Views, vineyards and wineries, this Moshava (colony) has it all – besides the multitude of visitors it deserves.
By Motti Verses
Fourth grade pupils from the Ariel Sharon School in Nahariya have taken over the picturesque pedestrian street of Zichron Yaakov – a “Moshava” (colony or town) nestled high atop Carmel Mountain, south of Haifa. They enthusiastically circled the Benjamin Pool National Site, the water reservoir built in 1891 and named after Baron Edmond James de Rothschild – a French member of the Rothschild banking family and strong supporter of Jewish settlement in Palestine. Founded in 1882 by Romanian Jews, who the following year received support from the Barron, they renamed the town in honor of his father, whose Hebrew name was Ya’akov.
To a casual observer it may easily appear that Zichron Ya’akov is bustling. The truth is that on a sunny January weekday, if it weren’t for the playful pupils , the street with its restaurants, cafés and shops would be quite deserted. In the Gan Tiyul green oasis, the first ornamental garden in the Land of Israel on Hanadiv Street, planted by Baron Rothschild’s officials in 1886, you could hear the sounds and squeals of joy. They were emanating from dozens of animated girls from a local religious elementary school filling the air and playing happily. “If this was Europe,” I thought to myself, this magnificent little colony of visual delight would be bustling with visitors. Sadly, the reality here is that visitors return slowly on weekends, and are hardly noticeable on weekdays!
Zichron Yaakov is a jewel of the Land of Israel, the pearl on the mountain. “It was born from a vision by people of faith who realized the Zionist cause. Over the years settlers have gathered and come through its gates from the four corners of the world,” is the message you will hear from passionate ‘Zichronites’. The Moshava is home to diverse tourist areas, including many artists who open their homes for workshops, cozy hotels, magical B&Bs and original spa complexes, restaurants, wineries and boutique hotels. There are many tour guides routinely leading tourists along the historical trails and magical corners that characterize the colony. It is no secret that tourism in Zichron Ya’akov is an important growth engine for the town’s economic prosperity. At the same time, I felt something was missing. To understand, I turned to the person who symbolizes the Moshava to me, more than anyone else.
Dganit Azoulay ran the high-quality and groundbreaking “Adama” restaurant in the town for many years. But it too closed and the hard-working restaurateur turned her energies to local politics. She was elected in the last municipal elections as a high-profile member on the list of incumbent mayor Eli Aboutbul and became a council member responsible for the tourism portfolio. A year after the municipal elections, Azoulay is optimistic.
“Zichron is going to upgrade its tourism with new projects. A massive renovation of the main pedestrian street, which includes multimedia presentations and the construction of a modern parking lot nearby, with an investment of NIS 5 million, will soon be underway,” she reveals. “At a later stage, the pedestrian street will be expanded by another 400 meters to the Carmel Wineries, where wine production has ceased. A commercial center with an emphasis on wine will be built in the historic winery building that will be preserved, in collaboration with the Carmel Wineries. Even a boutique hotel with 100 rooms will be integrated into it,” says Azoulay. “This spring, a 150-room hotel of the Gordonia Israeli brand will open on the western cliff. In the ‘Wine Park’ residential complex in eastern Zichron, commercial centers including hotels and wineries will be built in the future, and the project is currently in the tender stage of the Israel Land Administration,” she says.
“Zichron is not just a pedestrian street. It is an open museum of the history of the State of Israel. No other place throughout Israel that bears the honoured name of Baron Rothschild is preserved like this. In addition, the Moshava is a base for enjoyable nature trips. Cyclists will find trails on Mount Horshan. Jeep tours here are exciting. Ramat Hanadiv is an attraction in itself,” concludes Azoulay. A Memorial Park and Nature Reserve, Ramat Hanadiv honors Baron Edmond de Rothschild whose vision and philanthropy so influenced the early establishment of communities throughout the Land of Israel. Seventeen acres of beautiful landscape on the southern end of Mount Carmel, it is most famous for its beautifully maintained formal gardens which offer spectacular views and many peaceful and tranquil corners. There is a Visitors’ Center that tells the story of Ramat Hanadiv. Proud of its eco credentials, the building housing the Visitors’ Center, was the first ever certified green building in Israel.
