I chose to take my first trip to Israel in the winter. To my uninformed mind, the choice made perfect sense. Israel, I believed, was a desert country, a barren strip of sandy expanses and rocky outcrops, interspersed by the Sea of Galilee, Jordan River and other water bodies made famous by Scripture. Summers would
Continue Reading »Spring is my favorite time of year. In the space of just a few weeks we can go from a barren wintry landscape to vibrant life. The hills of Israel are carpeted with a wide variety of wild flowers, birds are singing and the trees sprout with fresh new green leaves. It is also in
Continue Reading »We are traveling 20 miles south of Jerusalem to the city of Hebron along Route 60, a modern freeway that follows the ancient Path of the Patriarchs. The beautiful terraced hills of Judea are covered with abundant vineyards and olive groves—a reminder of the legendary grape cluster carried back to Joshua on the shoulders of
Continue Reading »The weighty mantle of mystique rests heavily on Israel’s main river, the Jordan. In fact, everything about the Jordan River is on a legendary scale—except its actual size. Even at its deepest and widest, it’s surprisingly small (averaging 2m [6.5 ft] deep and 10m [32.8 ft] wide), considering its historical, economic and spiritual import to
Continue Reading »Panorama of Old City Todd Bolen/bibleplaces.com From an alcove nestled into one of Jerusalem’s gateways, passersby hear the strains of a violin echo off the ancient stones. At another gate, a marketplace hums with merchants peddling their wares; and at yet another, an exuberant bar mitzvah procession winds its way toward the Western Wall. These
Continue Reading »From the day it was reborn, Israel’s leaders have asserted a biblical basis for the nation’s existence as the world’s one and only Jewish state. One day later and ever since, Israel’s enemies and detractors have waged war against that biblical foundation. Israel’s Declaration of Independence asserted the nation’s origin and rebirth as defined by
Continue Reading »If stones could speak, what stories the walls of Jerusalem would tell. They do, after all, play a starring role in many a key biblical and historic event—from humble beginnings, to witnessing the height of a dynasty under Kings David and Solomon. Then came their destruction in the Babylonian rampage, followed by their partial restoration
Continue Reading »Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “We are in a battle for Jerusalem, our eternal capital.” —posted on his Twitter account “I often hear [Palestinians] accuse Israel of Judaizing Jerusalem. That’s like accusing America of Americanizing Washington, or the British of Anglicizing London. You know why we’re called ‘Jews’? Because we come from Judea.” —addressing the United
Continue Reading »I am one of Jerusalem’s approximately 800,000 inhabitants, which include Jews, Arabs, Christians and internationals from around the world. My husband and I live in an apartment in the center of Jerusalem, adjacent to Bridges for Peace headquarters. We are right in the center of the action in both a positive and negative way. Frequently,
Continue Reading »Godot13/Andrew Shiva/wikipedia.org Originally settled as long as six thousand years ago, Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world. Does its history matter? It matters to Israel. Because of that history, Prime Minister Netanyahu calls Jerusalem, “our eternal capital.” Is he right? Jerusalem’s history matters to Israel’s enemies. According to Mahmoud Abbas, President
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