After two difficult years: The festival bringing life back to the Western Galilee

Against this backdrop, the ninth annual July Art festival takes on a special significance. Dozens of artists, galleries, and small businesses are opening their doors, sending a simple message to Israeli visitors: Come north. There is something here worth discovering.

Throughout July, the festival, organized by the Western Galilee Now Association, offers a diverse program of exhibitions, workshops, performances, wine events, and culinary experiences. But what truly sets it apart are the stories behind the places themselves.

Many of the initiatives visitors encounter were born out of the challenges of recent years: A gallery in Nahariya established through a crowdfunding campaign during the war, and a film festival that grew from a single successful screening among vineyards.

I visited several sites participating in the festival and returned with recommendations - and with the sense that something positive is taking place in the Galilee.

In Nahariya, the story behind this place is reason enough to visit.

Eleven years ago, a group of young people arrived in the city for a year of community service. They were artists and educators searching for a place where they could live together as a community - and they quickly fell in love with Nahariya.

The group, known as The Culture Movement, initially consisted of 40 members. Over the years, it expanded and discovered just how much the local community was seeking artistic and cultural activity.

Their first joint exhibition with local artists attracted a large crowd on opening night. Today, they host four exhibitions a year in an open space on Haga’aton Boulevard.

Then came the moment that best reflected the spirit of the place. In September 2024, during one of the most intense periods of fighting in the north, they launched a crowdfunding campaign. Within a month and a half, they raised NIS 130,000.

The funds were used to renovate two shops on Haga’aton Boulevard, and in July last year Yama Gallery opened there alongside Yona Café - a space created to serve as a meeting point for local residents.

The venue is constantly active, hosting cultural events, film screenings, music performances, and workshops for groups.

Another recommended experience is the gallery’s open studio, held every Thursday, where visitors can paint, create, and meet new people.

Locals know Tosha mainly for its pastries, but behind the popular spot is a story of persistence and determination.

Tomer Suissa, a chef and pastry maker, and Shahaf Avraham, a management and hospitality professional, have known each other for 15 years - since the days when Avraham was a franchise owner of Landwer Café in Nahariya.

They began their shared journey at Kibbutz Rosh Hanikra. When they felt they had reached the limits of growth there, they opened their current location about five years ago, opposite Achziv Beach.

Then the war began.

The area where they operate was completely closed, forcing them to shut down for a year and a half. Rather than give up, they launched a temporary operation during the war at a restaurant in Nahariya that hosted them.

When they finally returned to Achziv, two weeks before one of the ceasefires, they found a place damaged by months of neglect. Four months of renovations followed.

Today, Tosha has returned stronger than ever.

The bakery specializes in much more than pastries: Baked goods are transformed into sandwiches and salads, the team prepares catering trays and cookies for local residents, and everything is fresh and carefully made. The steady line of customers at the entrance speaks for itself.

The place attracts both residents and visitors. Recently, the team also expanded into evening hours with a food truck called Oli, serving pizzas and pastas Tuesday through Thursday until 11 p.m.

On July 29, as part of July Art, Tosha will host an artists’ fair featuring local creators, live music, a relaxed atmosphere, and street food stands offering vegan burgers, fish and chips, desserts for those who cannot resist something sweet, and American-style ice cream.

There is something uniquely captivating about wandering through the paths of an old kibbutz - the green lawns, modest homes, and quiet atmosphere that has almost disappeared from modern life.

In Kfar Masaryk, hidden among these paths, are two places that are well worth discovering.

The first is The Secret of the Kibbutz Magic, a tourism site offering visitors a journey back to the kibbutz of the past. Tours and workshops are available during the week by advance reservation.

Visitors can explore a cobbler’s workshop from the 1940s, hear the story of the Naaman porcelain factory, follow a trail of songs scattered throughout the kibbutz, and paint their own porcelain plates.

The experience also includes a kibbutz dance workshop and guided golf-cart rides along Nahal Na’aman.

From Thursday to Saturday, visitors can complete their visit with a picnic from the kibbutz coffee cart, Thomas.

The second gem is Munio Gallery, the kibbutz gallery, which changes exhibitions every six months.

Currently on display are wool embroidery works by 30 female artists, including Sara Avnin-Genisher, a member of Kibbutz Yifat, and her students. It is a delicate craft - and surprisingly impressive when seen up close.

On July 29, in honor of International Embroidery Day, the gallery will host a four-and-a-half-hour embroidery workshop - a rare opportunity to learn the craft in depth rather than experience a quick, simplified version.

This is the kind of story that shows how a festival can be born.

The response was so enthusiastic that two additional screenings attracted more than 200 participants each. From there, the idea of creating a full-scale festival quickly took shape.

Ofir and producer Kobi Azran, owner of Solio Films, established Cinema Among the Vineyards - an open-air cinema event held in an intimate setting inside the winery, which took place from July 16–18 as part of the July Art festival.

The festival also included a Friday morning brunch and a traditional Friday afternoon Kabbalat Shabbat gathering among the vineyards.

Another highlight of the festival was Open Gallery Saturday: A Small Piece of Land, which took place on July 18.

Dozens of galleries, studios, and creative spaces throughout the Western Galilee opened their doors to visitors free of charge, with advance registration, in an event curated by Asia Dublin.

This year’s theme focused on the relationship between people and place - and on how landscapes, memories, and communities shape local creativity.

Throughout the day, visitors took part in artist talks, demonstrations, and personal meetings with creators. They could either build their own route between artists’ studios or choose from ten suggested routes prepared by the association.

The exhibition features works by sculptor Yael Netanel, who lives and works at Kibbutz Kfar Masaryk, where ceramic female figures blend into colorful knitted environments inspired by the woodland landscapes of the Galilee.