The ancient cities of Maresha and Bet Guvrin(Govrin) in the Judean plain,served travelers going between Jerusalem and

Hebron and the coastal plain. Maresha is mentioned in the Bible in the time of Judah and subsequently fell into the

hands of each new ruler. Excavations have produced remains from the Persian,

Hellenist, Roman, Crusader and Arab empires.

The Caves of Bet Govrin are located at the site of the ancient town of Bet Govrin. Rambo III with Sylvester Stallone was

filmed here.

My mom on her way to the concertMy mom on her way to the concert

Beit Govrin National Park

The area consists of limestone hills ,a soft stone comparatively,

which enables easy quarrying. Due to the softness of the rock,

many caves were carved in the surrounding hills in the course of the years.

Today the caves are called Bell Caves because of their characteristic shape.

The purpose of the caves was to provide soft limestone,

which was used for construction, so actually they were quarries.

Later the bell-shaped hollow space of the caves was used for water reservoirs, store rooms,olive presses, burials and pigeon breeding.

The Bell Cave at Beit Guvrin Its walls are made of beige colored

limestone, it is large (over 60 feet high), airy and is easily accessible.

It is a very unique place to hold a concert.

The acoustics is good, and very special,

and the dropping of the light through the round openings and

against the solemn cave walls adds shadow and perspective.It is not visible in the photos, but take my word,

the shadows “were dancing”during all the concert.

In the program :Bach – Concert for 2 violins & orchestra

Bach- Ave MariaSchubert – Ave Maria

Villa-Lobos – Bachianas brasileirasGerardo R. Sotelo – La Cumparsita

Popular jazzBelinni – Aria from “ Norma”

Puccini – Aria from “ Gianni Schicchi “Music from Broadway

Anderson – Fiddle-FaddleRossini – Tarantella Napolitana

The Jerusalem Festival Orchestra

Maria Yoffe - soprano

www.gemsinisrael.com www.parks.org.il

www.showcaves.com

Oct-08