If you were offered to move to a Bedouin settlement - most likely you would not think positively about it.
And if in a Bedouin settlement in the north?
Probably not either.
But this is exactly what inspired Irit and Yazhar Gurion somewhere in the mid-1990s, when they arrived in the village of Tabash, which is part of the Kabiya-Tabash-Hajajara local council in the Lower Galilee.
"We walked around a lot together, got to know the Bedouins and became attached to the place," explains Irit about the connection of the couple, who have been together since the age of 16, to Kfar Tabash as early as 1996.
The person who helped them and gave his blessing to the integration of the Jewish couple there was the crown prince of the village, Mustafa Tabash, who passed away last November at the age of 85. For many years, Yizhar and Irit have been operating a lovely accommodation complex, in which an old train carriage has been turned into a lovely guesthouse, a studio apartment for the family and also a large khan for groups .
Everything is in a kind of charming farm where the couple lives, with a spectacular view of Nahal Tsipri, along with several goats, chickens and the surrounding areas of the Galilee.
It's not for nothing that the complex is called "Shabt Ahim", and the name certainly hits.
A tour of Ka'abia-Tabash-Khajajara (photo: Ziv Reinstein, editing: Nir Chen)
"Violence is not the way of the Bedouin"
If the name "Tabash" is familiar to you, then it is associated with the murderer of the guard Alexander Zeid in 1938 - Kasem al-Tabash, a tribe member who lived in a separate tent and was assigned.
The Palmach came to his tent in 1942 and settled a score with him when they executed him in response to that famous murder. "Mustafa was the keeper of the fields of the Jezreel Valley on behalf of the settlements of the area and was responsible for the good relationship between the Jews and the Bedouins here," says Irit as she presents the book she wrote a year ago about the honorable man. "He did everything to show that violence is not the way of the Bedouins, and they are peace-seekers." On the tour she has been conducting for the past two years, she tells the story of the Mokhtar - how he recruited Bedouins into the army, how the late Giura Zeid (son of Alexander ) to his good friend and a meeting with his son, Yasser, who fills his place in the continuation of the coexistence with other tourists in the area.
Talk to her: 052-6941141.
6,500 residents in the council which consists of three villages.
The entrance to the Kaaba-Tabash-Hajjara (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)
Lives in Tabash since 1996 and conducts tours in the area.
Irit Gurion (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)
He did everything to show that violence is not the Bedouin's way." The book about Mustafa Tabash written in Irish (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)
The Bedouins go to high-tech and even to Raphael
There are about 6,500 residents in the Ka'abia-Tabash-Khajajara local council.
In Tabash about a thousand people, in Hajara about 2,500 and in Kaaba about 3,000.
The residents are hospitable, enlist in the army and provide a significant service to them and the country, and they are proud of that.
In Yasser's living room, which is a sort of modern shige (Bedouin tent), he receives guests.
On the walls of the living room are dozens of photos of the Tabash family through the generations, starting with a photo of his father on a horse, as the guard of the fields, and ending with his children who serve in the security forces.
I sit down with Rafe Hajajara, the head of the council since 2018, and Yasser to talk about the life of the Bedouin in such a beautiful area, but quite a few problems are soon revealed in the council, which was only recognized in 1996.
"Our socio-economic status is 3 out of 10," says Rafe and explains that only recently they rose from status 2. The council's budget is quite meager - 31 million shekels per year, when there are almost no sources of income because there are no industrial zones (which pay property taxes).
Only this year did the council begin to connect to the sewer, because there was no pumping station until now and only recently were the houses connected to the infrastructure.
"Until today, we used septic tanks," says Yasser.
"This is a project that the whole village wishes for, the council's flagship project."
The residents of the villages are engaged in a variety of liberal professions, "There is even a policy change regarding the admission of Bedouins to high-tech and even to Raphael," Rafe says proudly. And its restoration in recent years with the help of the Kishon Drainage and Streams Authority is causing a revival in the area, especially on holidays and Saturdays. The Israel Trail that runs along it also brings quite a few travelers to Emek Tzipori, which is full of pomegranate groves and other fields.
More in Walla!
No cars in the river, with wading pools: the "makeover" of Nahal Tzipori
To the full article
This year the council started connecting to the sewer.
Head of the council Rafe Hajajara and Yasser Tabash (left) (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)
All the walls with historical photographs of Mustafa and his family.
Yasser Tabash's house (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)
The "sheriff" of Nahal Tzipori
The one who has been providing service to travelers for several years on one of the banks of Nahal Tzipori, is Bush Kaabia.
"I am named after George Bush I because I was born in 1990 during the Gulf War," says Bush proudly, standing inside the kiosk and wearing a travel shirt like an inspector of the Nature and Parks Authority.
And perhaps Bush is indeed the local, unofficial inspector of Nahal Tzipori.
In his kiosk he gives directions to travelers, recommends guides, where to eat, helps rescue a car stuck in the mud and helps those who need help - the "sheriff" of Nahal Tzipori.
