Mount Hermon & the Golan Heights

Each year on April 17th, Syrians visit the town of Quneitra (on the fringe of the Golan Heights) to mark the day when they lost this portion of their country to Israel in the 1967 Six Day War. The town of Quneitra was completely demolished during the bombings at that time, and has not been re-built. It now lies within the UN-monitored demilitarized zone between Syria and Israel.

Our tutor invited us, with a group of his other students, to have a picnic in the Golan Heights this past April 17th. We visited the town of Quneitra only briefly, as it was crowded and rainy. From there we moved further east into the UNDOF (the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force) zone and found a grassy hillside spot for our picnic. We prepared a feast of salads, grilled meat, tea, and bread, and shared the meal together. The whole hillside was full of other Syrians doing the same – although more than just food was shared. The local Communist party was passing out fliers about an upcoming rally, and children ran around carrying Syrian, Communist and “Che” flags.

After eating, we explored the hillside and discovered that we could see Mount Hermon (Jebel Sheikh in Arabic) from the top. Mount Hermon is referred to numerous times in the Bible – as the northern border of the Promised Land and possible sight of Jesus’ transfiguration. How unfortunate that the slopes of Mount Hermon are now the site of so much hatred and distrust.