New Life,
Timeless Destination
ANDREAS FJELLMANN/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
What better place
to begin a Jewish
married life together
than in Israel?
By Deborah Fineblum Schabb
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The sun shines on Lake Kineret in Tiberias
fter Bernie and
Yonah Miriam
Schulman’s wed-
ding in 2004,
the Baltimore
couple took off for their dream
honeymoon—in Israel.

“We couldn’t imagine being
anywhere else,” Bernie says a decade
later. “And with the natural beauty,
the feeling of being in a Jewish
country with Hebrew all around
us, and the people, too, the entire
experience turned out to be even
more amazing than we’d imagined.

We couldn’t have planned it.”
As a matter of fact, they didn’t.

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Th e couple fl ew into Ben Gurion
Airport, rented a car and took off ,
letting the trip evolve spontaneous-
ly. After three weeks, they’d fl oated
in two inches of water in the Dead
Sea, reached the peak of Masada
just as the sun was peeking over the
mountain, communed with ibex at
Ein Gedi and much more.

In 1999, Josh Tolub and
Tabitha May-Tolub took a similar
newlywed journey, an adventure
they can still enjoy thanks to the
video camera they received as a
wedding present. “We wanted to
record everything we saw for my
mother-in-law, who’d never been
there,” says Josh.

In fact, Israel is a popular hon-
eymoon destination for newlyweds
from all over the world. Just look
online for honeymoon packages for
a sampling of the off erings, ranging
from back-to-nature backpacking
tours to fi ve-star opulence.

Traditional Jewish couples stay
pretty close to home after their
weddings for a week’s worth of she-
va brachot (celebratory meals) with
family and friends. Nevertheless,
these couples often wish to take a
few days away before getting down
to the business of being married.

Th e 10-day honeymoon of Josh
Tolub and Tabitha May-Tolub in
Israel also served as an introduction
to Jewish life. As an initially inter-
faith couple (Tabitha has long since
converted to Judaism), they shared
the transformative experience of
enjoying the Jewish state together.

“It was a wonderful place for
a honeymoon,” says Josh, whose
family now resides in the Boston
area. “It was a true emotional high,
going to the Kotel, walking around
Ben Yehuda Street, eating kosher
Kentucky Fried Chicken, and see-
ing it all through [Tabitha’s] eyes
and the wonderful emotions of her
fi rst time in Israel.”
SIMCHAS A new program makes it even
easier for couples to experience the
magic of an Israeli honeymoon.

Th is spring, Honeymoon Israel is
sending pilot trips of newlyweds on
heavily subsidized nine-day hon-
eymoons. Honeymoon Israel’s co-
CEO, Avi Rubel, says the chance
to honeymoon in the Jewish state is
“an opportunity to take people out
of their normal atmosphere and
give them a Jewish experience.”
However they are able to get
there, opportunities abound for
newly minted couples to celebrate
in Israel and unwind from the wed-
ding hoopla. Here is a sampling of
10: architecture, and historical and re-
ligious sites. Moshe ben Maimon
(aka Maimonides or the Rambam)
and other giants of Jewish thought
are buried here.

For history buffs: Caesarea
Standing in the ruins of the
Hellenistic and Crusader periods
— when Caesarea was a port city
and, for many years, the capital of
Israel — might be practically the
closest thing to time travel. Caesar-
ea was named for Augustus Caesar
and was a gift to him from King
Herod, complete with a huge port
and a thriving metropolis. In addi-
tion to a birds-eye view of 2,300
years of history, Caesarea also of-
For art lovers and mystics: Tzfat fers such modern attractions as golf
It can also be Tsfat, Zefat, Zfat, courses, deep-sea diving, live music,
Safad, Safes, Safet, or Safed. But an art museum, horse racing and a
however you spell it, this ancient large national park.

northern city is elevated enough to
command majestic views in every For nature lovers: Israel
direction: from the Golan to Mt. National Trail
Meron to Lebanon, Tiberias and
Th e Israel National Trail invites
the Kineret (Sea of Galilee). For hikers to traverse the country from
couples seeking to kick off their south to north, from the Gulf of
marriage on a spiritual high, Tzfat Aqaba in Eilat all the way to Dan,
is also home to the mystical Jewish near the Lebanese border. Th e trail,
tradition of Kabbalah. In fact, tra- which measures some 620 miles
dition has it that the Messiah will and takes a decidedly scenic path
come from Tzfat on his way to Je- through the country, was the cre-
rusalem. Mystic Rabbi Yitzhak Lu- ation of journalist Avraham Tamir
ria (1534-1572), known as Ha-Ari who, having hiked the Appalachian
HaKadosh or the Arizal, is among Trail, decided Israel needed its own
the greats buried in Tzfats Old national trail to show off its natu-
Cemetery, and Zohar author Rabbi ral beauty. Th e trail was offi cially
Shimon bar Yochai (100-160) is opened in 1995.

buried in nearby Meron.

