Golan Winery and Tsvat

It's 8:30am (just after midnight in Coloado) and I am sitting on our deck drinking coffee, overlooking the Sea of Galilee. It is overcast but not raining (yet). Forecast says 100% rain for most of the day but a rainy day in Israel is better than most days anywhere else.

Yesterday was rainy and foggy most of the day. We started our day with a beautiful breakfast on the deck, despite the chill and rain.



We drove north to the Golan Heights Winery for a tour and wine tasting. They are one of the larger wineries in Israel and grow many varieties of wine with the varied temperatures along the Golan Heights. Most of their wines are "new" wines which take a short time to ready and should be consumed within a few years. Other wines are stored in oak barrels from France for several months to a year or two.





We then drove to Tzvat which is a city steeped in the history and mysticism of the Jewish people. Tzvat is one of Judaism's four Holy Cities (the other three are Jerusalem, Hebron, and Tiberias). These were the main centers of Jewish life after the Ottomon conquest of Palestine up until the 19th century. Tzvat is well known as the center of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) in Israel. The old city is made up of old cobblestone streets, home to ancient synagogues, homemade Yemenite food, and art galleries.

cobblestone street with art galleries
 

Yemenite restaurant
Yemenite food (their version of pizza?)



ancient synagogue ark (where the Torah Scrolls are kept)

ceiling of the synagogue

front of Yemenite restaurant


One of the galleries has artwork from Nicky Imber. The Hope (below) is a sculpture depicting a woman proudly raising her child to the sky symbolically heralding a new generation. It is named after the Israeli national anthem, Hatikva. Back in 2011 a smaller version was purchased by June Taylor and given to John and Arlene from our whole tour group.


Hatikva - The Hope

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