Touring the Golan

Last week I treated my clients to a memorable culinary, cultural, historical and emotional experience. Winding through the narrow twisting streets of the Druze village of Majd el Shams in the Golan Heights, we arrived at the home of Fausia. She greeted us with a warm smile and brought us inside. Her home was filled with the delicious aromas of traditional delicacies. She invited us to sit down, and treated my eager clients to a sumptuous lunch of such delights as kebabs, homemade hummus and rice cooked with dried fruits, nuts and spices. After lunch we relaxed in her living room enjoying cups of cardamom scented coffee and homemade sweets while marveling at the views of the Hermon. She spoke of her family, her son who lives around the corner, another son in America, her family in Syria whom she hasn’t been able to see for years. She provided us with a brief glimpse of the people behind the headlines and, for a short while, made us feel like family.