This week, I found myself walking along Derech Ha’Avot, the Path of the Patriarchs, just outside Efrat. I expected a beautiful hike. I expected ancient ruins. I expected stunning views.
What I did not expect was to be reminded why I came home.
Over the past few years, much of my writing has focused on politics, conflict, and the endless battles surrounding Israel. Day after day, article after article, I found myself defending Israel, arguing for Israel, and responding to those who seek to delegitimize Israel.
There is certainly a place for that.
But as I walked along this ancient road, I realized something.
Sometimes we become so focused on defending Israel that we forget to simply experience Israel.
Derech Ha’Avot changed that for me.
As I stood on those ancient stones, I wasn’t thinking about headlines. I wasn’t thinking about politicians. I wasn’t thinking about social media.
I was thinking about Abraham.
I was thinking about Isaac.
I was thinking about Jacob.
I was thinking about the countless generations of Jews who walked these hills long before any modern political debate existed.
For thousands of years, travelers journeyed along this route. Pilgrims made their way toward Jerusalem. Merchants crossed these valleys. Families traveled these roads. Kings, prophets, and ordinary people passed through these same hills.
And there I was, a Jew who returned home after more than two thousand years of exile, walking the very same path.
That realization hit me harder than I expected.
Along the route are ancient mikvaot carved directly into the rock. Thousands of years ago, Jews purified themselves here before ascending to Jerusalem.
Think about that.
The same faith.
The same traditions.
The same longing for Jerusalem.
Not history in a textbook.
History you can touch with your own hands.
Nearby stand the remains of the ancient aqueducts that carried water to Jerusalem.
I stood there staring at them in amazement.
Thousands of years ago, Jewish builders engineered these incredible systems to bring life-giving water to the Holy City. These stones are silent witnesses to a thriving Jewish civilization that existed here long before the rise and fall of countless empires.
The stones remember.
The hills remember.
The land remembers.
As I continued walking, I looked toward Jerusalem and understood something else.
These hills are not merely beautiful.
They are guardians.
For thousands of years, the mountains of Judea protected Jerusalem. Anyone approaching the city from the south passed through this region. These ridges stood watch over the eternal capital of the Jewish people.
They still do.
Standing there, I felt a deep sense of gratitude.
Gratitude that I live here.
Gratitude that my children are growing up here.
Gratitude that after centuries of exile, persecution, expulsions, and wandering, the Jewish people have returned home.
Not as visitors.
Not as tourists.
As a free people in our ancestral homeland.
There is a tendency today to view Israel through the lens of conflict. Open a newspaper and you’ll find politics. Turn on the television and you’ll hear about war. Scroll social media and you’ll find endless arguments.
But Israel is so much more than that.
Israel is ancient roads winding through Judean hills.
Israel is children hiking where prophets once walked.
Israel is ancient mikvaot hidden among the rocks.
Israel is aqueducts that once sustained Jerusalem.
Israel is history that is still alive.
That is the Israel I want to share.
That is the Israel I want people to see.
If you are planning a trip to Israel, visit Jerusalem. Visit Tel Aviv. Visit the Kotel.
But also come to Derech Ha’Avot.
Walk these hills.
Touch these stones.
Stand beside these ancient aqueducts.
Look toward Jerusalem.
And for a moment, forget the politics and the noise.
Simply listen.
You may discover what I discovered.
This land is not merely a place.
It is a story.
It is our story.
And on Derech Ha’Avot, that story comes alive with every step.
For me, this wasn’t just a hike.
It was a reminder.
A reminder of why I came here.
A reminder of why I stay here.
And a reminder that despite all the challenges, there is no place on earth quite like the Land of Israel.
Jonah, you have taken a journey on Derech Ha'Avot for me (and millions of Jews around the globe. Without the actual experience, I can't feel how you feel, but you have stirred my soul.
Am Yisrael Chai.
Absolutely Beautiful!
I have wanted to go all my life.
I think it’s for young people.