Saturday, June 15, 2013

GUNS AND NAILS, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, AND THE INCONGRUITIES OF LIFE


(Originally published in The Times of Israel)

Right after writing a post about how the region and, in particular, the countries on Israel's north could blow up at any time, it might seem a bit absurd to head up that way for a few days of R&R. 

But one of our sons was here for a few weeks, the north is beautiful in May, and Israel has a way of seeming calm and secure even when there is turmoil all around.  We've become Israelis in the sense that we do not generally allow the outside noises to impact enjoying life to its fullest and with all of its richness. 
 
So we drove on up to Moshav Yuval, a little farming community near the northernmost city of Metulla.  Moshav Yuval, unlike the pioneering farming cooperatives cum rural commuter villages that many moshavs closer to the big cities have morphed into, still has a real farm feeling, down to the screeching chickens and the farm-fresh eggs frying in the pans.

Moshav Yuval was founded and is still largely populated by Cochin Jews, Jews from the Kingdom of Cochin in South India, now part of the state of Kerala.  We stayed in one of the four clean and cute little cottages owned by Sara and Yehuda, who came to Moshav Yuval from India with their families when they were very young kids.