Inbal Jerusalem Magazine - Inbal Hotel Jerusalem

TourismBy David E. KaplanDon’t Beat AboutThe GushYoram shpirerGershon ElinsonHeaven’s Harvest. The vineyards of Gush Etzion Winery.Small in geography, huge in history,explore this fascinating region.‘The Gush’ has something for everyone. Cooloff in natural pools, bike along excitingtrails, wade through the water of ancientaqueducts, and explore the history in thisancient heartland of the Jewish People.Gush Etzion, referred to locally as “the Gush” issituated along the famous Derech Avot (PatriarchWay) in the rollingpastoral hills of Judea, amodest mountain rangethat lines the highwayfrom Jerusalem to Hebronand serves as “protector”for the Holy City. It wasperforming this servicein 1948 that enshrinedits importance in Israel’shistory.How so?Many visitors to Israel overYom HaAtzma’ut – Israel’sDay of Independence –are puzzled why on theprevious day, IsraelisKluger zoltan, the national photo collectionEarly Days. A kibbutz member watering young vines on thehillside below Kfar Etzion in 1947.Spring-Summer 201338Trailblazers. Cyclists enjoying the scenic bike tracks in GushEtzion.chose to commemorate Yom HaZicharon (Day ofRemembrance for its fallen soldiers). “One day thereare sirens for the fallen,the next day, firecrackersto celebrate the joys oflife. How do people soquickly adjust from amood of sadness to one ofbountiful happiness?”It’s a fair question and theexplanation lies in GushEtzion.The back-to-back positioningof these two publiccommemorative days wasat the insistence of Israel’sfirst Prime Minister DavidBen Gurion who said: “Ican think of no battle in