A VISIT TO UTOPIA
We don’t get
out of Jerusalem very often these days so we were delighted to have the
opportunity to go with friends to visit a place near to Netanya that has the alluring name of Utopia.
We were not quite sure what to expect but
these gardens are indeed utopia, especially for people who love orchids. Here we enjoyed a feast for the eyes of every
kind of orchid in every possible shape and colour and all in full flower and
perfect condition. There were also rose
and cactus gardens, a topiary garden musical waterfalls and bird and animal
exhibits but it is the superb orchids, growing in every imaginable place, out
of the trees, rocks and crevices in the simulated tropical rain forest that will
long remain in our minds.
KAKUN CASTLE
While we
were in the area we also visited the remains of Kakun Castle which is situated
in the Hefer valley and was built on an
already ancient site which was first inhabited during the Bronze Age period
(3150-2200 B.C.E.) A 13th Century German
Dominican who travelled to the Holy Land identified the site with Michmethah, a
city in the possession of Ephraim, (Joshua 16:6 )”And the border went out
toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side and the border went about
eastward unto Taanathshiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah”) The
castle, then called, Caco or Cacho, was in existence in the Crusader period and an 8.5
metre tower still survives and now has the Israeli flag flying proudly from it. The castle had a stormy history, having been
captured by the Mamalukes and later coming under Ottoman rule. The castle ruins
are picturesque and surrounded by greenery and there are wonderful views over the
surrounding plain where one can see signs of intensive agriculture. At the site
there is also an unusual memorial to those who fell fighting an Iraqi battalion
which was completely destroyed, in the 1948 Arab- Israeli war. The site was
recently declared a National park by the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority.
THE SCROLL OF FIRE
On our way
home, nearing Jerusalem, and wanting to make the most of our day out, we made
one more visit, to marvel at the imposing Scroll of Fire sculpture by Warsaw-born
Nathan Rapoport situated in the Martyrs forest.
This forest is comprised symbolically of six million trees. The four and a half million pine trees
represent the adults who perished in the Holocaust, the million and half
cypress trees, account for the children who were murdered. This amazing memorial shows scenes of Jewish
history and walking round the monument and viewing it from different angles,
one can see recurring themes, a mother and child, an olive branch and a menorah
as well as much symbolism. There are
scenes of the holocaust, Jews being marched off to concentration camps by
faceless German soldiers, represented only by their helmets and bayonets, the
Warsaw Ghetto and its defenders, among whom are an angel bearing a Molotov
cocktail and a bearded man bearing a rock. The survivors are seen leaving the camps and a
small boat represents the thousands who came to Israel in the pre-State days and
an olive tree whose branches are formed from human bodies is an allegory for
renewal. One could spend many hours
viewing this incredible piece of sculpture, working out the themes and
marvelling at the minute detail and expressions on the many faces.
This was
altogether a memorable day out and we strongly recommend all these sites that
we enjoyed so much to everyone, Israelis and tourists alike.
