Israel in the 90’s - it’s definitely not the same place that you and your parents visited when I might have been your tour guide in the 1970’s. I knew things were very different right away when we stopped into a local JNF office in the lower Galilee to get directions to the closest tree planting center and the instructions were: “Drive over into the McDonald’s which is just past the nearby intersection and take the road that goes from the back of their parking lot for a half a kilometer until you see our sign. At the gate, ask for Hassan who will collect the fee and help you select your tree.” As my daughter Jamie and I learned during our three week visit to Israel this past August, fast food, malls and exclusive restaurants with Paris prices have sprung up as quickly as avant-guard recreational activities like snappling into remote canyons and donkey treks in the desert.

The first plan my eleven year-old daughter Jamie and I made for our three week summer visit to Israel was the stipulation that each day would include at least one or two historical “learning” experience before we went off for the day’s recreational activity. This is actually a pretty good bargain from the parents’ point of view, since so many of Israel’s historical, archeological and religious sites offer features that are really quite a lot of fun for kids.

Much of ancient Jerusalem can be explored now through a labyrinth of underground tunnels and passageways along streets from fifteen centuries ago and into homes dating back to the time of the Second Temple. Learning Jewish history together with the basics of archeology in what kids will describe as a “scary” and “spooky” environment sure beats sitting in a classroom! One should never underestimate the learning capability of a child. By our second day, Jamie could show me what is today’s visible section of the Western Wall from a model of Jerusalem as it was in the time of the Second Temple, and she could differentiate between Herodian and Crusader stone masonry as we walked inside the walls through the Old City.

One reason for this is that children’s heads are not cluttered up with all of the worries and concerns that adults have when on vacation - logistics, finances, business back home, etc. Even when you think they look bored and don’t seem to be paying attention, it’s all being absorbed.

At Bet Guvrin, a forty-five minute drive southwest of Jerusalem, we climbed together with a dozen other families deep down into a maze of ancient caves and participated in the ongoing archeological excavation on site, digging up pieces of treasures from 2,000 years ago. The guides are not only well trained in teaching Jewish history to children of all ages, but have a wonderful sense of humor as well. At war memorials like Ammunition Hill and Latrun, children can climb on top of tanks, some of which were ones that actually were used in battle. Riding in a jeep while learning about Israel’s deserts and the secrets they hold, kayaking down the legendary Jordan river and walking along the ramparts of Crusader fortresses are but a few of the memorable experiences Jamie and I and our friends shared and counted as part of the “educational” part of the day. We also agreed to each keep a daily journal of our

thoughts, reactions and feelings about each day’s adventure. This is a pledge easier made than kept, but with a little prodding, we got it done. I figure she’ll love reading it to her own kids in twenty years.

A lot of sightseeing in Israel does involve walking, which, as any parent knows, can produce varying levels of complaining from kids of all ages. Keeping the walking parts of our touring interesting so as to distract her from aching feet and fatigue, real or imagined, was a challenge. The shuk in the Old City of Jerusalem was one success because the different shops are fascinating and unlike anything we have here. We walked for miles but hardly felt it because it was so interesting. Also, occasionally walking on top of the walls of Jerusalem instead of below them proved to be a good idea as well.

Sometimes walking can lead to pleasant surprises. Tzippori was a very important Western Galilee village during the Talmudic era about sixteen centuries ago and the site features one of the most beautiful and extensive mosaic floors from that period to be seen anywhere in Israel. Our walk through the ruins around the newly opened National Park there was somewhat hot and tiring but it was all worth it when we encountered the special children’s workshop on the grounds. There, for three dollars and change, Jamie, together with lots of other children, was given a wet plaster mold and an unlimited supply of different colored local stone pieces to make a real mosaic of her own. It was the highlight of the day.

At the vast archeological sites of Massada and Caesaria, my personal collection of color pictures showing the way the ruins looked as real buildings in their time made the distance between them seem shorter and the history more meaningful. Watching so many different people and eating along the way was the formula when we were walking on one of Israel’s many outdoor pedestrian malls.

At Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael where I learned Hebrew over thirty years ago and still have close friends, we got lucky. It’s such a huge kibbutz that, instead of walking, our hosts took us on a tour in something they call a “club car”. It was actually a modified golf cart but we were able to ride it around the whole kibbutz. We stopped to see cows being milked (by computerized machines today), cotton fields, banana plantations, fish farms, newborn calves and even a petting zoo.

Nothing typifies the monumental changes in Israel more than kibbutz life today. The idealistic socialists of the thirties and forties, when close to a quarter of the Jewish population lived on what were then quite austere communal farm settlements, would be in shock to see the typical kibbutz dwelling of the 90’s with its stereo, TV, full kitchen, phone, fax, and personal computer.As Israel rapidly grows, some kibbutzim are converting themselves into regular villages, selling land to developers and investing the money in the Tel Aviv stock exchange.

