Welsh Walkers in Wadi Ara
By Lydia Aisenberg
May 7, 2008
After living in Israel for over 30 years, British born radiographer Angela Ben-Gur returned to her native South Wales. Settling in Newport near the Welsh capital Cardiff, the hospital radiographer and avid hiker soon joined a local group of outdoor loving folks who are known as the NOG’s - short for the Newport Outdoor Group. Walking in the hills and dales of Wales and other British beauty spots, the NOG’s also spent a walking holiday together a few years back in Albania.
This year they decided to take their walking feet abroad again, to Jordan and Israel, with Angela leading the pack for the two-week visit to the neighboring countries.
Following hikes through the Negev in Israel and visits to Petra and other places in Jordan, the Welsh walkers returned to Israel through the Sheik Huseini border crossing in the Jordan Valley. A visit to Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek and a Wadi Ara tour were also on the itinerary, since Angela and the writer (also originally from Wales) have been close friends for well over 40 years.
“This was a great opportunity for the group to see for themselves the security fence and get to know something about the Jewish and Arab communities that live in such close proximity to each other, and either side of the fence, as we have seen in Wadi Ara and the Dotan Valley area of the West Bank,” said Angela following a few hours out and about in the region.
Although she lived in Jerusalem for over three decades and is planning to return to live in the capital in the not too distant future, Angela found that the Givat Haviva International Department tour helped her greatly to understand the post-Oslo division of the West Bank in to Areas A, B and C as well as physically seeing the course of the fence in the area.
“Trying to explain to people in Britain what the situation really is here is extremely difficult but I am sure now this tour will help me be able to explain a little more clearly certain points that were confusing even to me before,” commented Angela.
The group has been walking weekends for a number of years. Although share the common love of legging it everywhere in the great outdoors, profession-wise they are very diverse indeed.
Ken Whatley deals with food health and safety plus trading law management, while Deanna Hoskins is a solicitor. Andy Mitchell is a mechanic and Bob Hall teaches IT to blind folks. Speech therapy is the profession of Stella Goodfried, and Maggie Renshaw a retired nurse – always good to have around when one is traveling far away from home! Brian Turner, a chartered surveyor, Marshall Coleman a retiree and now a full time ceramics student and Jeremy, a sheet metal worker, made up the group.
Walking around the village of Barta’a, the local children quickly took to the visitors from Wales and came out in force to be photographed and then take a peek at their pictures. They might be speaking different languages but quickly the common language between the children and the Welsh walkers was one of smiles and laughter. But that did not distract from the harsh realities of the village divided by the Green Line in 1949.
“I am going to have to sit down and do some studying when I get home,” commented one of the walkers as another successful Green Line seminar tour drew to a close.