It was a picture-perfect day: bright blue sky, puffy white clouds here and there, and springtime growth emerging abundantly in fields all around. That was the backdrop as 13 members of the Rotary Club of Jerusalem boarded a small bus to go to the Paul Harris Peace Forest just outside Tzfat, Israel some three hours drive north of Jerusalem.
Tzfat (or Safed, or any of several other spellings) is the birthplace of Jewish mysticism — the rabbis who wrote and taught the Kabbalah came from Tzfat. It is also a beautiful small town, now an artists’ colony too, perched on the side of the mountains in the Upper Galilee. Most important for our trip this week, however, is the Paul Harris Peace Forest just outside of Tzfat, created some 40 years ago by the Rotary Club of Tzfat.
For readers unfamiliar with Rotary International, a little background: Paul Harris was the founder of Rotary, a bit more than a hundred years ago in Chicago. Today, Rotary has more than 33,000 clubs and 1.2 million members spread across nearly all the nations of the world. Rotary is dedicated to community service at the local level, and international peace and understanding at the global level.
The Paul Harris Peace Forest is a quintessential Rotary project. In creating it, the Tzfat Club developed a beautiful, natural forested park for the enjoyment of the folks who live in and near Tzfat, and also for the many visitors who come to enjoy the Upper Galilee with its beautiful scenery, moderate climate, and many sites both archeological and religious. In creating the Paul Harris Peace Forest, the Tzfat Rotary Club also made a bold gesture toward environmental sustainability and a gentle yet firm statement about Rotary’s commitment to peace.
We were visiting the Paul Harris Peace Forest on this particular day because the global President of Rotary International, Ian Riseley of Australia, was visiting the District to which all the Israeli clubs belong. At the Peace Forest, monumental stones are carved with the names of the Presidents of the Tzfat Rotary Club, and others with the names of the presidents of world-wide Rotary International. Flags flew exuberantly over the site. In the photo on the right below are the flags of Australia (right), Rotary International (center right), Israel (center left), and on the far left, the flag of the forest conservation agency of Israel.
It was inspiring to see clubs from all over Israel come together to celebrate the mission of Rotary. The pride in the Peace Forest was evident. Sadly, the Rotary Club of Tzfat had, over the years, aged and dwindled in numbers, to the point that the Club was forced to close several years ago. Nevertheless, the Peace Forest lives on in tribute to the vision of those club members who started it so many decades ago. Efforts to establish a new club in Tzfat continue, and the current District Governor announced that plans are underway to create a second Peace Forest in the south of Israel.
In a brief ceremony, President Riseley thanked the clubs for their hospitality, and helped the current District Governor of Rotary in Israel to “unveil” the portion of the stone now carved with Riseley’s name. Then, everyone climbed the hill beyond to the spot a few hundred yards into the forest where a tree was planted in President Riseley’s honor.
Jerusalem Rotary Club President, Rabbi David Lilienthal (above, left), ably led our delegation, and presented International President Riseley with a gift — the Interfaith Calendar that the Jerusalem Rotary Club sells each year as one the many fundraising efforts that enable the Club to bestow scholarships to local students.
Finished with the ceremonials, and ready for lunch and libations after the long journey, we found our way to a vineyard and dairy farm nearby — a gem of a Upper Galilee establishment that one of the Club members knew about. Hidden away in an industrial park was a beautiful facility — selling wines amid the fields of grape vines all around, and serving numerous cheeses all based on the milk of goats that the dairy raises. We were soon served a delightful lunch of cheeses, homemade bread, salads and delicate omelets that fortified us for the long trip home. More than a few of us left with some wine, cheese or other goodies purchased as we departed.
Perhaps the most important element of the day was living out the most fundamental trait of Rotary — the fellowship and camaraderie that we shared on the journey. Amid Israel’s beautiful scenery and the details both sublime and mundane of our purpose, we all got to know each other a bit better.
Crossroads 
How lovely. What a fantastic experience.
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It was! Thanks, Ali! Looking forward to seeing you in April!
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