Last Thursday we said “l’hitroiot” (goodbye) to the three week (Grape) participants and “shalom” (hello) to the four week (Barley). Sunday and Monday mornings, we were off to our community service work and warmly welcomed by all – students, patients and lots of weeds at the Botanical Gardens. Monday afternoon, Zaharia, out terrific bus driver, picked us up after lunch at the hotel and drove north to a nature park just’ outside 
Zikron Ya’cov called Mansur el Abeq. With all the rain and days of sun, the wild flowers were in bloom, and so were the mosquitos! The trail is part the Israel National Trail (INT) which is 680 mile (1,100 km) trail that crosses the entire country from North to South. We only did this small section, but it took us through the natural habitat, colorful wild flowers, ruins from a farm house from the Byzantine Period, which included foundation structures, wine and oil presses and a magnificent view of the sea! Ah…to be outdoors in February!
CAARI’s outstanding Speaker’s Forum this week featured Professor Mordechai Kedar, a lecturer with a PhD from Bar-Ilan University.and an expert in Arab culture. He enlightened us on the current situation in Iran and the Arab countries bordering Israel.
Walk along with us on the hike and enjoy the scenery and our ACTIVE participants!
