Thursday, January 11, 2007

Name this country!


And here's a hint: it’s not Toronto, Canada.

I just don’t understand why I can’t live in a country like this. I thought I did, but I haven’t seen snow in so long, that I am starting to believe it’s a national myth - like Santa Claus lives in the North Pole. Arutz Sheva carries this report:
Pisgat Yaakov is a small hilltop caravan neighborhood of Beit El located on Mount Artis. Residents woke up early to find their beloved mountain covered in a velveteen layer of pure-white snow. Twenty-nine families live in the close-knit community, which has its own synagogue and vista observatory. From the top of the mountain, Tel Aviv can often be seen to the west, while Jerusalem's Mount of Olives can be viewed in the south. On rare days, when weather conditions permit, snow-capped Mount Hermon appears to the north.

The 909-meter tall mountain is covered, as are most mountains in the Binyamin Region, with ancient terraces. These terraces are the work of Jews, dated by archeologists to the Second Temple period. Ancient Jewish burial caves, as well as ancient wine and olive presses, abound throughout the terraces. Alongside the new Jewish neighborhood, animals continue to make the mount their home, including gazelles, porcupines, eagles, and wild boars.

Other Beit El neighborhoods are sprouting at the foot and midriff of the mountain, and they include a girls' high school, a new mikvah (ritual immersion bath), and a winery that sits below an ancient Jewish winepress. Some researchers believe that this mountain is the spot of Jacob's dream of the ladder which the Torah describes as occurring in Beit El.
Arutz Sheva is hosting a photo gallery of the snowfall in the Beit El area taken by Artis resident Yishai Fleisher.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for linking to my article. Through the link I found your excellent blog.
I enjoyed your grandfather's wisdom: "what is bred in the bone comes out in the flesh"

When are you coming to visit Israel???

Check out our radio station at: www.israelnationalradio.com

and our movie at: www.aliyahrevolution.com

Blessings from the Holy Land
Yishai

K. Shoshana said...

Your very welcome and thank you. I loved your pictures. It's a beautiful country even without snow. I am bringing my daughter to Israel next year for a graduation present. We have been planning it for years and I have promises to be kept there.