Exploring Kibbutz Massada

Sunrise on Kibbutz Massada

The more I saw of Kibbutz Massada, the more I liked, and the more I realized how much I didn’t know about my dear friend.

Betty grew up in Pasadena/South Pasadena, southern California cities that form part of the Los Angeles basin. She had never known small-town life, as I had, so for me to see her living so contentedly in this rural community really opened my eyes. If I had seen Kibbutz Massada, I would have wanted to move here, too, but I had never pictured my friend as a small-town girl.

Cities are not my thing. In fact, people are not my thing. From the age of 12 I’ve wanted to be a hermit. First chance I got (at the age of 47), I escaped Southern California and moved to the wilds of North Fork. We spent a family vacation in the town of Bass Lake, just a few miles from the southern entrance to Yosemite. The minute I set foot on the ground at The Pines Resort, I fell in love. That weekend daughter Farida and I went house hunting and found the perfect place, in a little spot called Bass Lake Annex. We made an offer that day. I moved in permanently four months later. I’ve never fallen out of love, even though I’ve changed houses a few times.

Before seeing it, I couldn’t wrap my head around Kibbutz Massada. Even though it has changed radically in the years since Betty moved there, I can still see what would have drawn ME to it.  Betty and I must be more alike than I ever realized.

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One of my favorite flower arrangements
on Kibbutz Massada.

My morning walks took me from one end of Kibbutz Massada to the other. It’s almost like walking a labyrinth, where the sidewalks lead you over, around and through paths between the houses. And all the houses are adorned with flowers.

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That evening Betty and Doobie took me away from Kibbutz Massada to a
place called Bet (or Beit) Gabriel, at the very southern tip of the Sea of Galilee, known as the Kinneret in Israel. Bet Gabriel is a social and cultural center for the Jordan Valley. As such it houses art exhibits, movie theatres, outdoor concerts and currently the best bagels I have ever tasted. Before my departure from the U S, I'd vowed not to let temptation get the best of me. I wanted to avoid breads and desserts in the worst way. After the Bet Gabriel bagels, all bets were off. I ate and enjoyed. And ate. And ate. And ate.

I would love to have been present for an outdoor concert there, as well as the food. The ambiance is incredible.

I'm not so sure why Betty, Doobie and I are so fuzzy at Bet Gabriel. Must have been all those wonderful bagels we consumed.

The outdoor stage at Bet Gabriel. Imagine it lit up for a rock concert.