For water babies: Tiberias
For wine afi cionados:
Zichron Ya’akov
Perched on the shores of Lake
Kineret, Tiberias gives honey-
mooners a chance to warm up
nearly year-round, in sharp contrast
to the bracing air of Tzfat, a short
ride to the north. Here one can en-
joy water sports and a marina along
the extensive waterfront, ancient
You don’t need to love wine to
honeymoon in Zichron Ya’akov,
but it certainly helps. Blessed with
the golden sunshine to facilitate
grape growing, Zichron was es-
tablished at the tip of the Carmel
mountain range in 1882 with the
help of Baron Edmond de Roth-
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AVISHAI TEICHER/PIKIWIKI ISRAEL
schild, the Jewish philanthropist
who supported many of Israel’s
early communities.

Visitors will fi nd a town rich
in history (during World War I,
it was home to the underground
that helped the British defeat the
occupying Turks), the Museum of
the First Aliyah, quaint crafts shops
and eateries, architectural gems and
some of the fi nest winery tours in
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For city slickers: Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv is Israel’s undisputed
economic, retail and cultural epi-
center. Honeymooners will fi nd
theater, a never-ending nightlife,
crafts shows, architectural delights
(including the world’s best speci-
mens of Bauhaus architecture from
the 1930s), a lively, outdoor shuk
(market), live music, art galleries
and some of the country’s fi nest
restaurants. In addition, the pristine white
Mediterranean beaches provide a
dramatic contrast to the skyscrap-
ers just feet away. Nearby, Old Jaff a
combines old and new in a decid-
edly hip and entertaining fashion.

For heart specialists: Jerusalem
Conquerors have fought and
died for Jerusalem for thousands
of years, but they never vanquished
its eternal beauty and splendor. Th e
Kotel (Western Wall) and its Old
City neighborhood welcome some
10 million visitors a year. Other
attractions include theater, music,
synagogues and yeshivas, architec-
tural tours, historical sites, a world-
famous shuk and countless ancient
sites. What’s more, getting around
the city has never been easier thanks
to a modern, sleek and fast light-rail
system. One must-see: the Rake-
Your Caterer For...

vet (Hebrew for train), a popular
walking and cycling path through
the German Colony that has risen
from the wreckage of a deserted
train track.

stars are dazzlingly bright to the eye.

If you don’t mind sleeping on mat-
tresses alongside a chorus of snor-
ing strangers, there are Bedouin
tents nearby to stay in at a low cost.

Besides providing your own private
For rest-and-relaxation
light show, Mitzpe Ramon off ers
seekers: the Dead Sea
Jeep, bicycle and camel tours, rap-
Th e lowest spot on Earth, the pelling, an array of desert animals
Dead Sea may be the highest for and historical sites.

honeymooners. Couples can wash
away the stress of the wedding with For sun-seekers: Eilat
therapeutic mud. Located roughly
Head south and when you can’t
1,300 feet below sea level, the Dead go any farther without swimming,
Sea is the world’s saltiest body of you’ve hit Eilat. Called the “win-
water. Th e salt has eased the pain dow on the Red Sea,” Eilat is Israel’s
of thousands who come annually premier resort town, complete with
to take in its healing properties. But scuba diving (the coral reefs are gor-
why is it called the Dead Sea? Th e geous), water skiing, world-class
high salt content would kill any life bird-watching, boating and sizzling
form that attempted to survive in nightlife.

these waters.

Th anks to its balmy climate
(it rains an average of six days a
For stargazers: Mitzpe Ramon year), Eilat attracts sunbathers year-
Th ere’s something so roman- round. Look for a busy port and an
tic about lying on your back on a under-water aquarium, along with
sleeping bag and having the entire land-based activities that include
Milky Way arrayed before you. rappelling on steep cliff s, desert
Th is is the magic of the Ramon hikes and mountain biking.

Crater at Mitzpe Ramon, where
the absence of city lights means that Th is article is provided by JNS.org.

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APRIL 9, 2015
19