For an updated article on the 2010 Walkathon and the Walkers' response in the aftermath of the Carmel Fire disaster, see: http://www.melabev.org/posts/347
The Walkathon is over - and the paths they walked were destroyed just one week later in the greatest fire Israel has ever known - but Sponsorships can still continue - and the Walkers' committment to help rehabilitate the beautiful area they hiked through.
You Can Still Be In the Picture by Sponsoring a Walker in the
7th Annual "Don't Forget Us" Melabev Walkathon
Click here: For Sponsors' Form or e-mail us at: melabev.walkathon@gmail.com
See the list of pre- registered Walkers.
Read about the Pre-Walk Reception - which now appears on YouTube
* Moonlight Walk, was held Tues., Nov. 23rd - Nahal Kesalon, near Jerusalem & Beit Shemesh
* The full two day hike was in the Carmel Mountain Range - G-d's Vineyard - which is no more!
* Culminating Thurs. evening, Nov. 25th at a feast with a Thanksgiving flavor
Read about Rachel Wasserman, founder of the "Don't Forget Us" Walkathon
The Moonlight Walk and the Walk in the Carmel Forests were professionally organized by Keshet Educational Tours, Inc.
Where: Melabev in the Carmel
The Carmel range was one of the most amazing regions for hiking and exploring in Israel and it's easily accessible from the center of the country.
We hiked through nahalim (valleys) and mayanot (springs) of varied topographies, landscapes and degrees of difficulty. Evidence of human activity since the dawn of civilization was discovered in the many prehistoric caves here - which is also the site of Biblical events that took place here and modern dramas which are part of today's Carmel.
Our Melabev Walkathon routes took us up from the back of Haifa University down to Beit Oren. We hiked through national parks, walked through forests of pine and indigenous Mediterranean oak. We l followed in the footsteps of the clandestine immigrants who escaped from the British holding camp at Atlit and visited the site of the "Masada Plan - Fortress Carmel," where the leaders of the Yishuv planned to hold out against the Axis forces if they broke through Allied lines at El Alamein and entered our area.
We hiked through an area so beautiful it's known as "Little Switzerland" and climbed from the Etzel pre-state military training base at Shuni up to the beautiful and surprising botanical gardens surrounding Baron Edmond de Rothschild's tomb at Gan HaNadiv.
Some of the trails were more challenging and longer than others. Everyone could find a trail suitable for their hiking expectations for two full days of hiking in what had been one of the most unique and beautiful places in Israel - the Carmel, G-d's Vineyard.
Or - Walkers joined us just for the Moonlight Walk: Tuesday, November 23rd, late afternoon we gathered for a hike thorugh Nahal Kesalon. Located between Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh, Nahal Kesalon is a short drive from either city. An hour-long healthy rustic hike by the light of the full moon through rolling hills concluded at the Scrolls of Fire, the monumental sculpture created by the late Nathan Jacob Rapoport that memoializes the Holocaust and honors our return to the Land of Israel. We enjoyed a tasty supper before the bus trip back - or continued on the ride to the Carmel for the two day trek!
Everyone who registered for the Moonlight Walk: Commit to raise NIS 500 for Alzheimer's Care. Children under 18, accompanied by an adult: had a required commitment of NIS 200.
Registration Fees for Full 2 1/2 Hike: Payment of the registration fee entitled walkers to lodging, meals, snacks, guides, transportation from Jerusalem to the hiking areas and return, medics and security personnel & T-shirts.
The true cost for each walker is NIS 2,200, which is well over the registration fee. Walkers financially able and willing paid the full cost of their participation. The elders and their families will then benefit, as 100% of the *Sponsorships raised will go directly to their care in Melabev.
*A commitment to raise $1200 in Sponsorship funds is required of each individual walker.
*A commitment to raise $1800 in Sponsorship funds is required of each couple.
*Raise only NIS 500 in Sponsorship fund if you are joining just the Moonlight Walk (with no additional fee). (Children under 18, accompanied by an adult, only need to raise NIS 200.)
Click here: For Sponsors' Form
