Eretz Israel - Land of impressive places

Photo: ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock

If ever there was a place where water was the perfect temperature, no matter what time of year, this is it. Even with an autumn or winter nip to the air, swimmers like the jubilant one featured in the above photo can jump in and enjoy a balmy 82 degrees at the Gan Hashlosha Nature Reserve in northern Israel — thanks to this spring's location along a heat vent in the earth's crust.

            Photo: Idan Ben Haim/Shutterstock

An enchanted forest area in northern Israel

At sunrise, a meadow of cyclamen flowers gives this wooded area in northern Israel the look of what the photographer calls an "enchanted forest." Their tiny pink petals seem to stretch up to greet the sun's rays, while the cyclamen leaves cover the ground in a velvety blanket of green.

Photo: Udi Goren/

The rolling hills, sharp cliffs, deep canyons and layers of rock that comprise Israel's Negev desert glow with the warm light of the newly rising sun. You could spend all afternoon in the desert without noticing the subtle beauty of the textured landscape that is so apparent at dawn. 

Dragon boat racing in Sea of Galilee

An ancient Chinese tradition, dragon boat racing, has made its way from the Pearl River Delta into the Sea of Galilee. In this 2,000-year-old sport, teams grab their paddles and race each other in long boats across the water. The joint initiative between Canada and Israel began in May 2012 with an international festival and now, two years later, Israel has held its first completely local race. On June 13, teams comprised of members of all ages and experience levels took to the water for an exciting day of Dragon Boat Racing.




True to its name, the dragon boat is decorated with traditional Chinese depictions of dragons at the front and at the back of the long boats. Each team consists of around 22 members, including the drummer (or caller) who faces the team and leads them across the water

Team members' paddles dip into the water as they furiously make their way across the sea. The paddles are freestanding, not attached to the boat in any way. 

The drummer beats the drum to indicate the cadence of the paddlers' strokes.




Text in Anna Norris


http://www.fromthegrapevine.com/authors/anna-norris/

Israel Nature

Flora and fauna

Israel's plant and animal life is rich and diverse, in part due to the country's geographic location, which sits at the junction of three continents. Approximately 2,600 types of plants have been identified, ranging from alpine species on the slopes of the northern mountains to species from the Sahara on Arava in the south.

Israel is the northern boundary for the presence of plants like papyrus and the southern boundary for others like the red coral peony. 

Natural forests, which consist mainly of golden oaks, cover part of Galilee, Mount Carmel and other mountainous areas. In spring, rockrose and thorny broom predominate, leaving the region with pink, white and yellow colors.

Nature conservation

In an effort to conserve the natural environment, stringent laws have been enacted to protect nature and wildlife, making it illegal to remove even common flowers from the roadside.

Responsible for advancing nature conservation, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority strives to protect the landscape and natural environment. More than 150 nature reserves and 65 national parks across the country, under the supervision of the Authority, cover approximately 1000 square kilometers.

Approximately 20 reserves have been developed for public use, with visitor centers, roads and hiking trails, attracting more than two million people each year. One of Israel's most important regions – Mount Carmel – has been declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Program.

Shemitah

Cultivated areas near the Kineret

With the year 5775 is initiated to sabbatical mentioned several times in the Bible. The first reference is in Exodus 23: 10-11, where it is commanded the Israelites: "Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its fruit, but the seventh year you shall let it rest and not cultivarás so that poor of thy people think that eating and sobejo eat the wild animals. Likewise shalt thou do with thy vineyard and your olive grove. "