EL AL | Atmosphere

See the Sights I Eat, Travel, Enjoy

Where to eat The Levant Restaurant & Café The Levant is a restaurant and café in the heart of the Druze village of Buq’ata. It is a popular culinary stop in the northern Golan Heights, with a menu that harmoniously combines traditional Oriental-Druze flavors with Italian and Asian influences served in a warm and well designed space. The rich and varied list of offerings includes meat dishes, tabun-baked fish dishes, mushroom ravioli, and classic Druze dishes.

Guide & Go Tours - Jeep tours I Photo: Nava Marton

Photo: Mariano Maimudes

The Vered Visitors’ Center, Buq’ata I Photo: Mariano Maimudes

Guide & Go Tours Unforgettable jeep tours

execution of Israeli spy Eli Cohen, whose life story is intertwined with various sites here in the region, Galili took us to a monument erected in his memory, as well as to the remains of the Syrian outpost. Galili leads tours in Hebrew, English, and French, and it is important for him to emphasize that his approach is one of deep respect for the land and its people. guideandgotours.com, @guide_andgo Buq’ata The Vered Visitors’ Center The Vered visitors’ center, located inside the home of the Farhat family in the Druze village of Buq’ata symbolizes the essence of the Israeli-Druze connection. The idea behind the center began with the organization of Jewish and Druze

youth meetings called “Brit Chaim”, which took place in a center that was in the local school. When the center had to close, the Farhat family decided to convert their old home so that the meetings could go on. The Vered Center is run by Talea Farhat (a social activist who also advocates for Israel around the world) and his daughter Maya. The two host group meetings that aim to “build bridges between peoples via a cultural, musical, and culinary dialogue”, as Maya puts it. The visit to the center begins with a short video that tells the story of the place and its residents and continues with an introduction to Druze culture including dressing in traditional costumes and tasting Druze coffee and pastries. @vered.visitors.center ˆ

Ravid Galili is the owner of Guide & Go Tours, a jeep tour company leading tours across Israel and around the world. Galili lives in Merom Golan and says of himself that he was born to be a tour guide. With over 30 years’ experience and extensive knowledge of the northern Golan region, he can tailor a tour according to a participant’s specific interests – history, heritage, nature, and animals. Our 90-minute tour passed through beautiful forest paths, the Naftali Mountains, and the Hula Valley, with Galili feeding us information about the region, particularly the complicated relations between Israel and Syria, the borders, and the region’s unique topography with its 60 lava domes. To mark the 60 th anniversary of the

18 ATMOSPHERE NOVEMBER 2025