To parents of Bar/Bat Mitzva age children in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, France,
Shalom
My name is Zohar Baram, and many years ago I established, and still manage The Kfar Hashmonai (Hasmonean Village), here at Shilat, in the Modi’in area of Israel.
I would like to invite you and your children to visit the village for a special learning experience about the Hasmonean heritage. The Maccabees of the Chanuka story belonged to this family.
Kfar Hashmonai is unique in that it focuses on 4 types of housing and lifestyles that were typical in the times of our forefathers during various periods of history.
Noah’s Village: the beginning of farming in Eretz Israel, demonstrates the nomadic wandering of the Children of Israel in the Sinai desert on their way to Canaan
The Hasmonean Village – includes complete structures of the type of homes they lived in, olive presses, an ancient synagogue, water holes for drinking water, a ritual bath (Mikve), a pressing area for treading grapes, an iron plough and other farming implements.
The Desert Dwelling: Tents for habitation,wild vegetation growing alongside fruit trees, as it was when the children of Israel wandered in the Sinai desert on their way to the promised land of Israel.
Rural Landscape in the Mishnaic and Talmudic Periods: Vineyards and Olive orchards, an authentic Roman milestone and ancient Roman road, a watch tower, an ancient olive press, a habitation cave.
These are the four unique examples, so authentic that they look as if they were actually standing in those ancient days, but are replicas which enable the visitor to see for himself or herself, how these ancient settlements looked.
There is also a permanent exhibition of authentic replicas of carvings made from plaster - marble belonging to various periods, that were made by the British Museum and are displayed here at Kfar Hashmonai, as well as an exhibition of antique Chanukiyot (the 8 branched candelabra used during the Chanuka festival). Throughout the village are olive trees that produce their fruit in season.
The Programme:
On arrival the family receives a short introduction from me about the structure of a Jewish village in the days of the Maccabees and the kind of life they led.
Immediately afterwards the educational tour of the four reconstructed areas begins.
Starting in the Hasmonean Village: seeing the completely reconstructed residential buildings, the ancient synagogue that was moved to this site, a ritual bath, water hole for drinking water, olive press, grape press, the iron plough, the exhibition of authentic replicas of antiquities, and more.
Activities are available throughout, such as:
The children reading the week’s Torah portion from a scroll in the ancient synagogue
Pressing of Hasmonean coins
Children operating an ancient olive press for breaking down olives and crushing of almonds
Using a tree branch fashioned for writing ancient Hebrew script in the Tent of Writing
Making candles from clay
Medicinal herb bag making
Bow and arrow shooting range.
After all these activities, we will continue to the Neveh HaMidbar, see the views from Mishna (Late Roman – Byzantinian) times, and Noah’s village.
This is a scenic experience of the uniqueness of Israel through the ages .
In 2 ½ hours, you will see the four types of scenery connected to the earliest days of the Jewish people, here in the Land of Israel, and you will be able to photograph your experiences along the way and take your memories with you.
I will conclude with my explanation on what Jewish boys of Bar Mitzva age were expected to do in those days, and the learning experience will then be complete.
We will be happy to see you joining your children, and participating in this special experience of getting to know and understand our country’s ancient landscape and villages, stepping stones toward strengthening your acquaintance with the foundations of ancient Judaism and its material culture.
For reservations: kfarhash@012.net.il
Phone: 054 4480463 from out of Israel: 00 972 54 4480463
We will be happy to see you here
Zohar Baram, founder and manager of Kfar Hasmonai
Hasmonian Village in pictures:
