Reva Unterman

Reva Unterman, originally from London now lives in Israel. Both her father and grandfather were internationally respected orthodox rabbis. She is currently working on a novel set against a backdrop of Halachic and Midrashic sources.

The glorious Galilee proves that it's not so grim up north

Thursday 3rd 2007f May 2007

I usually travel south - to Eilat, and in the good old days to Sinai, for sun and sea. But as I grow older and block my skin from the dangerous ultra-violet rays, I have started venturing north towards the Galil.

It’s not so much cooler there really, but walking in nature rather than tanning, with a large straw hat to protect me, is a preferable choice.

Since I have recently fallen in love with the Galilee after my adventure at Allumot the organic farm, I have taken every opportunity to make day trips there, just for a quick fix of green, of views and vistas of the Kinneret and for the pleasure of trekking in the open fields.

Today is one of those days and I am off with my friend Niva up North. We are taking the Bikaah road that runs from Jericho to Tiberius, a two hour stretch of desert hills, jagged rocks, an isolated landscape that makes me feel as if we have arrived at the end of the world. But we are very much in the here and now of our political reality with Jordon on our right and Arab villages and Jewish settlements to our left.

I love the feel of this ancient town of Tiberius with its black basalt stone buildings that seem so solid compared to the flimsy modern architecture of the hotels. This town has a special feel about it, maybe because the Sanhedrin, the High Court of Israel relocated to Tiberius during the period of the Second Temple or because in the Mishnaic and Talmudic period, Tiberius was an important spiritual center, or because, the great Jewish sage Maimonides was buried here as is Rabbi Akiva.

But we are not visiting graves today. Instead we stop at ‘Deck’ a very trendy restaurant on the shores of the Kinneret for lunch. We walk into the pier-like structure. It’s vast. The décor is rustic. Thick wooden tables flank the flagstone floor. The blue lake is all around us. We order fresh fish which is brought to the table in a cast iron pan and is placed over a pot of coals to ensure it stays hot. Delicious.

I look out onto the Kinneret a huge pool of water that I must admit I have never swum in and I regret not bringing a bathing suit. Water-skiers glide over the infinite stretch of blue making the challenging sport look so easy. I am only on a day trip yet I feel myself relax as if I too am on holiday.
A group of Christian tourists enter the restaurant.

I imagine they have come to take a look at the very spot where miracles took place and Jesus walked over the Sea of Galilee. I look out at the lake with their eyes and imagine him levitating over the calm waters, hovering over this sheet of blue.

The glory of this city is that it is nestled between the lake and the green rolling hills of the lower Galilee. We really do have everything here in Israel, I think to myself. Only hours away is the Dead Sea, a completely different landscape, a salty experience compared to this sweet one.

I’ve stopped mourning over Sinai. For years I’ve missed the golden dunes when they were part of Israel and we could take the Egged bus down south all the way to Sharm-el Sheik, and now years later, due to terrorist attacks and government warnings, I have had to stop all pilgrimages to the Bedouin hotels on the shores.

Summer has almost arrived and I think I’ve found my new stomping ground. I’m already making plans to bring the children here. And as far as Sinai goes…well I never could really stomach being in Egypt anyway….