14 | APRIL 6 • 2023
guide, Zalman Spivak, who was determined
to transmit as much information as possible
about the founding of this city by the sea
since April 11, 1909, the date 66 Jewish fami-
lies gathered on a desolate sand dune to par-
cel out the land by lottery using seashells.
The highlight of the tour was the mural by
Nahum Guttman depicting the early history
of Tel Aviv in the foyer of the Shalom Tower,
what was the site of the first high school
known as Gymnasia Herzliya. The mural
tells the history of Tel Aviv in four colorful
mosaic panels. From its founding on a barren
sand dune to one of the high-tech capitals of
the world, the story of Tel Aviv is a fascinat-
ing one.
A planned stroll through the Carmel
Market was derailed by the rain and instead
the bus took us to the Sarona Market, an indoor food market
with endless choices. After lunch, our bus set out for the JAFI
Bet Brodetsky Young Adult Absorption Center, where we met
two young olim who had recently arrived in Israel, one from
Ukraine and one from Iran. I admired their bravery and deter-
mination in setting out to build new lives in Israel.
It was a busy day and, still feeling the effects of jet lag, Mike
and I had dinner in the hotel and turned in early.
DAY 3: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL ADVENTURE
The day began at ANU — the Renewed Museum of the Jewish
People, where we enjoyed a VIP tour in small groups. Zalman
was a fountain of information and took us through the story of
the Jewish people through generations up to the
present time. During our two hours, he covered
a lot, but probably only about 20 percent of the
exhibits that were available. You would need a
whole day to experience everything there, but
we got ample flavor of all the museum had to
offer.
After the museum, we were off on an archae-
ological adventure (the track Mike and I chose
to follow — other tracks included entrepre-
neurship and the great outdoors). First stop was
Kibbutz Hannaton in our Partnership2Gether
region in the Central Galilee (which, come to
find out, is a term made up by us in Detroit.
Ask an Israeli about the “Central Galilee” and
they’ll look at you blankly.)
The kibbutz is in the Jezreel Valley, home to
fertile farmland, rolling hills and valleys, and
some of the prettiest views I’ve ever seen. After lunch, we got
to see the Roman-era mikvah found during highway construc-
tion, which was relocated to the kibbutz, near the community’s
existing mikvah (which we also got to see).
Seeing the mikvah, around 1,500 years old, was an amazing
experience.
We left Kibbutz Hannaton for Tsippori, once the capital of
the Galilee, the seat of the Sanhedrin and the place where the
Mishnah was completed. We viewed its magnificent mosaics,
including “the Mona Lisa of the Galilee,” part of a Roman villa
containing a mosaic floor describing scenes from the life of
Dionysus, god of wine in Greek mythology. We also saw the
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continued from page 13
OUR COMMUNITY
ON THE COVER
The good folks of Bus No. 3 in Tel Aviv
Zalman Spivak, guide
extraordinaire.
JOHN HARDWICK/FEDERATION
JOHN HARDWICK/FEDERATION
YEVGENIYA GAZMAN
JOHN HARDWICK/FEDERATION