Day trip to the North, Part I: Another trip, another mountain

Yesterday the Ulpan had its second tiyul (trip) and this time we ventured north to the Carmel Mountains where we toured a historical immigrant detainment camp, hiked up and around a mountain, briefly peered into a cave, dined and danced in a Druzi village, then had our requisite hour of shopping in the Druzi shook (because your trip is not complete unless you've done some shopping).

Machaneh Ma'apilim - Illegal Immigrant Detainment Camp
In 1939, the British decided they could not possibly accept all the Eastern European Jews who wanted to immigrate to the Palestinian Mandate.  As such they granted certificates for legal immigration to very few of the many thousands who sought refuge and new life in Palestine.  That didn't keep people from coming, though, and those who made it there without a British-sanctioned certificate were moved immediately to detainment camps in Cypress and places like Machaneh Ma'apilim in Atlit, a northern town directly on the sea.

Though Machaneh Ma'apilim was built before World War II fully began and certainly before anyone knew anything about death camps, it bears a strikingly terrifying resemblance to Nazi concentration camps.  With barracks, watchtowers, barbed wire fences, and a large "Disinfection" building, there was little to distinguish this place from the terror many of the immigrants had left behind in Europe towards the end of the war.  Quite simply, it was built with efficiency in mind - after all, how do you absorb hundreds of new people, get them and their clothes clean from parasites, and get them into barracks as quickly as possible?

Most of the people who arrived in Palestine did so by way of large ships of all sorts which had been converted to transport immigrants.  An example of such a boat had been brought to the current Machaneh and converted into an entire multimedia presentation for visitors, providing an idea of the cramped and uncomfortable conditions full of terrified runaways hoping for a brighter future in this land of Zion, of Jews.

How horrible, then, that the moment they arrived they were immediately imprisoned?

Most people were detained less than a year and eventually found freedom in the country.  Their struggle is a significant part of Israel's history as about one fifth of Israel's Jewish population in that generation had gone through one of these camps.  It is absolutely astounding, though, to see in the films the sheer determination apparent in these people's faces, the pride they had in making their way to a country with hopes that it would become their own.

Har Carmel - Mount Carmel Hike
"It'll be a nice, easy walk," Ilan told us. "No rush, very nice," he said.

Psh.  Yeah right.  Apparently not all of us climb mountains on a regular basis, but this was not exactly a "nice, easy walk" by our standards.

There are many hiking trails throughout the Carmel mountains, and I should have known when we arrived and I saw the many coach buses lined up at the base of the trail that we were not going to have the area to ourselves.  The hike started out calm enough though I found it difficult to keep up with the group after stopping frequently to take pictures of the flowers and scenery.  We soon happened upon another group hiking together, then another, and another.  As it became a little more crowded, the terrain also became much more challenging to traverse.  Our legs got a workout as we climbed over jagged land and down rocky slopes.

I really should send a Thank You note to the orthopedic surgeon who repaired my knee last year.

Just before reaching the base on the other side, some of us chose to peak into one of the  many caves along that stretch of mountains.  It might have been a little neater had we not been completely surrounded by a huge group of third-graders on a field trip, but seeing as it was my first time spelunking it was still fascinating!  The cave wasn't very deep, but it was tall, moist, and completely black within.  I can't believe I forgot my flashlight on the bus!

In between carefully watching my step and making sure I was still with my group (and hadn't accidentally mingled with any of the other non-English-speaking groups around us), I managed to take in a great deal of the nof, view.  From the mountain you could see the Mediterranean Sea to the West, majestically azure and calm on this fresh, spring day.  Fields and towns lay nestled between the sea and the mountains, quiet and content.  The mountain itself featured a wide variety of flowers, small and unassuming individually but strikingly beautiful as a mass, as if painting the hillside.  Looking at all the flowers, I almost missed the dead, blackened trees around me.

Last December, there was a huge forest fire that raged through the Carmel mountains, the biggest fire in Israel's history.  It destroyed over 10,000 acres of forest and killed over 40 people.  It was devastating and terrifying and prompted responses of aid worldwide.  Yet despite the fact that the cause of the fire was likely human error and disregard, forest fires are part of the natural circle, as evidenced by the way Spring found its way into and among the charred remains.  Flowers and grass are growing well amidst the black bark of undefinable trees as a testament to Nature's strength and perseverance.  As one person in our group put it, "Nature wins."