Heritage
So
this time not only did Larry and
I go to visit a beautiful heritage site, we also took our doggie Ski
with us.
At
Baram
National Park we admired the ruins of two
synagogues – one of them was
one of the most ornate and well-preserved ancient synagogues we have
seen, with
beautiful carvings of wreaths, grape vines, and winged figures. Even Ski opened her eyes
wide and looked
around when we entered the ruin. There are also Aramaic inscriptions
stating
who constructed the building, and a statue of a lion that was most
likely
positioned near the Ark.
The
site also hosts a Maronite
church, used on holidays and for special events. The Maronite
Christians
resided in Baram until their evacuation during the War of Independence
in 1948.
There was indeed a service taking place while we were there, with many
visitors.
During
our visit, we were also
privileged to meet a youth group of teenagers/young adults
from Haifa
who had volunteered to come and keep the site clean
and plant additional
flowers and bushes. One girl in particular was very friendly and
approached us
to chat and to pet Ski. She told us her name is Hiba,
which means “gift”
in Arabic. She is currently studying at the Technion and is planning to
continue her studies in Germany. Her English was perfect with no trace
of an
accent. When we asked her where she learned her amazing English, she
laughed
and replied, the “Hannah Montana” cartoons on tv ?.
Worth
a visit? We wouldn’t come up
North especially just to see it, but if you are in the area -
absolutely.