Places of the Heart

You know how you go someplace you've never been before and just feel like you're at home?

Entrance to Kibbutz Massada

That happened to me back in  November 1989 when on a family vacation we came to Bass Lake. As strange as it sounds, the minute my feet hit the earth--at midnight, after a long day's drive from Orange County--I knew this was my place. I'd loved the mountains since I was a child and recognized that, one day, I needed to plant myself where my soul would flourish. We found a house that weekend, made an offer, closed escrow on February 1, 1990, and I moved up here permanently in April.

What does this have to do with Israel, you ask?

My favorite walk in Massada

I've fallen in love with many places I've been, even considered moving to a few. Mexico City, for one (many years ago). Believe it or not, Peshawar, Pakistan (but not any more, not ever). The wilds of Wyoming. The deserts of the southwest. The Alaskan bush. 

The only ones I could seriously have considered, were it possible, are kibbutzim near the Sea of Galilee (called the Kinneret in Israel), Tzfat in the northern Galilee and Ein Kerem, a village surrounded by Jerusalem. This amazes me as much as it does you. They are all smallish, rural even. Cities are not my thing, although I dearly love Jerusalem and my memories of Mexico City. I could make my home in any one of these places, including Kibbutz Massada, where Betty lives.

I never wanted to go to Israel. In fact, I resented Israel for stealing my best friend and holding her captive. I was afraid because her earlier years there took place during the Intifadas,  She even sent photos of her bathroom turned into a bomb shelter. It took me over 30 years to develop the courage to visit her, until I realized that if I didn't, I'd likely never see her again, and that wasn't an option. 

Honestly, just like Bass Lake, it was love at first sight, and I couldn't have been more shocked. 

At last I realized why she'd left her heart there, why she made aliyah. I've left a piece of mine there, as well. At 77 it's not in my future to relocate overseas, but if I did, these are the places I'd consider:

View from the walk up to the Church of the Visitation
 in Ein Kerem. Forgive the wires.

Ein Kerem -  

• A lovely little video of the Church of St John the Baptist
• A video about the Ein Kerem neighborhood
• Aerial video of Ein Kerem
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwWTbUzQ1Yc
• A video of the Church of the Visitation

Kinneret -

• Kibbutz Massada - a drone view

Tzfat

• See my post here about this town with a storied past  (P. S. Let me know if you can't access this; it was a post in my private Facebook group.)