Servas meeting in the Golan Heights , Saturday 4 June 2011We met at Moshav Odem – 1180 m above the sea, tasted the wonderful Druze delicacies, heard Akab from Buqaata and Gadi from Odem about Druze and Israeli coexistence in Golan Heights, then took a guided tour to the Great Juba on the edge of an extinct volcano. From there Akab took us to Buqaata , and explained about the history of the village and the Druze community, and how they live side by side with Israeli villages, keeping their separate identity and way of life.. Together we continued to Birkat Ram – the large natural reservoir, located in the crater of a disordered volcano – where Tzuki from Kibbutz Geshur explained about the water system in the Golan. Some of us found time to pick cherries and rasberries.

Back to Moshav Odem for the get together lunch – again the tasteful Druze salad, cheese – labane, and sweets, side by side with Israeli tastings brought by the Israeli hosts.

Participation exceeded expectations – 80 Servas Israel hosts arrived from all over Israel – from the Arava in the south to Kiriat Shmona and Kibbutz Geshur in the north – not deterred by the current situation near the northern border with Syria.All wanted to know more about the life of the Druze.Servas Israel hosts yearn for activities which contribute to coexistence, improved understanding and dialogue between people, ethnic groups and religions in Israel.

It shows what the spirit of Servas is – no politics, just meetings between people who want to know one another, drink and eat together, show each other their way of life, culture and beliefs. Proximity and familiarity lead to an understanding, a desire to help each other, learn from each other..
We are grateful to everyone who contributed to this wonderful meeting,

We all extend a peaceful hand and warm welcome to every guest coming to Israel to any place and any host – Jewish, Druze, Arab or Bedoiun.

Please contact Israel@servas.org

Claudia Sagi

N.S Servas Israel