Top Rosh Hashanah itineraries: Council sites, Ein Shemer, winery & more

While the country faces complex security and social challenges, Rosh Hashanah is for most of us an opportunity for gathering, soul-searching, peace and renewal. Despite the tensions that will soon close a year, the need for escapism, connection to tradition and spending time in nature is increasing. This year, more than ever, we find ourselves Looking for moments of peace and joy in the bosom of family and nature.

Rosh Hashanah provides a wonderful opportunity to get out of the routine and experience enriching family experiences together. Whether it's a hike in spectacular nature reserves or a visit to heritage sites that tell the story of the country, or experiential activities that combine learning and fun - the wide variety of options ensures that every family will find their own way to celebrate the holiday and start the new year off on the right foot. Here are some suggestions for a fun and enriching family outing.

The Council for the Preservation of Sites, which has been working for decades to preserve the building heritage and historical places in Israel, will offer a variety of experiential activities for the whole family at its sites throughout the country. These activities allow not only to have fun but also to learn about the history and heritage of our country. Among the activities this year: Making greeting cards, jam making workshop, weaving flowers for the holiday, honey and pioneers festival, "search for the treasure" following Ben-Gurion and guided tours of the sites.

For example, at the Valley Museum in Kibbutz Yifat, which tells the fascinating story of the Jezreel Valley from the beginning of the settlement to the present day, families with children are invited for an enriching experience. The museum, located in an impressive historical building, presents a rich collection of agricultural tools, photographs and documents describing the life of the pioneers in the valley. In preparation for the holiday, the museum offers special activities such as a family workshop for making jam, creating greeting cards and sukkah decorations, an interactive quiz for families throughout the museum, puzzle games, a "dress up as pioneers" activity, setting up pioneer tents, tailored training for the whole family, and a visit to the tractor yard and the fascinating scrap yard.

The activities will take place on October 4-5, at a price of NIS 30 per person. More details can be found on the museum website.

Rishonim Yard in Ein Shemer, a heritage site that preserves the story of settlement in the kibbutz, will hold the "Honey and Pioneers Festival" this year. The site, which has been carefully restored, presents the lifestyle of the first settlers in the area, and combines the preservation of history with interactive experiences for the whole family. The festival will include a variety of fascinating activities, including a tour on a tractor attached to a cart protected by a net to the beehives and an in-depth introduction to the honey route - from the bee to the jar. Visitors will enjoy a visit to the rich tractor museum, try baking buns in the style of the past, tour the kibbutz museum that tells the story of the settlement, and prepare special New Year's cards.

The event will take place on October 5. Prices: NIS 42 for a toddler (2 to 5 years old), NIS 48 for a child (from age 5) and NIS 45 for an adult. It is recommended to order tickets in advance on the museum website.

At the Ben-Gurion barracks in Sde Boker, the modest and fascinating home of David and Paula Ben-Gurion from 1953 until their death, offer a unique experience that combines history and play. The hut, preserved as it was in David Ben-Gurion's lifetime, is a fascinating glimpse into the private life of the man who was Israel's first prime minister. In honor of the holiday, the place offers "search for the treasure" style tasks following objects related to the Tishrei holidays: A column from a model of the Temple in Jerusalem, photos of Ben-Gurion with his grandchildren and festive clothes placed next to his bed. This activity allows families to explore the hut in a fun and enriching way, while learning about Ben-Gurion's humble lifestyle and the customs of the holiday.

The activity will take place between October 2 and 4, with no additional payment on top of the entrance fee to the website. Details and registration can be found on the barracks website.

Those interested in starting the year with fine wine will be happy to hear that Tzuba Winery, located in Kibbutz Tzuba in the Jerusalem mountains, offers an extraordinary experience for wine and landscape lovers. The winery, founded in 2005, is based on the grapes of the unique vineyards surrounding the kibbutz, and currently covers about 450 dunams. The winery's visitor center is located in a magical spot overlooking the spectacular views of the Jerusalem mountains, where you will enjoy a magical wine experience in a rural and peaceful atmosphere, with clear mountain air and a breathtaking green landscape.

