Thoughts…

A model of magnificent Masada, an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau. It is located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. Herod the Great built two palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada. A mile up, marvelous […]

Proof of the Romans’ ramp to ascend Masada, Trojan Horse style, with arms, battering rams, etc., the ramp was built after two to three months of the siege. It allowed the Romans to breach the wall of the fortress. According to Josephus, when Roman troops entered the fortress, they discovered that its defenders had set […]

Jerusalem skyline, Shabbat sunset, and a real honor to schmooze with distinguished Israeli Professor Monty Penkower via NYC, Professor Emeritus of Jewish History at the Machon Lander Graduate School of Jewish Studies (Jerusalem), the prize-winning author of many books on the Holocaust, on American Jewry, and on the rise of the State of Israel in […]

Fell upon the Notre Dame Cathedral while strolling through beautiful Jerusalem, a Catholic chapel located in an old building of the sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion. The unique YMCA across the street from our King David Hotel was dedicated in 1933 with the words, “Here is a place whose atmosphere is […]

The beautiful, important, seemingly endless Jordan River flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and onto the Dead Sea. As the site of the baptism of Jesus Christ, the Jordan River is the source of all holy water in Christianity and has attracted pilgrims from across the world for centuries. The site of John baptizing Jesus, […]

Beit She’an National Park as we make our way to Jerusalem.  Beit She’an is considered one of the region’s oldest cities. It has played an important role in history due to its geographical location at the junction of the Jordan River Valley and the Jezreel Valley Theatre of Beth Shean (Scythopolis) Best preserved ancient theatre […]

Tiberias at sunrise (see the outdoor piano)? It is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. It has been considered since the 16th century to be one of Judaism’s Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Hebron, and Safed. Today, Tiberias is a vital tourist center due to its proximity to […]

Safed is a lovely Jewish town near the Galilee, one of the four sacred cities. Another fascinating corner of this unique and diverse country. It was the birthplace of the Kabbalah, a set of esoteric teachings meant to explain the relationship between the unchanging, eternal God—the mysterious Ein Sin (“The Infinite”)—and the mortal, finite universe […]

Capharnaum, Israel on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus’ last few years, by far the most recorded-Hail Mary or a Notre Dame TD? It is referred to as Jesus’ own city and a place where he lived. The “Spaceship” was the church commemorating the healing of the paraplegic on the Sabbath. Later, the Jews began persecuting […]