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صفحة: 83
The Hula and Jezreel Valleys The Hula Valley was once a swampland centered around a lake . Halutzim arrived in the Galilee—or . Hagalil in Hebrew––in the late 1800 s . These early pioneers settled in the villages that had been estab- lished by Baron Edmond de Rothschild , a wealthy and generous Jew from France . The lives of the pioneers were difficult . Many died of malaria carried by the mosquitoes swarming in the marshes . By 1951 , the lake and the surrounding swamp were largely drained . A number of farms , fish ponds , and villages have since been established in the Hula Valley . The Jezreel Valley––which often is called , simply , Ha’emek , or the Valley––is the largest valley in Israel and one of the country’s most fertile areas . Like the Hula Valley , the Jezreel Valley had many malarial swamps , but today it is a lush farm region . The commercial center of the Jezreel Valley is the city of Afula . Draining the swamps of the Hula Valley benefited people , but it caused trouble for the millions of birds that fly between Europe , Asia , and Africa each year . They no longer had a place to land . Israel responded by creating the Hula Nature Reserve , where flocks can land safely and feed on the local fish and insects . You can tour the Galilee by hiking , cycling , or riding horseback , or by Jeep . For a wet and wild adventure , take a kayak or raft down the Jordan River . Jews around the world donate money to the Jewish National Fund to plant trees in Israel , in memory of loved ones who have died and in honor of those who are celebrating an important event , such as the birth of a baby . This boy is planting a tree in the Jezreel Valley , one of Israel’s largest tree-planting centers .
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