There are many beggars in Israel. Beggars can be an annoyance but I try not to be judgmental because, (although I have certainly gone tough, financial times) never have I suffered the kind of poverty…

I love it in Israel. I can not believe how many places I have been to, places I have taught about and written about for years and other sites I would never have thought to…

The original manuscripts to the Bible have either been lost or destroyed in the passage of time. Before the writing materials of papyrus (made from the leaves of the Nile River) or parchment (made from…

So peaceful here in Jerusalem. One finds serenity just walking through the neighborhood. All buildings are made with indigenous stone nicknamed “Jerusalem Stone.”  This gives the place a look of antiquity, even when you are…

November, 2008 Today Hamas announced that the cease fire is over. This sounds a bit strange to me inasmuch as rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel almost every single day for the last…

I’ve seen so much of Israel these last few days, from the Golan Heights, to the River Jordan, to the Sea of Galilee, to the forests and mountains of Carmel, to the paradise waterfalls of…

Today, my guide drove me through the Valley of Elah, where David fought Goliath. Of course, we have all heard the story since we were kids. David was the youngest in his family. His older…

I have had numerous chances to visit Israel throughout my lifetime. For one reason or another, I changed plans at the last minute and never made the voyage, not because Israel was unattractive but because…

For the majority of my tour, I saw Jewish, rather than Christian sights. I was happy with this, because, (as previous diary entries have indicated) being connected to the land and to my Jewish roots…

One of the most awesome moments of my journey took place on top of the Mount of Olives, where I stood, looking down at Jerusalem. This happened early on the tour and almost every day…

On top of the Mount of Olives, our tour guide mentioned something I had heard before, that a great fault line runs from the Mount of Olives into the city of Jerusalem. I doubt that…

“We don’t want you here.” Those were his exact words: “We don’t want you here.” The cursing tongue was lashing out in the direction of my brother, Paul, but I was standing right next to…

The Third Temple Tour in Jerusalem is run by a small society of Israelis. They believe that since God allowed Israel to become a nation for the third time, a third temple will certainly follow…

My tour guide is driving me through the territory called Dan, named for the specific area given to one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This is where Samson defended his people from their coastal…

Today I was not with my brother. I was instead taking one of the more standard, pop tours in the old city of Jerusalem, led by a young, Israeli tour guide, trained to discuss Jewish,…

Time and again on my tour of Israel (including repeated visits to the old city of Jerusalem) I have asked people about Golgotha. That word means “the skull” and is supposed to be the site…

Radical Muslims are very passionate about land, especially when they consider the land to be theirs and especially when they consider the land to be holy. Often, their definition of “holy land” merely means that…

In John Chapter Four, Jesus speaks with a Samaritan woman who brings up the age old conflict between Jew and Samaritan regarding the proper place of worship. In those days, even under the Romans, Jews…

The second to the last day, we settled up with our tour guide Jacob. I had been under the impression that he was going to take a credit card but evidently there was a translation…