Day 9: Yehuda HaNasi's Grave to Kibbutz Yagur

So I haven't quite written about the Trail Angels yet. Which is too bad, because these people are the most incredible part of doing the Israel National Trail. On the website of the Society for Protection of Nature in Israel is a list of 100-odd people who volunteer their services to hikers along the way. They offer accomodations (which varies from a spot of grass in their backyard to an entire guest house) including food, water, showers, and anything else we might need to refuel for the next day.

Too often you hear of Israelis that are fed up with the country for various reasons and question why someone with an American passport would willingly want to stay in Israel. Last year someone said to me "You know, the clubs and beaches are much better in South America, you should go there instead." Israel to me is about identity, about history, and about the proud Jewish people that have rebuilt this land about 2000 years of exile. That's why it's so great when these trail angels say how happy they are that foreigners are doing the Shvil. They love this country, despite it's difficulties, and would never dream of living elsewhere.

After the army many soldiers will head to southeast asia to go hiking and backpacking, while virtually none of them will explore the beauty right in their own backyard. It's a shame.



Tonight we stayed with our three Israeli friends that we met at the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai at Kibbutz Yagur, directly underneath Mount Carmel near Haifa. A girl was working in Tel Aviv and gave up her empty apartment to anyone that's walking the trail. We had some delicious pizza and conked out early, eager to scale the mountain in the morning.



Yagur (יגור) is a kibbutz located on the slopes of Mount Carmel, about 9 km southeast of Haifa. It is one of the two largest kibbutzim (plural for kibbutz) in Israel. Its name is derived from a Palestinian village called "Yajur" nearby. There is a site with a similar name (Jagur) mentioned in the Book of Joshua 15:21, however that ancient town was located in territory belonging to the Tribe of Judah, far to the south.

Yagur was founded in 1922 by a settlement group called Achva. At first, the members worked drying up the swamps surrounding the Kishon River and preparing the land for permanent settlement.There were already some Palestinian villages in the area, one,called "Karaman", is still there today . They then established the various agricultural divisions, and the kibbutz began to grow. The economy is now based on diversified agriculture and industry.

During the British Mandate of Palestine, Yagur was an important center for the Haganah. On "Black Saturday" (29 June 1946), after receiving a tip from informants, the British army conducted a major raid on the kibbutz and located a major arms depot that was hidden there. The weapons were confiscated, and many members of the kibbutz were arrested.

-Jeremy