“Rachel” and Naomi Shemer - “Souls On Fire”

“Rachel” and Naomi Shemer

At the Kineret Cemetery, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee close Kibbutz Degania (Israel’s first Kibbutz) lays this peaceful yet powerful cemetery. Here we tell the story of idealistic youth who came to change society, the Jewish people, and Jewish destiny. This cemetery tells the story of individuals souls who lived and often died for this commitment. The Chalutzim or pioneers were only as strong as every individual heroic soul who gave his/her all to this group and to making the dream of 2,000 years happen.


Among the many who are buried here is Israel's unofficial poet laureate:

Rachel Blaustein, known endearingly as “Rachel”

Unlike many of her contemporaries amongst the Chalutzim pioneers, Rachel was ill and physically weak. Her contribution came not from labor in the fields nor in building the roads and the buildings of her time. Rachel's contribution to the newly forming society and state of Israel was her poetic soul and her poetry. Note this short quotation from one of her poems:


“…The Kinneret is not simply a landscape, not just a part of nature; the fate of a people is contained in its name. Our past peeks out of it to watch us with thousands of eyes; with thousands of mouths it communicates with our hearts.”


Another brief poem illustrates her inner love for Israel and the strength of her vision:

Sham Harei Golan

Over there are the hills of Golan,

Stretch out your hands and touch them.

In their stalwart stillness they give the

command to halt. In splendid isolation

grandfather Hermon slumbers.

A cool wind blows from the peak of

whiteness.

Over there, on the seashore,

a low-topped palm tree stands,

disheveled like a mischievous infant that

has slid down and splashes in the waters of

the Kinneret.

How abundant are the flowers in the winter,

bunches of blood-red anemones, the

orange of the crocus.

There are days when the greenery is sevenfold

green and seventy-fold is the blue of

the sky.

But even if I become poverty-stricken

and walk bent over and my heart becomes

the beacon for strangers,

how can I betray you, how can I forget.

How can I forget the grace of youth?

Herein lays the magic contained in this cemetery. Rachel was a soul on fire as were so many of the souls of her generation who are buried here. One candle burning brightly gives light but when many of these flames are gathered in one place it becomes a light unto an entire nation. Every one of us has such a soul. Every one of us can make a contribution. Heroes are those who give their all to a cause and as a result of this have the power to change the world or improve it. This value of the power of an individual to change the world is deeply rooted in Judaism. The value of giving ones all and one's best is deeply rooted in Judaism. The value of a group being only as powerful as the intensity of the souls within the group is no less a Jewish value. The modern state of Israel was born in this way and the continuity of Israel and of the Jewish people will continue to exist, create and make its contribution to the world precisely because of this value.

Among the graves of the founders is a latter day poet whose life and works are deeply connected to Israel’s soul and whose contribution lights the flame of a generation.

Another soul on Fire:

Naomi Shemer: First Lady of Israeli Song

Naomi Shemer gave life to an emerging nation. Of all of her works and they are as numerous
“as the stars in the sky” is Jerusalem of Gold which has become a hymn of Israel today:

JERUSALEM OF GOLD

by Naomi Shemer

The mountain air is clear as wine

And the scent of pines

Is carried on the breeze of twilight

With the sound of bells.

And in the slumber of tree and stone

Captured in her dream

The city that sits solitary

And in its midst is a wall.

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light

Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

How the cisterns have dried

The market-place is empty

And no one frequents the Temple Mount

In the Old City.

And in the caves in the mountain

Winds are howling

And no one descends to the Dead Sea

By way of Jericho.

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light

Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

But as I come to sing to you today,

And to adorn crowns to you (i.e. to tell your praise)

I am the smallest of the youngest of your children (i.e. the least worthy of doing so)

And of the last poet (i.e. of all the poets born).

For your name scorches the lips

Like the kiss of a seraph

If I forget thee, Jerusalem,

Which is all gold...

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light

Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

We have returned to the cisterns

To the market and to the market-place

A ram's horn (shofar) calls out (i.e. is being heard) on the Temple Mount

In the Old City.

And in the caves in the mountain

Thousands of suns shine -

We will once again descend to the Dead Sea

By way of Jericho!

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze and of light

Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

Israel Celebration Tours is HONORED to tell our story at this monument to the nation of Israel. We join you in being Jewish souls on fire.

