Organic Farming on a Moshav

Upon coming to Israel, I had many things I wanted to see and do, the foremost being traveling to the Old City in Jerusalem. I wasn't interested in the standard tourist experience however. Seeing Jerusalem alone is enough to satisfy most hoi ploy, but I also wanted to volunteer. At first, I looked into peace work but found nothing. Then, I checked into kibbutz but there too was thwarted. Finally, on a whim, I looked into organic (permaculture in fact) farming.

What I found was a unique way to volunteer while also learning about saving our planet. My experience began on the tiny Moshav (village) of Nahalal in the Northern area of Israel, near Nazareth. For two weeks I worked on a small farm with its manager, Merav. Along with her sophisticated sidekick dog, Jean Pierre, and another volunteer from the US, Chris, we worked grueling 10 hour days, from dawn to dusk.

Well, perhaps grueling is a slight overstatement. We did work hard however, and with the first rains of winter were frantically running around securing the house and farm from leaks and other problems.

One of the main purposes of Merav's farm is the promotion of ecology and reusing of resources. A few ways in which she recycled was using dish water (with biodegradable soap) for irrigation, recylcing and reusing most "garbage," feeding food scraps to her chickens and using their droppings for fertilizer, and even funelling the washing machine's "grey" water to the toilet!

Every last Saturday of the month, Merav hosted a market near her farm based on the idea of sharing and reusing. People brought clothes and other things they no longer needed to the market, and those things were in turn free for others to take. A minimal entry fee of 10 shekels helped cover costs. This drew people from all over the neighborhood and surrounding areas, Israeli, Arab, Thai, and other nationalities.

While at the farm, I was also able to indulge in organic cuisines. Until then I hadn't realized the differences between organic and processed foods. I found myself feeling more energetic and healthier and, in my opinion, organic food is also tastier.

Talking with Merav and others in the ecology movement, I learned how these ideas can also promote peace; an especially serious issue for Israel and its neighbors. We all live on and use the resources from one planet. Our survival depends on it. This affects every person, it's not selective. Only together can we deal with the problems of our planet. Hopefully, this will bring people to work together, regardless of their differences.

Working on Merav's farm was a great experience and I was able to meet some interesting people at the beginning of my time in Israel. I hope I can share with others what I have learned and apply some of her techniques to my own farm!

Thanks Merav!

Petra

If you go to Jordan and see one thing, Petra should be it. Full of hiking trails, un-excavated caves, and fantastic views, most of the enormous site is open to exploration, allowing for a self-tailored adventure. You can easily spend up to three days here so a three day ticket may be well worth the 40$ admission (one day/30$).

The splendor of Petra is not the ancient Nabataean structures alone but also in the formations and designs in the area's red sandstone.

From Nuweiba, Sinai to Aqaba, Jordan I took a ferry that crossed the Red Sea. It was a nice boat though it was two hours late. Customs was a joke. When we arrived in Aqaba, a helpful taxi driver took us to a cheap restaurant and then for a two hour ride to Petra. He even called ahead to his cousin's hotel and reserved a place for us.

Petra is best known for the Temple, the great Roman like building in the center of a gorge. Indiana Jones' fans will note this is the same building used at the end of the Last Crusade. There were no traps or Grail inside unfortunately. The face is incredible to behold however.

There were also many Bedouin people there selling trinkets or offering donkey rides. Although I was against it in the beginning, we caved in and rode one about a kilometer through the site. It was uncomfortably bouncy but fun. Poor guy, there was a Bedouin kid running behind it, giving it a switch the whole time.

After two days in Petra, I left for Israel.