Fun Passover activities for the whole family

Now that all the pre-Passover cleaning is over, we can welcome spring and enjoy the holiday out in nature.

By MEITAL SHARABI
Ariel Sharon Park (photo credit: ARIEL SHARON PARK)
Ariel Sharon Park
(photo credit: ARIEL SHARON PARK)
Tonight we will all sit around the table with our families and friends at the Passover Seder to celebrate our transition from slavery to freedom. Now that all the pre-Passover cleaning is over, we can welcome spring and enjoy the holiday out in nature. As part of the celebration of Israel’s 70th birthday, Bank Hapoalim will be offering free admission from April 1 to 5 into more than 30 sites and museums across the country. Here are a few attractions that look especially enticing for the whole family this week.
Agmon Hahula
On Tuesday, there will be a Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund bus tour to Agmon Hahula and Mevo’ot Hahermon. Agmon Hachula is Israel’s largest bird-watching park. It attracts bird-watchers from all over Israel and around the world. A KKL-JNF guide will welcome guests and take them on a tour of the park, during which visitors will use lookout stations to see unique birds, such as wandering cranes, who like to stop and rest on the lake on their way to and from Africa.
Date: April 3, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Meeting spot: Tel Aviv, Reading power station.
Price: NIS 50.
Tel: 1-800-350-550.
Nahal Mishmar
Families who like to hike are invited to take advantage of the great weather of the Judean Desert and enjoy a walk alongside Nahal Mishmar. You’ll benefit from an amazing view of the Edom Mountains and overlook the Dead Sea. Guides from the Ein Gedi Field School and The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) will take you on a circular hike that includes climbing up and down areas near the cliff. This exciting hike includes walking among boulders and climbing on ladders. You might even get a chance to splash yourself with some of the cool, clear water you find along the path.
Guides from the Ein Gedi Field School and SPNI.
Date: April 1, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Price: NIS 56.
Tel: (03) 638-8688.
Bazelet Hagolan Winery
Vineyards around the country are slowly waking up after a long, cold winter. Bazelet Hagolan Winery, the first boutique winery in the Golan Heights, is inviting all hikers and wine lovers to taste all their different varieties of wines. A visit to the winery includes a screening of a short film that tells the history of the winery and the story of the vineyards of the northern Golan Heights, which are situated at 900 meters above sea level. The tour ends with a wine-tasting, of course.
Location: Kidmat Zvi, Golan Heights.
Dates: April 1-4, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Price of wine tasting tour: NIS 25.
Tel: (04) 696-5010.
Technoda
Technoda Hadera is inviting young people to visit their science and technology center during the intermediate days of Passover. All visitors will receive a magic set upon entering and spend time at individual stations, where they will learn about different magic tricks and optical illusions involving fire, water and color. There will be an energy station, a sound station, thinking games, a darkroom and a boat exhibition, among other attractions.
Location: Technoda Hadera.
Dates: April 2-4, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Price: children: NIS 80; adults: NIS 40.
Tel: (04) 633-3505.
Unicorn
Have you ever seen a unicorn? A famous legend talks about a unicorn who lived in the park of Ramat Hanadiv. During hol hamoed, the public is invited to take a journey through the wonderful parks and hidden paths of Ramat Hanadiv. There will also be arts, crafts, music and a fantastic encounter with a unicorn (which requires purchase of book by Tamar Arbel Elisha for NIS 20).
Date: April 1-2, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tel: (04) 629-8111.
Kfar Hashmonai
Kfar Hashmonai in Shilat is offering a whole range of fun family activities this Passover. A performance titled Let My People Go will be performed by parents who will put on costumes and read their lines as their children get to watch from the audience.
Then there will be a tour of the village in which participants will be able to see how an ancient olive press works; feed the goats and chickens; prepare herbal medicine pouches; create oil lamps out of clay; shoot with a bow and arrow; and learn how to mint copies of ancient Hasmonean coins.
Dates: March 30 – April 7. Doors open at 10:30 and guests can stay up to 3 hours.
Price: NIS 35.
Tel: 054-448-0463.
Ariel Sharon Park
The Festival of non-board games returns to Ariel Sharon Park for the third year in a row. There will be a maze made completely of recycled materials; a “Tree of Wishes” made completely from garbage cans; a fascinating story of the hill of garbage that was turned into a gorgeous green park; a circus; arts and crafts; and a multimedia presentation.
Dates: April 2-4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Price: NIS 35. NIS 150 for a family of five.
Details: www.hiriya.co.il / www.parksharon.co.il
Apollonia National Park
Who were the Crusaders and why did they come to the Holy Land? You can find out if you come to Apollonia National Park in Herzliya to view the ancient artifacts and weapons left from battles in which the Crusaders fought. There will be puppet shows for the little ones and staged fights between knights for the enjoyment of older children.
Location: Apollonia National Park.
Dates: April 2-4, 10:00 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Translated by Hannah Hochner.