Page 23 - Holyland Magazine - 2025 Edition
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articles in Holyland Magazine 2021-3                                                             Mt. Hermon from Kibbutz Dafna. Photo: Aryeh Green
issues), the trek across the length and
breadth of the country offers a real chance
to just escape from the world. But hiking
on the Israel National Trail is unlike walking
anywhere else on our planet. Aside from
the physical elements – stunning vistas,
steep mountains, gorgeous forests and
hills – it’s the metaphysical that strikes you
when trekking across Israel. And one of the
most magnificent and important regions is
the northern area of Israel called the Galilee
(Galil in Hebrew).

Virtually anywhere in the Land of Israel is,    our forefathers, or Tzfat, the holy city of the  that when confronted with multiple species
for a Jew, an incredible immersion in our       Kabbalists.                                      of fish swimming all around me, I was
national and religious story, where our                                                          reminded of the many connections between
people set up our initial tribal settlements    So perhaps it’s not surprising that after an     Jesus and the Sea, and the area as a whole.
as an extended family and where, as a           exhausting day of hiking south from Tzfat,
nation, we first established our sovereignty.   when I found myself at the Kinneret (Sea of      The Galilee was the center of life and
Moreover, there are some personal               Galilee), I decided I had to take a cooling dip  learning for both the people of Israel
connections – for us all, Jew and non-Jew       in its fresh waters; and unsurprising, also,     (Jews) and early Christians for a number of
– with certain areas, whether Jerusalem,
King David’s capital, or Hebron, the city of

                                                                                                 Playing guitar on Mt. Meron. Photo: Aryeh Green

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