Ramat Hanadiv

After our lovely hike on the Zichron Ya'akov circular route, we made our way to Ramat Handiv Memorial Gardens and Nature Park. Ramat Hanadiv, which means Heights of the Benefactor, is the final resting place of Baron Edmond de Rothschild and his wife Adelheid. Baron Edmond was a great philanthropist and strong supporter of Zionism. He made his mark by purchasing land and settling it. He established dozens of moshavot, factories and wineries, promoting industrialization and economic development in Palestine prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.

Located just south of Zichron Ya'akov, on the southern slopes of Mount Carmel, Ramat Hanadiv is well known for its beautifully maintained memorial gardens. There is also a striking visitors centre, which was the first public LEED certified 'green' building in Israel. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world.

As you enter the memorial gardens, you see the Rothschild coat of arms, above. A bronze shield in the centre is supported by a lion and a unicorn, symbols of power and control. The clenched fist with five arrows symbolize the five sons of Mayer Rothschild, patriarch of the Rothschild clan.

At the centre of the memorial gardens is the crypt of the Baron and Baroness. Baron Edmond died in 1934 and Baroness Adelheid in 1935. On 6th April 1954 their bodies were brought to Israel from France and laid to rest at Ramat Hanadiv. Baron Edmond specified in his will that he wished to be buried in Israel and was brought here aboard a naval frigate which, upon arrival in Haifa, was greeted with sirens and a nineteen-gun salute. The government decreed a state funeral and the Baron and Baroness were re-interred in Israel, at the heart of one of the regions most populated with settlements that the Baron had helped to establish.

More than half a million visitors enter the gates of the Ramat Hanadiv Memorial Gardens annually. The beautifully landscaped gardens are divided into gardens within the garden. The Rose Garden is a formal garden with a wide variety of roses including the deep red fragrant rose Baronne E. de Rothschild, a sundial which symbolizes eternity, and six pools with fountains, representing the Baron and his five sons. The Fragrance Garden was designed with the visually impaired in mind with braille signs for those who need them, and the Cascading Garden, which features unusual dragon trees from the Canary Islands, enjoy stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea. The Palm Garden, located on the eastern side of the park, includes a small selection of the world's 2,600 palms.

There are lots of shady spots with benches to sit on, flowers and trees from all over the world, and well-tended green lawns. The gardens are also full of plaques with interesting facts and anecdotes about Rothschild, and his contribution to the growth and development of the area.

Outside the formal memorial gardens, three circular hiking trails start and end at Ramat Hanadiv, and a section of the Israel National Trail passes through the gardens as well. I blogged about the Spring Trail back in 2013 and I have also hiked the Manor Trail, where ruins of a Byzantine Period agricultural villa with storehouses and stables can be seen. I still need to try the Vulture Trail, which is the longest and most challenging of the three trails in the Nature Park. It is recommended for skilled hikers only, which puts me off somewhat! We did see the Griffon vultures high in the sky above us when we hiked the gentler Zichron Ya'akov circular route.

We arrived at Ramat Handiv midafternoon, when the crowds were beginning to dissipate, enabling us to enjoy the place in a peaceful and relaxing manner. I would think it is best to avoid visiting the gardens during the holidays and hagim (Jewish holidays) or to arrive very early. Entrance to the park is free of charge but there is a small car park charge. I highly recommend a visit!

* This post has been shared on Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) and Tuesday Turn About.

A Beautiful Hotel & The Orchid Greenhouse Café

Back in 2022 Jonny celebrated his 54th birthday. In 2021 I made him a birthday card showing him trekking around the Kinneret, or the Sea of Galilee, with some friends. In 2022 his wife sent me a photo of a beautiful hotel in Greece that the couple had stayed in and asked me to create a card showing them in front of it. Apparently their room was the one with the balcony, in the centre of the building, and they loved it!

A few months after Jonny's birthday, it was Mizzie's turn to celebrate. It was a short time after Mister Handmade in Israel and I lost our youngest son and I was finding it hard to work, but Jonny knew that my cards were important to his wife, so wrote and asked me if I could perhaps make her a birthday card. He suggested a design showing Mizzie and me on one of our tiyulim (a walk or hike). Every couple of weeks, in the months after my son passed away, we would go out into the Jerusalem countryside for a short walk in nature and then I would find a nice café for dinner. One of our favourite picks was the Orchid Greenhouse Café at Kibbutz Ma'ale HaHamisha in the Judean hills, just off the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. The café is a charming place, set in a greenhouse; half of it is used as a café and the other half an orchid nursery. The dairy and vegan food is delicious and the service is excellent. We have both been back. 

I was unsure whether I could even create a card with me on it or whether Mizzie would want me on her birthday card, but Jonny was sure that she would love it.

I decided to show the two of us sitting in our favourite café, with the beautiful orchids in the background. We are enjoying a cup of tea, or in my case, coffee, and sharing a big slice of lemon cheesecake for dessert (as we once did!). And just to point out the obvious, Mizzie is on the left, with brown hair. I am on the right, with my grey curls.
It turned out that Mizzie was very happy with her card and, as it happened, she loved the Orchid Greenhouse Café so much that she went back there with her whole family on her birthday.

