Judean Hills hotel combines Finnish heritage with Israeli slow food

The Logos Hotel at Yad Hashmona in the Judean Hills offers a unique blend of Finnish heritage and Israeli slow food, providing a restorative experience 20 minutes from Jerusalem. Founded by Finnish Christians in the late 1960s, the community of Yad Hashmona was built as a memorial to eight Austrian Jewish refugees handed over to the Gestapo during WWII, with its architecture reflecting Scandinavian design. The hotel features 57 guest rooms, including 41 original log cabins and a modern 16-room wing, alongside a historical complex with reconstructed biblical artifacts like an authentic Galilean synagogue layout and an olive oil press.

“We brought everything on ships from Finland in containers,”

recalls village hotel manager Tsuriel Bar-David, describing the assembly of the original structures. The culinary experience, spearheaded by Chef Nadav Malin of Luiza, embraces the Slow Food movement's principles of good, clean, and fair food, often featuring farm-to-table gatherings like the recent “Meshak Shuk” event that highlighted Negev Desert wines.