עברית
In honor of Family Day, we are happy to introduce you to the Galilean families who turned the family into a business and the business into a family — to bring you the most beautiful family stories of the Galilee.
Arabesque — Boutique Hotel & Artists’ Residence in the Heart of Old Akko
Arabesque — a boutique hotel and artist residence located in the heart of the old city of Akko in a spectacularly beautiful Ottoman building. The hotel is managed and belongs to a father and his son — Professor Evan Fallenberg and his son Micah. Professor Evan Fallenberg came to Akko for a visit, fell in love with the city, the people, the sea, and the history of the city, and together with his son Micah they purchased an abandoned building in the Old City and turned it into the magnificent Arabesque Boutique Hotel. Today, Arabesque hosts a diverse crowd of tourists from Israel and all over the world, alongside artists from various fields of art who come to the “Residency”, an artist residency program, that allows them to devote themselves to their art and develop it in the heart of ancient Akko, full of magic and inspiration.
TOP-IL: Rappelling, Climbing & Rope Park
The brothers Avinoam & Nimrod Israel, born in Ya’ara in the Western Galilee, founded TOP-IL out of a great love for rappelling and climbing and the desire to connect people to nature through adventurous sports activities. TOP-IL specializes in rappelling and climbing, producing fun days and team building for private and institutional groups, setting up rope parks that include training and operation, sports navigation, and more. The activities take place all over the country under the guidelines and the adaptation of the conditions of the place and the area.
Banahala — Restaurant & Garden for Events
The Banahala Restaurant belongs to brothers Ron and Ziv Fridman. It is located in the heart of a pecan plantation in the agricultural neighborhood of Rassco in Nahariya surrounded by a green garden and a comfortable atmosphere. It all started at the Fridman family’s old property, an agricultural farm from Nahariya’s early years, an old chicken coop that stood motionless in the heart of the plantation, covered with thick vegetation. Ron Fridman managed to convince his partner Edith to give up their life in the center of the country and come to breathe new life in the place where he grew up, his brother Ziv joined and the rest is history!
The Julia Winery — Family Winery in Mi’ilya
Julia Winery is a family winery that produces quality boutique wines from a selection of self-grown grapes and other Galilean vineyards. The establishment of the winery was initiated by George Araf, the father of the family, a wine lover and agronomist with decades of experience in the field. At the winery, you will feel the human and warm touch of the Araf family, and you will always be greeted with a smile, and cordial hospitality with a glass of wine in hand.
Learn More About the Julia Winery
Alto Diary — A Love Story of Three Generations
The Alto Dairy, Deli, Cafe & Bakery in Kibbutz Shomrat is a love story of three generations for the craft of cheese and creation, a family business of parents and four children who dreamt and made it come true together.
Ariel Mazan, the father of the family is the cheesemaker, Yonat Mazan, the mother of the family, is responsible for the bookkeeping and the wonderful cafe and deli with dairy delicacies and more! Yael is responsible for the baking and recently opened the bakery and Avital for the production and sales.
Each responsible for their field and talent, but a small look is enough to understand that love and joy are the bread and water of this family. Come and enjoy Alto’s delicacies, sit comfortably in the cafe or the green yard, and don’t forget to take home some of the fine cheeses and excellent, fresh pastries!
Noor Restaurant — A Business of Love
The Noor Restaurant in Julis is a business that reminds us that family is a driving force that sometimes makes even the impossible seem possible.
Basma Hino, the owner, manages the restaurant with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. Basma, an IDF war widow, with a very special and challenging life story, proves to herself, her son, and the surrounding community that even a Druze widow can raise a child alone, be independent, start a business, and manage it on her own. During the most recent war, Basma founded a project of Druze food dishes so that the soldiers on the front lines could enjoy her food — she got her restaurant certified as kosher, and every week cooked and delivered hundreds of dishes for soldiers throughout the country.
Brioche Catering וTamar & Gefen — Mix of Family & Love
Hagit and Raz Stern from Briosh Catering & Workshops found the love of their lives through Tami and Yaron Cohen from the Tamar and Gefen Hospitality Complex.
Hagit and Yaron are siblings. Tami and Raz are siblings. They found each other and fell in love!
Together with the loves of their lives, the two couples also decided to establish businesses in the Galilee. Tami and Yaron Cohen founded Tamar and Gefen in Mitzpe Hila. Hagit founded Cafe Briosh, later Briosh Catering, and Raz is always at her right hand, supporting and empowering the business.
Both couples cooperate and push each other to success!
And if your heart longs for a wonderful picnic basket with all the goodness of the Galilee and the talent of Hagit Stern — order a pampering picnic basket from Brioche Catering.
Learn More About Tamar & Gefen
Ofir Farm — Love Between Family & Land
Hadas and Zvika Ofir came to Alon HaGalil in 1984, two Moshav members who aspire to continue the family tradition of working the land.
