And…. A BIBLICAL FEAST!

We survived a bit of a scare attack over the weekend. Psy-ops? I don’t know? Grounded in some reality? Perhaps…

Last week there were several ‘direct hits’ in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran. Several key players, masterminds of the Islamic terror world were eliminated by direct drone and missile attacks. Even this morning there was a huge explosion at a missile launching site in Iran.

We do not know who is taking out these key members. Some say it’s Israel and Mossad. Others the US. There have been many retaliatory attacks on US bases throughout the Middle East lately. There are rumors that in Iran it’s an internal job. Whatever the case there is more and more pressure on Israel, especially in the North.

On Friday, we received news that the mayor of a Haifa suburb had told all his residents to invest in a generator and to have enough food, water and necessities to last at least a week. The military would be so overwhelmed it might be more expedient to rely on yourself. This, after two Hizbulla missiles were shot down over Haifa on Friday. It turned out to be ‘misinformation.’

In the meantime Israel has set a deadline of the end of January for an agreement being led by a multinational group to try to force Hizbulla to move away from the Israeli border. The agreement seems less likely as the days go by and it looks more threatening because Hizbulla forces refuse to move back.

The Lebanese Patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church, Beshsra Al-Rahi, called for the removal of every rocket launchpad between every home; the removal of all missiles from homes and schools; UNFIL to enforce resolution 1701 pushing all Hizbulla troops off the Israeli border fence, back 2 km (no man’s land) and away from the Lebanese border. Nasralla has said no such. So it looks like there might be a showdown starting next week. The thought of 150,000 missiles pointed directly at us is a wee bit daunting-

At present 72,000 Israelis have been displaced from their homes in the North alone. Since there are no tourists, many citizens who lack family or friends who will shelter them, have been put up in hotels along the Sea of Galilee. Makeshift schools have been set up for the children. Some are being squeezed into the schools in Tiberias and the local communities.

Hizbulla in the North is a proxy for Iran, just as the Houthis in Yemen South Red Sea and Hamas in Gaza. Of the three, Hizbulla is much more greatly funded, trained, weaponized and numerous. Last week, in his latest trip to Israel, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, was assured that “ Israel would not surprise the United States by an attack on Hizbulla without prior notification.”

So we are now waiting…. You would never know as people go on with their daily lives here as best as possible. Stores and schools and services are open. There is plenty of traffic and people seem busy.

Yesterday we went to visit an Arab Christian friend who lives in the Galilee. She has two Maronite Christian families from Metulla living in the two apartments underneath hers. They were empty apartments and the landlord let the displaced famI lied live there temporarily. Claudia is a tour guide. She has so much knowledge and understanding of the history of Israel from many different perspectives. We have gone so many places with her. As during COVID, she again has no business.

Claudia also teaches classes on Israeli cooking, Biblical cooking and culture. We took a long walk with her into the fields adjacent to her apartment.

Look closely at the pictures above. What do you see? A field? Yes. What else? Grasses and weeds? Perhaps. But they hold a hidden treasure, for now that the rains have come everything had begun to sprout and turn green. All of these ‘weeds’ are edible!!!! The wild asparagus and celery. The dandelions and lettuces. The loof. And most have medicinal properties known by people in Biblical times and passed down through the generations to today.

When we returned to Claudia’s, she gave us a little class on how to prepare each. Some were sautéed. Some would be dried (hyssop) to make zataar, the herb that is used in many foods here. Other plants would be boiled first, then wrung out (to remove any bitterness) and then sautéed.

During the winter months, you see older women…Bedouin and Druze, mostly, out in the fields foraging. The women are everywhere along the country roads, stooped over with their aprons and plastic bags. Wild mustards are prevalent and are a special delicacy. Some leaves (loof) are large. These are destemmed, steamed and then stuffed with rice, onions, lentils and herbs, rolled up and then steamed again.

We feasted on homemade labaneh, a cultured dairy product made with the goat milk Claudia got from a lady down the street. She had made pita bread in her tabun (outdoor metal oven) the day before. We had a type of feta cheese. The greens and dairy were drizzled with fresh Galilee olive oil. We had olives and homemade humus from her store of dried chickpeas. On some of the greens, Claudia cracked eggs and let them steam- a green shakshuka. On top of this she put a dollop of Zhug, a very very spicy hot pepper and herb mixture. It was all quite delicious. All homemade with fresh, local ingredients.

If you come to Israel in the winter months, not only could Claudia give an amazing tour, but you could also take a cooking class from her. Hopefully you won’t have to dodge missiles.