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In the days we were vacationing in Lebanon

Today it is a little hard to believe, but at the beginning of the 20th century many of the country's inhabitants went on vacation to neighboring Lebanon, which suffered a severe blow this week. So how long did it take to get from Tel Aviv to Beirut, in which hotels offered kosher food and on which famous archeological site did anyone engrave the word "verb"? And yes, even then we flew to the casino

• Lebanon
• a journey
• Syria

Eyal Shapira

"The summer residence of Eretz Israel , " announced an advertisement published in June 1935 in the Eretz Israel press, intended to attract travelers on vacation in Lebanon. "Gather strength and health in Lebanon. Cheerfulness, convenience and economy , " the unknown copywriter continued to rant.

This modest ad is just one example of hundreds of advertisements, notices and posters, published in Israel in the first half of the 20th century, intended to market relaxed vacations in Lebanon, alongside in-depth geographical trips. Today it is almost inconceivable, but is there a simpler and more natural foreign country than neighboring Lebanon, which only suffered a severe blow this week when a factory in the heart of Beirut exploded?

We contacted Nadav Man from the "Beitmona" photography lab, and he provided us with some amazing photos from Jewish travels in Lebanon in the 1920s and 1940s, including posters on the National Library website calling on the public to vacation with their neighbors. In the heart of the Hebrew city of Tel Aviv. Who would have believed that there were days when this was possible ...

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History of travel, in small

The Sykes-Picot Agreement, signed in May 1916 between France and Britain, made the borders between Israel and Lebanon more flexible than before, and indirectly contributed to the local tourism industry. The agreement, secretly signed during the First World War, stipulated in which regions the two countries would rule after the Ottomans were defeated. Thus, Israel was "given" to the British, and to Lebanon - to the French.

But "flexibility" is a relative matter, since in order to move between Israel and Lebanon, it was necessary to go to the French consulate in Jerusalem, stand in line, and eventually get the long-awaited transit visa.

Of course, even before the First World War, there was a lively movement between the two regions of the country, mainly of merchants and businessmen, who made their way in ships moving between the ports of Israel and Lebanon.

And if we go back to the fascinating collection of advertising posters, it seems that they mainly praised and praised the pleasant weather in Lebanon, which excelled in fresh coolness even in the summer, as well as the relative proximity to Haifa. In fact, it was also possible to reach Beirut by buses departing from Haifa and even from Tel Aviv Central Station. And so, with 30 or 40 passengers rejoicing over them, the old buses moved north, arriving in Beirut in the evening.

Amusement, dance and prom at the casino

Beyond the advertisements about Lebanon as a coveted tourist destination, there were of course also many advertisements for specific hotels, usually luxury hotels. One of them was the Grand Hotel Casino, owned by businessman George Nagar.

And the ad described: "Elevation of 1,300 meters above sea level, modern amenities, elevator, central heating, 100 rooms, 60 bathrooms, special apartments for families, European and kosher cuisine, tables set in the garden, tea at five o'clock." And in case you were wondering, you should know that for the guests of the place were waiting "amusements, dances and banquets".

Of particular interest was the fact that in many hotels, tourists were offered a kosher menu. An advertisement published in the Haaretz newspaper in 1935 stated that "the Lebanese hotels listed below undertake to provide their Jewish customers with kosher meat dishes." For example, the "Klef" hotel and the "Carmel" boarding house in the resort town of Ali, the "Saada" boarding house in the city of Zahla and more.

Who were the people who traveled from Israel to Lebanon in the first half of the 20th century?
"They can be divided into two main audiences," says Yoav Avnion, a guide and lecturer. "The first target audience included researchers, teachers, scientists and scientists, including members of the Eretz Israel Wanderers' Association." These were limited and in-depth hikes, far from anything that smells like “vacation”.

