Safed and the Hula Agmon Lake

EDGAR ASHER ISRANET

There is an almost indefinable air of optimism in Israel. It's hard to put one's finger on it, but it is probably best reflected by a change in emphasis in the security situation. Some of the heat has been taken off the almost daily reports of terrorism. Another T word is slowly but surely taking its place – tourism.

The tourists are returning, there is no doubt. By the end of 2004, 1.5 million tourists will have visited Israel this year. The new Terminal 3 at Ben-Gurion Airport is a busy place these days, although it must be said that many Americans still feel more secure staying at home.

The lack of tourism over the past four years has particularly affected the north of Israel. Many businesses, especially those relating to tourism, have been hit very badly. Ever the optimists, the Israelis are a resilient and philosophical people and have been patiently waiting for an improvement in the situation. Now, traditional tourist attractions in the Galilee are responding to an anticipated revival in overseas visitors.

Safed: A city of learning

Safed in the Upper Galilee is more than 900 metres above sea level and, from many vantage points around the city, there are commanding panoramic views over the Upper Galilee and the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). In the 16th century, Safed was the most important centre of Jewish learning and creativity in the world. The city attracted rabbis, scholars and mystics who laid down religious laws which prevail everywhere today. The very first printing press in the land of Israel was established in the city and, in 1578, the first Hebrew book was printed. It was called A Good Lesson and was a commentary on the Book of Esther written by a pupil of the famed Rabbi Yosef Caro.

The city has suffered many vicissitudes by both man and nature. It has been attacked in past centuries by various invading armies, and this led to a gradual decline in the city's glory. In 1837, more than 4,000 people were killed in a big earthquake. As one contemporary commentator put it, "Since the destruction of the Temple, we have not known such disaster in Israel." Fourteen synagogues were either totally destroyed or damaged. After the earthquake, the city was rebuilt and its famous synagogues restored. Three of the most famous synagogues destroyed in 1837, the Yosef Caro, the Ari and the Alsheich, were rebuilt with the help of funds from the Italian Jewish scholar and philanthropist Yitzhak Guetta. Guetta visited the city shortly after the earthquake and was appalled by what he saw. He decided to restore the synagogues and worked with the best architects and builders of the time. By 1847, most of the reconstruction or repair was finished and Safed began a new era.

Today, the old city of Safed and its synagogues look much the way they did before the great earthquake. There is the Printing Museum, a celebration of more than 400 years of printing history in the city; an active artists' colony – one of the most famous in Israel; a citadel going back to Roman times; and an old Jewish cemetery that contains the tombs of many famous biblical scholars, such as rabbis Ari, Cordovero, Alkabetz and Caro.

After a busy day exploring the winding lanes of Old Safed and perhaps buying a souvenir painting from one of the many artists' studios, visitors can relax and enjoy the luxury and excellent cuisine of the Caanan Spa Hotel, situated on one of the highest points around the city. The view from all directions is breathtaking. This 102-room spa hotel was built in 2000 and is one of the most luxurious and well-appointed hotels in the region. The establishment is a non-smoking hotel and, in common with many other spa hotels, does not allow children under 14 to be guests.

The valley of the birds

An interesting excursion, about a half an hour's drive north from Safed, is the bird sanctuary of the Hula Valley. In any one year, an estimated 500 million birds comprising 390 different species pass through this sanctuary on their annual migration between Africa and Europe.

In the early 1950s, shortly after the state of Israel was founded, the Hula swamps were drained with the goal of eradicating malaria and of reclaiming 15,000 acres of farmland for agriculture. The reclamation turned into an ecological nightmare. The soil was mainly peat and, as it dried out, it was quickly eroded by wind, subsidence and oxidation. The top soil disappeared and degraded. Nitrate and phosphates used by the farmers were carried south by the Jordan River and its tributaries into the all-important Kinneret, Israel's main source of sweet water. It was realized that a terrible mistake had been made. In 1994, Keren Kayemet L'Yisrael / Jewish National Fund (KKL), who is responsible for such projects in Israel, decided to restore the peat lands back to almost the way they were 40 years earlier.

KKL created a shallow, 250-acre lake called Hula Agmon, named after the plant that grows naturally in the region. There were two small island sanctuaries in the midst of the new lake for birds, wild animals and plants. The original course of the Jordan River was also re-established and trees planted along its banks.

Today, tens of thousands of visitors come to see the herons, ibis, pelicans, harriers, storks and cranes that have either made the Hula a migration stopover or, in the case of some cranes, a winter home for about a third of the 30,000 that arrive in the Hula Valley each autumn. In order to encourage the cranes to stay, local farmers set aside 175 acres on which they scatter two tons of corn kernels every day on which the birds can feed during the winter. This keeps the cranes from feeding on important crops in the area. In a short time, the Hula Valley has become one of the world's major bird nature reserves.

Visitors can spend hours in the observation points around the valley. As evening falls, thousands of birds take to the skies and the sound of the chatter of the cranes dominates the evening.

After visiting the valley, perhaps take in an evening back in Safed at the Caanan Spa and maybe the next day, after a leisurely swim and breakfast, you can visit any of the scores of interesting and beautiful places in the Upper Galilee, all less than hour's drive from Safed.

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