A little over a month ago, before summer’s oppressive heat sank in, Bracha planned a fun day for the three of us. She planned it all in advance, and surprised me with the main destination the evening prior. We were to be visiting Ma’ayan Harod, a small national park which somehow had escaped unnoticed by me and, thus, was quite the welcome surprise.

The gentle pools of Ma’ayan Harod

We packed ourselves up in the morning and headed out nice and early, hoping to beat both the heat and the crowds. It wasn’t too long before we were driving through the beautiful Jezreel Valley, and then past my military reserves base just outside of Afula, and then to the spring-dotted land shadowed by Mount Gilboa.

A family outing at Ma’ayan Harod

Arriving, we parked and examined the park pamphlet, noticing that there were only a few things to see – primarily, the spring and pools of Ma’ayan Harod. However, despite the park’s simplicity, there is something special about this place, also known as Ayn Jalut. This was the site of an incredible, history-making battle fought between the invading Mongols and the then-rulers, the Mamluks.

Remains of the ancient aqueduct

This crucial battle stemmed the tide of Mongol invasion, and likely created chaos amongst the local population – something that I touched upon in a forthcoming article I co-authored last year. Along with the battle at the Horns of Hattin, which took place less than thirty kilometres to the north, the battle at Ayn Jalut is one of the most iconic medieval battles to take place in the Holy Land. Thus, I was more than intrigued to be exploring this new site.

Introducing Amir to the cool spring water

However, when visiting the park, the spring water-filled pools are, without doubt, the main attraction. We took a quick look around, saw that the pools were being temporarily vacated, and decided that we’d start our visit with a splash. We changed quickly, and then introduced ourselves to the cool spring waters. Amir was decidedly unimpressed and, quite understandably, had a bit of difficulty getting acclimated to the water. But when he did, we were all filled with joy.

Gideon’s cave

Thankfully, we were able to have all of the pools to ourselves, despite the fact that there were school children visiting in droves. When we had splashed around enough, we got back out, found a nice shaded spot under some trees and had a little picnic. The food perked Amir right up, and before long we were exploring some more.

The path up to the Hankin house and tomb

Not far from where we had eaten was the remains of an ancient aqueduct, sunken into the grassy topography and hardly noticeable to the untrained eye. Backtracking the spring water’s flow took us to a small, shallow cave where fresh water gurgled out enthusiastically.

The Hankin tomb

This is said to be Gideon’s cave, referencing the biblical story of the Israelite leader who tested his troops by the manner in which they drank – again, believed to be this very spring.We saw a group of religious tourists re-enacting this event, a study in human behaviour.

Looking down at the park and surrounding area

Next, I decided to pop up the small slope that served as the backdrop to the beautiful park to see the few sites that were marked on the map. Alas, all there was to see was the joint tomb of Yehoshua and Olga Hankin, pioneers of local settlement in the early 1900s, and their humble Bauhaus house. Unfortunately, the house itself was locked and, as such, I was unable to properly explore it. Heading back down the slope, and marvelling at the view, I rejoined Bracha and Amir and we made our way out of the park.

Slow-cooked meats and sides at Brisket Bar

Yet, the day was not over as Bracha had planned an interesting lunch for us at a restaurant called Brisket Bar, a highly-praised bastion of slow-cooked meats. Indeed, the fine selection of meat was incredibly tasty and very deserving of the praise we’ve heard, as the three of us can attest to. From there we drove home, happy and with the feeling of a day well spent.