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(Rhoda) The Dead Sea is an incredible place.
And this time, we begin our journey
at the Einot Tzukim Nature Reserve.
This is the lowest oasis in the world.
This area used to be under water,
part of the Dead Sea.
But in recent years,
the Dead Sea had been receding,
and the freshwater rivers filled this area with life.
Here is the Dead Sea.
It's supposed to be that everything is dead.
Just salt.
And yet, you've got pools of water
with freshwater fish.
Imagine it's July, and yet, there is still water.
It's like that all year long.
Amazing.
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(Sergio) All right.
So, we arrived to Einot Tzukim.
Let's go find those pools.
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(Rhoda) There is fish. There's a school of fish here.
Oh, wow. They're pretty.
I wonder what kind of fish those are.
So, this is the Dead Sea right here, right now.
Now, this is where
was the line of the beach of the sea in 1985.
So, it was much closer. It was here.
And this was the line, here, in 1969.
It came up to here.
Look how much it decreased and receded.
I know. It's like 105 outside.
Let's see how cold this water is.
Oh. Wow.
So now, I believe we are at these two pools,
and then, there are a couple more here.
(Sergio) Oh, that is incredible.
It is just perfect.
But the director told us that he's gonna take us
to the place that is not open now for the public.
They open it in the wintertime because it's easier for the weather.
But we're gonna see the reserve.
This is like an oasis in the desert,
and he's gonna give us a sneak peak of that.
And what a blessing that is.
(Sergio) This is one of the rare feelings,
being in 110 degree Fahrenheit weather
and then jumping into a low 80s pool of water,
fresh from the mountains.
It feels really nice.
You've got to come and experience this to understand.
Or, if you live in Texas,
just fill up your bath with water and jump in.
I suppose it's about the same.
Nah. Not the same.
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(Eldad Hazan) Actually, this is one of the places
that you can really--
The springs are right here.
(Sergio) Wow. Oasis in the middle of a desert.
(Eldad Hazan) This is actually the biggest oasis in Israel.
(Sergio) Wow. This is incredible.
Look at the color of that.
- It's clear.
(Eldad Hazan) But this is only for nature.
In this sea, you don't get in the water, okay?
- Yeah.
Incredible.
(Eldad Hazan) I think that here, in this nature reserve,
you can really understand and be connected
to the environmental problem
surrounding the Dead Sea area.
(Rhoda) Beside the continually growing sinkholes,
this nature reserve has a much bigger problem.
Fire.
Due to the very high heat, high winds, and dry air,
this place is taken by a sweeping fire
almost every decade.
In 1993, a fire claimed 500 acres of trees.
In 2008,
another fire that also destroyed 500 acres of land.
And in 2018, after our visit,
a giant fire consumed 120 acres of land.
But this time, it is believed to be an act of arson.
The good news is that this nature reserve
has a tendency to recover very fast,
so we hope to see it reopen in time for your next visit.
(Eldad Hazan) The amount of water
that comes from the Jordan River,
before people started taking it,
was huge, unbelievably huge.
With that water, every kind of animal--
when they reach a place like this,
they might survive, okay?
They will not survive in the Dead Sea,
but here, they might survive.
And this is the most probable scenario
for how the fish got here.
(Sergio) So, where we're walking right now,
was this ever covered by the Dead Sea?
- (Eldad Hazan) Yes. - (Rhoda) Wow.
It's unbelievable to see such a variety of life
in a valley so dead.
We've seen here all kinds of fish, animals, vegetation,
and what seemed to us the biggest palm tree in Israel.
Walking here,
we could not help but think about Psalm 107:35.
"He turns a desert into a pool of water,
dry land into springs of water."
(Sergio) If you're coming to do a picnic at the Dead Sea,
this is the perfect place.
Fresh water, shaded area.
Wow. Oasis.
(Rhoda) So, if your life is taking you through a desert,
make sure to stop and look for the abundant springs of water.
Oh, wow. That was incredible.
(Rhoda) This place is easy to miss.
But if you seek, you will find.
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