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The amazing area that always stays empty of hikers;

But maybe now that will change

It flourishes like the Galilee, it has a history like Jerusalem and it is less than an hour's drive from the center - and yet not yet well known.

And this is not about Samaria, but about the Lachish region, which contains amazing treasures, but does not contain travelers.

Get to know the "calm east" of Israel

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• Tel Lachish

• Excursions in the country

Ziv Reinstein

Friday, 19 March 2021, 00:01 Updated: 05:42

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Tel Lachish (Photo: Ziv Reinstein, Editing: Yardena Abodi Fox)

It is full of anemones but does not participate in "South Red", it has rare archeological sites like Jerusalem but you can only walk on weekends, it has almost no B & Bs because it is less than an hour from the center and is probably the only place that will remain almost without hikers this Passover. The rest of the year.

The Lachish region between the Judean Mountains in the east and Ashkelon in the west, is Israel's "calm east" - unrecognized, not traveled enough and without a good reputation of "Tuscany in the Galilee" or "Valley of the Springs".

If you will - a singer who is the discovery of the year, and almost no one knows which star grew up here.

So true, there is Tel Lachish where a new visitor center is currently being established and the "Tali" grapes of Moshav Lachish, but how much tourism can already be done around Tel and Anavim?

And more of food ?!

More on Walla!

Do you know the "village of springs" of Israel?

To the full article

Upgrading these days, but is that what will make you come?

Tel Lachish (Photo: Walla !, Ziv Reinstein)

The only region in the country that does not want PR

But the problem of the Lachish region is the dissonance in which it finds itself, or rather its inhabitants - to open up to tourism and everything that comes with it or to remain modest and quiet.

But this seems to be the only region of the country that does not want public relations. In the 1950s, MK and labor movement member Luba Eliav pushed for the development of the region and the absorption of immigrants. But today this beautiful region has fallen asleep, and may have been deliberately put to sleep. To a public relations area or to stay quiet in communities without a mess, "says Lachish Regional Council Chairman Danny Moravia, who is responsible for 14,000 residents and 19 communities that cover an area of ​​400,000 dunams (35 times more than neighboring Kiryat Gat). Some of the residents come from Gush Katif evacuees Dedicated settlements, such as Neve Dekalim, Neta (Registry) and Carmi Katif, have been established.

Moravia, a farmer who grows flowers and sits on his chair since 2004, previously provided an opportunity for tourism and two years ago even ran a 40-point food and tourism program in the council. "In the district committee, they dropped it on us," he says. "According to him," property tax from real estate or businesses brings more money to the council than tourism. "

And in short, he's right.

Moravia's opinion reflects quite a bit of the opinion of the residents and farmers of the area, who do not want guys with ATVs to harm them in the wide wheat fields on Saturdays, leaving garbage among the hundreds of ancient caves in their area.

But what Moravia still knows is that branding is important.

Today almost every region in the country has its own branding, with a colorful logo and a regional map.

The Judean Plain is the "wine region of Israel", the Beit She'an Valley has become the "Valley of the Springs", the Judean Desert is the "Land of the Dead Sea", the Negev is the "Land of the Craters" and more and more.

Everyone is involved in marketing, but not in Lachish.

The council is not a member of any tourism association, does not participate in regional festivals (Mata Yehuda food festival, "Green and Not Far" in the South) and in fact there is no one to market the tourists and small business owners, and there are quite a few.

One of the area's most beautiful water sources.

Tzanan Pool (Photo: Walla !, Ziv Reinstein)

Israeli Texas

Into this vacuum have recently entered some residents of the council for whom tourism is important, not only for their home branding and means of livelihood, but a desire to show Amisrael - Shawla, there is a wonderful and not touristy enough land here.

One of them is Nitzan Magal, a guide from Moshav Shekef who specializes in the Lachish region (052-8480881), who started driving the small business wheels in the area and together with her partners, the local community center and the head of the council gave his blessing, created a tourist product. it wants a little rest tourism to Israel and the sites milled and sellers in the country.

"this is an area waiting to happen and to be discovered," says sickle. "The locals called the eastern area near the border of Texas Israel and the wall (separation wall - Z.r) did change and the area is no longer considered dangerous, You still do not see travelers coming here. "Magal explains that there are no B & Bs in the region, because there is no tourism and the area is relatively close to everywhere. Moravia adds that the residents prefer to rent the housing units regularly for residence, rather than messing with a property as a B&B and trusting people to come, of course. era of sources. "However, recently got here the Airbnb first area," says the wave of optimism that understands that for people to come to Lachish (probably to sleep) - to produce their content. and existing content, just need to package and market it.

and the attempt to wake the rope This sleepy country, coming from below - from the residents. For example, Magal created a tour day that will take place in Bio

M the upcoming election (23.3.21), and received the blessing of the council, which will pass between some of the beautiful sites of the region.

For example, bicycle tours (do not bring from home, you can rent for 15 shekels) on the Nahal Shikma trail that runs through the area, or a street circus in the "wedding hill" on this scenic road.

In addition, there will be a culinary tour that will introduce the public to the diverse cooks of Moshav Shekef, which sits near the eastern border and overlooks the Hebron Mountains.

On the tour (NIS 80 per person) you will receive a glass of wine from Adorim Winery and three different dishes from the area's cooks, who regularly work with groups and tourists, and also brew for the locals.

Because part of the area is a fire area, there are pearls that are only open on weekends. Horbat Beit Levya (Photo: Walla !, Ziv Reinstein)

120,000 dunams of forests in Lachish.

