Visiting family in Israel – King Herod and his father

The Yarkon River sources is an awesome place to rent a buggy for an off-road adventure. /GILOR MESHULAMSome of us, like me, have immediate family in Israel. Some of us have a bit more distant relatives – and they give us a really good reason to visit.

At this time of year, I would like to recommend visiting a fortress that was built by an even more distant relative:  King Herod.

A bit about King Herod’s background – He was a grandson of Edomite converts to Judaism. A very harsh and strict king,  some of his deeds got him the reputation of an evil and merciless ruler. Herod was a dictator who was afraid of free-thinking, progressive thought by his citizens and the scholars in Jerusalem. He limited the academic institutions, such as the Knesset-G’dola, (the Sanhedrin) up to the point where he lost the support of the people and the sages.

Eventually, he decided to repent, and upgrade the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

His work was so magnificent that it created a great impression on our sages, who wrote in the Talmud, “He who has not seen the Temple in its full construction, has never seen a glorious building in his life.” (Sukkah 51b)

This conflicted, controversial king from our past also built many, many palaces and fortresses in Israel – Masada, arguably, is the most famous among them.

One of the fortresses is named Antipatris, after Herod’s father, Antipater. Yes, the vicious (and some say great) King Herod was a “daddy’s boy.”

The fortress is near the Yarkon river, and very close to the city of Rosh Ha’Ayin.  The hill that it’s built on is a historically strategic point on the path to ancient Samaria, and close to many sources of water. Because of its strategic importance, this land was conquered by almost everyone in the last 2,000 years, including the Romans, Egyptians, Crusaders and eventually the Ottomans.

So what is there to see on this visit to the home of our ancestors? We have the Yarkon sources – where the famous river begins – and a lot of pools, fountains and streams to swim in. During the winter, it’s an awesome place to rent an off-road vehicle and really see the countryside. During the summer, it’s a beautiful place to just chill.

And, of course, don’t miss the fortress, in Antipatris national park. From the hill you can see Rosh Ha’Ayin, Petach Tikva, Horashim forest and even Tel Aviv, if the visibility is good.

But, more than that, the park is an amazing example of modern Israel. When we go, we visit our roots – a place where our ancestors lived 2,000 years ago. Today, at this ancient-but-new place where people lived, we see our ancestors’ descendants’ having a cook-out on national holidays. We see concerts being held where the king used to sit. We see people bicycling, hiking, swimming and just enjoying the view – right next to the remains of the ancient market where people used to shop for their food thousands of years ago.  We see our nation alive once again, in its natural habitat, after 2,000 years.

GILOR MESHULAM is the Israeli shaliach (emissary) at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.