Golan Heights and Capernaum

 

We’re off to visit the Golan Heights; this area was captured from Syria in the Six Day War in 1967. In 1973, during the Yom Kippur War, 48 Israeli tanks, held off 500 tanks by controlling the heights. They ran out of shells, but remained in position, tricking the Syrians. The US supplied the Israelis with new equipment and ammunition, eventually securing the area. From Mount Bental, we could see the caldera of the volcanoes as well as the border roads between Israel and the no man’s land with Syria. Within Israel there are Agricultural fields and windmills as well as the kibbutz village of Meram Golan. Yop, a local sculpturer had several unique sculptures along our path.

Sculpture along our path

We had lunch in the cafeteria of the kibbutz. The kibbutz was founded as a socialist community, where people worked for the various businesses and shared equally in the benefits of housing, food, schooling, and health. The government provided the original investment in 1977 as an effort to settle the Golan Heights with Israeli’s. The UN considers this settlement as illegal under international law. Originally children were housed and cared for in their own dorms. Parents could visit them daily between 4 and 6 PM. In the 1980s, the system was privatized to pay wages, pay rent, buy your own food, and care for your own children. The businesses now include agriculture, orchards, a 70-room hotel, and a quarry. The kibbutz is a tightly knit village of 160 members who run the town and its businesses. Here we had lunch in their cafeteria.

Capernaum excavations

We then visited Capernaum along the Sea of Galilea, now owned by the Franciscans. Jesus spent most of his 3-year ministry in this area. At the time, it was a very Jewish area and along one of the major trade routes. Five of the apostles came from this area, including Peter. Here we toured the ruins of a 4^th century synagogue built of white stone above another built of basalt.  Excavated here are buildings from the time of Christ including what is believed to be Peter’s house since a stone inscription had the names Peter and Jesus. A 5^th century octagonal church was built above the house. Octagonal because eight represents something new, in Jewish tradition. Above the town. We visited the Italian church built in the 1930s on the summit of the hill where the Sermon on the Mount was given, overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

Sermon on the Mount church

We returned to the Clio for a 5-course dinner and lots of wine.

Our dinner aboard the Cleo