“Venues and Values” - Zichron Yaakov---ICT style

Gentrified Zichron Yaakov today

Zichron Yaakov is located 35 km south of Haifa at the end of the Carmel Mountain range overlooking the Mediterranean Sea , near the coastal highway. Literally the name means: "in memory of Yaakov” or Edmond James (Yaakov) de Rothschild (a member of the famous banking family) who helped establish this village for Romanian Jews who chose to return to Israel at the end of the 19th century. This return to the land is known as the 1st “Aliyah” and refers to the attempt by eastern European Jews of this time to redeem themselves in the Land of Israel. They no longer saw a future for themselves in their lands of dispersion. They heard the call of the Zionist movement and decided to act upon it.

There were three other villages that emerged as well in this time: Petach Tikva, Rishon Le Tzion, and Rosh Pina. All of these settlements were populated with Jews who wanted to redeem themselves in the land.

Zichron Yaakov today is a reconstructed, gentrified and lovely town in which one can get a sense of Israel's recent past and present. You will be able to visit the shops of local artists and craftsmen. Unique and one-of-a-kind items can be found here. It is here in this village your ICT guide will have the opportunity to introduce you to the early "chalutzim" or pioneers, and on the values that motivated them in making this life decision to change not only themselves but to change and try to affect the destiny of their nation.

What kind of person takes on this kind of responsibility? Why? What are the forces that bring this about? Is it really possible for an individual or a small group of individuals to change destiny or history or a nation?

Some historians say that the first “Aliyah” did not succeed in achieving its goals. However there is no doubt that what they began paved the way for those who followed. Given the times and their challenges, they achieved immeasurably more than they are accredited with.

One such person who paved the way for those to follow wasSarah Aaronson. She and the N.I.L.I. . (נצח ישראל לא ישקר) which was a Jewish espionage network that assisted Great Britain in its fight against the Ottoman Empire in Palestine during World War I. Its headquarters were located here in Zichron Yaakov. Your ICT guide will take you to Sarah’s home and lead the discussion about individuals who take on the cause of their people and who dedicate their lives to it at all cost. Sarah became a model for all time of a woman dedicated to changing the destiny of the Jewish people. She left an indelible mark on the course of modern Jewish History. She was truly a woman of valor.

Eliezer ben Yehuda—the father of Modern Hebrew

The focus of our values discussion in “Zichron” centers on what the first “Aliyah” did achieve and not on its failures. Perhaps the greatest of all achievements is the re-establishing of the Hebrew language by Eliezer ben Yehuda as the spoken language of the new Jew. The rebuilding of our national language in this time is a value that is crucial for our ICT guide to relate to in the context of such a visit. This value discussion leads to the ongoing discussion that is part of any and all ICT Israel experiences, namely our own willingness to change our own world and our own Jewish destiny.

No less important on this day is a visit to the Carmel Winery located in “Zichron”! Here Baron Edward De Rothschild otherwise known as the “Nadiv” (the generous one) supported the Jews of the first “Aliyah” by helping them establish grape vineyards and a winery to provide a productive industry for the fledgling community. As we know today the wine industry in Israel is a most successful one with roots in the caring of the “benefactor” and the hard work of those who planted the roots of our newly emerging nation.

See Israel from within -Bet Shean: Two Worlds –Romans and Jews

Israel Celebration Tours invites you to

“See Israel from within”

Bet Shean: Two Worlds –Romans and Jews

From the Roman bathhouse in Bet Shean

South of the Sea of Galilee in the northern section of the Jordan valley lies the ancient site of Bet Shean otherwise referred to as Skythopois by the Romans.

Few venues in Israel illustrate more convincingly the presence and world view of  Rome.
 This Roman city with its magnificent theatre, its broad paved streets, its shrines for worship, its commercial districts and shops, its columns and varying capitols all testify to the power and accessibility of Roman Hellenistic culture in Israel during from 63 B.C.E. onwards. Perhaps more than any other structure in Bet Shean, the Roman bathhouse reflects and expresses the world view and value system of the Romans (and perhaps local Jews) of the time.
The bath house in Roman culture had all to do with the perfection or treatment or perhaps the culture of the body. The physical here reigned supreme. As part of this “value system” is the world of Roman gods and goddesses who accompany and adorn such a bathhouse. The Mishnah in Tractate: Avoda Zarah 3:4 raises the question as to whether a Jew is permitted in such a place. This Mishnah thus asks the contemporary value question regarding Roman and Jewish values and their potential conflict.

