BHAKTI HOUSE OF DEVOTION IS BACK FROM THE PEACE TOUR
other times we enjoyed gatherings of friends from as far as the Negev (the southern desert) and as close as next door
Bat Shlomo is close to Zichron Yaakov, a mid size Jewish town that is the Israeli historical wine production center
and to an Arab village, Faradies
Zichron Yaakov and Faradies are separated by one road, but are worlds apart by appearance.
Still, many residents of Faradies work in Zichron and hang out at the cafes,
and the restaurants and produce stalls in Faradies are full of Jewish customers,
especially on Fridays when everyone hurries to buy delicious Arab home cooked dishes and home made pita bread for Shabat
The Druz are a Muslim sect centered mainly on the Carmel and Golan Heights. The Druz villages Daliat Al Carmel and Usfieh are nestled in some of the best scenery in Israel
It is usual to see Jewish businesses at the Druz villages, but the main attractions are the restaurants, that offer special delicacies
At the entrance to the village of Daliat Al Carmel there is a turn to the Muchraka -- this is the site in which Elijah the prophet had an encounter with the priests of the Canaanite God Baal (1 Kings 18:42)
The Carmelite monastery at the site boasts a beautiful chapel
and a glorious view from the terrace
Also on the Carmel, the small gem of Ein Hod, an artists colony. The streets are adorned with the residents’ work
and live music is played at the villages restaurants, cafes and Bars. Here is SiriOm with Yonatan Bar Rashi at Art Bar
We love the Carmel and its diverse population, but our hearts are also captivated by Acco -- an ancient port town in northern Israel. Mentioned in the bible, having been a large Crusaders port and boasting sea walls built by Napoleon, Acco is certainly a city with a past. We love the market, where we shop for spices at the store of our friend Hamudi Curdi.
As a young man Hamudi, who’s family has been in Acco for generations, went out to see the world. In Denmark he met Berit, and brought her with him to Acco. They have four gorgeous children who combine the dark look of their father with the Dane look of their mother, are fluent in Arabic, Hebrew, English and Danish, and grew up celebrating Christmans and Eid El Adha.
There is always delicious coffee, good conversation, fragrance of spices and cooking and health advice at Hamudi’s, whose grandmother was a medicine woman. A stubborn infected burn that did not respond to the antibiotic creams we bought at the pharmacy healed after a couple of days of treating with a concoction of honey and cumin.
We did not stay at Bhakti all the time. Here is SiriOm teaching a workshop at Bishvil Haneshama (Soul Path) Center, located at Beit Berl, a college attended by Jewish and Arab students
He also offered some house concerts, and at times was moved to start dancing himself
Our most incredible experience was at the Tribal Fire event -- a monthly gathering of Israelis and Palestinians that took place at EcoMe -- an echological center near the Dead Sea where Israelis and Palestinians work together to practice and teach green living style. SiriOm gathered the crowd with his gong
and led them inside for a workshop
that had the crowd enthusiastically engaged in alternative ways of communication
There were a few opportunities to share our story and our mission with the Israeli public. You can read and listen to some examples:
This story is in Hebrew, but you can use any translation tool to get the message
www.iwomen.co.il
You can listen to a podcast of RadioWaves (Shomin Olam), Menachem Vinegard’s radio show in Radio Upper Galilee, where we were guests. Most of the show is in English
We were also guests on Fellowship of the Ring, our friend Eliyahu Holley’s radio show. Also mostly in English