Why? Why would anyone want to schlep mattresses, a grill, sleeping bags, tent and toothbrushes to camp in the wilds of Israel?

I ask myself this question each time my husband, Jonny, and I load up our Fiat 500 with all our camping equipment and stuff, making our tiny auto look like a circus car from which we remove all the above items. Oh, did I also mention bug spray, bathing suits, towels and a folding chair? And a light to see by in the darkness, provided you check the batteries. Which I forgot to do before we left our house in the Western Galilee and headed north.

I have been camping with Jonny and our blended family of six children for almost 30 years.

We’ve camped in Horshat Tal, in the north, often. One time, when soldiers in a nearby army base were told to go into shelters because there was the possibility of missile attacks, we had nowhere to go and just lay in our tents.

We’ve camped near Mitzpeh Ramon, where “Star Man” Ira Machefsky set up telescopes for us in the middle of the Ramon Crater when there was very little moon and thousands of stars. As hard as I try, I still can’t fathom how the stars I looked at no longer exist, and how they traveled millions of lightyears just to reach here…

For more of this nostalgic, whimsical look at camping in Israel, click here for the full article in Israel21C.