Here in this bath house or in the Roman theatre or environs we study this very Mishnah and try to understand the value conflict and the resolutions of the time. No less so we examine similar cultural differences and value conflicts that we have in our lives today and try to determine our own options for resolution in our own time.

To see “Israel from within” contact us: http://www.israelcelebrationtours.com/

A New Way to see Israel

 

Sunset over Israel

Israel Celebration Tours

http://www.israelcelebrationtours.com/

A new way of seeing Israel

“What an amazing place! Everyone is Jewish! Even the taxi drivers are Jewish! Even young children speak Hebrew!”

While clearly not all of the taxi drivers are Jewish, one of the most overwhelming experiences for a Diaspora Jew visiting Israel is the sense of being in a Jewish majority in Jewish space and in the total Jewish environment which is Israel. And yes, children of all ages do speak Hebrew!

While it is somewhat inconvenient for some tourists that shops are closed on Shabbat or holidays, this too is a powerful statement to the Diaspora Jew. Here there is Jewish time as well as Jewish space. Sure, many Israelis are on the beach on Shabbat and holidays. Sure, other Israelis are hiking in nature or traveling on these days! Sure, many Israelis are observing and celebrating the Shabbat and holidays by praying in Synagogues or celebrating at home. But the overall statement is that this is Jewish space and time. “Even our hotel is Kosher and observes the rules of Shabbat! Wow, this is clearly Jewish space and time.” “Did you notice the number of people of all ages kissing Mezuzot?” “Did you notice that this gas station gives out free Chalot if you fill you car on Friday?”

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‘The calendar is Jewish.” Time is measured not only by the weekly Shabbat but by the High Holidays and Succot, and Chanukah, and Purim and Pesach and more and more.

The tribes of Israel

The Israel experience for most Diaspora Jews is not about another tour somewhere in the world or another holiday. The Israel experience is about exploring and discovering personal identity. When we hear the oft repeated words, “this was a transformative experience for me” the words refer to the power of the Jewish environment and sense of enfranchisement that Israel provides even the most casual visitor. 




Strangely enough, the Diaspora Jew often sees the “Jewishness” of Israel more clearly than the average Israeli. To the average “secular” Israeli it is only natural to live in Jewish time and space. There is nothing unique about this. “Well of course I speak Hebrew with my kids. What language would you have me speak? Of course my life cycle is governed by the Jewish calendar and holidays. This is my culture! Of course my child will marry a Jewish partner! Who else do you expect him/her to marry?” What is natural and so taken for granted by the average Israeli is so obviously Jewish and unique to many Diaspora Jews visiting Israel.


For the Diaspora Jew the Israel experience is about his/her Jewish identity. Israel serves as the environment or if you will, the laboratory, in which the Diaspora Jew explores personal Jewish identity and or growth. The Israel experience is less about Israel per se and more about feeling more strongly identified as a Jew.


Some have said that if you were to simply “drop” a Jewish tourist in Israel for two weeks or so without any tour program, itinerary


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or plan, the overwhelming message of Israel and of Jewish identity would make its natural impact.


Though there may be some truth in the above statement, there would also be, without a doubt, a major “missed opportunity.” In such a charged environment; at a moment of such high potential impact and motivation; at a moment so open for a life changing experience; at a moment of potential identity transformation, we must be ready to engage the moment and to engage the visitor by focusing on and entering into the a dialogue of heightened sensitivity related to Jewish identity. Potential moments like this are rare and unique and must be transformed into educational opportunities.


Israel Celebration understands that we must “maximalize” the Israel experience for the Diaspora Jew through a careful selection of Israel venues and the concomitant Jewish value concepts that are embedded within these sites thus allowing for this experience to have its maximum impact.






To achieve this, we at Israel Celebration Tours understand that our tour guide must be first and foremost committed to Israel and to the Jewish people and its culture; secondly s/he must be committed to his/her tourists and their process of Jewish identity formation; s/he should see the site as the means to this end and not to relate to the site as the end in itself. Finally the tour guide must understand that he/she is first and foremost a “shaliach” of the Jewish people performing a “holy” educational task.






