Intensive Arabic Semester

Baqa-Al-Gharbiyye
If you take a left out of the kibbutz entrance and keep on heading straight for about eight minutes, you’ll hit Baqa-Al-Gharbiyye. Baqa (a combination of two villages, Baqa Al Gharbiyye and Baqa Jatt) is the fourth biggest Arab city in Israel. Baqa is known for its incredible sweets and its wedding dress shops. Arabs come from all over Israel to buy their wedding dresses from Baqa. The separation fence between Israel and the West Bank sits between Baqa Al-Gharbiyye (literally West-Baqa) and Baqa Al-Sharqiyye (East Baqa). The two sides were separated when Jordan occupied the West Bank in 1948. After the 1967 Arab-Israeli war the border was opened up and the villagers from each side (some from the same families) were able to see each other again (although West Baqa has always been a part of Israel and East Baqa was Jordan and is now the West Bank territory). However, after the second Intifada and the separation fence went up, a physical barrier separated the two sides once again. Baqa has a lot of coffee shops (or Nargilah cafes) that you can go to (although girls should always ask permission before entering and won’t always be allowed in) and is a great place to eat on Shabbat when all of the Jewish restaurants are closed.

Kfar Kara
Kfar Kara literally means “Pumpkin Village.” If you take a right out of the kibbutz entrance and then take a right at the Karkur Junction, Kfar Kara will be the first city on your left. It is best known for having an extremely disproportionate number of doctors, lawyers, scientists, engineers, and educated professionals in general. In Kfar Kara you’ll find an incredible Research Center as well as Jesar ala Wadi/Gesher ala Wadi (Bridge over the Wadi), which is a joint Jewish-Arab school (only one of five in all of Israel). Outside the entrance to Kfar Kara is a bus stop where many of the buses from all over Israel stop in Wadi Ara. If you are looking to get to or from Tel Aviv or Jerusalem or other places in Israel, there are many buses that stop in front of Kfar Kara. In the entrance to Kfar Kara, on the right, is a fantastic vegetable and fruit market, although you’ll find that many of the Arab villages have fantastic vegetable/fruit markets.

Ara/Ar’ara
Ara and Ar’ara are the next villages after Kfar Kara and are across the street from one another. Ar’ara is the older village, and Ara was an extension built later across Highway 65. For many years they were considered to be separate villages even though all of the families are intermarried and live interspersed between the two “villages” across the road from each other. Finally, the two villages were merged (politically) into one village and are now run as a single entity.

Umm El Fahm
Umm El Fahm is the second biggest Arab city in Israel and the biggest Arab Muslim city in Israel (Nazareth is the largest Arab city, but has a large Christian population). Umm El Fahm is considered a city (not a village) because of its large population (somewhere between 50,000-60,000 people). You’ll find that many Jewish Israelis are afraid of entering Umm El Fahm. Umm El Fahm is home to many Arab millionaires and has an incredibly diverse and booming economy within its walls. Umm El Fahm is located after Ara and Ar’ara on road 65 and is on the way from the kibbutz to Nazareth. 

There are many other small villages in the area. You will get to know them throughout the program.