Page 22 - Holyland Magazine - 2025 Edition

THE GALILEE
HISTORY & MEANING
IN GREEN HILLS
Spring in the Galilee. Photo: Shutterstock
More reflections on W e took a break from
trekking the length and Holyland Magazine’s series
breadth of the land of on the Israel Trail. But with military or national service; many do it
milk & honey the current renewal of
Israel’s strength and spirit, dissolve and re-form many times along
Aryeh Green I’m pleased to offer a few reminiscences of
the section of my trek which angled across
22 l HOLY LAND the North of Israel in the green hills of the
Galilee.
For those readers not familiar with this series
or with the Israel National Trail, a few words
of introduction. The Trail (or “the Shvil” as it’s
called in Hebrew), is a 1000-mile hiking path
meandering from the southern tip of Israel
in the port city of Eilat, through the Negev
desert mountains and up to Jerusalem, from
there to Tel Aviv and along the coastal plain
up to the Galilee, ending at the border with
Lebanon near the Golan Heights. Think of
it as Israel’s answer to the Appalachian Trail
or the Pacific Crest Trail – yet unique in that
we are walking in the Holy Land, with all its
history and spiritual significance.
A trek on the Shvil is a rite of passage for
many 21-year-old Israelis, following their
nonstop in small groups (which form and
the way); it usually takes about two-three
months in total. Over the past few decades,
many Israelis have walked segments of the
Trail on the weekends, once a month for two
days, or during the holidays for a few days
at a time.
I hiked the Shvil all alone, without a break,
with a 50-pound pack on my back, at age 51,
following a devastating divorce (which I had
not looked for). It was a transformational,
healing, two-month-long adventure, and
the book I wrote (My Israel Trail) describes
both the journey and the lessons I learned
along the way, which helped me move on
with my life.
Starting in Israel’s South and meandering
through Jerusalem and Tel Aviv (see my