In order to achieve our goals, ICT understands that an Israel program must have a underlying curriculum (plan) that allows for the cogent telling of our story; for the presentation of the Jewish values that emerge from the story and for constructing a program that flows from site to site; from hour to hour and which leads to engagement as well as identity with the Jewish people.


Israel Celebration Tours invites you to share our story. פורים שמח

 

 

Who is a great Israel Guide?

View of Israel from Mt. Nevo as Moses saw it.

Who is a great Israel Guide?

Is Seeing Believing?

or is

Believing Seeing?

“When Moses stood at Mt. Nebo and looked over the land of Israel, he requested of the Holy One permission only to enter the land and see it (briefly).

Is it not obvious that anyone who enters the land of Israel sees it?

No it is not obvious!

Many people enter the Land of Israel and never see it!

Many people enter the Land of Israel and only see its surface!

Many people enter the land of Israel and never see its inner beauty!”

The Israel Tour Guide is a guide to seeing!

Israel Celebration Tours is committed to the concept that the Israel Tour guide is the entry point.

We know that an Israel Tour guide opens doors and opens eyes and indeed can help to open hearts.

ICT understands that an Israel experience is not only another tour of another country or a series of sites.

We understand that the tour guide is in fact an Israel mediator and as such can make all the difference.

What makes for a special guide?

ICT provides you with the following 18 חי checkpoints:



1. My guide is licensed by the Ministry of Tourism of Israel.

2. My guide speaks English fluently

3. My guide has extensive knowledge of Israel both ancient and modern

4. My guide knows me and the world I come from as well as my needs

5. My guide is able to see under the surface; under the façade

6. My guide allows me to see Israel  through his/her eyes

7. My guide is able to share his/her emotions as well as his/her knowledge

8. My guide is able to see Israel through my eyes.

9. My guide is a story teller.

10. My guide is a master communicator

11. My guide wants to welcome me into the inner sanctum of Israel.

12. My guide is flexible and open

13. My guide is guiding me even more than guiding the sites we are seeing.

14. My guide tells a story that has a beginning a middle and an end and not a loose collection of unconnected stories

15. My guide is capable logistically

16. My guide takes matters of safety and health as most basic

17. My guide’s greatest reward is sharing the story of Israel

18. My guide is dedicated to his/her own Jewish Israel identity—no matter what the form

18=חי

ALLOW ICT

TO SHOW YOU

WITH OUR EYES

AND THE EYES OF OUR “18” TEAM

ISRAEL

Tel Aviv – A Jewish City or a City of Jews

We at ICT (Israel Celebration Tours) want to share our passion for Tel Aviv with you.

Some think of Tel Aviv as the secular city of Israel and even describe it as a city of Jews and not a Jewish city. But Tel Aviv is a Jewish city through and through.

Tel Aviv has Myriad Identities

The Hill of Spring; Alteneue Land/Old-New Land, the White City; the Big Orange; a World Heritage site; the City That Never Sleeps; the first all Jewish city in modern times; the Financial Capital of Israel; the Theater Capital of Israel; the musical capital of Israel; the cutting edge of Jewish creativity; a city attracting Israel’s young and dynamic...It is said that just as Jerusalem prays, and Haifa works, so Tel Aviv dances.

Tel Aviv is often called the Big Orange

Israel Celebration Tours is proud to “tel” you about this “tale” of Tel Aviv:

When Herzl wrote his opus entitled “Alteneuland” he envisioned a modern Jewish State built upon the foundations of ancient Israel. His book was translated into Hebrew as “Tel Aviv” and ultimately was the name chosen for this old-new city. A century after its founding, Tel Aviv is indeed the fulfillment of Herzl’s dream. It is second-to-none in Israel because Tel Aviv is unique unto itself and first in so many ways!
The city was founded in 1909 through a lottery (using sea-shells) for plots on the sand dunes just north of ancient port of Jaffa. It was originally called “Ahuzat Bayit” – literally meaning “Estate”.