(Photos: Motti Verses)
Like other tourist hospitality places in the country, Zichron Yaakov has also undergone a shake-up during the war. Overnight, the pastoral Eden Inn Hotel became “a residence for evacuees from southern Israel and the student-immigrant population from the Ivim absorption center in the western Negev near Sderot also moved to live in the hotel,” reveals Tal Daniel, the charming hotel’s General Manager.
The hotel has 96 rooms that host mainly small conferences of business companies during the week and families on the weekends. The hotel covers a generous area of 33 dunams and its surroundings projects a visual landscape of green nature. It exudes a kind of kibbutz atmosphere – rural and tranquil – and is within easy walking distance of all the Moshava’s attractions and hiking trails. “A quarter of those staying at Eden Inn on a regular basis are tourists from abroad, but we lost them all due to the war,” says Daniel.
“However, because Zichron was considered a relatively safe destination in the middle of the war, the hotel experienced a boom in the spring and summer. During last fall, with the intensity of the war in Lebanon, Zichron lost this advantage. Sirens were heard constantly. Now that there is a feeling that the country has become safer, it is the north that is experiencing a boom which they desperately deserve and need, however, Zichron now is unfortunately losing its pull factor.”
A visit to the pastoral Kibbutz Ein Shemer offers an insight of the early days of the pioneers, living off the land by farming. At the entrance to the kibbutz which was founded in 1927, there is a reconstructed historic courtyard housing a museum of the “Rishonim” – the first. It tells the story of kibbutz settlement covering these pioneers – their system of education, evolving culture and style of socialist labor. What I found most fascinating was the antique tractors and the shack where the first pioneers lived and the restored agricultural tools. How these early pioneers lived, mapped out the future shape the country would take. The resilience of today is found in the legacy of their example. On a more ‘refreshing’ note was the gastronomic refreshments at the kibbutz’s cozy Cawe Coffee Cart. Other nearby attractions are visits to the Gallery of Contemporary Israeli Art in Givat Haviva and the gallery and studio of the international artist and blacksmith Zeevik Gottlieb near Ma’anit (a must and recommended!). To appreciate all on offer and soak in the history and culture, the Menashe Regional Council is suggesting visitors stay overnight at Yichron Ya’acov.
Everything in life is relative. From the perspective of Michal Abramov, the tourism director of the Menashe Regional Council, which borders Zichron, the Moshava is a focus of envy. “In recent years, with the help of a government grant of 6 million NIS, we have promoted a comprehensive plan for the development of agricultural tourism with future infrastructure for rural accommodation, B&Bs and even glamping with at least 500 beds to strengthen the local economy in the council,” she says.
Proud of Zichron’s multitude of hospitality options is Tal Daniel of Eden Inn. I ask her in conclusion:
“What does Zichron Ya’akov mean to you?”
She smiles appreciating the question and had a ready answer by referring me to the poignant words of Israeli actor and composer, Naftali Alter incorporated in Oshik Levy’s famous song. “Understand these words, and you will understand everything,” she says.
She recites the lyrics:
“In Zichron, people are happy, night and day.
In Zichron no one goes to sleep in the heat. There are empty bottles in Zichron and everyone drinks everything in my Zichron Yaakov.”
Absolutely.
This gem of the Carmel, Zichron Yaakov, of course wants and deserves so much more.
About the writer:
The writer, Motti Verses, is a Travel Flash Tips publisher. His travel stories are published on THE TIMES OF ISRAEL https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/motti-verses/. And his hospitality analysis reviews on THE JERUSALEM POST, are available on his Linkedin page LinkedIn Israelhttps://il.linkedin.com › motti-verse…Motti Verses – Publisher and Chief Editor – TRAVEL FLASH TIPSAnd his hospitality analysis reviews on THE JERUSALEM POST, are available on his Linkedin page LinkedIn Israelhttps://il.linkedin.com › motti-verse…Motti Verses – Publisher and Chief Editor – TRAVEL FLASH TIPS.
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