Monastic Life

Ancient history, Life modern warfare, religion and wine combine at the Latrun Monastery nestled amid forests and olive groves.

By NADAV ROITER
Latrun monastery 521 (photo credit: Devori Borger)
Latrun monastery 521
(photo credit: Devori Borger)
Latrun has always been a mystery to me. I’ve driven by countless times and wondered what lies behind those austere walls. Recently, a friend described a trip he had taken. From his description, it sounded like Italy. As he described vineyards, scenery and architecture, I thought of the thousands of shekels he must have spent on that trip. When he told me that he had spent only NIS 65, I was intrigued.
“But what about airfare and hotel expenses?” I asked.
Realizing that I hadn’t heard what his travel destination was, he explained that he was talking about Latrun.
In that case, I simply had to go and see it for myself.
An Italian gem situated between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Latrun is just off Route 1, making it a convenient place to spend the day.
One can take a bus (433, 434 or 404) leaving from the central bus station in Jerusalem every half hour. Besides being a cost-effective and convenient destination, Latrun has something for the whole family. Wine, architecture and sweeping views for parents, and the tank museum or Mini Israel for the kids.
Your tour in the area might begin with the magnificent Latrun Monastery, to which entrance is free. You should allow a good hour and a half for this part of the tour. Perched on the side of a hilltop, it is definitely worth hiking up to the monastery from the main road. As you hike, look around at the breathtaking view of rolling green hills, haystacks and farmland.
After about 10 minutes of hiking you’ll reach a simple stone archway with a long road leading to the secluded monastery. To your right, you’ll see a vineyard with blood-red grapes, and to your left you will see an ancient Mediterranean olive grove. These two crops are the monks’ main source of income. The monks established their vineyard with the help and advice of a wine expert (in the employ of Baron Edmond de Rothschild) who was in Israel helping to establish the Carmel-Mizrahi Winery. The delicious-looking (non-kosher) Cabernets and Merlots can be purchased in the shop located on the side of the entrance.
Coming through the arch, you find yourself in a lovely piazza that has a small cactus garden, as well as red, orange and white bougainvillea. In the right-hand corner of the square is the monastery’s guest house.
As I knocked on the imposing wooden door, a man answered.
He said he was a Christian educator from Nazareth and had come to the monastery to “clear my head.” He described the stay there as “one large meditation exercise.” He said they arose at 3 a.m. and their day included three hours of physical work and five hours of prayer. He then proceeded to tell me the monastery’s history. 
“It was built in 1890 by Trappist monks at the request of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The monks bought the 200- hectare property, which included the Maccabee Hotel, from the Jewish Batato brothers.” He then pointed me in the direction of the church.
Walking through the green gate and up the palm-lined path, I found myself standing at the foot of a large staircase, with the church and bell tower looming above. Making my way up the stairs and through the brown wooden doors, I came to the the back part of the abbey. The church is truly impressive.
Latrun’s mountain range is very historic, having been the site of many important battles from biblical to modern times. One such battle is described in the Book of Maccabees (part of the Apocrypha). Apparently the Greek army came to where Judah Maccabee and his forces had set up camp, only to find the Jewish camp empty. Suddenly Judah’s forces appeared in the valley, taking the Greeks by surprise. The ensuing battle provided the Jewish forces with their first major victory in the Maccabean revolt, leading to more than a century of renewed Jewish sovereignty.
Latrun became problematic from an Israeli standpoint in 1948.
The road from the coastal plain area to Jerusalem was blocked off when the British handed over the fort of Latrun (a British police station) to the Arab Legion as part of the withdrawal plan. A military siege on Jerusalem was effectively imposed as the Arab Legionnaires used the fort to shell Israeli vehicles traveling on the road below. All five attempts to conquer the fort failed, and the official Israeli casualty rate was 139 soldiers (including many from the newly formed 7th Armored Brigade). In 1967, a large military operation was organized in an attempt to conquer Latrun. The abandoned fort was conquered quite easily by the Israeli forces, which had military prowess but lacked military intelligence.
During the Yom Kippur War, Israel lost 2,565 soldiers, of whom 1,492 were from the Armored Corps. The bereaved families asked the army to erect a monument to the fallen Armored Corps soldiers in Latrun due to the unit’s history in the area. Thus Yad Leshiryon, the Armored Corps monument and museum, was born.
The Yad Leshiryon museum, one hilltop away from the monastery, is a five-minute drive or a 15-minute walk away. The admission is NIS 30 for adults and NIS 20 for children. When you enter the premises and walk up the wide staircase, you find yourself standing on a massive stone platform. You will be surrounded by the museum’s impressive collection of 162 tanks and armored vehicles. The tanks can be divided into three main categories: tanks donated by other countries; Israeli tanks; and enemy tanks captured during battle. The two latter categories caught my attention.
The tour guide noticed that I was staring at one of the Merkavas and said, “Yisrael Tal was what we called the father of the Merkava. Maj.-Gen. Tal conceptualized the idea of building a safe tank that, first and foremost, protected the people inside it.”
Explaining what made the tanks so safe, the guide said, “The engines were moved to the front of the tank, protecting the soldiers.
Furthermore, the engines currently use diesel fuel, which is less flammable and therefore less dangerous.” Moving on to the section of tanks that were captured from enemy armies during battle, I learned how each tank was camouflaged. The Egyptian tanks were light-yellow; Syrian tanks were brown. Each color corresponded to the terrain on which they were intended to be used.