Slowly returning to normal means venturing off the Jerusalem streets.
People are beginning to get around again, and we joined a group tour going to the Galilee.
![](http://rjstreets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Lavi-010-3-1024x569.jpg)
Leaving Jerusalem we saw the scorched remains from the summer forest fires,
![](http://rjstreets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Lavi-011-2-1024x556.jpg)
which were way too close to the new construction in Mevaseret.
![](http://rjstreets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Lavi-024-2-1024x586.jpg)
Going past Mount Tabor to Kfar Kama, to the home of the Circassian community, Adyghe Израилым ис Адыгэхэр; and in Hebrew, הצ’רקסים, descended from two groups who were settled in Galilee in the 1870s during the Ottoman Empire.
![](http://rjstreets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Lavi-026-2-1024x656.jpg)
Circassia: country, the historical region was along the northeast shore of the Black Sea, was destroyed and devastated after the Russian-Circassian War which lasted 100 years from 1763–1864.
90% of the Circassian people were either massacred or exiled, today there are 2- 3 million in Turkey and the Middle East, and half a million in Jordan.
![](http://rjstreets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Lavi-027-2-1024x652.jpg)
In Israel, the 4,000-5,000 Circassians live mostly in Kfar Kama.
![](http://rjstreets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Lavi-035-2-1024x735.jpg)
The Circassian Heritage Center is not always open to the public. We had driven through the narrow village streets once before, but then the center was closed.
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Even the shutter blue windows and doors tell part of the story. This blue color is used throughout the village for good luck.
![This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Lavi-042-2-1024x704.jpg](http://rjstreets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Lavi-042-2-1024x704.jpg)
Our guide gave a historical background to his people and history.
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In Kfar Kama, some of the old stone structures and arches are preserved.
![This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Lavi-074-2-943x1024.jpg](http://rjstreets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Lavi-074-2-943x1024.jpg)
The mosque and minaret rise above the Muslim community.
![This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Lavi-080-1024x768.jpg](http://rjstreets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Lavi-080-1024x768.jpg)
Contrasts of old and new are found along the meticulously clean streets.
![This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Lavi-083-2-1024x591.jpg](http://rjstreets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Lavi-083-2-1024x591.jpg)
The signs are in 3 languages: Hebrew, Arabic, and Adyghe, written in Cyrillic script.
![This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Lavi-085-2-1024x728.jpg](http://rjstreets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Lavi-085-2-1024x728.jpg)
In the museum, there are artifacts from the past,
![This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Lavi-086-2-1024x673.jpg](http://rjstreets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Lavi-086-2-1024x673.jpg)
examples of traditional costumes,
![This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Lavi-087-2-1024x711.jpg](http://rjstreets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Lavi-087-2-1024x711.jpg)
and items from early settlement, including a Singer sewing machine.
A visit to Kfar Kama Heritage Center needs a video of their distinctive dancers.
The male dancer in the black hat was at Beit Hanasi almost 10 years ago with President Shimon Peres for a Sukkot Open House Performance.
Too bad I couldn’t find those photos now. Does anyone else remember their performance?
![](http://rjstreets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Lavi-092-2-1024x766.jpg)
This seemed a good time to share a bit and a look at the blending of old and new, little-known cultures and religions in the land of Israel.
More from the many things happening on Jerusalem streets next time.