We were on the first day of a two-week trip around Israel with my extended family. Half our group was four children ages 10 to 13 who had never even set foot in Europe and thus had only grasped world history as it revolved around New England and its past dating to the Pilgrims. That pales in comparison to this cradle of mankind, a small parcel of land the size of New Jersey that seems to have been conquered by every imaginable culture and religion - Philistines, Israelites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans, the British, and now the Jews again.
We wanted to touch on the history without overwhelming the kids with dry facts. Being Jewish, I also wanted them to be proud of the one nation where their religion is the majority without forsaking my love of multiculturalism and craving for Arabic foods, desserts, and souks.
We learned quickly that if you can keep the kids active, they will be much more receptive to the history. Neot Kedumim, a 625-acre "biblical" nature re serve nestled in the hills and valleys between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, was the perfect start. After trying our hand at shepherding, we walked to an ancient cistern. The kids took turns pulling up water and our guide, Michal Kaufman, had us touch the grooves formed by the constant movement of the pulleys bringing up the bucket.
"The wise Rabbi Akiva once touched these grooves and said if a stone can change, I can change and hopefully for the better," said Kaufman.
We also planted oak trees on a hill that overlooked the arid terrain and pounded the local spice, hyssop, with a pestle in a mortar bowl to make the popular delicacy, za'atar. Our version tasted like dust. My daughter, Melanie, 10, spit hers out, asking, "Is this lunch?" No, just a small teaser to the tasty Middle Eastern fare we would soon devour back in Tel Aviv.
If you want to taste the city's best hummus, that creamy concoction of mashed chick peas scooped out with warm pita, then follow the taxi drivers to Abu Hassan in the old section of Jaffa. Plop down on one of the plastic chairs and the dishes of hummus soon arrive, some topped with ful, a blend of fava beans. It was a late lunch and the kids downed the food quickly.