"Thank you so much for the beautiful card, it means so much... You're so creative and talented!" she wrote to me, adding "The Lisa card MADE my birthday!"

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade, Craft Schooling Sunday, Tuesday Turn About and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

Daniel and Carly

I have been writing about sirens and missiles and war with Iran but, for now, a ceasefire has come into effect, so I will go back to sharing my art.

Daniel, just like his four brothers, receives one of my cards on his birthday every year. His mum tells me they have become an essential part of her family's birthday celebrations. Last year I showed him playing the piano on his card, and before that I have shown him playing the ukulele and dressed as a scientist, with a white coat and test tubes in his pockets. 

This year, for his 19th birthday, mum asked me to make Daniel a card that showed that he is now in mechina (pre-army programme) and that he is making preparations for his upcoming time in the IDF (Israel Defence Forces). She sent me the logo of the mechina programme and also a photo of his trainers. She thought they might illustrate his physical preparations for the army. 

I showed Daniel in the centre of the card, and added the logo and his trainers in background. A red heart with the name of his girlfriend, Yuval, who he met in the mechina, is to his right. Behind him a big number 19 marks his age.

Back in 2022 a lady in the US reached out to me with a request for a Bat Mitzvah card for a friend’s daughter. She thought it would be extra special for the card to come from Israel. I created a card for the Bat Mitzvah girl who was going to have an ocean/sea life themed party.

A few months ago the lady contacted me once again, this time with a request for a card for Carly, the original Bat Mitzvah girl's younger sister. Carly loves softball, her black cat Luna and the ocean, my customer told me. She also loves the Tampa Bay Lightning, an American professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. Her Bat Mitzvah was going to have an all purple theme.

Playing softball is a real love of Carly's, so I showed her gripping a softball bat. Apparently Carly made sure her Bat Mitzvah party was where everyone could see the sunset over the water, so a beautiful purple coloured sunset can be seen behind her. Luna the black cat is next to her, and I also included the the Tampa Bay Lightning logo, a stylized lightning bolt. The team was named the Lightning in reference to the Tampa Bay area apparently being the lightning capital of North America. The logo is the origin of one nickname for the team, the "Bolts".

My customer was once again very happy with the card.

"Carly’s card came yesterday. Thank you so much! It looks awesome! I love it and so will she! Thank you again!"

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade and Tuesday Turn About.

HaMenahelet

Yesterday morning we woke up to the news that the U.S. has joined the war with Iran. There were missile attacks all over Israel and we had to remain sheltered for a long stretch. Sadly there were direct hits. Schools and workplaces are still closed and we have been ordered to stay within the radius of bomb shelters.

It's been a rough week with very little sleep.

We were advised to pack a bag in case our home is hit or in case we have to leave in a hurry. But what to pack? Apart from the obvious passports and car keys, how do I decide what items in my home are most precious to me? I lost a son. Every single thing in his bedroom is a memory. I can't pack the two huge boxes of his drawings into my bag, nor the totem pole he carefully crafted when he was 9 years old, which has stood proudly in the lounge ever since then.

I am simply not able to do it.

This war is far from over and I fear the consequences for Israel and the Jewish community as a whole. However, I am feeling some relief knowing Iran's nuclear weapons have hopefully been destroyed, at least for the time being. A nuclear Iran was an existential threat not only to Israel but to the Arab world and to the whole world - whether or not that was widely acknowledged. The U.S. has the power to prevent the world's centre for terrorism from developing nuclear weapons. I am glad they used it.

It was also announced yesterday that Israeli forces had recovered the bodies of civilians Ofra Keidar and Yonatan Samerano, and soldier Shay Levinson, who were all killed on the 7th October 2023, the day of the Hamas-led attack on Israel. With their retrieval, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. 28 are confirmed dead by the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) and there are grave concerns for the well-being of two others. Hamas is also holding the body of an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.

In addition, four more of our dear soldiers were killed in Gaza last week, including the son-in-law of a close friend of mine.
So, having said that I feel some relief, there is also nothing to celebrate at the moment.

In the meantime, I am still creating art.

Although schools have been abruptly closed here, the end of the school year is coming up and some people are looking for teacher gifts. A customer approached me to ask if I could create a papercut for a school principal, HaMenahelet (המנהלת) in Hebrew. Menahelet is a Hebrew word that translates to "principal" or "director", specifically referring to a female principal. It's commonly used in the context of schools or educational institutions, but can also be used in other settings to refer to a female director or manager.

My customer liked my name plaques but also really loved my design with the hand and the sprout coming up, a symbol of growth and hope. "Would it be possible to add that in?" she asked.

I removed some of the seed heads from my name plaque design and replaced them with the hand and sprout that she liked so much.

"Thanks so much." she wrote to me. "It's lovely."

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade, Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop and Creative Muster Link Party.