Blogs from North District, Israel, Middle East - page 6

Not yet 24 hours into my trip to Israel, I am reminded how much I love being with my family here. Sitting around the dining table, we taste local Kibbutz-made wine over dinner and dine on sumptuous vegetables, cheeses and instant coffee for breakfast. We discuss topics ranging from American politics, our shared family history, the tension between religious and secular Jews in Israel, the history of Jews from Cochin India, and the consequences of modern society’s reliance on social media as a primary mode of communication. I am with two brothers, my cousins who made Aliya in the 1960s from the Bronx. Both brothers share their thoughts about this year’s US election cycle, about Israelis’ beliefs (or cynicism) about future prospects for peace in the Middle East, among other subjects. The setting; my cousin Ami ... read more

Being at the Sea of Galilee is just an incredible experience. It is also known at the Sea of Tiberius and Kinneret Lake. It is fed by the Jordan River to the north which travels clear to the Dead Sea. Jesus performed about 70% of his miracles around the Sea of Galilee. We started our day at the Yigal Alon Museum also known as the Jesus Boat or Galilee Boat Museum. That is because in 1986 two brothers who were fishermen were walking along the shore of the Galilee and found ancient nails during a drought year when the water was low. They were excited and started digging with their hands and realized they had discovered an ancient fishing boat. They put together a team of archeologists and preservationists and together moved the boat and it ... read more

We’ve seen a plethora of stones along this journey; these ancient stones have graciously shared many tales as we have trampled among them troubling their tranquility. They have shared stories of fierce battles in places like Megiddo and Gamla; they have shouted above the hustle and bustle of the Greeco-Roman marketplaces throughout Asia Minor, Greece and Israel; they have whispered stories of the gods who have graced the sacred temples, synagogues, churches and mosques; they have told tales of the dwellings of the diverse peoples such as the Canaanites, Israelites, Philistines, and Persians; they have displayed where various goods were produced in oil presses, flour mills, wineries. And, today in Bethsaida the stones echoed the playful voices of Philipp, Andrew and Peter as they played among cobblestone streets of their childhood home. Their voices reverberated off ... read more

Today, we visited Magdala and Gamla. Magdala is on the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee and is best known as the home of Mary Magdalene. A recently erected church now stands on this seaside town and contains beautiful mosaics depicting Gospels scenes set in and around the Galilee. Ongoing excavations, begun in 2009, are revealing more about this site each year. Gamla is one of the most naturally beautiful sites that we have visited here in Israel. This mountainside town is built on the southern slope of a mountain, which has been carved out over millions of years by the two rivers below. The Sea of Galilee is situated to the west and the Golan Heights rise all around it; truly a magnificent ancient settlement. I'll let the pictures and captions speak for themselves...feel ... read more

magdala is a ruin on the sea of Galilee only found 1 year ago it is considered the place where mary magdalene came from this ruin was in good condition because they left before the romans came and obviosly intended to come back but never did because they found money hidden in the walls which enabled them to date the site accurately after this we went for a boat trip on the sea of galilee on replica boat of Jesus time they raised an australian flag and played our national anthem on the boat we met some german tourists who told us that the Palestinians are badly treated here as 2nd class citizens in their own country but this is not our experience the ones we met and there are many especially in jerusalem when we ... read more