The lottery on the sand dunes of Tel Viv, 1909

In the words of Akiva Weiss, one of Tel Aviv founding fathers:
“I have a plan as to how we may build 100 percent Israeli cities… The streets will be broad, the homes will have running water and be surrounded by gardens, electric lights will blaze in the streets and houses and industry will have electrical power day and night. A comprehensive sewage system will be established and everything required for a modern city will be installed.”
While Jerusalem will always be the spiritual capital of Israel, Tel Aviv captures the new and developing Jewish soul. Witness the Tel Aviv of our today, the Tel Aviv of our youth, the Tel Aviv of our future and the Tel Aviv of our creativity:
Population of more than 390,000 residents, around 50% of whom are aged 15-40. Tel-Aviv today is a young and vibrant city.
Corin Rotary, International Marketing and Business Development Consultant wrote of Tel Aviv: (http://www.telaviv-insider.co.il/culture-1.php)
"Tel Avivian’s say what they think..."
“In contrast to many other citizens of various nations around the globe, Israelis and Tel Avivian’s in particular tend to give their opinions freely and openly. This applies in basic situations such as saying yes or no when offered a drink, as well as when discussing complex political issues (very common) over dinner with friends or with the taxi driver… Nevertheless, Tel Avivian’s are normally very friendly and hospitable towards tourists. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you will get a dinner or a party invitation from a Tel Avivian’s you’ve just met!”
The Show must go on – Theatre in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv is the ultimate city for theatre. From its early days, Tel Aviv was a great cultural center with an outstanding Hebrew theatre. Moreover, 18 out of Israel's 35 performing arts centers are located in Tel Aviv-Yafo.
Habima Theatre
Israel's national theatre, established in Moscow in 1918, re-established in Tel Aviv in 1931.
The Cameri Theatre
Established in 1944, was the first theatre to produce plays in Hebrew. More than 20,000,000 people have seen more than 400 plays in the past 50 years.
Beit Lessin Theatre
Founded in 1980, it enjoys and has developed a unique and high quality reputation for original drama.
Gesher Theatre - Tel Aviv's youngest theatre
Established in 1991 by new Russian immigrants, it offers plays in Hebrew and Russian.
Other Theatres in Tel-Aviv
While the above are more mainstream theatres, others include the Yiddish Theatre, the Puppet Theatre at Yarkon Park, Hasimta in Yafo, and the Orna Porat National Theatre for Children and Youth.
Music and Dance Centers in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv offers a wide range of music styles and is the home of the famous Israel Philharmonic and of Israel's leading dance companies, Bat Sheva, Bat Dor and Inbal. Suzanne Dalal Center for Dance and Theatre consists of dancing, musical and cultural events with a special atmosphere in Neve Tzedek and the Enav Cultural Center which hosts lectures, concerts and plays, is a cultural center and the new seat of the Tel Aviv City Council.
If opera is your favorite entertainment the new Israel Opera is your perfect show in town. The new high quality venture was relocated in 1994 at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center located next to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and Beit Ariela (Sha'ar Tzion) public library.

A performance at the Suzanne Dalal Dance Center

Tel Aviv Museum of Art
As art nourishes the roots of culture, the city of Tel Aviv assists artists to express themselves by being a source of inspiration. Art is an inseparable part of Te Aviv’s culture. Some of the leading museums in Israel are located in Tel Aviv and visitors have the unique opportunity to explore and enjoy both classic and modern art.
The Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel's main art museum, shows permanent and changing exhibitions in the home site of the museum at Shaul Hamelech Boulevard and in the Helena Rubenstein Pavilion, adjacent to the Mann Auditorium. Among the permanent collections, it is possible to find the best of Israeli painting and sculpture, beginning from creations from the twenties to modern works, European art from the 16th-19th centuries, impressionism and post-impressionism and European and American art of the 20th century.
Eretz Israel Museum
The Eretz Israel Museum, situated in Ramat Aviv, near Tel Aviv University, exhibits a wide range of art collections in the fields of Archaeology, Judaica, Ethnography, Material Culture and the Applied Arts of the Land of Israel.
Diaspora Museum
Beth Hatefutsoth, the Nahum Goldmann Museum of the Jewish Diaspora, located in the grounds of the University of Tel Aviv, exists to convey the story of the Jewish people for more than two thousand years as we lived our life in the Diaspora.
Our Favorites Museums
Palmach Museum – Bet Ha'Palmach
Not to be missed, this excellent museum tells the story of Israel’s acceptance of Jewish responsibility—not to be a nation of fighters but a nation of defenders. Never to tremble, never to hide or cower again! Here is the Palmach House we engage in the story of the new Jew and the new sons and daughters of the Macabees defending our freedom while holding out the olive branch of Shalom.
The Yitzhak Rabin Museum—Ramat Aviv

