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18 ATMOSPHERE NOVEMBER 2026 See the Sights I Eat, Travel, Enjoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, the Hamiffal arts center fosters creative encounters between artists and the local community and operates an art gallery showcasing several exhibitions year-round. In addition, it hosts arts & crafts workshops (including sewing and carpentry), and the building itself is a fascinating piece of architecture featuring arches, frescoes, and a beautiful courtyard that’s worth a visit in itself. Visitors are welcome to join the Hamiffal community’s rich program of activities, tour the shared workspaces, purchase unique items at the shop, and spend time at the Hamiffal café, which offers a selection of excellent sandwiches and snacks, beer, wine, and of course, great coffee. hamiffal.com 09 | The Bethlehem Food Forest Orchards, a farmers’ market, and a café The Food Forest is a unique community hub where nature, agriculture, and gastronomy come together in the most beautiful and surprising way. It’s a place where you can find rare fruit trees, including trees bearing chocolate-flavored and peanut-butter-flavored fruit, and learn about agro-tech, permaculture, and biodiversity. There are guided tours of the orchards, on which visitors learn all about the rare fruit varieties growing here, and the site has also recently opened its own café called “Ya’ar Café” (Forest Café) - with a menu that changes according to the morning’s harvest, ensuring a true “tree-to-plate” experience - as well as a community farmers’ market. The site also hosts courses, workshops, and fun activities. bethlehemfoodforest.com 10 | Yeruham and Reches Boker Sternbergias in bloom Sternbergia flowers are now in bloom, painting the Negev Mountains bright yellow and bestowing such a special atmosphere on the landscape. Blooming season lasts Sternbergia in the Negev I Photo: Dov Grinblat, SPNI Hamiffal I Photo: Yuval Orbach

until mid-December and offers the ideal occasion to head over and admire the gorgeous flowers all across the region, along Nahal Revivim and the road to Mitzpe Ramon (as well as various sites in the north and the Galilee). Two locations with particularly dense concentrations of these flowers are the Chalmaniot (sternbergia in Hebrew) Reserve in Yeruham, and the area around the Yeruham Lake Dam, a great spot for enjoying a hike and a picnic, and on November 14th, from 10am to 12pm, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (teva.org.il) will be leading a guided tour of the reserve. Another great spot with gorgeous sternbergia blooms is Reches Boker. It takes some effort to reach it, but oh how rewarding, once you get there: indeed, sternbergia flowers cover this rocky plateau to the very edge of sight. Access: from Highway 40, go 10 km . . . . south after Tlalim Junction. kkl.org.il; negevtour.co.il ˆ The Pool of Arches I Photo: Ron Peled . . . . The Bethlehem Food Forest I Photo: Daniel Bibas