Step back from the 24 hour news cycle and enjoy a good book. Here are some suggestions! … Read More
History
Mt. Bental: The Valley of Tears and Israel-Syria Border
Mt. Bental: In one site you can see deep into Syria, the border area, the site of one of the great tank battles of the 20th century, Israel’s tallest mountain, and also enjoy a good cup of coffee. … Read More
Jerusalem Day, Yom Yerushalaim #51
Today in Israel we celebrate the day 51 years ago when Jerusalem was reunified under Jewish sovereignty for the first time in two thousand years! … Read More
Making Sense of ‘West Bank,’ ‘Judea and Samaria’ and areas ‘A’, ‘B’, and ‘C’
The origin and meaning of terms referring to the ‘West Bank’ or ‘Judea and Samaria’ and the different areas there are really confusing. Here’s what they mean and how they got to be as they are now. … Read More
Holocaust Remembrance Day: What’s Left to Say
Over seventy years after the Holocaust, what’s left to say about it? That’s the question Thane Rosenbaum addresses in a recent article. We take up that question, discuss his answer, and also ask whether the Holocaust is really so different, where it stands in Jewish history, and what does it demand of us? In this week’s Jewish Geography Podcast. … Read More
Layers: Tel Me a Story (The Land of Israel, Jerusalem, and the layers of history and meaning that define it)
In ancient times before the written word there was a tribe, worshipers of the gods of the land. They walked along footpaths into the hills of the high country between the great sea and the sea of death, where nothing … Read More
Layers: The Story of Jerusalem Stone
The story of how a dead crustacean 70 million years ago became part of the holy landscape, the Western Wall, and a worldwide symbol of Jerusalem. … Read More
Dead Sea, Massada, Ein Gedi Day Tour
The Dead Sea Valley The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth at over 1,200 feet (400m) below sea level. The water is so salty that nothing bigger than an algae can live in it. Yet a short walk … Read More
Gush Etzion – Hebron Day Tour
Biblical Heartland Gush Etzion sits in the center of the Biblical heartland of Israel. A mere 15 minute drive from Jerusalem, this area boasts remains from the times of the Bible, over 3000 years ago, throughout history to the modern … Read More