Beyond that, Bush sells cold drinks, sandwiches and even hot orchid from a bag.
"I opened the place four years ago, but only during the Corona period, after I met bilists and built a tent for them, did I start receiving travelers," he says.
Indeed, a group of cyclists from the Shamshit region suddenly arrives at Bush's yeshiva compound.
They pedaled the local single and stopped for a break and a warm orchid on a winter day with pleasant sunshine.
The man who knows and knows everything about the area.
Bush and his kiosk (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)
The cheapest razor in Israel?
Right next to Bush, there is "Raiser Nahal Zipori" owned by Shel Assi (Assad) and his wife Benzahir ("lemon flower" in Persian) from Ka'abia, who in 2019 opened a business with five Tomkar type off-road vehicles and within a year grew to 55 vehicles.
Along the way, cool family bikes were also added, which are suitable for pedaling for the whole family together, including little ones, along the Tzipori Promenade.
The place offers training days, events and also guided trips on all-terrain vehicles, mainly on the classic route of Nahal Tzipori, Ein Yavka and the Monks' Mill.
A tour lasts about an hour and a quarter, and the price ranges from NIS 400 for a couple to NIS 600 for a foursome.
At the "Flavors in the Valleys" festival that will take place in February in the region, you can pay only NIS 90 per person (is there anything cheaper than that in Israel?) and enjoy the experience.
Family bikes NIS 50 per hour for all bikes.
Talk to them: 053-4893242.
Started a business with five tomkars and within a year grew to 55 vessels.
Razor Nahal Tzipori (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)
The tour follows the route of Nahal Birdi, and there is also an experiential water crossing on rainy days (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)
Iron sculptures, B&B made of...shit
Omar Nimer, 60 years old from the village of Tabash, must be met.
The man is such a talented artist that every piece of iron immediately turns into a sculpture that makes your heart smile.
"My eye was opened to iron from childhood and I collected and brought items home, even though I didn't know what to do with it," he explains how he started sculpting.
"In 1979 I started inventing things and 15 years ago I started sculpting tractors and giving gifts to friends."
And so, for example, he takes Nimer Jack from a car that became a tractor, or an old compressor that he turned into a Volkswagen car in the spirit of the sixties, and also an old motorcycle helmet that he attached a ventilator propeller to, and together they become a helicopter. "The ideas come to me from the iron and I complete it and weld it," he says when He points to the yellow tractor which is his most valuable item.
A tour of his beautiful yard reveals more and more sculptures he created from iron, but Nimr is so talented that this is just the beginning.
A large oak tree that is adjacent to his house became a wooden house that he built, to which a cute bridge in the air leads,
But Nimer's brain doesn't stop working, and these days he's building the first B&B (probably) in the world made of...shit near his house.
yes cow and goat dunghills.
Nimer explains that he uses them to insulate the B&B from cold and heat, and promises that when he's done - you won't smell anything.
Visit: NIS 20, with food: NIS 50.
Talk to him: 052-8771182.
"My eye was opened to iron since childhood."
Omar Nimer in his sculpture yard (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)
An old motorcycle helmet and a ventilator became a helicopter (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)
Insulation from heat and cold in an original way.
The B&B made of wheels of cows and goats that Nimer is building these days (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)
Vipki's coffee
Evening fell on Kaaba, the muezzin was already heard throughout the village.
But before finishing, I jumped into the Galilee madapa of Vipki Salamana, a guide, who opened a beautiful madapa (accommodation) that was a balcony until about a year and a half ago.
Vifki, 51 years old, used to be a school principal who decided to establish a Bedouin hospitality center, where he teaches how to prepare and roast coffee.
In the Madafa, which is entered through two wooden doors - like the bar, there is a collection of family dresses, each of which has embroidery that characterizes the clothing of the Bedouin woman in the north, and thus you can tell who is married, a widow, a bride and even who is divorced.
In the meeting with him, Vifki tells about the village, the Bedouin culture and offers a basket weaving workshop (from his mother), Bedouin cooking (from his wife) and also organizes a picking tour.
But the most interesting thing is to see him perform the Bedouin coffee ceremony, where he heats the coffee beans in a special vessel and then grinds it into a fine coffee that is drunk right after.
Price for the workshop starts from NIS 120 per person for three hours.
A meal from 70-140 shekels per person.
Talk to him: 054-2280909.
A year and a half ago there was just a balcony here.
The Galilean Madapa (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)
Knows everything about the Bedouin culture in the north.
Vifki demonstrates how to brew coffee (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)
To get to know Ka'abia better, you can participate in the meeting of "host residents" in the village (11-10.2.23), which will take place as part of the "Tastes in the Valleys" festival during the month of February and has been held for the past 19 years in the Jezreel Valley, for which we must thank Rakfat Hebrew, who created and produced Same from day one.
For details about the festival
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