A Trip To Israel Gives Hanukkah New Meaning For 1 Family

An avid outdoorsman and foodie, he also pushed us outside our comfort zones, from rappelling in the Valley of Death outside Jerusalem to eating schwarma near the Golan Heights. When Dani said climb into a tiny underground cave, or stand on a volcano overlooking the Syrian border with mortars firing in the distance, we did it and were better for it. Armed with dirty shovels, spades and buckets, we got a lesson in the proper way to dig before entering the underground unexcavated caves. According to Israel's Biblical Archaeological Society, one onsite dig unearthed part of a stone tablet with an inscription connected to the Maccabees, the rebel army whose story is central to Hanukkah. Ride the Mediterranean shoreline to the old city of Jaffa, stop at a seaside cafe and swim at a crowded beach. —"Abraham's tent": Don Biblical garb, hop on feisty camels and ride along cliffs overlooking the desert at a themed site called Genesis Land. Sitting on wool blankets around a low table, you'll eat a delicious traditional meal and hear Biblical tales. Find clues on a timed hunt through back alleys, synagogues and neighborhood bakeries. Floating in the Dead Sea, hearing echoes when you yell from the top of Masada, shopping in Jerusalem's open markets, visiting the artists' village of Tsfat and wandering the ancient ruins of King Herod's Caesaria. Aden's outdoor bar mitzvah service was short and intimate, with a portable, beautifully carved wood ark and the Western Wall as a dramatic backdrop.