The Yitzahk Rabin Museum

“Shalom Chaver” were the words declared by former U.S. president Bill Clinton after the tragic assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Indeed Clinton’s words captured the feelings of Israelis, Jews and peoples of all faiths world wide. It was Shalom that Rabin struggled for and it was with the word Shalom on his lips that he died.
This is a museum featuring Rabin's life, in the presence of the turbulence and changes which occurred in the Israeli society in the background, while presenting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – with all its complexity and explosiveness, socially, politically and publicly. All artifacts are arranged around a large cylindrical space, located inside the Yitzhak Rabin center for Israeli studies. Not to be missed!!
Tel Aviv: The New Spiritual Jewish Search
Bet Tefillah Yisraelit—the Israeli House of Prayer
Perhaps the best example of Tel Aviv as a thoroughly Jewish city is Bet Tefillah Yisraelit. Not a Reform Temple, nor a Conservative or Reconstructionist synagogue imported from the Diaspora and indeed not Orthodox. This is uniquely “new Israel.” This is an authentic expression of 21st century Israelis, rooted in their land and seeking to connect with God; seeking to connect to their traditions and history and values. It is based upon the natural link of Israelis to their past, their heritage and their holidays while maintaining the firm footing in modernity that Israel represents today.

Erev Shabbat on Tel Aviv's beachfront with Bet Tefillah Yisraelit

Walk along the boardwalk or deck of the northern port of Tel Aviv on a Friday evening at sunset and you will encounter hundreds of young Israelis welcoming the Shabbat with prayer, song and instrumental music. Families with young children; singles and the best of our youth; passer-bys just stopping in for a few moments to join in Lecha Dodi and then to continue on their “shpatzir”; clapping and dancing; a brief “Dvar Torah” or sermonette; contemporary Israeli songs; sunset as Shabbat enters over the Mediterranean; colors galore in the sky – reds and yellows mixed with blue and then darkness and the moon. Shabbat arrives and embraces Tel Aviv and Tel Avivians. Arrive early as the seats are quickly occupied although standing room is always available.

Rothschild Boulevard

Tel Aviv from Yafo

Tzipori: Jewish Creativity, Jewish Renewal, Jewish Future!

Rabbi Lee Diamond
from “Venues and Values—Atarim v'Arachim” © 2007

A visit to Tzipori is part of our Synagogue Tours program (see Day 6): 

The Sanhedrin Travels:

• From Jerusalem to Yavneh
• From Yavneh to Usha
• From Usha to Yavneh
• From Yavneh to Usha
• Usha to Shefaram and
• Shefaram to Beit Shearim to...

Tzipori

During the first Jewish revolt against Rome in the years 66-70 CE the Jews and leaders of Tzipori refused to enter the struggle against Rome. While the Zealots were in struggle with Roman authority, Tzipori remained non militant and sought the ways of peace and compromise.

After the destruction of the Second Temple and the end of the independent sovereign Jewish state that existed in Eretz Israel, the Jews of Israel, living under Roman rule, had to chart a new course to continue Jewish life.

In Tzipori, in the heart of the Galilee, Rabbi Judah the Prince (head of the Sanhedrin of his time) gathered together the Oral Law that had been developing until his day, edited and published it naming it the “Mishna”. It is this very Mishna that would allow for Jewish survival in this time and indeed would create the pattern of Jewish development for all times.
  
Tzipori is not just another site in Israel with rich archeology. Tzipori is a touchstone. It is one of the most significant Jewish communities of its time. . It is here that we witness the creativity, the renewal, the ability to adjust and expand and the understanding that the Jewish people must learn to live and create in all environments even as a minority.

According to the Midrash, Judah the Prince was born in 135 CE. on the day that Rabbi Akiva was martyred by the Romans. Some would say that G-d Himself saw to it that the chain of tradition would be carried on.

Judah was a man of his times. He understood the needs of the Jewish people whose future was in danger. Judah understood the world and culture of Rome. He knew that he had to provide the Jewish people with a framework for Jewish life and he knew as well that we had to live with Roman and Hellenistic culture.

Judah was at home in both these cultures and indeed the Mishna that he created attempted to provide a “Guide for the Perplexed” for its time.



Bringing Tzipori to Life in Our Time 

Here in this thriving 2nd century town of some Jewish 12,000 residents we find this Roman theatre. What occurred in a Roman theatre at the time?

