Jezreel Valley and Carmel Region

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  Afula, Israel
Sunday, September 26, 2010

The Jezreel Valley is a very fertile plain running roughly east - west across Israel with the Carmel and gilboa mountains to the south and the Galilee hills to the north. Merchavia is a well known kibbutz in the Jezreel Valley and was the home of Israeli PM Golda Meir. Merchavia offers accommodation to visitors with the aim of giving them a better understanding of Jewish perspectives. The kibbutz has undergone significant change in recent years. What was a rural township has been overtaken by the nearby city of Afula, although Merchavia still has a large farm. Merchavia is home to a messianic Jewish community and its leader is a convert from rabbinical Judaism who now offers teaching to explore Jewish faith from a new messianic perspective. A few of us, who sat in on a teaching session, concluded that it would need some development before it would have much appeal to the mainstream Israeli community. Only the most robust of our connoisseurs of the teaching ministry lasted the session. It was not for the faint hearted. The people of Merchavia were very welcoming and there was a very good feel about the place. We were included in Sukhot (Feast of Tabernacles) celebrations and were given a wonderful Shabbat dinner.   

Based at Merchavia we travelled to various places of interest in the region. We went to the top of Mt Carmel where Elijah had his competition with the Baal worshipers. The view from the top of the mountain overlooking the fertile Jezreel Valley is quite spectacular. From there we attended the Carmel Assembly and joined them for a picnic lunch at the close of the service. After lunch we headed to the Mediterranean Coast to explore the ancient ruins of Caeserea, Herod's deep water seaport and coastal city. It has remains of an ancient outdoor amphitheatre, which is still regularly used for music and drama, a hippodrome, and the remains of Herod’s seaside palace complete with swimming pool. We enjoyed watching the beautiful Mediterranean sunset while sharing a meal on a balcony overlooking the sea.

On Sunday we left Merchavia with a long journey to the desert ahead of us.  First stop was Gideon’s pool at the foot of Mt. Gilboa. At this point it is just a small spring and pool but a few kilometres downstream it becomes a magnificent series of natural swimming pools with waterfalls, and rocky spas. On our way to the pools we stopped at Beit She’an which has ruins of an ancient city including old Rroman baths, an amphitheatre, and communal toilet systems! Most of the quite spectacular ruins dated from Greek, Roman and Byzantine times, but there was also an ancient tell (ruins of a city on a hill) with Egyptian, Hebrew and Philistine ruins on top.  It was extremely hot and some hardy souls ventured to the top while the rest headed for ice creams in the shade. After wandering around Beit She’an in the heat the Gan Hashelosha pools were a welcome sight. The water is tepid, beautiful to swim in and very refreshing and was a great way to cool off before heading down the Jordon Valley to the heat of the desert.

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Old harbour front Caesarea	Gideon's Pool	Gideon's Spring and Pool	What was the right way to drink?
Beit She'an ampitheatre	Finding the ampitheatre focal point	Beit She'an	Beit She'an ruins
Tom and John at the top of the Tell	Gan Hasheloshar Pools	A natural spa	Pools
Enjoying the spa

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