk through the ter-
raced gardens and enjoy the amazing
view over the Mediterranean Sea. You can
learn more about the Baha'i faith at www
bahai.org and about the World Center and
Gardens at www.ganbahai.orgil. 1 J

Julie Cooper is director of public relations for

the Israel Government Tourist Office-Midwest

Region. For more information on traveling to
Israel, visit www.goisrael.com .