But the ones which remain have opened their doors to tourists from abroad more than ever before, offering accommodations ranging from simple bed and breakfast rooms (called tzimmerim locally, from the Yiddish word ) to deluxe hotel complexes. In addition, they are eager to show visitors around and allow them to explore all aspects of the settlement. Many Galilee kibbutzim now have fleets of jeeps for touring in the hills way off the beaten path into the mountains of the Golan and some in the Negev will take you out on desert dune buggies. Guides on these outings are excellent. You and your children will learn not only some Jewish history but also about the flora, fauna and wild life.

Museum visits, especially for people living in the Washington area where we seem to have them all, can be a delicate matter with children. The good news is that generally museums all over Israel have become far more interactive and sensitive to the interests and attention spans of children. One of our best visits was to the Clandestine Immigration Museum in Haifa. The museum itself is inside of an actual ship which secretly carried Jewish refugees to the shores of British Palestine, a story depicted in the book and movie Exodus. In fact, there is a scale model of the real Exodus ship in the museum, as well as an informative film in English about the over 100,000 Jews who braved the British White Paper blockade and reached Israel before, during and immediately after W.W.II. In addition, the larger museums like the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv’s HaAretz Museum have ongoing exhibits and special programs for kids.

Many parents, myself included, have a major aversion to including anything on a foreign trip that they and the kids could just as easily and less expensively do at home. The instinctive thought is that valuable time should be spent visiting all the unique sites and experiences that won’t be found anywhere else in the world. I learned, however, that overcoming this reluctance can go a long way toward ensuring that children come home with a positive memories of their trip.

Jerusalem’s new zoo is a good example. It’s not likely to ever rank anywhere near the top on a list of great city zoos, but regardless of this fact, there is an axiom that all parents know - kids love zoos and animals. Anywhere. No matter what else is on your itinerary, the Jerusalem zoo will simply be a must visit for families traveling with kids, especially under the age of twelve. It does have some special features. Together with clear explanations in both Hebrew and English next to every exhibit, the directors have added the specific quote from the Bible which mentions each particular animal. There is also a new section now in development where many of the different species of animals (which aren’t extinct) that populated the land of Israel from Biblical to modern times will be placed in a large natural and open area. It will be viewed by looking down from a high, long bridge winding its way around. Animals will roam free instead of being in cages and be seen from above.

In addition, right next to the zoo there is something wonderful for kids that really is unique to Israel. It’s called The Ein Yael Living Museum. Built around the ruins of a small Biblical era village along the ancient trade route to Jerusalem, Ein Yael is designed to illustrate every day life during Biblical times through a series of hands-on workshops for kids. We milked a goat and made cheese from the milk. Then we observed how wheat was ground into flour using Iron Age stone implements. This was followed by making dough from the flour and baking bread over an open fire. The small but interesting archeological remains included a well preserved mosaic and a bath house, the history of which was all explained beautifully to the children by a young woman guide. We noticed a pottery workshop and other ancient crafts as well as a complete olive press. Olive oil was a most important and valuable commodity in the Middle East. It was the only source of energy, providing light and fuel besides the being basis for cosmetic manufacture and religious rituals. People also probably did put it on salad. Learning how olives from the olive trees which are seen all over Israel become pure oil was central to understanding life 3,000 years ago. While places like Ein Yael and certainly the zoo might be found elsewhere, they were appreciated in the context of Israel and our Jewish heritage.

It’s an old Hassidic custom to give a child who is beginning to study Torah a small bit of honey on his finger before he starts the lesson in order to make it a sweet experience for him. The zoo visit, as well as going to the beach occasionally, enjoying a swim in the hotel or kibbutz pool and visiting the water slide park on the shores of the Kinneret will serve to sweeten the memory and the association children will have with Israel.

Every Jewish family should visit Israel with their children before they go off to college. No matter what one’s political views may be and regardless of which branch of Judaism is practiced in the family, Israel is and always will be the focal point for Jews all around the world. It has been said that the establishment of the State of Israel after 1900 years and under the most difficult of conditions is the greatest accomplishment of the Jewish people since the Talmud was written over fifteen centuries ago.

There are experiences that will remain imprinted forever in the collective memory of each family member - Shabbat at the western Wall, a festive and moving collage of sounds and color as fifteen or twenty ethnic groups chant and sing according to their own tradition and style; Yizkor at Yad V’Shem, the worlds first and most important memorial to the victims of the Holocaust; climbing the fortress of Massada which has become a legend in Jewish history; planting a tree and saying shechayanu upon reaching Jerusalem. These spiritually uplifting kinds of experiences, combined with some of the many recreational adventures the country has to offer can create family bonds for a lifetime.

Nick Martin lived in Israel from 1966 to 1981 and is the owner of Israel Travel Resource, specializing in planning Israel trips for families and groups of all sizes.    nvmartin@aol.com