The farm started with a small apiary that gradually developed and today it is a major branch of the farm alongside the vineyard and boutique wine cellar.
Hadas and Zvika had four children who together with them became the driving force of the farm.
Edva is the marketing and tourism manager of the farm and is responsible for the wonderful events held at the winery complex. Noam works in agriculture in the vineyards and with the bees. The younger Sparrow and Bud help where possible.
Even the grandchildren are already starting to choose their own way in managing the family farm!
Learn More About the Ofir Farm
Elmarsa Restaurant — Partnership of Two Brothers
Marwan and Hamudi Bargat were born and raised in Akko. Together they dreamed of the development and growth of the city. When the opportunity arose to rent a beautiful building in a winning location — they started their entrepreneurial journey in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Together they founded the Elmarsa Restaurant. The restaurant menu combines different cooking styles and plays with flavors and inspirations. The result is varied dishes and the elegance of the restaurant with European furniture and white tablecloths overlooking the city walls, the blue sea, and the fishing boats through the large windows. Elmarsa is a gem in the heart of the old city.
Adelina Chef Restaurant — Four Generations
Adelina Restaurant is a chef’s restaurant with Mediterranean cuisine and Spanish influences that was established nearly 20 years ago in Kibbutz Cabri.
Adelina Goldfeld, a member of the kibbutz who used to hold cooking workshops, met restaurateur Ilan Oppenheimer following the workshops. Together they realized that there is a lack of choice of restaurants in the Western Galilee, especially in chef restaurants. In a joint decision with the kibbutz and thanks to their great love for food and hospitality, the two decided to establish the Adelina restaurant.
Ilan Oppenheimer is the third generation to manage the legendary Penguin restaurant in Nahariya which recently closed after over 80 years of activity! The Adelina restaurant in Kibbutz Cabri is managed by his son, Amir Oppenheimer, the fourth generation of a family of restaurateurs, and great-grandson of Penguin restaurant founder Hugo Oppenheimer.
La Chocolita — Sweet Family Business
La Chocolita is a small, high-quality, and special family factory for the production of chocolate in Peki’in that belongs to the Mohanna family.
This chocolate kingdom includes the mother, Madeline, who started the tradition of making homemade chocolate even before it was called a chocolatier… and the father, Karim Mohanna, a musician who has been teaching music for over 50 years, and is amazing at playing several musical instruments.
The son, Ward Mohanna, whose formal education is a software engineer with a master’s degree in business administration, combines the qualities of his parents, and even adds his own… Ward is both a musician and a chocolatier who studied in Belgium with the leading chocolatiers in the field, and when he returned to Israel he opened “La Chocolita” and developed the place, created a menu of gourmet products, and turned it into the magical place it is today in the blooming and colorful family garden.
Don’t miss the authentic music performance of the father of the family, which is integrated into the tours and workshops held there, which is truly an experience in itself.
Kashash Sweets — Four Generations of Sweets
More than a century ago, Heir Kashash loaded a cart with traditional peanut and sesame sweets, which he sold throughout Akko.
Later, he opened a real shop in the old city and added to it the knafe and baklava he made by himself.
Today, three generations later, at Kashash Sweets, every morning they start producing 22 types of traditional Akko sweets — baklava in many flavors, knafe and so much more!
There you can purchase some of the well-known sweets of the Kashash family, or arrange in advance to see how the sweets are prepared and hear about the history of the shop.
You will arrive to a warm welcome and the sweetest smiles!
Chateau du Roi is a historic building connected to a 12th-century Crusader fortress. Its renovation, and the establishment of the Italian restaurant, the bar, and the amazing guest rooms, is the realization of the dream of the Assaf family, and the late Labib Assaf. Salma Assaf, a resident of the village of Mi’ilya, an avid antiquities enthusiast, and a graduate of the history department, started this life’s work together about two decades ago with her husband, the late Labib Assaf, and their family members, and today they all manage the family crusader business together.
Learn More About Chateau du Roi
Aya Natural, a company that creates and develops natural cosmetic products based on olive oil, was founded about 20 years ago by Jamal Hamoud, a resident of the village of Beit Jan. Jamal, formerly head of a branch in the medical corps, saw up close the damage that chemicals could cause and decided to go for natural substances. The Aya Natural factory produces lotions and cosmetic products from plants and olive oil. It has an eco-friendly note, the workers in the factory are exclusively local. In recent years, the eldest son, Rani, also joined the business, and as always, when the members of the younger generation enter the picture, a new spirit is blowing in the area, and now they are working vigorously on expanding the target audience and the product line, and are getting more into the development of therapeutic products for customers (for example, ointments to treat burns and more).
The products are vegan and based on olive oil and materials from the earth, without animal ingredients, alcohol, and synthetic fragrance. And as the father of the family says: “what you don’t eat should not be applied to the skin”
