Ideas for Tours of Israel : Golan Tour

Looking for something new in Israel that you will not normally see on a standard tour ?

You should visit the beautiful region of the Golan.  This is radically different from any other visit to Israel, the volcanic soil and amazing view across the Golan plateau make it unlike any  other region in Israel.

This is a very versatile tour; allowing for changes based on the need of the group. This would be the perfect family  tour for any time of year especially the Jewis holiday season.

Description of the Day:

We start early in the morning for a picturesque ride to the North.

Ou first stop will be for a brief overview at the Gadot Lookout military memorial to explain the History and Geography of the area.

We begin a hike of the Jilabun stream at an abandoned Syrian military base (ideally before midday, when it gets too hot) we hike through a grove of Eucalyptus trees down a dirt path that follows the Jilabun stream past a beautiful waterfall to a pool, where we can have a nice dip! The route that we take is normally the circular route.

After lunch in Qatrsin we have a choice of a number, though not all, of the following options:

    • A visit to Golan wineries where we can sample some of the best wine that Israel has to offer at a world renowned vineyard.
    • A Tour of the Qatsrin Talmudic Village and at certain times of the year  we can participate in various hands on workshops about life in the time of the Talmud.
    • A Tour of the Golan Brewery, an experience unique to this region, where you can taste beers that completely change your perspective of Israeli beer.
    • An overview of the politics of the region at the Har Bental military base overlooking the demilitarized zone with Syria.
    • A visit to a Chocolate ‘farm’.

Contact me here for more details.

Podcast 4: Isaac and Rebecca: The Other Hebrew

Bibliography

Hittite Treaties and Letters, D. Luckenbill

The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures

Vol. 37, No. 3 (Apr., 1921), pp. 161-211

University of Chicago Press

Reflections on The Mitanni Emergence, G. Schwartz

Berlin Studies of the Ancient World, Vol. 17

The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis, A Zornberg

Image Books 1996

Studies in Bereishit, Nechama Leibowitz

Jerusalem, WZO, 1976

Pseudo Translation of Yonatan ben Uzziel:

http://targum.info/targumic-texts/pentateuchal-targumim/

Please see the main Bibliography for more.

Bibliography for 1st 3 Podcasts and Timeline of History

The Time of The Patriarchs

 

Bibliography

Tanach – The Jewish Bible, an anacronym of Torah (1st 5 books), Nevi’im (prophets), Ketuvim (Witings). Any Hebrew Tanach with clear print will do. preferably with all the major commentaries for this you will need:

Tanach with Mikraot Gedolot.

The Jewish Bible: Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures — The New JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text: Torah * Nevi’im * Kethuvim JPS Paperback – November 1, 1985

An English Translation of Rashi on the Pentateuch M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann (5 vols., London, 1929–34)

Carta Bible Atlas, Y. Aharoni, Hendrickson Publishers, 2015

Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land, A. Negev , Mackmillan, 1990 (constantly updated)

A Chronology of Israel, A Wolff, 2008

The Jewish People: Their History and Their Religion , D. Goldberg and J Rayner Penguin 1992

Biblical Archaeology Review, Ed. Herschel Shanks, 1975 – present,

The Beginnings of Israel: A Methodological Working Hypothesis, Zecharia Kallai, Israel Exploration Journal, Vol. 59, No. 2 (2009), pp. 194-203

Jar-burial Customs and the Question of Infant Sacrifice in Palestine, WH. Wood, The Biblical World, 36.4  1910

Bereishit (Genesis) Rabbah – A Hebrew midrash, a translation can be found at: http://www.sefaria.org/Bereishit_Rabbah

Midrash Tanchuma – Another Hebrew Midrash, a translation can be found at http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/mhl/mhl04.htm