Givot Gad Nature Reserve (Photo: Walla !, Ziv Reinstein)

The fricassee and the pankota

One of the oldest breweries in the area is Ariela Alush, who for many years used to sell jahanun and fricassee at her own stall, but in recent years has been hosting groups (along with her daughter Ophir) for Tunisian meals (NIS 130-90 per person).

On an election day tour she will prepare her familiar fricassee, featuring a potato salad, vegetable salad, arisa, hard-boiled egg or tuna and pickles on the side.

It was too tasty and worth every calorie that this sandwich is most.

Tel. 050-2301080.

Another dish that will participate in the tour is that of Yaela Fahima, who on a daily basis cooks everything imaginable by prior arrangement in her two kosher kitchens, but mainly couscous and meat or chicken.

As part of the tour, you can taste her helmet filled with a variety of cheeses, alongside a small salad that she cuts especially.

Think of a combination of fresh and delicious pizza with sambusak and crunchy.

Tel. 052-3813019.

And for dessert you should get to know Inbal Nino, although new to the area, but amazing in her dairy cooking with her catering (quiches, pastas, salads, soups), and especially with the desserts.

And that means that on the tour you will get to savor its great malabi and also the pancake that has cream in it with a good espresso dish.

Tel. 052-7334325.

According to the three (who do not work on Saturdays), since there is no regional tourism association or institutionalized marketing, they take care to market themselves and participate in food festivals that take place in areas bordering Lachish.

“Most people come by word of mouth and then they come back one way or another, so the tour is a good exposure,” they say.

So what did we have?

Two servings of food, a double dessert and a good glass of wine for NIS 80.

"Eat" pays off.

To register.

The work of their hands boast.

Right: Inbal, Ariela and Yaela with the food they will serve on Election Day (Photo: Walla !, Ziv Reinstein)

"The last green lung south of Gush Dan"

Sickle takes me to the Nahal Shikma trail - the same stream that divides the southern lowlands from the northern Negev.

Along it was paved a dirt road that is good for every vehicle, and the already yellowing wheat fields are visible from all sides.

Shai Dubni, a farmer from Moshav Tlamim who raises poultry for fattening ("the broiler industry," he says), and also serves as the council's representative in the Shikma administration and knows the area by heart.

"This is the last green lung south of Gush Dan," he says as we sip black coffee and look at the green hills within the boundaries of four regional councils: Lachish, Ashkelon Beach, Sha'ar Hanegev and Bnei Shimon.

He said that 20 years ago the government decided the area is zoned for conservation and happiness biased Tamam (District Master Plan) preservation of green area, so that more communities are planned. "It will be left to future generations," he says with satisfaction.

And if everything is saved, That is, the balance between nature and bio-agriculture and industry in the area, the hope is that the UN will declare the area

a biosphere reserve

- a reserve where man lives and conducts sustainable development while preserving nature and binding ecological rules.

In Israel, there are currently only two such reserves - in Carmel and Ramot Menashe.

For the past three years, the region has been promoting this important move, which, if successful, will definitely put the Lachish region on the tourist map.

But the residents are not waiting for the UN, and meanwhile are promoting tourism themselves. Niv and Dolev Abergil, a cute couple from Moshav Ahuzam, have been making knapsack at home for a year and a half ("Niva's knapsack"). They both left respectable jobs to concentrate on food, The trend of picnic baskets in Corona, and began to produce pampering packages, perhaps too pampering, because 12 types of cheese in one basket is excessive for all opinions. "For me it is an art and it is a creation for everything," says Dolev, who left his job to study architecture. Like artichoke, olive tapenade, chimichurri-cilantro, truffle butter and more, but buy all the other products from the area. For example, whole sheep cheeses in wine, basalt from abroad (just called that but it is local), tricolor peppers and garlic and the like .

To all this goodness they add sourdough bread, small vegetables like cherry tomatoes, peppers, chives and scallions, two types of olives, squeezed juice of pomegranates and lemonade and perishable disposable dishes.

The price of a basket for a couple - 250 shekels, for four - 400 shekels, and it is worth every shekel.

Tel. 052-5222978 (not on Saturday).

Start with a knapsack, continue to picnic baskets.

Niv and Dolev at the "Wedding Hill" (Photo: Walla !, Ziv Reinstein)

The most pampering picnic basket there is (Photo: Walla !, Ziv Reinstein)

Woman of Valor - We Found!

Dikla Alexander - a woman of valor who will find - located in Neta - a community of about 120 families that was established in 2012 for evacuees from Kfar Darom from Gush Katif, and only a road and a wall divide it and the authority. The Palestinian.

Only 39 years old, the girl who grew up in the traditional Kibbutz Yavne, but also has nine (!) Children who range from a year and a half to 18. "I have been here since the first day of Neta," she says as we sit on a bench in the settlement.

She learned the secrets of cooking at the Estella Culinary School, and you can find them in her dairy packages, which include quiches, healthy salads, focaccia, cookies and what not.

A double package (drinks for an additional fee) will cost 185 shekels, for a quartet you will already pay 320 and for a six you will pay (pay attention!) 392 shekels.

052-5146060 (only messages and not on Saturday).

9 children?

In small, and she still has time to make cases.

Dikla Alexander and her work (Photo: Walla !, Ziv Reinstein)

Established for Gush Katif evacuees.

The settlement was planted from the lookout (Photo: Walla !, Ziv Reinstein)

So there is food, there are crazy and pristine locations, there are also natural spaces - and only hikers are missing, probably in the middle of the week when part of the area becomes the army's playground.

But as Council Chief of Staff Yaron Meshulam says, "We are lucky that we have areas of fire and do not touch them - because then things

are revealed

."

So here, we have revealed to you.

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