The performances probably consisted of light farces and animal dancing. Perhaps some gladiators exchanging blows? Perhaps some slaves or criminals being fed to the lions? Perhaps some nudity or some lewdness? The Talmud declares: "Blessed is the man who does not go to the theatres and circuses of the Romans in the Land of Israel.”

Yet in the midst of this community of Jews, under the leadership of “Prince Judah” there would be regular gatherings of as many as 4,500 participants and spectators. The question is rather obvious! Did the Jews avoid the theatre? Did they participate? Did Judah the Prince ever attend? Did he allow the Jewish “Tziporians” to attend?

The Jewish Quarter of Tzipori

It is reported that there were 18 synagogues in Tzipori at the time of Judah the Prince. The streets of the Jewish quarter are lined with mikvaot or ritual baths fully visible to the naked eye. Clearly this was an active and committed Jewish community.

And yet...adjacent to this quarter is the Roman theatre!!! Just a stone’s throw away!
Did the teenagers and young adults sneak off to watch a show? Did young Jewish girls date young gladiators? What about the Roman gods that were displayed in every Roman theatre - were they to be avoided? Were the Jewish kids starting to speak Latin? Any kids being named Alexander or similar? Did all the boys get circumcised? What about the dress code? Togas or Tzitzit? Or maybe Togas with Tzitzit?

Could you go to one of the 18 synagogues in the morning and then to the theatre in the afternoon? And if you did, would a good, wet, dunk in the mikvah purify the soul? So hard to be a Jew!

The Roman Villa and the Mona Lisa

Here in this wonderful villa we discover an overwhelming mosaic floor dedicated to the cult of Dionysus, the god of wine. Panel after panel of this marvelous mosaic is dedicated to this pagan god and its wine cult each depicting the Roman god of feasting, fertility, drunkenness, ecstasy and revelry. Fifteen panels portray scenes such as Dionysus' victory procession to India, his marriage to Ariadne and his drinking contest with Heracles, the largest of the panels. Aspects of the Dionysian cult are also shown, such as grape treading, shepherds and scenes of rejoicing and gift bearing.

A frame of 22 circular acanthus leaf medallions surrounds the Dionysus panels, most of which contain hunting scenes of wild animals and naked cupids holding bows and arrows. Centered amongst the medallions are two portraits, of which the northern one is severely damaged.

The southern portrait depicts a captivating woman adorned with earrings and a laurel garland. Her gaze is riveting; in fact, she appears to look directly at you from every corner of the room. This woman has been dubbed "The Mona Lisa of the Galilee", not because she resembles Leonardo’s subject, but rather because she stares at all of us. Who is she? No doubt the important figure who resided here was a man of great wealth and power and had a "trophy wife" would have been a probable accoutrement to his lifestyle.

So who cares? So what? Romans all lived this way!

But there is a theory that this was the home of Judah the Prince! Is this possible? Could a nice Jewish descendent of Moses have a mosaic like this? Isn’t this idol worship? What about the idea that Jews don’t have human images or images of Roman gods? Is it possible that Yehudah Ha Nasi was assimilated or assimilating?

Let’s get some answers to all these questions raised at Tzipori.

The Famous Tzipori Synagogue and its Mosaic Floor

Herein lies a potential key to our question. Were we assimilated in Tzipori into Roman culture? Did we attend the Roman theatre? Could Judah the Prince have lived in a Roman Villa dedicated to a Roman god and with human images.

Can one live in two worlds? Can one integrate two worlds? On the very floor of this synagogue we find the answer. A zodiac calendar along side Biblical designs! A menorah along side pagan symbols! The answer becomes clearer the more we reflect on our own times. Yes most of us live in two worlds and we adjust to meet the world in which we live. Life is not black and white. Life is dynamic and changing. Just as the human develops in mind and body, so too does our culture and our religion develop. Judaism grew from the time of the Temple to the time of Tzipori. Realities changed and so must we.

And this is the key lesson of Tzipori for the serious student and tourist!

Judaism grew and adjusted to the new realities of the times. The Mishnah reflects this change and Tzipori is a lesson in Jewish Creativity–Jewish Renewal—Jewish Future. Anyone who wishes to discover the real and all too often missed Israel may contact:

Israel Celebration Tours where every site is a hidden value.