creative jewish mom

Stunning August Sunset Over Mount Meron, Northern Israel

A stunning fiery orange and very dramtic sunset over Mount Meron in Northern Israel was something that one had to be near a window to catch, as it passed quite quickly! I am so very blessed to have a stunning mountain view that never gets old, especially with sunsets and cloud formations like these! And yes, I do plan to paint all of this, even as a daily practice, but in the mean time I have photos to record some of the clouds that seem unreal, and really do belong in a painting!

The New Mediterranean Seashore Trail Starts In Rosh HaNikra, Israel

If you love hiking, Israel is full of amazing trails, both moderate and difficult, so there is something for everyone. Despite the small size of our country, there is a huge variety of experiences, from mountain, to lake, to sea, to volcanic plateaus, to rolling hills, to dessert, to red rock canyons, together with a huge range of temperatures and weather conditions as well. There is a national trail that goes from the top of Israel to the bottom, which many do in sections, and there is another famous trail called "Yam Le Yam" meaning sea to sea, which is from Naharriya to Tiberius, which even my daughter has done, as it is a two night camping experience and thus reasonable for the not so experienced. On our visit to the Rosh HaNikra seashore we discovered, via signage, that there is a new Mediterranean Seashore Trail, that starts in Rosh HaNikra, and goes to Kibbutz Zikim, (which is 150 miles) located in the northern Negev Desert just above the Gaza strip! Keep on reading for more important info....

An Ancient Rock Quarry On The Mediterranean In Rosh HaNikra, Israel

One of my very favorite sites in Israel, Rosh HaNikra just got even more special, as I seriously did not know that seashore area below the famous cliffs is a huge archeological site, who knew? I did notice that the rocks were an interesting shape, but until Iooked it up it did not occur to me that this was once an ancient quarry, like really ancient! So now you can enjoy this incredible spot and learn some important history about this very special spot!

For thousands of years a Canaanite people known in the Torah as the "Sidonians", and known to the world as the "Phoenicians" (starting from the 19th century BCE up to the 9th century CE). lived along the coastal stretch reaching from Sidon - located 40 kilometers north of Rosh Hanikra - to Haifa, situated around 40 kilometers south of Rosh Hanikra. In spite of their being Canaanites, peace and friendship reigned between them and the Jews during most periods.  In the days of the Kings David and Salomon and their successors, covenants were made between the kingdoms of Sidon and Israel.  They helped each other not only in times of warfare defending against outside invaders, but also with trade and construction. As experts of the ancient world in woodwork and stonework, they supplied both the building materials and artisans for the building of the First Temple. Wow, right? Keep on reading for more photos!

The Rosh HaNikra Seashore

At the very northern tip of Israel, on the Mediterranean Sea and just below the border of Lebanon lies one of my very favorite spots, Rosh HaNikra. For years and years I'd only visited the mountain top area, never venturing to the shore below, until this past passover holiday week, when I suddenly realized that I needed to be close to the water, and directed my husband to make a left turn, which took us into a dirt parking lot, which happened to be right next to a path to the shore, magic! The tide was low so we enjoyed the rocky shore, the views and the fact that despite it being a holiday week, there were very few people there, the best! So friends, visit Rosh HaNikra, the mountaintop with the fenicular that goes down into the grottos, but also visit the seashore below, it is something special!

Yucca Blooms In Northern Israel

Did you know that the Yucca plant actually has flowers? Honestly I only discovered this a few years ago, despite owning some Yucca plants myself! The first Yucca I ever saw in bloom was in a large container, so it isn't necessary for the Yucca to be planted in the ground as those here, but it does need the right conditions. What are those conditions you might ask? Well first of all, neglect, yes indeed, though together with full sun, sandy soil and good drainage. Also, plants need to be at least three years old. Other than that I'd say you'll need a bit of luck, but in any case Yuccas are wonderful plants as is, though do steer away from those with super sharp points as they are a bit dangerous!

Ah yes, and this flowering Yucca is actually in my neighbor's garden, in a built in planter that I designed with her 15 years ago. Who knew these plants would become so giant, not me! And that strelitzia next to it that is like, wow 3 stories tall, I had no idea it could get that big when I helped my neighbor pick plants, some friend I am? Other than the fact that built in planter wall is cracking from all the huge plants I must say it looks great, so regrets? Maybe not, the only regret is that last time they pruned the Yucca I didn't realize that you can easily root the top of a Yucca plant and make more plants, infact I just did that! But that is a story for another time, now enjoy the photos!

Sea Lavender ( עדעד כחול) Blooms On The Mediterranean Coast In Israel!

Who knew that purple statice, the flower seen in so many bouquets that dries nicely has a version that grows by the sea and is actually called sea lavender? This was a huge delight to me this past Passover when we visited the rocky beach just below Rosh HaNikra in Israel, just below Lebanon. Wow, statice growing on the beach, amazing! It looks very similar to the statice we all recognize, just grows on shorter stems and close to the ground, certainly to avoid all those winds coming off the sea! So enjoy my photos, and do visit this lovely area (more photos to come) especially in the spring to see the wild statice, or sea lavender, in bloom!

Stunning Mountain Views From The Car In The Galil

The views we experience on almost any car trip are just so inspiring and often take my breath away! I'm hoping to start painting using these photos as inspiration, but in the mean time I wanted to share them with you. This photos above is the end of the Meron mountain range, the view we see from our home, but experiencing the length of the range and understanding what we are looking at is so interesting. Here I've compiled photos taken from the car as we approach the city of Tzfat, or Tsfat or Zefat or Safed, though I spell it Tsfat! Enjoy!

Stunning Views From The Car Of The Kinneret And Mount Arbel

On our drive home this week after 2 nights in Jerusalem, I just had to whip out the camera to capture the incredible beauty of our country to share with you, and to have on hand for when I hopefully get around to painting landscapes of all this amazing inspiration! The Galil or Galilee, the area that we call home is in Northern Israel and really in my opinion the most stunning area due to the mountain ranges and of course the Kinneret, Lake Tiberius. Seeing the lake always takes my breath away, as we see in when we leave our mountaintop town anytime we are heading south. I don't have time to write an essay about this at the moment, so just enjoy my photos taken from the car!

Lake Ram, A Crater Lake In The Shadow of Mount Hermon, Israel

On our 3 night vacation just before Passover, we explored so many beautiful spots in the Golan Heights in Northern Israel. One such spot that I'd never even heard of is Lake Ram, a crater lake in the shadow of Mount Hermon, and in the middle of a Druze village. With pick your own cherries orchards right next to the lake, and the cherry trees in bloom, it was a stunning destination and truly different from any place we've been in Israel. And of course with a bit of snow still on the peak of Mount Hermon, wow, it was magical! Okay, lets take a closer look!

Stunning Views From The Car On A Golan Heights Road Trip

Imagine seeing a snow capped Mount Hermon as you are driving down the road? Yes my friends, that was in fact the case on our road trip across the Golan Heights just before Passover, and there were so many great sights from the car window that I just had to share them with you! This was new territory for us, more or less, so it was also really exciting to be not all that far from home and yet see things that were totally different from anywhere else we've been in Israel. And in case you are wondering, spring is hands down the best time to visit Israel and especially Northern Israel, to experience the green hills, a bounty of wild flowers and blooming trees! Okay, lets take a little ride, shall we?