The winery invites visitors to a guided wine tasting that includes professional explanations and tastings of four selected types of wines, produced from grapes grown in the area. Along with the wine, you can indulge in a rich cheese platter with fresh bread and snacks. Every Thursday evening, the winery hosts live music performances accompanied by wines, to create a relaxed and relaxing atmosphere perfect for a holiday evening.

The wine shop is open on holiday evenings from 10:00-13:00, and on Thursdays from 10:00-16:00 and 19:00-23:00.

On the occasion of Tishrei holidays, the "Doron Min Haאeva'" dairy, a boutique dairy in Moshav Nahalim in the Modi'in region, will hold a unique sales event in its magical hospitality complex. The event will host producers and artisans from around the country, with a special emphasis on representatives from the south and the north, as part of an effort to support creators from these regions. Next to the active goat barn and the surrounding open fields, there will be stalls with a selection of cheeses and milk products from sheep, goats and cows produced by the dairy. Next to them will be presented a variety of high-quality and creative boutique products, which reflect the local tastes and traditions.

Among other things, you can find head coverings and handkerchiefs from "Haםtefet", lighting fixtures from "masheu madlik", natural cosmetics from "La Veli Shmanim" and health snacks from "Super Natural". In addition, fresh cakes and pastries, ceramic works, decorative candles, quality pralines, olive oil, wines and local olives will be offered for sale.

The event will take place on Sunday, 29.9.24, at 17:00-22:00. Entry is free and suitable for the whole family, but please note that payment at the booths is only in cash. For more details, you can contact Hila by phone: 052-8579409.

For those who are interested in a trip to nature, an intriguing and pleasant route for this season of the year passes through the natural treasures of the Mekorot Yarkon National Park, in the area where the clean part of the central stream flows, surrounded by many plants and animals. In the complex is the El-Mir mill, the oldest flour mill in Yarkon that operated until the end of the 19th century. In the south of the national park, you cannot miss the large pillbox, which was used as a guard post on the railroad between Rosh Ha'Ein and Petah Tikva during the Arab Revolt in 1936.

In addition, it is possible to reach the charming Nofer pool, reminiscent of the natural spawning area. The pool has a unique vegetation, characterized mainly by the yellow sedge, and you can find there the remains of the natural vegetation of the Yarkon that has thinned out. From there you can return and finish the route back at Mekorot Yarkon National Park, or continue south-east to Tel Afek National Park, where you will find the Antipatris Fortress - the Ottoman fortress "Binar Bashi" (1571) - built on top of a governor's palace from the Canaanite period. Next to it you can see the remains of the Roman-Byzantine city of Antipatris. You can continue around the wide lake on the spot, and it is recommended to finish the route in the artificial wading pools in the complex. The way back is the same route, but it is possible to vary in terms of the paths within the national parks themselves.

The starting and ending point is at the Mekorot Yarkon National Park parking lot, and the length of the route is about 6 km.

And if we are talking about the Yarkon National Park, in the Tel Afek complex the whole family is invited to join in the activity of writing greetings in honor of Rosh Hashanah. Boga, collector of wishes from Dupalm, invites you to join him and ask for wishes in honor of Rosh Hashanah. Together you can create a mobile and wish yourselves and the country a happy and sweet new year.

The activity will take place on Friday 4.10 (Rosh Hashana) at 14:00-10:00, and is included in the entrance ticket to the site.

Finally, if you are looking for a unique experience with animals, a desertium - an experiential, educational and challenging animal park, the first of its kind in Israel and in the world - opened this year in Be'er Sheva and invites the general public to enter the world of animals. The Desertarium will bring visitors together with a huge variety of desert animals in an experiential and unusual way. Through innovative play facilities, visitors will get to experience the desert environment from the animals' point of view.

In recent months, new animals have joined the desert family, among them eight male tular wolves, locust items in a new display, a trio of giraffes born to Giraffe Toy, twin baboons and a hippopotamus. The new bat maze was also opened - a facility that offers three interwoven tracks for a game that simulates the players as bats navigating their way through space using only their sense of hearing.

The aquarium is open from Sunday to Thursday from 09:00-17:00, on Fridays and holiday eves - 09:00-14:00, on Saturdays, holidays and Sukkot holidays - 09:00-17:00.

Prices: adult NIS 75, child NIS 62. The purchase of tickets is through the website only.