Our third day in Israel started in Tel Aviv and ended well after midnight at Kibbutz Dalia. In between were a number of activities, a few of which were quite breathtaking.

We first paid a visit to Mekorot National Water Company. Water conservation is a huge issue in Israel. Other than fish, all Israeli food sources rely on fresh water, and while desalinization of seawater is a process being employed in the country, it is not yet powered by a sustainable energy source. There are a number of national public awareness programs to promote water conservation and 90% of of water is recycled here. Mekorot is a vast, multifunctional water treatment facility. We met with a representative of the company who presented an overview of the company’s functions and then took us on a tour of the facilities. At the picture below suggests, the sewage treatment section made an enormous impact on the group.

Flush with a renewed spirit of adventure, we boarded our bus for the trip north to the Yokneam-Megiddo region. During the ride up, Amir provided us with a detailed lesson about the geography and topography of Israel. We also received an update from Li Zou regarding the country’s major news stories. Liz Holden then took to the microphone to offer up a quick Hebrew vocabulary lesson on how to say “thank you” (todah), “please” ( b’vakasha), and “excuse me” (selicha.)

Our first stop in the north was at the Elyakim Military Base where our hosts, IDF soldiers Archie, Ilit and Maya, took us on an up-close tour of a training ground set up to resemble an urban warfare landscape as well as a second combat setting within a large cluster of thick, heavy (not to mention thorny and bee-infested) brush. Several members of the group went underground into a tunnel that was part of the urban warfare training ground. Our hosts explained that the training grounds were designed to resemble the most common combat settings of nearby Lebanon and that they were necessary not just to make any future Lebanese missions more effective, but also to help the IDF carry out such missions without risking civilian casualties.

Next up was a jeep tour through the hilly and rocky terrain of the Megiddo Region. With a population of 11,000, Megiddo is just under 10,000 residents shy of meeting Israel’s threshold for incorporation as a city. Midway through the tour, we stopped for a picnic lunch under a massive, 85 year old Italian cypress tree and drank tea brewed from locally owned herbs.

Upon our arrival at Yokneam’s Kibbutz Dalia, we were greeted by Bernice Malka, the local Federation coordinator for the 4-way partnership between St. Louis, Atlanta, Yokneam and Megiddo. She escorted us to the Yokneam Community Center where we were treated to an Ethiopian dance exhibition (and lesson) featuring some very talented young ladies. Many of the programs at the community center are subsidized by the Federation, including this one. It is safe to say that, with perhaps very few exceptions, the lovely young Ethiopian dancers have no competition from their older and less coordinated visitors. That being said, a great time was had by all.

As the day moved into early evening, our group turned from dancing fools into Top Chefs as we joined with members of Dalia’s culinary staff to prepare an outdoor feast that we shared with several members of the local community. While the the last few embers of the campfire dimmed around 10 pm, we continued the party on the doorstep of Dalia’s hospitality center. We spent the better part of two hours recounting with several bursts of laughter, the various, often fragrant, memories of the day before finally turning in for the night.

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Sam March
Author: Sam March