Blogs from Haifa District, Israel, Middle East - page 5

Yesterday we left Tel Aviv and headed for Caesarea by the sea. We are riding in the red bus & our guide is Rueben. Our first stop was at the Theater at Caesarea, Herod’s Palace and Herod’s Arena (or hippodrome.) We then headed to Sepphoris to see the ruins of a Roman house from the 1st century A.D. that contained some beautiful mosaics that had been restored. We continued our bus trip to look at the “Jesus boat”, a 2000 year old fishing boat that was found in the 1980’s and has been meticulously restored and preserved. More tomorrow!... read more

Most people outside Israel are not aware of the fact that 25% of Israel’s population, are not from a Jewish background, and among them are Christians, Muslims, and Druze. Many people outside of this region are not aware of the diversity of streams within these faiths. One of the most wonderful joys of life in Israel is that each of the major religions is represented by a myriad of religious streams. The differences aren’t just theological, but are social, political, financial, and educational. For example, there are four Arab political parties in the governing body of Israel – The Knesset. There are numerous Jewish political parties with a wide divergence of philosophy and goals. url=http://www.themuslimtimes.org/2012/12/countries/israel/haifa-israel-is-the-city-of-peaceful-coexistence/attachment/mehmood-mosque-in-haifaimg=http://www.themuslimtimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Mehm... read more

I am sitting at my favorite dining place in Haifa, The Ego Food and Coffee eating Maafe Cinnamon or a Danish and drinking my beloved Absolute brand of Vodka. The cafe is located in the world famous Dan Panorama mall. It is an upscale shopping center next to the elegant hotel by the same name. ... Needless to say, I am searching for story ideas to put in my next post. My favorite servers, Danit, Shoshana, and Sher suggest that I write about the challenges facing Israeli youth. img=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a7fa0PlS47k/UbtjrEsMmEI/AAAAAAAAAF8/kk-jUGEbTeI/s320... read more

AKKO AND DRIVE TO JERUSALEM - DAY5 NOTE: I CAN'T UPLOAD PHOTOS - TRYING TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE - I'LL PUBLISH THE PHOTOS LATER WHEN I GET THE PROBLEM WORKED OUT. SORRY! I awoke this morning and saw a cruise ship come into port. I found out two were coming to Haifa today and 50 bus loads of visitors were going to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee today. I’m glad we went yesterday! The ride to Akko was short and easy but the traffic coming into Haifa was seriously backed up at the start of the work day. Akko is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world dating back to the era of the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose. Our first stop was a visit to the Jezzar Pasha Mosque. An excellent example of ... read more

SEA OF GALILEE AND NAZARETH, ISRAEL - DAY 4 The Sea of Galilee is a must-see destination during an Israel travel experience. The Sea is 210 meters (about 684 feet) below sea level and the Golan Hieghts are on the east bank. At the Yigal Alon Museum an amazing treasure that rocked the worlds of archaeology, history and faith is displayed; the remains of an extraordinary 2,000 year old fishing boat that dates back to the time and place of Jesus was discovered along the Sea of Galilee in 1986. Our guide yesterday, Zivit, was with us again and she is very, very good. The experience was amazing; I saw where the Sermon on the Mount was made, where the miracle of feeding the 5,000 happened, where Jesus turned water into wine at Cana, where he ... read more