Digging Into History With Help From Israeli Hostels

After brushing away centuries of earth, I was startled when I saw that I was uncovering a jawbone. It turns out it belonged to a cow, but a rather ancient one. I was crouched in the ruins of Bet Shean, helping on an archeological dig at one of the most ancient cities in the Middle East.

The Bet Shean site, on the route between Jerusalem and Tiberias, has been inhabited for 5,000 years. In one area, archeologists have uncovered layers of 18 distinct cities. Young travelers on a shoestring budget will be able to stay in the area, thanks to the Israel Youth Hostel Assn., which is opening a hostel there.

With its mosaic floors, tumbled columns, ancient roads and theaters that seated up to 5,000 spectators, Bet Shean is a fascinating historical site. You can still wander along once-colonnaded streets to a theater, built in the Byzantine era.

The Bet Shean Youth Hostel’s foundation was laid in November 1999, and construction continues. The opening date has not been announced, but it will have 400 beds in 60 rooms, plus a cafeteria, dining room and swimming pool.

A new hostel recently opened at another fascinating historical site in Israel. The Masada hostel accommodates visitors who come to explore the ancient mountaintop fortress. The facility has 75 rooms with baths, a swimming pool and basketball courts.

King Herod built his palace at Masada’s dramatic location in 35 BC, complete with villas, a massive water storage system and swimming pools. You can take a cable car to the top or hike one of two paths. Masada is still remembered as the site where about 970 Jewish zealots held off Roman legions for almost two years in AD 72-73; then all but seven (two women and five children) committed suicide rather than surrender. Information about 31 of Israel’s youth hostels is on the Internet at https://www.youth-hostels.org.il. The two new hostels are not listed yet, but there is an e-mail link through the Web site for requesting more information. The site also offers information on do-it-yourself tour packages designed for independent budget travelers. There are seven-, 14- and 21-day packages (each includes bed and two meals in youth hostels and unlimited travel by bus), plus organized tours for individuals and car rental/hostel packages.

If it’s your first visit to Israel and you want guidance on seeing the key sites, there’s the “Taste of Israel” package, which provides budget travelers with seven nights at youth hostels (shared room accommodation), breakfast and dinner each day and three full days of touring with an English-speaking guide. Entrance fees for sites are included. You’ll spend the first day on your own in Jerusalem. On the second, there’s a guided tour of the city (the Western Wall, Via Dolorosa and Church of the Holy Sepulcher) and Bethlehem. During the third and fourth days, you’ll visit northern Israel, seeing Nazareth and Capernaum’s ruins, and take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and a dip in the Jordan River. Days 5 and 6 are free. On Day 7 you’ll visit the Dead Sea, Masada and the Ein Gedi Spa.

Ein Gedi is a popular desert oasis. Many come to the beach for therapeutic treatments, bathing in hot sulfuric water and covering themselves in thick, mineral-rich mud. The seven-day package costs $420 for a multi-bedded room, or $500 per person in a twin room. You can start the package any day of the week. For those who want even more freedom and flexibility, there are do-it-yourself touring packages starting at $320 for seven days. The seven-day version includes youth hostel accommodation, seven breakfasts and dinners, a seven-day Egged bus pass and a travel kit with maps and information. Fourteen-day versions cost $625, and 21-day packages are available for $890.

For more information, contact the Israel Youth Hostel Assn. at Binyanei Hauma, 1 Shazar St., P.O. 6001, Jerusalem 91060.

Lucy Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. Internet https://www.izon.com.