Flying High in South Eastern Gush Etzion

Voices TV - High Flying at the Kite Festival

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We had the most amazing time in South Eastern Gush Etzion on Thursday. First we went to the annual kite festival in Pnei Kedem. It's INCREDIBLE how hard parents tried in order to fly their kids' kites. Well, the kids were involved too. They cheered or cried.

The main idea of the day was to get those kites in the air and create hundreds of smiles. And that's just what happened.

Our family had four kites - each a different size and cost (we were experimenting). And you know what?? In the end, when the wind rose at 3 PM, all our kites were in the air. Thanks to the ingenuity of my "fab" nephew Arye, my granddaughter Shir Tehilla's kite was just about the highest flyer of the festival. He had tied three lengths of string, plust ANYTHING else he could find to the line to make it longer. He earned his medal as VIP of the day.

Besides the kite flying, there were loads of other kids' activities, plus vendors and food and meeting friends and plain fun.

After we succeeded in flying our kites in Pnei Kedem, we headed next door to Meitzad (the southernmost town of Eastern Gush Etzion) for our Annual Family Barbecue. Meitzad is a quaint little town with a petting zoo, two parks, creative gardening and the nicest people ever. It really should be the solution for the Chareidi housing shortage. Send those young couples who can't find homes in the traditional Chareidi cities out into the country.

Meitzad overlooks the Dead Sea, and has such delicious air, it should be a summer vacation paradise (if they had summer bungalows there).

The parents ate tangy barbecued chicken and meat as the kids played in the park.

It was fun to be together with the family, but the thing that REALLY made the day perfect was the appearance of Meitzad's pet donkey. The kids had donkey rides and were flying (even without kites).

They took a few turns around Meitzad's little cement paths and then back again. My niece Farrah clapped for the kids, and admitted, "You can't make a day like this in Far Rockaway for any money." Totally.