"The second target audience included the middle-class people of the settlement. Many of them used to go on leisurely and relaxed vacations, which included a four- to five-day stay in resort towns. These trips were not particularly expensive, and were within the reach of the middle class in the country. On the Passover holiday, when the weather is pleasant, and many went on vacation on the holiday season, "Avnion adds. "In these cases, the focus was less geographical and more emphasis on good food, fresh air, scenery and tranquility."

Beyond the mountain resort towns or bustling Beirut, were there any other attractions that attracted travelers from the country? "Many sites in Lebanon were considered a paradise for lovers of history and archeology. In this context, it is impossible not to mention the al-Kaleb River north of Beirut. This is an archeological site with ancient inscriptions, some 3,000 years old. In fact, every occupier in Lebanon engraved an inscription there. To mark the occasion. "

Thus, inscriptions in the Assyrian, Babylonian, Roman, Greek, Arabic, and French languages ​​can be viewed there. But it is also unfortunate to discover that in the 1930s, an anonymous tourist from Eretz Israel even added to the honorable list and engraved instead graffiti with the caption "Hapoel".

Not just a dilemma: Lebanon for the advanced

On his website, Avnion describes a unique in-depth trip, surprisingly conducted in July 1945, just two months after the end of World War II. The trip was guided by the geographer and educator David Benvenisti, one of the founders of the Eretz-Israel Wanderers' Association, and the person who will receive the Israel Prize in 1982.
Unlike a vacation in the resort towns or a leisurely ski vacation, this trip included a particularly busy week of visiting many and varied sites in Lebanon. Today they would call this trip "Lebanon for the advanced".

For example, on the first day, the group arrived in Rosh Hanikra, where its participants moved from the British Mandate to the French Mandate. The tour plan included the ancient port of Tire, a visit to Sidon and a trip on the Lebanese coastal road to Beirut. There were visits to the American University, a prestigious academic institution. The Beirut experience also included a stroll through the markets and a view of the city from the resort town of Beit Mary, located at an altitude of 700 meters above sea level.

The following days were devoted to many historical and archeological sites, including the estuary of al-Kaleb, the coastal city of Tripoli, and also the town of Sharara, home to the tomb of the famous poet Jubran Khalil Jubran, who became famous worldwide and died in the decade before the trip. "To me, this is very culturally important - the fact that such trips were with a cosmopolitan emphasis," notes Avnion.

Of course, no trip to Lebanon would be complete without an encounter with the cedars of Lebanon, some of which reach the extreme age of 2,000 years and over. Naturally, we have a deep emotional connection to these trees, since perhaps this is where the cedar trees that served the Temple in Jerusalem came from.

Also on the route: Kadisha Valley, where monks lived in ancient times, impressive archeological remains from the Roman period in Baalbek. Here are also the remains of the Temple of Jupiter as well as the largest stone in the world that was man-made, and weighs about 1,500 tons.

From Lebanon, travelers continued to Damascus, Syria, where they visited historical sites, markets, museums and even Jewish synagogues.

Skiing close to home: The guides were brought from Austria

Another attraction for Palestine tourists was, of course, the ski resorts in Lebanon. Presumably, in the 1920s or 1930s, the statement "I returned from a ski vacation in Lebanon" drew with it looks of envy and admiration from most of the country's inhabitants. These pampering sites - some of which still operate these days and serve many holidaymakers who visit them every winter - employed in those days skilled ski instructors brought directly from ski resorts from Austria, Switzerland and other European countries.

Whether it was a heavy geographical trip or a pastoral vacation in resort towns, all this goodness soon faded, with the outbreak of the War of Independence, while Lebanon immediately became what is defined as an "enemy state."

This week, 72 years after the outbreak of that war, the Tel Aviv Municipality building was illuminated in the bright colors of the Lebanese flag, as a sign of solidarity with the terrible disaster that befell the people of Beirut. Perhaps this is a hint of a more optimistic future, a future where we will surf the white slopes of the Lebanese mountains again, wander the Beirut markets and embark on fascinating discovery journeys, a shout and a half away from home.