My Tour of Israel - Looking Back Twelve Years Later

In 1997, I was privileged to spend 17 days in Israel on tour with a Bible Study Group of which I was a member. On June 5th in that year, after a 12-hour flight we landed in Tel Aviv and began an adventure that I will never forget. Twelve years have passed, but I still remember vividly the sights and sounds we experienced in the land that is "ever ancient and ever new."

Certain places are etched in my memory. I will try to give you a sketch of what I saw, not necessarily in chronological order, so that you might also relive those days, if only vicariously.

The Church of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor - This site commemorates the occasion when Jesus took Peter, James and John to a high mountain and was transfigured before them - his garments became white as snow. The apostles saw Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus, and suddenly the prophets disappeared and Jesus was alone with them.

In contrast, when we were on top of Mt. Tabor, we saw parasailors jumping off of the mountain to the earth far below - a modern twist that we did not expect.

From Zipporah to Nazareth - When Joseph, Mary and Jesus lived in Nazareth, business was conducted in a nearby town called Zipporah. Ami, our Jewish tour guide explained that Joseph and Jesus most likely had their carpentry business in Zipporah. Ami then took us down the main road (Cardo) that led from Zipporah to Nazareth, where Joseph and Jesus would have walked daily from home to work and back. A truly awesome experience.

The Sea of Galilee - On our first Sunday in Israel, we had Mass on the shores of the Sea of Galilee after staying overnight at a Kibbutz called Ein Gev. Later we took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee frolm Ein Geve to the city of Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. All of the passengers were aware of the solemnity of the occasion as we realized that Jesus had spent so much time in this area and on the Sea of Galilee.

The Golan Heights - Our guide explained to us that in 1967, the Six Day War took place between Israel and Syria for a military seizure of the Golan Heights. Control of the Golan Heights then transferred from Syria to Israel. To this day, it is in Israeli hands. Since Israel is highly militarized, young Jewish men 18 years and older must serve three years in the military and women serve two years.

My recollection is that the bus ride up to the Golan Heights to the borderline between Israel and Syria was very scary as the road was narrow and twisting, but our excellent bus driver navigated it extremely well.

Mount of the Beatitudes - When we hear of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus gave us the Beatitudes, we picture a high mountain (Matthew, Ch. 5). We sat on the Mount of the Beatitudes and it is a large rocky incline which could never be construed as a mountain. We realize that the terminology of the time or the biblical interpretation of a hilly countryside is different from our present-day meaning.

Crossing into Jordan - Petra - We needed visas in order to cross from Israel into Jordan. In the front seat of our bus, two Israeli soldiers sat with rifles to protect us as we crossed over. We encountered no trouble. The city of Petra in the desert of Jordan was probably the most fascinating part of the journey for me. The rock on the mountains in Petra has an orange rust color. I came back home carrying orange Petra dust on my white sneakers which would not come out. Homes and caves, even a huge cathedral-like edifice, were built inside the orange-hued mountains. Small children would come up to us with small pieces of Petra rocks to sell. I have two beautiful rock souvenirs from the children of Petra which cost me, I think, 50 cents. In Petra I had my first view of an oasis and my first view of a camel. Camels were everywhere.

After visiting a restaurant in Jerusalem which had a huge salad bar, several tourists including myself became very ill. Because of the lack of air conditioning and the tropical climate, salad bars tend to deteriorate fast. Those who did not partake of the salad bar did not get sick.

View of the Promised Land from Mt. Nebo in Jordan - Moses was able to view the Promised Land from this
mountain although he himself never reached the Promised Land. We also saw the rock which Moses struck twice after God told him just to talk to the rock to make the water issue forth. Moses' disobedience was the reason why God did not allow Moses to reach the Promised Land.

The Red Sea - The resort town of Aqaba is a coastal town in southern Jordan at the northern tip of the Red Sea. It is important to Jordan because it is the country's only seaport. We witnessed a huge ship from Egypt coming into port. Aqaba borders Eilat, Israel which is part of the southern Negev Desert. Eilat has been called "the Miami of Israel" and attracts wealthy visitors with its lavish hotels and beaches.

Ben-Gurion National Park - We walked through caves at Ben-Gurion National Park in the Negev Desert. David Ben-Gurion established the state of Israel in 1948 and was its first Prime Minister.

Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem - This Greek Orthodox Church is built over the cave which marks the birthplace of Jesus. The altar covers the exact spot of Jesus' birth. In our walk through the busy city of Bethlehem, we spotted the car carrying Yassir Arafat and his entourage to a highly-publicized meeting with Israelis in Bethlehem. We also attended Mass at a grotto in Sheperd's Field, to the east of Bethlehem, which is identified as the scene where the Angel visited the shepherds and informed them of the birth of Jesus.

En Route to Jerusalem - As our bus traveled to Jerusalem, we encountered small Bedouin children (nomadic Arabs) who begged from us when our bus was at a stop. Some of our group left the bus to give coins to the children.

Jerusalem - There was much to see in Jerusalem. David's tomb, a view of the Dome of the Rock as we drove in. This is actually a Muslim temple. We saw the House of Caiphas, who was the high priest at the trial of Jesus. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is at the site of the crucifixion of Christ. The Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem is the route that Jesus took while on his way to his crucifixion. This is part of the Old City of Jerusalem where many outdoor stands sell merchandise. The owners of these stands expect people to haggle when they want to buy something. It was fun to experience success when we haggled over our purchases. Also in the city we saw the Pool of Bethesda, mentioned in the Bible, and still in existence.

The Mount of Olives in Jerusalem was a beautiful sight as was the Garden of Gethsemane located at the foot of the Mount of Olives. This is where Jesus prayed the night of his arrest and betrayal by Judas. Some of us spent a great deal of time in the garden; it was a difficult place to leave.

The Western Wall - This was once called "the Wailing Wall." It is in the Old City. There is a section of the wall where only men can go; another section is set aside for women. It is a tradition to write petitions on a piece of paper and insert the paper into a crevice in the wall, which we did. On the women's side, one young lady in our group was wearing a skimpy sleeveless top. A guard came up to her and told her she would have to cover up. Someone gave her a scarf which she wrapped around her shoulders.

The Church of All Nations - This is a rather recently built church near Gethsemane which commemorates the Agony in the Garden. It contains the rock used by Jesus as he prayed in Gethsemane. There is a U.S.A. emblem on the ceiling depicting an eagle.

The Dead Sea - We took a short side trip to the fortress of Masada which was not on our original itinerary. Overlooking the Dead Sea, Masada was built by Herod the Great as a refuge for himself. In 74 C.E., thousands
of Jews were forced to defend the fortress against the Romans. When their situation seemed hopeless, they preferred to commit suicide rather than be captured by the Romans. The climate of the region has helped to preserve the fortress to an extraordinary degree.

We picknicked on the shores of the Dead Sea. Some of our group opted to take a swim as it is a salt lake and one can float easily in its waters.

We were able to visit Qumran and saw the hole in the mountainside where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947 by a Bedouin shepherd boy who went looking for one of his stray goats.

The Hill Country of Judea - This part of Israel was interesting to me as Luke tells us in Luke 1:39-40 that Mary set out and traveled to the hill country to visit her cousin Elizabeth. It was a picturesque place and it was easy to imagine Mary walking through those rolling hills, anxious to impart her good news.

The Shrine of the Book - This was the last site we visited and very interesting because it is the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls are enshrined. The manuscripts are two thousand years old, mostly written in Hebrew with some in Aramaic and Greek. In one room, a documentary is shown non-stop each day with the names of victims of the Holocaust broadcast throughout the room for all to hear. An impressive visit.

In our leisure time, we walked through the Arab Quarter of Jerusalem near the Lion's Gate in the Old City Walls of Jerusalem. The Lion's Gate is one of seven such gates. I remember it well because one man in our group wore his backpack on his back with the flap showing outward. One of the Arabs walked up behind him very stealthily and started opening his backpack. Luckily, the victim felt the movement, turned around and scared the man off.

Strolling through the city of Jerusalem, looking for souvenirs to take home, we walked through an outdoor mall where shopkeepers were selling their wares. I remember that one of the men stopped there to get a bottle of coke. There were hundreds of people in this outdoor mall. One week after we arrived home, I read that this same mall was the location of a suicide bombinng which killed several people and destroyed several shops. That was the beginning of the down-turn of the tourist trade in Israel.

In Jerusalem, we stayed at the Holyland Hotel and had a general get-together on our last night in Israel on June 21, 1997. I'm sure you understand why these 17 days were truly a life-changing experience I can never forget.

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