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| One of the Larger Houses at Ginosar Kibbutz |
Our first day was a travel day. Flying with El Al, the national Israeli airline, wasn’t that different than other airlines except for the guards with Uzis at the security check at the gate. Going through passport control was also easy, but I felt bad when I told the immigration officer I didn’t want a stamp in my passport (just in case we travel to a country not on friendly terms with Israel) and he said that wasn’t very nice. After we arrived, we had a two-hour drive to our hotel; luckily the hotel kept the buffet open late for our arrival at 8:30 p.m. The next morning, our Israeli adventure started along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, the lowest freshwater lake in the world at 700 feet below sea level. We stayed for three nights at the Ginosar Kibbutz Hotel and began our tour next door with a walk through the Ginosar Kibbutz.
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| View of Ginosar Kibbutz |
Kibbutzim were founded on the concept of building a society where everyone gave their all and received what they needed. Today, there are 256 kibbutzim, many of which have been privatized, with approximately 106,000 occupants producing 40% of Israel’s agriculture. Many kibbutzim have expanded their operations into tourism and run hotels; Ginosar Kibbutz also grows bananas and mangos and runs a medical equipment manufacturing plant. Batya said the most difficult part of growing up on a kibbutz was sleeping away from her parents.
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| Batya Leaving the Ginosar Kibbutz Hotel |
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